<p>I'm a teacher at a small high school in Iowa. The class of 2015's Valedictorian called me and wanted some advice for college choices. </p>
<p>Here's his stats:
GPA:4.25
Class Rank: 1 out of 87
ACT: 31 (1st try)
College Credits: AP US History-Scored a 5
AP Government-Scored a 5
AP Language-Scored a 5
Community College- Microeconmics
Community College- Macroeconmics
Will get an additional 20 credits at the community college this year</p>
<p>Class President (4 years), All State Speech among other things.</p>
<p>Parents yearly income: ~$75,000</p>
<p>Here's the problem. He told me his older sister defaulted on her $40,000 student loan and he won't qualify for other loans (Parent Plus, etc.) beyond the $5,500 Federal Loan. Is this so? </p>
<p>He plans on getting every accreditation in Social Studies and Math Education. He'd like to either teach Social Studies or Math at the high school level. He wants to stay in Iowa.</p>
<p>I told him he could probably get a good deal his first year (lots of local scholarships in our town) and then become an RA for the rest of his college career. I also told him to save every penny he can and work his tail off. He's making college visits to several Iowa privates and one public this summer. I advised that he accrue no more than $25,000 of student loan debt. He thought he'd like to go the full four years, to get all of those acreditations, but based on his financial issues, I advised he consider 2.5-3 years.</p>
<p>Am I missing anything?? This site is a great resource and he knows I'm posting this information.</p>
<p>I’m confused. How do you know this kid will be valedictorian when he has another year of high school to go? I’m asking because my D didn’t know she was salutatorian until they calculated everyone’s final GPA after exams in the spring of her senior year.</p>
<p>Is he likely to be NMSF? You can look up PSAT cutoffs from previous years and if he’s close, he should take the SAT, since he’ll need this score to become a finalist, and some colleges throw money at finalists. My D got several offers of half-ride merit scholarships and we didn’t even qualify for need-based aid. In any case, he should receive merit aid, as well as need-based aid, regardless of his NM status because his stats are excellent.</p>
<p>I agree with your advice about not taking on too much debt, but he absolutely should go for the 4 year degree if he wants to teach at the high school level. In our state (MA), he’d need a master’s degree to teach at any level. This may be the case for Iowa too, so he should start planning now.</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about student loans to help with that question, but it seems odd that he’d be penalized for his sister’s default. If that were the case, we’d all be in trouble! I’ve got a brother who is a convicted felon, and no one has held that against me in applying for a mortgage or in any other financial transaction.</p>
<p>I am making an assumption about his status as valedictorian, but he appears to be in a solid lead. Thanks for the insight about the NMSF, I will pass that info on!</p>
<p>I was thinking because he will have so many credits, he could complete the bachelors in 2.5-3 years. He’s thinking that he should attend a full 4 years to get more accreditations.</p>
<p>I’m assuming his parents don’t qualify for the Parent Plus Loan, as his sister defaulted. College will probably cost more than $5,500 and he has too many credits to attend a community college after graduation.</p>
<p>Check the requirements to teach in Iowa (you may be grandfathered in). In my State, he’d need a Master’s degree to teach HS math… so piling up accreditations as an undergrad wouldn’t help him. Why not have him think about completing the bachelor’s in 3 years, then joining a program which will help pay for the Master’s?</p>
<p>He should apply to all the public universities in Iowa. He will likely get into honors programs that may carry heavy discounts and get his annual costs below the $5500 level. Many small liberal arts colleges in the Midwest would take him, and the richer ones that meet full need may give him packages with minimal parent contribution and minimal loans. Certainly Grinnell in Iowa; despite his preference to stay in state, I’d add schools nearby like Macalester, Carleton, St. Olaf, Augustana, etc.</p>
<p>If there is a concern about his sister’s defalut, you might ask that in the finaid forum. He can look into Americorps or Teach for America for post-grad, which can help with college loans or some funds for grad school. (I’m not familiar with the details on this aspect.) And, the family can run the Net Price Calculators for various colleges, to see what finaid he might get from them. </p>
<p>Of course, he needs to check on whether there are any special requirements for teacher credentialing in Iowa that may make some schools more or less suitable. (As a teacher, you can probably help him here.)</p>
