<p>re post 19
If wishes were horses then all men could ride…</p>
<p>
Ours is a little bit higher, but that amount can be accounted for by DS’s assets and summer contributions. Subtracting that out, our EFC is pretty much split in half with two in (same) meets-full-need university. :)</p>
<p>OK. I’ll fess up and admit that my husband and I have been lousy financial planners. We qualify for no need-based aid and have bright kids. But money was a concern because there was no way we could shell out $45000 per year for tuition, room and board, etc. </p>
<p>The book that helped me immensely was called “Discounts and Deals at the Nation’s Best Colleges.” I had breast cancer when my d was a sophomore, so it caused us to start researching early (just in case, plus I knew it wasn’t my husband’s “thing”). The book was up-front about merit aid (which we knew was our only aid chance). Basically, it took 221 top schools, gave details about how much and to whom merit aid usually goes, and listed merit aid awards for each school as “none,” “some,” and “plentiful.” We eliminated all of the “nones,” except for one (Princeton, which was the only rejection she received).</p>
<p>D applied to these schools: Princeton (again, rejected), Emory (received full tuition through Emory scholars), UChicago (full tuition), Fordham (full tuition), Tulane (full tuition), Loyola New Orleans (full ride), UNC (full tuition), UT ($1000 scholarship and home state), WUSTL (half tuition plus another $3000). I know there was another school in there, but I can’t remember what it was. Anyway, she accepted UChicago, her first-choice school, and graduates next month.</p>
<p>Son had nearly identical SATs (he:1560, she:1520) and ranking (4/800-plus) and APs (10-plus, all fives and fours). Solid extracurriculars for both, only she was a National Merit finalist and he was commended. </p>
<p>His results, same strategy:</p>
<p>One rejection (CalTech). Accepted: Fordham ($12,000/year), Drexel (full tuition), Colorado School of Mines (half tuition), George Washington ($16,000, I think – it was the presidential), UTexas ($1,000/year, same as sister), Emory (zilch), American (nearly full tuition). He’s chosen American.</p>
<p>But, as you can see, two kids, similar stats. Big changes in funding over four years, with S receiving considerably fewer full tuition offers. </p>
<p>What I’m saying is this: Make sure to include financial safeties. Lots of schools that say they meet full need meet that need with loans, not grants. And keep abreast of the admissions/scholarship scene. I assumed the results would be similar, but it was much tighter for my son. </p>
<p>We’re happy, but don’t assume that Son’s experience will mirror your Daughter’s. I hope this makes sense.</p>
<p>Edit: One more thing – have your child help you with the research and do some on his/her own re money and college. It helps them to understand the financial situation (both yours and the ways colleges award aid). That way there are no surprises. Chicago was D’s first choice, but she knew and accepted that she’d need merit aid to get there. Same with S – he preferred GWU, but immediately knew that American was the best choice, given grad school plans and future debt. </p>
<p>Also, my D’s involvement when she was applying gave her great insight into her grad school process, which she handled on her own. She applied to five schools, accepted into combined MA and PhD programs at four, waitlisted at one. She’ll attend Yale with full tuition remission and a $25,000 stipend for five years, plus one year for dissertation. She says the undergrad process really helped her prepare well for researching and completing the grad school process and her financial options.</p>
<p>rondafaye: What a difference four years made! Very good of you to share that info with the CC community. And kudos to you and your kids, but double hurrah to D for her grad school accomplishment. Again, thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>Thanks, jazzymom. With our daughter, the net was cast wide because it was our first rodeo, so to speak. I should have redone the research with my son, but didn’t (because I assumed the same strategy would work). That was a big mistake, because it seems that admissions (and aid) are much more competitive than four years ago. All in all, though, we were extremely fortunate.</p>
<p>RondaFaye;</p>
<p>I don’t think the difference in admissions / merit awards was due to the four year time difference but rather beccause your d was NMF and your s was NMCommended.</p>
<p>My d1 graduated in 2006 and was NMF. She was 12 for 12 including duke, UNC, UCB, UCLA, USC and received tuition/partial tuition offers for 8 of the colleges. As we don’t qualify for need based aid, we were purposely casting for merit aid. D decided to go to Baylor on full tuition scholarship and is very happy there.</p>
<p>Now, D2 is graduating this year but was NM Commended, not NMF. She is 8 for 8 including UNC, UCLA, USC, BU, GW, Wake Forest – however she only got scholarships at Clemson and GWu (she got Presidential scholarship at GW, same as your son). She is currently deciding between UCLA and UNC ( no scholarship) or Clemson (almost full tuition). We are visiting UNC and Clemson this week, but I think D will end up at UCLA.</p>
<p>I think the NMF and NMcommended is what caused the difference in merit aid.</p>
<p>National Merit finalist status is a big deal at some schools. Plus, with only one common school between the two siblings, I would not jump to any specific conclusions. I would reinforce the general conclusion though. . .don’t expect one sibling’s application results to track the other’s, even if their basic academic profiles are similar.</p>
