@Ellen94 I’d have to agree. It does sound like she’s being dramatic. Leaving the school is her #1 priority and she’ll even change majors to get out. Come on, it’s a college, 4 academic years. There are students out there who’d love the chance for any 4 year sleep away experience. So it’s not ideal. Obviously, the surroundings aren’t affecting her performance.
Still, I stand by what I said before. Give her a per year amount that you can pay and let her find a school that she can transfer to. Submit a FAFSA (it’s no big deal to add school code if you’re already submitting one for UMass) and see what kind of aid is available. Don’t worry about a major because obviously that’s not a priority compared to the horror of being squished into a large lecture hall.
IF you did a FAFSA for UMass it would have taken about 5 minutes to add Simmons or any other school. You go onto the FAFSA you did, and go to corrections, then go to the page where receiving schools are listed, and you just add the school. What a shame that she missed a chance to go to Simmons, if the FAFSA was at all relevant. I hope this can be fixed.
If this student finishes the year at UMASS, she will have only three years left.
However, this student never wanted to attend this school. She had other options which could have been possible if the financial aid paperwork had been submitted. Almost sounds like a purposeful snafu.
Sorry, but if this student wants to leave the school…let her. She is the one going to college. Not the parent.
Go to the dean of students. Ask if she can apply for a leave of absence.
True that. If this kiddo wants to transfer, she needs to be very aware of the deadlines for applications and financial,aid applications. That being said…the deadlines for transfers are often later than for first year students.
Still…once your taxes are completed, you could submit the FAFSA to UMass, as well as any other schools your daughter might be considering. It’s free. And as noted above…if you submit to one school…you can very easily just add nine others to the list.
She will need your help for that. Adding schools to your FAFSA report is like sending transcripts and test scores ahead to several schools that you think you might apply to. It’s easy to just do it all at once while you do her UMass for this year then it can still be in her hands to follow up with transfer apps and trying to track down scholarships. You don’t have to decide anything or commit to anything, cosigning loans or otherwise, just because you submit the FAFSA. It just keeps options open. She will also want to figure out if any of her target transfer schools require the CSS Profile.
I don’t think this is as much a tragedy as others seem to think. She gave UMass a shot even though it wasn’t her choice of school. She did very well, 3.9. 3.9!!! She will have lots of options for transferring. Simmons is still sending my daughter (who did not apply there) invitations to apply. They are still looking for people to fill up their seats even after the deadline. They will be very happy to have this girl. If she’s interested in education, she should look at Lesley. It’s very small but great in education and generous with aid for students like your daughter. She has come through with flying colors in the most important way–she did not screw up her work despite her unhappiness. Any school would be lucky to have her. It makes perfect sense to finish out the year at UMass. I think she’ll find a great nursing program. Or education program. The forms for transfers are probably due in March at most schools.
I’m sorry, but I’m going to say this. I see a big lack of any empathy from the OP for her kid who is struggling.
“Personally, I think she’s being dramatic. Yes, we did really push this school on her, but there’s nothing wrong with a state school.”
“She’s looking at some really small colleges and asking about the sizes-Simmons’ largest lecture hall is 60, which she loved…She was accepted there with a large scholarship, , but we never submitted the fafsa.”
What I’m hearing is that the child never wanted to attend the school that the OP decided was “good enough” and that the OP is frustrated that his/her plan didn’t work out.
OP, let her go somewhere else if it’s affordable. She’s clearly unhappy where she is. Where is the win in making her stay there? I don’t get it.
All of this has been documented in the OPs previous threads. The OP is not making her stay there… just finish out the semester, which the girl agreed to do, and realistically, is the best option to be an attractive transfer.
But there will be no realistic transfer if the same mistakes/oversights RE financial aid forms are made a second time. Yes OPs daughter has lots of options potentially open to her with her strong record but it appears that neither party is really clear on how to go forward with the process. How would anyone be talking co-signing loans if no final FA packages were ever in hand because FAFSA wasn’t completed for alternate schools? This whole premise sounds like it is based on a faulty understanding. This could work out well for sure, but not if they are driving blind a second time.
Yes, it does sound like Ellen was driving blind the first time thinking UMass would be the cheapest option. It probably wouldn’t have been. Ellen, get that FAFSA, the CSS Profile, and your taxes (and the dad’s taxes) done asap. If you really want to help your daughter, that stuff needs to be done now, and it’s on you. Your daughter can find the schools.
