<p>Please list your financial safeties and the reasons why you chose them (ie like the school, has a good program in my major, can commute to save money, great scholarship, etc). </p>
<p>If money is no object in your family, then you may only need to list safeties (and why you chose them). </p>
<p>For someone who may not know what a financial safety is....
A "financial safety" is a school that your stats pretty much guarantee admission, and you have the means to pay for it through one (or more) of the following means - 1) out of pocket. 2) thru guaranteed automatic scholarship. 3) thru grants and work/study.</p>
<p>A "safety" is a school that your stats pretty much guarantee admission and you have the means to pay for it.</p>
<p>BTW...it's a good idea to apply to more than one financial safety, and this is why.... If you somehow don't get accepted to your top choices, or discover that you can't afford to attend them, then you'll still have 2 or 3 choices to choose from in the Spring. I don't think anyone likes to feel like they've been left with only one choice.</p>
<p>Beloit and the New College of Florida. Both have cheap tuition when compared to peer institutions and offer merit scholarships that I’m pretty sure I’ll get (NCF, especially, as it has a handy-dandy chart on its website where you can estimate your merit aid based on your stats). Both are what I’m looking for in a school, just on a bit of a lower level - they’re small, academically rigorous, and have an inclusive and non-Greek social life.</p>
<p>Safety - URochester. Half-financial safety since I’m guaranteed a 22k NMF scholarship, and my parents are willing to pay 28k+/year for me to go there even though our EFC is only 20k. But it’d be a big financial stretch.</p>
<p>Financial safety - UDel, state flagship. I am guaranteed admission to the college and I expect to get into Honors. I don’t <3 this school, though–the campus is pretty? is about the only compliment I can come up with that actually relates to my academic interests or college preferences. It is a poor fit for several reasons, but in my state there are no other public options (CC + one other 4-year that has a VERY bad academic reputation).</p>
<p>since you’re a likely NMF, you should add 1 or 2 other financial safeties to your list just to have some added options and to see what else these schools would offer you.</p>
<p>What is your likely major? </p>
<p>BTW…I wouldn’t want my parents to be sooo stretched that I couldn’t go to them for other financial needs such as $$ for study abroad or other pricey, but fun, experiences.</p>
<p>Mom2CK, you don’t need to worry about Keilexandra. She has been collecting and analyzing data on schools for a while. See her thread in the FA forum about NMF schools.</p>
<p>Heh. I admit, non-quant data analysis is something of a hobby of mine. I like information and in fact I’m considering a future career in library science.</p>
<p>I’ve looked at the NMF scholarship schools quite extensively, but am limited by size and academic preferences. I don’t see any point in applying to a financial safety larger than UDel, which is a relatively small flagship at 16k undergrads; I also need access to a computer science major and ideally some offerings in linguistics, which are difficult to find at small schools (linguistics, particularly, is nearly impossible to find at non-elite LACs).</p>
<p>I definitely am worried about my parents stretching too far financially for Rochester, though I am hoping to get need-based grant aid from them as well (but it’s not guaranteed). I was considering applying to Knox, a relatively affordable safety, but my parents are against the idea and would rather pay more for UR.</p>
<p>^ I saw that thread, hehe. But I’m not especially committed to majoring in CS–it’s a distinct possibility, not necessarily a passion. Which puts me in the position of not being committed to an academic field, yet absolutely needing to have it available in case I do choose it.</p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions for other financial safeties that fit my two criteria, size and academics?</p>
<p>It’s about 20k in state, and hopefully I’d get into the honor’s college. </p>
<p>Actually…Keilexandra, I’m pretty sure my Dad did Computer Engineering/Computer Science stuff (until he switched majors at the last minute xD) and he seemed to like it. Business/Engineering/Journalism are all good stuff at ASU. Plus there’s Barrett Honor’s…</p>
<p>And I know U of A has Library Science as a MA…</p>
<p>EDIT:</p>
<p>Oh…you should Apply to Knox though! I did, and I’ve interviewed, and my interviewer was hilarious and quite fun. Why are your parents against it?</p>
<p>^ But ASU and U of A are HUGE. XD And not particularly strong in the humanities. Neither is UD, but it is still significantly smaller and is a financial safety for me.</p>
<p>I really do like Knox a lot, and even interviewed; but my parents think it’s “beneath” me somehow and would prefer to pay twice as much for Rochester. Shrug. I like Rochester a lot, too, so I’m picking my battles.</p>
<p>My financial safety was Tulane, since I knew I was basically guaranteed a full ride if I was accepted. (including some scholarships that are only for in-state students).</p>
<p>^^ Not to be picky, but Fordham’s drawbacks: 1) Catholic (I’m outspokenly atheist and would prefer not to spend 4 years debating theology), 2) core curriculum, 3) no linguistics, 4) urban. So overall I still prefer UDel, on a relative scale.</p>
<p>But it’s okay, really! I’m content with having one safety (and other low matches) and one financial safety.</p>
<p>My kid’s safety (for cost and admissions) was St. Mary’s College of MD (though he ultimately chose to attend a different school). SMCM is one of very few small public “honors” colleges. It has a gorgeous campus and setting, good facilities, and a strong academic reputation. The campus has the look and feel of a private, Northeastern liberal arts college. The buildings look a little newer (although the architects have done a great job of blending new with old), and of course it’s much less expensive.</p>
<p>My financial safeties are FIT and SUNY Purchase. FIT’s tuition is ridiculously cheap, and coupled with the living in NYC, I’d love it. The only things I’m not too happy about with FIT is the student-body size (I’d prefer a few thousand tops, not near 10), the lack of minors (I really want to minor in anthropology), and the inflexible curriculum, though these I could deal with. Purchase is only a few thousand more, and it’s close enough to the city. I can minor in anthropology, though the program is still rigid. Also the architecture is… eh… for lack of a better word.</p>
<p>These are definitely not my top choices, but if my financial aid offers are terrible, I honestly wouldn’t mind going to either. =)</p>
<p>mom2collegekids sold me on my neice’s & son’s financial safety!</p>
<p>Neice is a HS junior & son is just starting high school, so we can’t really call UA a safety until we get the PSAT scores. A road trip to Alabama is on our horizon.</p>
<p>We live in PA – Our true publics are all tier 4, but a few have honors. Our flagship publics are not true publics, but instead are “state related” The “state related” Penn State, Pitt, Temple all are over $12k in tuition and all have costly room & board. In my limited circle, the high stat (non-athletic)students usually get large merits at privates that make the private schools more affordable than the state related schools. </p>
<p>One of our top items in looking for a financial safety is 4 yr graduation rate. Our state schools are dismissal in that area.</p>
<p>St. Mary’s of MD looks like a wonderful school! Wish we were in-state</p>
<p>Try to visit Alabama on a day that classes are in session. There are days that UA is open, but high schools are closed. No college can “look its best” on a day that classes aren’t in session.</p>
Oh, I know about Keil’s thread; I’ve posted on it a couple of times :)</p>