<p>I kept hearing this phase “some schools are seeking male students” in one form or the other. I will really appreciate if you could give me a list of such schools.</p>
<p>Everything is going on as planned. DS is working on his PSAT plus some ACT preparation. He has recently developed a love for Chess and made quite some progress very fast. He has hired a coach and doing web based training daily.</p>
<p>The list right now looks like PHYS + 3 other male student seeking colleges + Flag State U (may be).</p>
<p>Dad II, a male applicant will have some advantage over girls at pretty much all LACs, except, of course, women’s colleges 
(for instance, the admission rate for males at Pomona, while still low, is almost double the number for females). Also check the school’s race/ethnic composition - as an Asian American (I believe you mentioned being Asian, so please forgive me if I’m wrong on this one), your son might have a slight admissions edge at some colleges with low Asian male population such as Whitman.</p>
<p>DadII, although you might find exceptions, in general LACs attract a larger population of girls. While one might think that this could help the fate (or chances) of male applicants, there is no guarantee. It is not as clear cut as girls applying to very competitive engineering programs.</p>
<p>Fwiw, I really do not think that you should use the male/female “chances” as an element in establishing your son’s short list. It would be wiser to focus on a few solid matches and safeties where your son could blossom and would be very happy.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t focus so much on test scores and ECs - I’d ask child #2 what is he reading this summer, how is he growing his intellectual life. I think the real deal engaged scholar tends to surface on the applications and not so much the kids following a formula. Make sure he’s really, really reading and thinking. It will show in his applications and interviews and throughout his junior year at high school. Good luck, Dad II! I admire your tenacity and tend to think you exagerrated your own negatives in your narratives regarding your first one.</p>
<p>Great advice, mammall. Dad II – please don’t try to game the system so much.</p>
<p>It is good to be aware of things such as the differences in admission rates betw sexes at some school, and knowing if a school is eager to balance the M/F ratio. For some schools like Skidmore, Wheaton, Goucher and others that were once all female schools, it can make a difference in aid packaging and admission chances. It is however, a “tip” not a “hook”. </p>
<p>As for safeties, it’s not necessarily a lower end school that falls in that category. BC ended up as a safety for my oldest since he got in EA. That let him pitch those apps of schools he did not like as much as BC. </p>
<p>An issue I have seen arise are lots of loans even at full need met schools. Check out the average loan amounts in the FA packages at those schools. USN&WR ultimate guide and their web site have that break down. A lot of schools do preferential packaging when they do not give merit awards, so when you see some juicy scholarships that they may have prominently displayed on their website, make sure you know how many of them are given out, and what kind of kids tend to get them. I was surprised this year at a top LAC’s financial aid offer to a high need student. Very heavy on loans which was not advisable for someone in here situation. </p>
<p>I don’t know if schools still do this, but it used to be that when there are two in college, there is some assumption of the cost of the second college rather than the real cost. I remember a friend making out very well that way, as her second daughter was at a state school where the cost was lower, but the private school that her first daughter attended gave it an allowance equivalent to its cost. Does anyone know if there are colleges that still do that? I think if your son got into a lower cost school (due to sticker price or merit money), it can come out less expensive over all.</p>
<p>I know this is a non-CC suggestion, but I really like the idea of kids not having to think about school during the summer. I think it’s a good time to work, practice hobbies, play music, read books, hang out with friends, go camping, see some movies… take a break from everything related to school. High school is so intense now - it seems a shame when some of that intensity spills over into the summer.</p>
<p>The unfortunate exception is summer before the senior year, when it really does help to work on the essay if possible. Otherwise, I’d say to encourage your son to just have fun in all the ways that make sense to him, plus try a few more.</p>
<p>^ cptofthehouse - you raise a very good issue regarding how colleges count the siblings college costs. I have friends with first child attending Ivies full freight. They were very disappointed to find out that when child #2 applied to colleges, his older siblings tuition costs were calculated at the cost of our state public university - a fraction of the real cost.</p>
<p>Calreader, I’m with you. This summer, my S (rising junior) is spending time staying up late, sleeping in, writing & recording music (metal), reading John Grisham books, playing basketball & disc golf with his buddies, and basically enjoying being a teenager. He eventually plans to get his license, get a job, and do his summer homework … but for the time being, he is doing what so many teens on CC don’t seem to get to do (or maybe don’t want to do) … he is relaxing & enjoying life. After all, if not now … when?!</p>