<p>Hi, we are getting ready to comb through the merit aid thread (<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html</a>) but I thought I would ask if anyone has any particular suggestions for where to start.</p>
<p>We live in: NY State
Student's major: applied physics
Area of interest: nanoscience (but not biology), materials science
Student is white and male
Current GPA: 3.8
Fluent in: German and Spanish
Will be a junior in fall, 2014
Currently attending: SUNY Binghamton
Financial situation: if he attended an expensive school with no merit aid, yes, we would qualify for some financial aid, but not enough to make the bottom line any less than what we are paying now, which is $10,400 per semester (plus books and some additional cafeteria $).</p>
<p>There are some things he likes at Binghamton; the main reason to transfer would be to try to save some money.</p>
<p>Also note, he wouldn't mind going out of state or out of country, although he's not champing at the bit.</p>
<p>We don't need to find a completely free ride for him, but if we could save some money for his last two years, it would be great.</p>
<p>In Germany he would pay little or no tuition, but would still pay living expenses and plane fares to visit us a couple of times per year. I'm not sure how he would make the two different educational systems work for him. He has dual citizenship, if that helps. I think we should probably concentrate on looking at US schools, but I'm not sure.</p>
<p>Any ideas?</p>
<p>There isn’t much merit for transfers, especially when not coming from a CC.</p>
<p>You’re paying about $21k now per year. Another school, say an OOS public or private would be so much more that any small transfer merit would still cost more.</p>
<p>The only option I can think of is maybe one of those Dakota schools, but Bing is a better school, so why leave?</p>
<p>I don’t see the point in leaving Bing</p>
<p>Transfers also get lousy need based aid, unless you get into a top school…maybe Cornell or USC…but as you say, you’d pay the same (or more).</p>
<p>There is a thread at the top of the transfer forum that talks about aid for,transfer students.</p>
<p>To be honest, I’m not sure you could beat the cost of Bing, as you say yourself. Therefore, what money would be saved?</p>
<p>Thanks! Live and learn – for child #2.</p>
<p>I thought I would look more into the Germany idea. I found some great threads on CC (what a fantastic resource). Here’s something important:
“You have to be an independent and disciplined worker [in German universities]. Contact time with professors is rare and limited and many lectures are crowded.”</p>
<p>Binghamton is looking better and better (with all its flaws).</p>
<p>Thanks – how do I close a thread?</p>
<p>What is his HS GPA/SAT scores? Perhaps he can look to “transfer up” to a school with more generous need based aid (although you may still be paying comparable money to what you are paying at Bing).</p>
<p>Was 20k (or the full freight at Bing) more of less than your EFC?</p>
<p>Keep in mind when S 2 attends college unless you have a huge EFC, your Fed EFC will go down. </p>
<p>In the mean time, S should be looking for merit at at Bing to try to bring down the cost of attending there.</p>
<p>for example</p>
<p>
</a></p>
<p>Some of things to consider; </p>
<p>Becoming a RA (although the jobs are competitive, minimally he would get free room, which would shave some cost off)</p>
<p>Pick up a job on campus perhaps as a tutor, working in the labs or as a research assistant (which he will need anyway if grad school is on the horizon).</p>
<p>Binghamton is looking better and better (with all its flaws).</p>
<p>Every school has flaws. Every school has some annoying rules, profs, etc. Every school has a few profs that shouldn’t be teaching (aren’t good at that skill, may be brilliant, but lousy with students).</p>
<p>To transfer and end up paying the same as Bing, your student would have to get accepted to a rare school that meets need for transfer students…and those schools use CSS Profile, so they may determine that your “family contribution” is much higher than your FAFSA EFC. </p>
<p>The best merit is for incoming frosh…not transfers. That’s why those merit threads won’t do you much good. Schools hand out large merit to get the best incoming frosh class because rankings are affected by that. Transfers don’t do anything for a school but occupy a seat…so little incentive to be generous.</p>