@chris17mom The only school aggressively recruiting me is actually above my academic level weirdly enough. I also received a phone call from the Dean of Admissions at Stony Brook, but that’s more of a match and I already got $5,500 in merit based aid from them, so I’m not expecting more.
What would you characterize as aggressive recruiting?
Can someone explain to me how the Northwestern “Debt Cap” Scholarship works, and how it applies to our CaliCash here? I tried to read up on it, and it seems that Northwestern doesn’t let students graduate with more than $24,000 in total Federal Perkins loan debt plus Subsidized Federal Stafford loans. But wouldn’t any loan to CaliCash’s family be unsubsidized, and therefore not subject to the cap? I’m no expert in financial aid, though, so I hope someone can help me out.
I.e. Northwestern determines what the applicant’s financial need is and offers a scholarship or financial aid on that basis. What Northwestern thinks need is may not be what the OP’s mother unrealistically thinks need is.
Calicash, aren’t you the same student who,wanted to ask their grandfather for money to attend college? Over on the financial aid forum, you sort of led folks to believe all was financially sorted out.
What happened to change this?
I hate to say it…but if you can’t afford to attend any of the college’s but the local one…you have several choices…
Attend the local, affordable university. You aren't the only college freshman who will be commuting from home to go to college.
Take a gap year. Work...don't go to college at all. Apply to college next year as a freshman. BUT pick a more affordable group of schools for your applications.
Go to school part time, and work full time. Move out of your oarent's home, and support yourself.
Find a job at a university, work there for a year or two. Many provide tuition benefits to employees.
A while ago, the list of colleges you presented was unaffordable, and you knew that. Then suddenly something happened to make them college affordable (without asking grandpa for money)…what was that…and what derailed that?
Your parents have a very high income. You have a sibling in college. You knew need based aid was going to be very low. And you also knew some of the schools…like NU…don’t offer merit aid.
And your college budget isn’t $0…it’s $20,000 or so…or at least that is what you said on the financial aid forum.
I would say if they are calling you, that’s a good sign that they want you, and you could try asking for more money. My son has one school calling and emailing, and I get the feeling if we called them, they might come up with a little more money, especially if we compared the offers from peer institutions. But the problem is, they would have to give us like $20,000 more to make it affordable, and I doubt they’d give him that much! If your mom is expecting any of these schools to decide to give you a free ride so that the COA becomes $0, it’s just very, very unlikely. Hopefully she will realize this and decide to help you out with some money.
It seems like the mom was hoping for a fantastic deal somewhere, and now that the final offers are on the table, she’s kind of in denial and just freaking out. This is a really tough situation. @CaliCash I’m sorry you are going through this, and I hope it works out well for you.
Re: Stonybrook…aren’t you instate for NY? If you got a $5500 grant…then add the $5500 Direct Loan…and your parents can contribute $21,000, you should be all set. You should also have a job now, and plan to work while in college…for books and spending money.
If she is instate for NY, and her parents will give her $21,000, and she has a $5500 merit award from Stonybrook, and she adds in the $5500 Direct Loan, that school would be affordable.
If she commuted to a SUNY from home…it would be about $10k for tuition, right?
She has options.,she doesn’t LIKE the affordable options. She didn’t like the affordable options when she started the thread about asking the wealthy grandpa for money.
But then she said (on that thread) that all was worked out.
I’m havimg trouble following what happened…and believing all of this.
Are her parents giving her $21,000 a year until her sibling graduates…or,are,they giving her NOTHING.
I thought she stated that the cost of attendance at Stonybrook $16,578, including tuition, room and board? That seems affordable, if parents will just pay a little.
Something tells me she really needs to get away from home…I think she should take any college her parents are willing to help her pay for that allows her to live in a dorm, and NOT at home.
But if the cost of attendance at Stonybrook is $16,578 and if Cali took $5500 in loans each year, then the cost to the parents would be about $11,000. It’s hard to imagine her parents not being willing to pay that. Especially with their high income…it’s almost inconceivable. Unless there is something we are not understanding, or if the numbers are wrong.
According to CaliCash, what happened was her mother seeing the final aid offers and cost of attendance at the various schools and freaking out.
The SUNYs look affordable for this family, but not if mom continues to say she’ll contribute nothing. I do not believe Northwestern would be as cheap as CaliCash believes it would be.
Those $17,000 SUNYs will likely require a $7,000 or so parental contribution added to the OP’s federal direct loan and some work earnings to be affordable in a stretch budget. But if the parents will contribute $0, they are unaffordable.
Didn’t she say she got a $5500 merit award from Stonybrook? Add the $5500 Direct Loan, and you have $11,000 already. Balance would be about $7000.
NU is not going to be cheaper. They give need based aid only…and this family has $250,000 income. Yes, even with two in college, NU is going to expect more than $7000 from the family!