<p>You could turn a visit to Plattsburgh into a nice short family trip. Drive up and visit the school. Spend the night (there is a Holiday Inn) and check out the town (shopping, restaurants, etc.). On your way back downstate, you can stop at Lake Placid for a day and a night.</p>
<p>Did you get a chance to read over the link regarding SUNY Honor
College stats and the Plattsburgh Honor’s College admission criteria?</p>
<p>Yes nysmile, it looks good. Wrote a brief email to the prof in charge. A trip up there would be good tho we may end up taking only D, will have to see. She is still reluctant to think about Plattsburgh (“too far away”) but it is early still and with time she may realize how important it is to be at a school which matches her needs and itnterests. Oneonta is the other SUNY to look at, not really sure as we have not looked in depth but I did notice it does not have study abroad of its own to a Spanish speaking country (NP has Spain, Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico and Platt does a joint program with Middlebury in Spain, of course Middlebury is well-known for languages)</p>
<p>Anyway at this point the back-ups to NP (and I learn from these posts that “even for a SUNY” you have to have one!) are Oneonta and Platt. I appreciated the wonderful comments about Fredonia but am afraid it is just too far for us, and Purchse sounds fantastic for arts people but not necessarily for D.</p>
<p>Too early to decide on career/majors but sociology, psych, public health with Spanihs in the mix, strong humanities focus. </p>
<p>NP is 15 minutes away, Oneonta is two and a half hours, Platt is four but has a direct train line.</p>
<p>momcino, just in case you’re not aware of it, many/most of the SUNY abroad programs are open to students from other schools. She can search the entire SUNY system for study abroad opportunities and use the SA resources at her home school.</p>
<p>One of my son’s roommates at Plattsburgh studied abroad in Spain and had a blast. After graduating from Plattsburgh, this particular roommate went on to an excellent Law School.</p>
<p>Momcino -</p>
<p>Whenever D takes the train, she is not alone. There are always other students traveling.</p>
<p>The school also offers a lot of sponsored activities - movie nights, ski trips, a trip into NYC to see a show, occasional trips to Canada. There are theater and music groups and a zillion clubs.</p>
<p>One thing that my D likes is that the other LI/NYC kids don’t go home every weekend. I know 4 kids at NP who come home at least twice a month. </p>
<p>I second visiting Platt. One of the hotels, I think Best Western, has a swimming pool and will accept a dog. My family loved that one.</p>
<p>The profs are pretty accessible and with the exception of one who did not speak English well, she has not had any problems.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info regarding Plattsburgh. Like D, H is not sold on the idea (“too far”) but as time goes on…they don’t realize that “away” is “away.” </p>
<p>Actually it would work out equally financially, in the sense that Platt and Oneonta would give more money, but NP – which doesn’t seem to give merit money – is so close we wouldn’t have to spend anythig on travel. So it could come down to which campus D likes best and which academic program is strongest… tho since she is undecided, basic social sciences and humanities (with Spanish) is allw e can look for. </p>
<p>About study abroad, yes I am aware that SUNYs share programs, but it does seem to be a good idea to go with your own home institution. At some point the type of program would be imp, D is Spanish speaker, not Spanish language learner, and literature/history/etc would be more to her speed than language acquisition. </p>
<p>By the way – Best Western with a pool sounds great, and D loves her dog! We found it on the streets when we first moved to Mexico and she lived with us there, moving back to NY we brought her back with us; the family dog is the equalivalent of D’s security blanket.</p>
<p>What is the town of Oneonta like? Is transportation there as easy as Amtrak to Platts?</p>
<p>D would rather go to Open House at Oneonta than at Manhattanville on the same date so that is where we will go (in two weeks).</p>
<p>Thank you everybody – I am learning so much. If you don’t mind keep the thoughts coming on SUNY NP, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Platt…</p>
<p>Private schools out of which D will choose two or three for reaches are Skidmore, Siena, Marist, maybe Drew and maybe Muhlenberg, still have to see them and research more.</p>
