<p>we really need aid because they're soon to retire..and i have sister with cystic fibrosis so thats a big expense. do you think they qualify for aid? if they dont, theyre sending me to mcgill in canada...I DONT WANT TO GO THERE! haha please advise.</p>
<p>At colleges very generous with aid like the ivies, you may get aid if you can show expenses for your sister that when deducted from income, put you in range for aid. There would be no extra consideration for retirement, aid formulas take parent age into account.</p>
<p>The rub is you’ll have to be accepted and then ask for ‘professional judgement’ to have the schools consider your family’s medical expenses.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re American. You are unlikely to get aid with that kind of income. You may be better off finding a college with a good price tag and, frankly, McGill has a good one. What don’t you like about it? Is there another school you may prefer? (Canada is a good way for full-pay families to save money but there are plenty of schools that aren’t McGill.) What are your instate options? And are you eligible for merit (gpa/ test scores)? How much is St Andrew’s in Scotland? Would that be an option?</p>
<p>I’m a Canadian citizen actually…so are my parents. We currently live in Connecticut and I grew up in the USA. That’s why the pressure for McGill. I looked at St Andrews…but to be honest I’m kind of afraid to go overseas for college. Anyway, thanks for your responses so far.</p>
<p>Have you looked at McMaster? It’s pretty nice and well regarded.</p>
<p>With a $250,000 a year income, you will not qualify for need based aid ANYWHERE in the United States. Unless your family medical expenses more than 1/2 of your family income, it’s unlikely that your family contribution that the schools compute will become low enough for you to qualify for need based aid either…I’m just guessing but even with an income of $125K per year, MOST schools do not give need based aid here.</p>
<p>As noted, there are some very generous schools with large endowments that do give need based aid to families with incomes up to $150K per year…but yours is much higher than that.</p>
<p>In addition, you need to check the policies on awarding aid to international students.</p>
<p>McGill is an excellent school. Many Americans WANT to go there.</p>
<p>It is unlikely that your sister’s medical expenses (after insurance) are high enough to make a difference with an income that high. Even if your parents pay out $50k per year (after insurance), that would be like earning $200k per year - still too high for aid.</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year for your college costs? If you don’t know, ask.</p>
<p>What are your stats? You might be able to get a merit-based scholarship from a school that will award them to int’ls.</p>
<p>And, of course, McGill is a great school. Why would you not want to go there?</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posters. With such a high income you are unlikely to qualify for financial aid. The fact that your parents are soon to retire does not make any difference to financial aid. Once they are retired then their income as retirees is what financial aid after that will be based on. FA will not take into account what is about to or may be about to happen (other than FAFSA does have a higher asset protection for older parents). </p>
<p>And with such a high income a special circumstances adjustment for your sister’s medical bills would be unlikely make much difference. The way a special circumstances adjustment for high medical bills works for FAFSA (assuming you are a permanent resident and therefore eligible to file FAFSA) is that the FA officer reduces the income on FAFSA by the amount of the medical expenses (adjusted by the amount already included in income protection allowances) and the EFC is recalculated. The medical expenses would have to be huge to reduce such a high income to a level where need based FA is likely.</p>
<p>I don’t think I qualify for a merit based scholarship. The schools I am looking at are extremely competitive in that regard. I don’t like McGill because it is huge, my sister went to school in Montreal and it was so cold her nostrils regularly froze, and I feel like the people who go there aren’t my type. I will go there if I don’t get in where I want here, but only then.
My sister is 22 but still mostly dependent on my parents. My oldest sister is in grad school and paying most of it on her own but we’re still helping her out.
Also, my mom is really the only one working. My dad is pretty much retired and works as substitute teacher now and then. Will this help?
The schools I’m looking at are on average 52,000.</p>
<p>
Being retired makes no difference. It is income and assets that matter. Not whether one or both are retired or working.</p>
<p>*I don’t think I qualify for a merit based scholarship. The schools I am looking at are extremely competitive in that regard. *</p>
<p>That is YOUR CHOICE. You could consider some other schools that would give you merit scholarships.</p>
<p>The fact that your family makes a huge income and you only want to consider highly competitive colleges is a personal choice. You could include some financial safety schools.</p>
<p>It’s irrelevant that your dad is retired. My uncle is retired and has a big income. Your family has a retired parent, but still has a big income. Many families have only one working parent, and some have two retired parents,** but if the income if big, that is what counts.** Either your dad has a good retirement income or your mom makes a lot of money. Either way, your family is affluent. </p>
<p>Your sister in grad school won’t count.</p>
<p>You have to deal with the facts and make decisions based on reality - not on wishful thinking.</p>
<p>1) you will not get aid or at least enough to put a good dent in a school that costs $50k+.</p>
<p>2) you don’t want to go to McGill because it’s too cold.</p>
<p>3) (it sounds like) you have the stats to get big merit scholarships elsewhere.</p>
<p>Now…make a choice…Apply to McGill or apply to some schools that will give you merit scholarships.</p>
<p>I would advise you to do the following.</p>
<p>1) Apply to a couple of reach schools just to see what they might do. Don’t waste your time on too many because it’s unlikely you would get much, if anything.</p>
<p>2) Apply to McGill</p>
<p>3) Apply to 2-4 schools that will give you generous merit for your stats. At least then you’ll have some choices in the spring and won’t get stuck with only one affordable school.</p>
