<p>For those who are receiving FA, you want to look at how much you will need to pay out of pocket instead of how much FA in dollar amount a school offers you, since tution and mandatory fees are different from school to school and the difference can be up to thousands of dollars. For those who are full pay, assuming books/supplies, spending money etc. are roughly a constant wherever you go to school, you want to look at tuition plus mandatory fees to accurately assess which school is more expensive to attend. </p>
<p>You may also share the tuition and mandatory fees at different schools for the new academic year here on this thread so you all can compare the costs of schools side by side.</p>
<p>Health fee and technology fee are most common. Some schools also have mandatory magazine/newspaper subscription fee, laptop and laundry service fees etc.</p>
<p>School selection is not about bargaining for low cost. It’s about finding a school with the right fit. If you keep bargaining, you may end up getting what you pay for. If one wants to find a bargain, that would be your local public high school and you can hire a lot of tutoring for the 50K that you would save for academic enrichment should it be necessary.</p>
<p>No one is talking about out right bargain hunting. </p>
<p>DAndrew’s point was based on comparing financial aid offers from schools that have offered admission. I think it is a fair assumption that if you apply to a school, the fit is there. To do otherwise would be foolish.</p>
<p>I think it important to keep in mind that an offer of, say, 25K from two different schools may indeed leave significantly different balances for the parents to pay.</p>
<p>Thanks zuzu’spetals. I think for some people it’s possible that at this stage there could be more than one school that feel like good fit. After all, you researched the schools before you applied to them and if you did it right you had decided that you’d be thrilled to attend any of the schools you were applying to. Now that the schools have admitted you, a mutual sense of “fit” has been established. You could of course find that one is a better fit than others but it shouldn’t be a stretch at this point to take cost as one factor in the decision making process.</p>
<p>Agree. Cost can be a factor if there is a decision to be made; whether you’re referring to a FA student (full or partial), and/or a family sacrificing to have their child attend, 1, 2, or 5000 can make a huge difference. </p>
<p>Another possible fee is health insurance, mandatory in some schools if family’s insurance is an out of state HMO, or for international students. </p>
<p>A less tangible one, is part of what you might be looking at/for on revisit day–peer culture. Is this a school where many kids are ordering in every night? Big $ weekends on a regular basis? Etc.</p>
<p>Look at the hidden fees thread in the parents section, that might be helpful, too.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone who are to pick a school by April 10. Hopefully with the recovery of stock market, families are feeling richer, and the schools don’t get bold too quickly in raising tuitions.</p>
<p>Thanks for raising this issue. The only other thing I’d recommend looking into are activity fees. At some schools, the school will take the students to the theater or a professional sporting event as a weekend activity, but the kids need to buy the tickets themselves. (or parents must subscribe to the “Broadway Series” ahead of time) At my current school, all activities are paid for, so it’s a running joke among myself and a small group of FA kids who show up for every single cultural event that we are bound and determined not to waste any opportunity that comes our way. With 3 trips to pro games, 8 trips to theater or dance events, free ice skating + rental skates, museum trips, 3 laser tag trips, 2 trips to the nearest amusement park…it’s a major perk and quality of life issue for students. </p>
<p>I have no idea whether this is something that every school does or not, but for borders, (especially those far from home) being able to freely participate in weekend events makes a big difference.</p>
<p>^^That’s very nice indeed. However, if that means higher tuition, some people may argue while every student needs to attend at least some weekend activities it’s better left as a discretionary spending rather than something factored in tuition. What do others here think?</p>
<p>The size of the school may also be a factor in a student wanting to go off campus for activities. Although there are many benefits to going to a small school, one benefit of the larger schools is that there is always something major going on during the weekends right on campus. I can’t think of a time when my kids had to pay to go somewhere away for entertainment- the parties, dances, concerts, theater, movies, ice skating (with free skates!), swimming,sporting events, special dinners- happened right there. A couple of times they were treated to pro sports games by other families, but took the train or rode with them to the event.</p>
<p>Parents should consider the expenses financial aid covers as well as the costs FA does not cover.</p>
<p>Some schools provide new FA students a computer, books, an I-Pad, if required by a class, and even pay certain travel expenses. Hence, a full ride at these schools has greater value than a full ride at another school that does not provide comparable perks.</p>
<p>Other expenses that FA may not cover include a mandatory health fee, a primary health charge, a technology fee, a breakage deposit, a commencement fee (seniors), a publication fee, a tuition refund plan, course supplement fees, testing fees, athletic fees, cell phone charges, and monthly allowance. </p>
<p>These expenses add up in a hurry. When they do, they take a big bite out of your rear end and your wallet.</p>
<p>Forgive me. I meant in no way to imply that there was any particular benefit to the way the school I’m working at does things. Obviously, life is far superior at the really big schools. I thought we were just throwing out potential considerations that affect the net cost of a school. Issues of transportation, medical insurance and laptops are far more important.
It doesn’t matter, but tuition here hovers just under current US boarding school average.</p>
<p>I prefer schools at which the parents’ income does not produce a division between the haves and have-nots. If that increases tuition, so be it. For our second child, we elected not to visit one strong school, due to the visible divisions between students. </p>
<p>I’d rather a school offer modest activities all can afford, than more expensive activities which exclude some students on the basis of income.</p>
<p>^^absolutely! My idea is that if the school “has to” offer expensive activities then they should subsidize them To the level of another regular activity. Still, most of the activities should be on campus and free or close to free.</p>
<p>I think we all agree- all activities should be accessible to all of the students. For prospective student, this is something to ask about at revisits…</p>
<p>I’m not sure I agree, and I say this as someone who can’t subsidize many, if any, extras. My kids know many people have a lot more than us, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. They knew acceptances weren’t acceptances without financial aid, and there were no guarantees. I hope the school DC2 chooses has an assortment of on campus activities, with a large boarding population, so weekends can be full and pleasant. Yes, I hope the school DC2 chooses will involve some extra activities he can participate in, but I don’t feel it <em>has</em> to include everything. For the most part, students know who’s on significant financial aid. They know it by vacations taken/not taken on breaks, sometimes clothes, phones/phone plans, spending money, cars the kids are picked up in, etc. </p>
<p>To me, a positive and accepting peer culture = accepting; it doesn’t have to = blind. </p>
<p>Over the years, there have been many, many instances where I’ve had to say no. I’ve said yes to working to give them access to opportunities, not every extra possible. I don’t want them to feel they should or have to pretend they’re coming from somewhere they aren’t. Do I want them to want more in the future than what they have? Sure, that’s why we’ve valued education, and are thrilled they have access to the opportunities at BS. Being smart is helpful and important, but we believe character is what ultimately makes the difference, and will allow them to use their brains in a constructive, productive way. </p>
<p>There are a lot of situations where we hope they will feel confident and comfortable saying no, I don’t want to participate in “X.” Maybe I’m naive, but I hope the practice in saying no, I can’t participate in “Y” will help them to be strong enough to do so without worrying their world will end if they walk away from those “X” situations.</p>
<p>As for the original poster’s question - this has been asked and answered by a number of knowledgeable parents and students in an ongoing discussion here:</p>