<p>Unfortunately Hartwick’s calculator discouraged us – I should say fortunately, better to know now rather than later. Will make use of calculators as search goes on…I know they are not accurate in terms of guaranteeing money but if even the calculator puts a school out of financial reach (and there are no specialized scholarrships for which she would be a shoe-in), seems pointless to spend the energy.</p>
<p>I can’t say thank you enough, parents (and students) for sharing your experience.</p>
<p>With your low EFC, your daughter would most likely be eligible for fee waivers. This includes 4 fee waivers from SUNY. Since SUNY is most likely to be the financial safety for your family, my recommendation is to use a bottoms up approach, to come up with 4 SUNY schools that your daughter likes and would be happy to attend. I think that you are doing yourself and your daughter a disservice to geographically limit yourself. I have a number of students at Fredonia, Plattsburgh, Oneonta, Platsburgh, Cortland, Oswego and Potsdam who are all thriving. Like some of the parents mentioned, while they may not have been accepted freshmen year to the honors program, they were subsequently admitted. </p>
<p>Joan52 makes an excellent point with her daughter’s story and how she has taken advantage of everything offered (becoming a RA, community service scholarship, departmental scholarships) to help defray her COA.</p>
<p>Also please remain cognizant to the fact that with the exception of Buffalo and Albany , most of the honors programs accept less than 100 freshmen per year. So despite her stats, she is not a lock at any of them (especially in this economy).</p>
<p>Most of the other schools that you have listed are schools that do not meet 100% demonstrated need. Some of them GAP and Gap huge or will saddle your daughter with a lot of debt as they max out stafford and perkins loans as part of the financial aid package (yes, loans are considered financial aid and meeting your need). In addition to running the net price calculators, I would recommend that you check out the school’s common data set, look at sites like ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ and strategicmeasures.org where you can compare schools side by side . With collegeresults, you can click the tab for similar colleges where you can see graduation rates, financial aid, average debt (unforunately, the data stops at 2009, but you will be able to see the changes year over year up to that point).</p>
<p>^^^ Great advice from Sybbie, as usual! We are so lucky to have her on this board.</p>
<p>just in case you’re not aware of it, many/most of the SUNY abroad programs are open to students from other schools.</p>
<p>This is true of many schools. At my kids’ school, their study abroad programs are attended by kids from all over. You can sign up for many schools’ programs.</p>
<p>Yes, the study abroad programs and exchanges are open to all. My friend’s D, who is at NP, is currently in England on an exchange through Stony Brook. My own D wants to go to Ireland; she is going through the Study Abroad office at Plattsburgh and is very pleased with the quality of the services. You should be aware that some FA may apply to study abroad and that some programs offer scholarships.</p>
<p>Also, nobody has mentioned Work Study, which your D might qualify for. My D had it the first semester but then her private scholarship x’ed it out. However, one of the offices she had workd for like her enought that it hired her as a regular employee. The school makes every effort to get qualified students jobs, though you might not liked the hours. My D worked from 12 - 4 AM one night a week at the tutoring center and on the weekends because those were the only shifts available. You do what you have to do.</p>
<p>The upshot is that my D will most likely come out of a 5 year program with no debt whatsoever and because of her efforts, I have not had to take any loans either.</p>
<p>Also, my H was very opposed to D going so far away. Now, 2 years later, when it’s clear that her school experience has been a resounding success, it is suddenly H who had the idea to send her away and ME who was insistent that she live at grandma’s and go to Queens College. </p>
<p>By the way, momcino, I also have 5 kids - D is the second oldest and only girl so it was hard to let her go (oldest son did local CC as he didn’t want to go away).</p>
<p>Sybbie, point well taken re Honors at SUNYs.Geography will, I anticipate, be a running theme in our household over the next year. As D’s friends (and boyfriend) make their own plans, and as we visit campuses further away, I suspect her thoughts will change.</p>
<p>Joan, nice to meet another mother of five! </p>