It would’ve been more expensive for me to go to any of our state schools than the private school I went to, due to financial aid. But you’ll never know that without submitting the paperwork!
^^^ very true. I was hesitant to get anecdotal, but I made D apply to one of our giant state universities and one other in-state public as safeties and their final cost was our benchmark for the cost/value calculation on her favorite when that package came through. Her favorite, which awards large merit scholarships and also meets 100% of need (FAFSA and CSS) ended up to be the best package even before the subjective “value” calculation. I wanted her to be there so I was secretly rooting for the State Uni. to come in high to make it an easier decision.
The other anecdotal advice is about the importance of visiting most of your target schools so that in the short time between the final package and the notification date you can really compare the apples and oranges to determine which one will be the best value over all. We did have one hard to get to school that we would only have visited if the package came in much better than her favorite. It was configured differently but in the same ball park so it just served to confirm the top candidate.
Yes, we are early in the process (my D still hasn’t heard from her top schools) but the numbers already look better for some of the privates than for UMass. It’s a mistake a lot of people make, especially those with first generation kids, so no beating yourself up now. Just get that paperwork done and submitted so that next year can be a great one for your daughter, Ellen!
And again, it’s hard because we want to know now, but some of this just takes waiting through the steps of the process. Many schools will award initial academic merit aid with the acceptance.
Often there is a second round of academic merit aid that can be secured through attending a scholarship weekend and interviewing or presenting a second essay. Some schools will stack other types of merit or service aid, or smaller endowed scholarships on top of that.
The third round is waiting on need based aid which can be another couple months. It can come in the form of grants (both institutional and State or Federal if you qualify), subsidized loans and unsubsidized loans. Your hope is that your need based aid is heavy on grants and does not include and unsubsidized loans or at least minimal un-subs. Federal work study is also awarded through the need based FA process. You can accept the whole package or only accept parts of it. If you can cover the costs some other way you do not need to accept the loans.
The critical fourth part is that you can go back to the school FA office if your kid is a very strong candidate and really wants to attend but the package doesn’t quite make it possible. If you have more information for them and can tell them that kid WILL attend if you can bring the out of pocket down to X$$$$ they may make an adjustment - particularly if they are one of the many schools out there that is trying hard to fill seats.
This can be agony when you love a school and really want to attend. It’s hard to wait. We are waiting on the results of step 2 with DS’s favorite school now. He has his acceptance with academic merit in hand and is just back from the round of auditions, interview and portfolio presentation to try to secure the next chunk of aid to stack on top. Even if that comes through in a big way there will be a celebration that he did his part but we will still need to wait on the need based aid to know that it will be possible. His regional admissions guy for the school told us to be sure and go back for part four if he really wants to attend but the package isn’t quite there.
I’m going to try to summarize this…and I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
This daughter never wanted to attend UMass. It was the parent choice, not the kid choice.
The financial aid application forms were sent to UMass only last year...thus jettisoning any chances for financial aid at any school beside UMass...
Kid continues to hate UMass but has agreed to finish the year. But still wants to transfer.
Kid is also saying she will switch majors if she can't find a nursing program. Does she really want to enter nursing? I'm not positive.
Kid is willing to attend a CC but this is not agreeable to the parent...for some reason.
Unless I’m reading this wrong, it seems like the family needs to listen more to the student. The student is the one attending college, not the parent. This kiddo is presenting some costly options, maybe. Who knows until the financial aid forms are actually completed this time. And I do agree…if this student was accepted as an incoming freshman, she should reach out to the school for reconsideration.
Thumper, you have outlined my understanding as well. I cannot begin to imagine what this child is going through. She is smart, she proactively does all the all she can do, she wants to go to a Community College et al. She is what many would call the golden child, who just requires middle ground, support and direction.If only the parents can take off those iron casts off their ears, they could probably hear their kid.
Did I miss where the Community College would cost MORE than UMASS?
Even if she is “agreeing” to stay second semester, rather than feeling “compelled” to stay, there are still deep-seated, serious issues that are ongoing, IMO. Much is said about fit on cc, but some posters are saying here that an overly dramatic girl should suck it up.
Most people want their child to thrive in college, rather than just get by. OP’s daughter never wanted to go to UMass, has been miserable there, and in spite of this has found a way to get excellent grades first semester. She is a rock star, not someone who should have to “suck it up.” I’m just astonished at not only the lack of parental support in this case, but the undermining. OP says second semester has been paid for, period. Maybe I missed it, but did she even call to see if a withdrawal were financially feasible? This student deserves better.