<p>Have your parents told you how much they will pay?</p>
<p>What is your likely major and career?</p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>What schools are you considering? Are you thinking about ED? If so, that is a bad idea~!</p>
<p>From another thread…</p>
<p>*GPA: 3.8 out of 4.5 unweighted, 4.0 weighted
(95-100 is an A+, 90-94 is an A…etc)
Taking two languages, Latin and Spanish, with straight A+'s in Latin and A’s in Spanish since sophomore year.</p>
<p>Intended major is Classics, kind of random…</p>
<p>SAT’s (math is projected)
760 cr
650 math
770 writing</p>
<p>4 AP’s, 6 Honors. 5 on my AP Lang exam*</p>
<p>Have you taken the SAT or ACT yet? If so, is your “projected” math score based on hopeful results of studying? What was your math score on your last test? </p>
<p>If you get your projected math score, then your M+CR score would be 1410. That’s not high for top schools. </p>
<p>What state are you in? Would you get instate rates there?</p>
<p>McGill is a great school as are a number of Canadian universities. With the rising cost of college here, a number of people I know have looked into Canadian schools. What schools do you have in mind here in the US that you prefer to the Canadian colleges?</p>
<p>Are you considered an international student here in the US? If so, that limits aid even further. However, as the others have said, it is likely that your parents income will knock you out of consideration even with consideration of your sister’s medical costs. If you have some colleges in mind, you might want to discuss the situation with the fin aid office and see what the outlook is for you in terms of financial aid.</p>
<p>If your stats and grades are up there, you could be in the running for some merit awards. Look for schools where you are in the upper 5% of the stats. UBuffalo has some good merit money, and a reasonably low sticker price. What are the rules for in state tuition for CT? In NY, if you have been in high school for the last 3 consecutive years, you qualify for state rates.</p>
<p>hi,
to mom2collegekids and others
Don’t worry, I’m not looking at ivies…mostly at top 30 schools. i have taken the SAT and got 770 writing 760 cr and a bad score on the math part…so I’m retaking it in Oct. I have been studying for a couple months and I am fairly certain I’ll get a 650 based on repeated practice tests.
I do plan to apply to McGill…and if I don’t get into the schools I want here in the USA, I will definitely go there if accepted, rather than go to a sub-par one here just for the sake of avoiding McGill. I don’t dislike McGill just because it’s cold…its also the type of person who attends the school, and the environment of Montreal as a whole. I have been there before and there is a big drug scene in the colleges. My sister had a bad experience with that. Also, I don’t like the idea of huge school. I prefer smaller schools where there is more of a community feel. Nevertheless, I am not above considering McGill and I know its a great school.
I’m not considered an international student because my legal residence is the USA
To me…my family doesn’t make a “huge” income. I think its partly my parents are overextended. We lived in Colorado for 2 years on a job transfer, and we haven’t been able to sell our 600,000 house there. Our house here is worth 1,000,000 (though they did not pay that much for it 10 years ago) and taxes are huge in CT. My sister, because of her health, needs to live in Florida, so they bought her a small house there and have to pay all her bills because shes not well enough for a full time job. Also, my grandmother left us a summer house on Lake Huron in Canada, so that costs money too. Basically, in this economy my mom’s income is not going as far as it might.</p>
<p>Then you have UConn as a good safety choice. With good stats, there are a number of merit possibilities for you as well. Also, McGill is not the only school in Canada.</p>
<p>Are there good, smaller schools in a milder part of Canada? Maybe Vancouver?</p>
<p>*I’m not considered an international student because my legal residence is the USA
To me…my family doesn’t make a “huge” income. I think its partly my parents are overextended. We lived in Colorado for 2 years on a job transfer, and we haven’t been able to sell our 600,000 house there. Our house here is worth 1,000,000 (though they did not pay that much for it 10 years ago) and taxes are huge in CT. *</p>
<p>So, you have a green card?</p>
<p>You have another problem. That home in Colorado and the summer home in Lake Huron are big assets. Also, colleges that consider equity for the primary residence will also include the Conn home that is worth $1M.</p>
<p>If your parents own the Florida home, that is another asset.</p>
<p>You will not qualify for aid anywhere. Your expected family contribution will be huge.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, I’m not looking at ivies…mostly at top 30 schools.</p>
<p>the problem wasn’t that you might be applying to ivies. The problem is that you will be “full pay” at all top 30 schools. Name one where you wouldn’t be. ???</p>
<p>So, you need another list unless you’re fine with McGill.</p>
<p>With a $250K income and four houses at the values quoted, this student will be a full pay at any college…unless he/she gets some merit aid that is NOT tied to need at all.</p>
<p>How old is your sister with the health issues? Is she disabled and still a dependent of your parents (not sure how that can be the case when her legal residence is in another state)? That could add another “kink” to your special circumstances possibilities.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a smaller school in Canada, consider Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario: 16,000 full time students in a small city. Highly regarded in Canada but virtually unknown in the US. The drug scene at McGill is no different than at most US schools. It is a personal choice. It appears your sister made some bad choices. </p>
<p>Boston University is a middling school but with your stats you might get a half tuition merit scholarship. It is the same size as McGill but not in the same league academically. </p>
<p>Yes, my nostrils did freeze in Montreal and my glasses fogged up and froze. I survived and learned to enjoy winter there. If it is the French environment of Montr</p>
<p>The only discount you can get is to apply to schools that will give you merit for your stats. Period. Otherwise you’ll be a full-pay.</p>