<p>I am assuming D will get work study, it comes up on the calculators I have used. If not she will really be in trouble, since that will be her spending money.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip re. college results online and the trends in grad rates, indebtedness, etc. I never thought to look past 2009 (comes up automatically) but yes, that would reveal patterns.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is where you may have to look at the school’s common data set. You should also check out the projectonstudentdebt.org</p>
<p>I am attaching the link for NY</p>
<p>[Project</a> on Student Debt: New York](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-view2010.php?area=NY]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-view2010.php?area=NY)</p>
<p>There are usually 3 types of “work study”, Federal work study, employment and non-work study.</p>
<p>The Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP) is a federally funded program and was established by Congress through the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist needy students earn money to meet educational costs. Participation in the program is determined by the student’s financial need and is awarded as part of the financial aid package. Earnings are not applied directly to the tuition bill, but are used by the student to cover costs such as books, personal items, and transportation. FWSP funds may only be used on campus with on-campus employers or with approved off-campus community service employers.</p>
<p>Employment is an alternative form of funding for student who do not qualify for work-study funds, usually for citizenship reasons. Regulation of the Employment program mirrors the FWSP in that a student must show a financial need to be eligible for such funding. Employment funds are usually not permissible for off-campus use.</p>
<p>non work study positions are for students who are not FWS or employment eligible. These types of jobs are usually available on campus through food services , bookstore, etc.</p>
<p>How students get jobs vary from school to school. There are jobs that are specifically earmarked for FWS students. </p>
<p>At small colleges and schools with great resources and funding, every student who qualifies for work study, whether it is FWS or work study can get a job.</p>
<p>At large public universities where you may have many students eligible for FWS, there may not be enough jobs for every student that qualifies for FWS and this can be a challenge.</p>
<p>Thanks Sybbie! Will study it.</p>
<p>Since losing her work study, my D has had regular employment. You can look on the Plattsburgh website and it will show you the types of jobs that are available both in work study and regular on campus employment. For your D, a position as a Spanish tutor in the Learning Center sounds like it might be perfect. Another thing about P is that there are jobs to be had in the town - there are several malls very close to the school where kids work. There are restaurants and hotels as well and many of them hire college students. The school runs shuttles and the town has a number of cab companies which are safe, reliable and relatively inexpensive. My D does not have a car at school.</p>
<p>Also, as for the graduation rates - P has a number of 5 year programs, especially in education. My D is one of them so she will not be counted as a 4 year graduate even though she will actually be starting her grad classes in her 4th year. She is not being counted as a member of her original class but rather of the 5 year class. This type of thing can skew the stats. I looked at the 4 - 6 year grad stats but given how many kids change majors, etc., I don’t pay them much mind.</p>
<p>Hi Joan,</p>
<p>I know that you must be so proud of your daughter (I’m proud of her). It is a testament to who she has grown into. As I stated earlier, she has taken advantage of every opportunity the school offered and just ran with it. I am so happy to hear that she will be doing her program and graduating not only debt free, but chalking up some great work experiences. She has beautifully demonstrated that is it not so much where you go, but what you do when you get there!</p>
<p>I know I am not the one who asked the original question, but this thread has been quite infomative. Thanks. I attended a session at our HS and it was recommended the student apply to at least one SUNY as a financial safety, and one local school. </p>
<p>We are shopping around for the SUNY financial safety right now. Is there a site that gives a comprehensive view of the SUNY schools?</p>
<p>Momcino. Here is a thread for parents at the same stage of college selection. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/754591-parents-hs-class-2013-college-class-2017-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/754591-parents-hs-class-2013-college-class-2017-a.html</a></p>