<p>His sister’s default should not affect either his or his parents ability to borrow. The lowest priced university is UNI, but they’ll tell you up front that getting through an education program in four years can’t be done without summer school. The state has many requirements for teachers, Having lots of community college credits may or may not help him get through faster because the teaching requirements are very specific. He needs to look for the articulation agreement between his community college and the school he is likely to attend. Make sure his cc courses transfer as courses required for the education major (and yes, he can teach in Iowa with a bachelor’s). </p>
<p>Also, with a 31 composite on the ACT, Morningside College (Sioux City) will give him full tuition. After the direct loan, he’d very likely have a remaining balance well under 10k. </p>
<p>This is why this website and the people who frequent here rock! I’ve made him aware of your postings, and he’s very excited to see there is a “light at the end of his tunnel”!</p>
<p>I would run the net price calculators and look at scholarship info at the private schools in Iowa where the young man would be at the top of their range…</p>
<p>Simpson, BV, Wartburg, and Morningside come to mind.</p>
<p>Also see which of Iowa State, Iowa, and UNI can offer the best deal. For kids with similar stats from my son’s HS, Iowa State has generally been less expensive than Iowa. No clue bout UNI.</p>
<p>You might also talk with him about getting get a BS degree in math with a secondary certification to teach. Iowa State gives you a BS in math with a teaching certificate. Iowa allows you to get a BS in Education with a math endorsement. Should he decide to not teach in the future, it might be beneficial to have a degree in math rather than education. </p>
<p>I would suggest that he reconsider the requirement that he stay within Iowa. (There are many reasons why he might want this now that may be false assumptions or may change by next April, much less by sophomore year: that other schools are too expensive, that he just is scared at the thought of being far from home, a GF or BF, etc. There are also good reasons, and if that is the case, then that’s another matter.)</p>
<p>I think that he should apply to a mixture of in-state publics that are definitely affordable, possibly OOS publics that are definitely affordable (check out the oft-posted list of schools with guaranteed money for stats), and privates in-state and OOS that give significant aid to middle class families. For the latter, it would be great if he could raise his ACT a few points. I think that 1) a val with 2) 5s on APs, 3) evidence of challenging himself academically by taking CC courses in his area of interest, 4)a high ACT (preferably 33+ ), 5) state ranking in an EC, 6) obvious leadership endorsement, 7) from a small town in Iowa could be attractive to a number of deep-pockets schools where he could get a great education, especially in history and the social sciences, as well as math. If he wants to return to Iowa and teach, that’s absolutely fine and a worthy goal. But spreading his wings a bit could enrich his life, and that’s what college is for. I would suggest that he and his parents run the NPCs at Pomona, Bowdoin, Williams, Dartmouth, Grinnell, Carleton, St. Olaf, Macalester, Yale, Davidson, et al. What they would give him would vary. If he could get into Yale, for example, he and his family would probably pay no more than $7,500, possibly much less. Yes, these schools are big reaches. But he is the kind of kid they tend to like. I say, cast a wide net.</p>
<p>I do not know situation in Iowa, in other state kids with these stats can get substantial Merit Awards. My D’s HS did not use ranking or 'valedictorian", but she had similar stats, her ACT was a bit higher (took one time), she was awarded a full tuition Merit at one in-state public (choose to attend there, which is condered to be a good school for teaching, but D. was a pre-med), and she also received about $27k / year at Case - private in OH. I would check which private UG that are good for “educational” degree are known for great Merit awards and also reserach the in-state publics. I would NOT go to any expansive place at all. Just like in my D’s case, teaching requires Graduate degree. Why spend money in UG, when you will need to spend money in Graduate school. In fact, D. has not applied to a singel UG that would not offer her substantial Merit award. We did not qualify anywhere near to need based. Since, D. has chosen to go to in-state public on full tuition Merit, we are paying for her Med. School. Not such a bad idea NOT to have ANY student loans. Somebody who worked so hard and achieve the top kid in class spot (my D. was also #1, based on class profile, no designation) fully deserves to have the UG tuition free. D. is a 4th year Medical Student and have greatest memories of her UG where she was also among students like herself (mostly valedictorians from private HS’s) at he Honors college. Tops kids are treated like royalty at their in-state publics, they are given more opportunites than the rest of student body. Look around, the best choices might be much closer.</p>