<p>Two of my kids attended SUNYs; one really cool thing I learned is that most SUNYs make it very easy to graduate early; they give credit for a lot of IB and AP courses, online courses, and community college courses taken in summer or winter. I was surprised at how early my daughter is graduating; she is saving lots of $$$.</p>
<p>Sybbie -</p>
<p>Thank you. I am so very proud of her. Yesterday, she told me that she would try to help with college costs for her youngest brother, who is in 7th grade now, once she starts working. It’s not her place to have to do that, but the fact that she would say it was lovely. </p>
<p>Nellieh -</p>
<p>Try suny.edu. It will give you some comparison charts, e.g., average test scores, etc. for various different programs, including honors programs, you can plug in various majors and learn which schools offer which different majors (for instance, Geneseo is no longer offering communication studies and a couple of other majors to new students, Albany has curtailed its foreign lang offerings, etc.), which sports and teams are available at each.</p>
<p>Also, SUNY has some centers where you can go in and meet with a counselor who will help you select which schools to apply to. I did this with my D.</p>
<p>Joan, such a beautiful way for your daughter to pay it forward.</p>
<p>Nellie, Start here:</p>
<p>[suny.edu</a> - The State University of New York](<a href=“http://www.suny.edu/]suny.edu”>http://www.suny.edu/)</p>
<p>Suny View book</p>
<p>[SUNY</a> Viewbook 2011](<a href=“http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sunysystems/viewbook_2011/]SUNY”>SUNY Viewbook 2011)</p>
<p>Honors program freshman profiles</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.suny.edu/student/downloads/Pdf/2012_honors_programs.pdf[/url]”>http://www.suny.edu/student/downloads/Pdf/2012_honors_programs.pdf</a></p>
<p>SUNY Admissions Information Profiles (Gen Admissions)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.suny.edu/student/downloads/Pdf/2012_Admissions_qf_stateop.pdf[/url]”>http://www.suny.edu/student/downloads/Pdf/2012_Admissions_qf_stateop.pdf</a></p>
<p>Complete campus list</p>
<p>[SUNY:</a> Complete Campus List](<a href=“http://www.suny.edu/student/campuses_complete_list.cfm]SUNY:”>http://www.suny.edu/student/campuses_complete_list.cfm)</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.suny.edu/student/event_listing/index.cfm?[/url]”>https://www.suny.edu/student/event_listing/index.cfm?</a></p>
<p>I hope we can all be as proud of our kids for doing so well, in their own ways and with their own choices, as Joan. </p>
<p>It has actually been quite interesting to contemplate SUNYs. I find that just as this thread has helped me to readjust my frame of assumptions re D’s college search, this info on SUNYs has been very enlightening. It changes the way I look at private colleges. The opportunities at such a highly developed interceonnected system – coupled with huge inancial savings – makes me wonder why any motivated student would NOT consider SUNYs. Granted, I suspect that esp in larger schools and with undecided majors and lack of sufficient support, many kids could get “lost” but when I see comparable grad rates at private schools – where they are NOT getting 5 yr bachelors and masters-- it leads me to think that both lack of support and insufficient financial aid may be causes. </p>
<p>Joan you mentioned that a consult was helpful int erms of matching which SUNY school was a good fit – How do I find a SUNY counselor?</p>
<p>Changing the subject – what about HEOP? I am curious to know thoughts of seasoned parents on the Higher Ed Opp Program. when I looked into it we qualified for financial need, which is a straighforward set of numbers, but a student must also prove academic disadvantage and I am finding that each school defines it differently.</p>
<p>We are not from an underrepresented minority. I did ask Siena if there were ethnic qualifications (HEOP statewide does not have them) and the response was that there was not. But given the subjective nature of each school being free to determine academic disadvantage, I can understand that in order to create a diverse, vibrant student body, priority would be given to underrepresented minorities who also fit under the economic guidelines. So i am not sure it is worth pursuing. The nice thing is that it covers all costs (from what I understand) without loans.</p>
<p>I asked the admissions person at Siena if being in a school systen outside of the country for three years of secondary school might be considered academic disadvantage. Tho thinking about it, diplomats’ kids would go to very top notch bilingual schools so it is not automatic. (Our kids did not, they went to a local Mexican school where they were the only English-speakers.) Adm person did not know how to respond, just said apply since you have nothing to lose. Anyway, maybe it is not a program for us, just wondering.</p>