<p>There are many very good small liberal arts colleges within reasonable distance of Iowa that give very nice merit awards for students like this if he’s interested. Lake Forest on the north side of Chicago has been for a long time very, very generous and would show the love or a val as well as Carthage in Kenosha. It depends on if he’s interested in big or small BUT if he’s sure he wants to teach and in Iowa, then he should stay in Iowa in my opinion - makes it easier to get the state mandated curriculum and things needed for credentialing. I’ve heard good things about Coe and Luther and of course Grinell, but a visit would be in order to see if it “fits” what he’s interested in because small colleges do have personalities. </p>
<p>Off the top of my head . . . Loras, St. Ambrose, Central, Coe, Wartburg, Grinnell, Luther, Cornell College, Grandview, Buena Vista, Morningside, Briar Cliff, Simpson, Dordt, Northwestern College, Drake, Clarke…and then some I probably can’t think of. And the three state universities. There’s actually a great deal of choice, even if these aren’t all CC-adored schools. And yes, if the kid wants to teach in Iowa, an Iowa institution is definitely the way to go as they’d make sure all the state requirements are met. </p>
<p>I’d go with a math degree at Iowa State, secondary teaching degree at Iowa State. Otherwise, with those numbers, lots of private schools would give you a free tuition ride. Might have to interview for it, but worth a shot. I know Briar Cliff would be one to consider.</p>
<p>The sister had $40,000 in undergrad loans? Were ANY of these Parent Plus loans that the parents expected the sister to pay? If so, and those payments were not made, he will have issues with getting another Plus Loan.</p>
<p>The Direct Loans are in HIS name only. I’m not an expert, but his sister and parents loan default would have no effect on his getting a Direct Loan…I think.</p>
<p>He sounds like a bright kid. There should be a number of options open to him. Over on the financial aid forum, you can find two threads. One is about guaranteed full tuition and full ride scholarships. There is a link on that thread for current info about this. The second thread is about schools costing <$25,000 a year. Check that one too.</p>
<p>If his parents can pay room/board costs, and his SAT or ACT is high enough, he would get a guaranteed merit award at U of Alabama.</p>
<p>I don’t think, at his age, that plans should necessarily revolve around getting certified to teach. He can do that later. Many students have tentative career ideas that change during the college years. Does he like economics? I think he should try to find the best fit school for himself in terms of size, location, academics, extracurriculars and most of all vibe. And, of course, cost.</p>
<p>Grinnell came to mind first for me; Coe is in Iowa. But also thought of Macalaster Carleton, Kenyon, Lawrence, Oberlin, College of Wooster. U. of Chicago? U. of Iowa as previously suggested. Direct him to the website entitled “Colleges that Change Lives.” Loren Pope wrote a book by the same name that he can buy. Pope also wrote “Looking Beyond the Ivies.” These are great resources for college ideas.</p>
<p>In many cases a private can be more affordable than a public, so don’t discount those possibilities, as others have said.</p>
<p>Finally, he could probably go to Harvard or Yale nearly for free, ditto Amherst and Williams. Does he want small college or larger university? His state of origin is a big plus for Ivies as are his efforts at community college. It is worth throwing his hat in the ring so to speak, without having too many expectations. I know kids who have done that and been surprised to get in Would he be willing to go east for an Ivy or “little Ivy”?</p>
<p>See what his SAT’s are like. He has great AP results which really say a lot about him, more than SAT’s. There are test optional schools <a href=“http://fairtest.org/university/optional”>http://fairtest.org/university/optional</a>. His ACT is okay and his SAT’s may be stellar but just fyi many of the schools on the list are top schools that offer financial aid. For merit aid, though, scores are often needed.</p>
<p>I’m going take a chance here and say this might be a kid whose vision of his life could blossom in the right environment. He can go anywhere and major in anything, then do Teach for America and go on to teach. But I hope he keeps his mind open and knows that it is okay to explore and grow a bit before deciding on a profession.</p>
Would he be willing to go east for an Ivy or “little Ivy”?</p>