DS finally got the online Health class done, except for the final. He had to have the whole thing finished by the end of semester which is two weeks from today. He is cutting things close. He still has to schedule the final with a teacher at school, take it and get the grade reported or he will be dropped from one of his spring semester courses & enrolled in their health class one of his semester. And like @eandesmom said… at the last minute late last night he needs my help & some money to finish it. Asks if we can pay the $20 for expedited shipping of the finished certificate… because he left the stupid thing to the last minute of course.
Did talk have a chat with him about how those last two apps are going after that. (I’m still super swamped at work… but hey no one got back to me last night about something that’s stalling me… so I have time. ) He still has the supplement for the CU Boulder app to go… And a few of those short answers for Oregon State. But he’s seeing his counselor today so hopefully that will get him motivated to put it near the top of his list. It’s the writing… it’s always holds him up.
@curiositycat333 and other folks involved in the religiously affiliated colleges discussion: My D has been accepted at several religiously affiliated schools that she seems to like and for which there are varying degrees of merit aid awarded or expected. It’s a kind of eclectic mix of places. We are not religious (though affiliated loosely with a church), but I like the Jesuit ideas of social justice and I like that core curriculum courses also seem to emphasize ethics and philosophy. Does anyone have any information or thoughts on a few of our options: Loyola Marymount, Loyola Chicago, California Lutheran, and Loyola Maryland? Thanks.
Well, my not reminding D17 about working on her last 3 apps [all RD, 2 due 1/15, one 2/15] seemed to work fine…she worked on her Smith supplement at school yesterday and we submitted all 3 last night [Smith, Denison, Muhlenberg]. Not sure if she will get into any of the 3, plus no money at Smith and not sure how much at the other two, unlikely to meet the level of the schools she has already gotten in to. I asked her if she would be really bummed if she got denied at these three considering she has 9 admits. She said she would be bummed about Smith in particular, bc she really likes it, and Muhlenberg to an extent bc she enjoyed her visit, but that it would be okay bc she has so many other choices. So that’s good.
On the religious schools thing…D17 has two admits to Catholic schools [St Edward’s in Austin and St Michael’s in VT]. Her dad is Catholic [we are divorced] and she did get her First Communion but not Confirmation, and does still go to church with him when she’s with him on his weekends. However, she is NOT a believer. She is very wary of the Catholic influence on the schools and my guess is those 2 will be coming off the list pretty quickly. I liked St Mike’s but if it doesn’t feel good to her, it’s not a good fit. Plus I’m still ticked at them for coming in so much under the NPC and never answering my email asking about that.
@kt1969, congrats on getting those last applications in (and without nagging–I’m impressed!). Sounds like she’s got a good attitude about it all. Here’s hoping Smith will surprise you! We’re in a similar place, waiting for RD decisions for schools a little on the reachy side, so even if she gets in, there’s not likely to be much in the way of $$, which will effectively remove them from consideration (UMass being the exception, as it would be affordable without any aid).
D is doing well–I had the conversation with admissions at American about how to withdraw her application–the admissions director was a little snippy with me, but I managed to work in to the conversation that this wouldn’t have happened if their net price calculator was better. D will need to send an email to the director informing her of the withdrawal and the reason, copying me and the guidance counselor. We worked out a draft last night–short and sweet–and she should be sending that sometime today. She seems to be fine–she’s got at least one other admit that she’s excited about and that we can afford, and is awaiting RD decisions for a couple of other schools that she has a lot of interest in. She’s not one to let on how she’s feeling, but she genuinely seems to be in good spirits (not putting on a brave face).
Thanks, @klinksa …the full pay thing at Smith makes it a toughie…might be able to swing it but is it worth paying nearly twice as much for college? I don’t think so.
@suburbancat I don’t know anything about the Loyola’s but would love to hear. My exposure with Cal Lutheran is super limited so hopefully a CA person can weigh in on it. We have a friend whose S went there but came home after year 1. Nothing related to the school though. They aren’t super religious (or religious at all as far as I know). Met a nice girl there though and they are still together.
@kt1969 I will be curious to see how Muhlenberg and Dennison work out both on admittance and merit. S cut them a s there just didn’t seem a chance at them being affordable for him and he found better fits but both are nice options for S19…if they could be affordable. Huge congrats on getting the remaining apps in, that is wonderful! Full pay for anywhere gives me heartburn.
@klinska I am sorry she has to deal with this (and sorrier about snippy admissions directors but really!!! The NPC is there for a reason and while it is not a guarantee…to show something and then offer nothing…how in the world could anyone plan? Which school is she excited about?
@eandesmom, yeah, I have to admit I let the power of wishful thinking cloud our judgment somewhat. It was clear that the NPC left a lot to be desired, just based on how little information it asked for, but it’s actually worse than nothing if it shows monies it has no intention of offering. Bitter much? (lol) Her top choice right now is UVM, and frankly it’s the priciest of the schools she’s gotten admits for, but we could make it work. The other schools we’re waiting on that she’s really interested in are Lawrence and Denison. The Denison NPC has been very quirky–for the longest time it wasn’t available, but they apparently totally revamped it–it’s very detailed, but it showed a scholarship amount that I am suspicious of, given that it’s a little reachy for my D (but they asked for GPA and test scores, so…). Lawrence has a COA of high 30’s (without loans). I’m still holding a torch for UMass, as it is among the most affordable and among the “better” schools on her list. If she gets in, it’s going to be hard to justify a more than $40K difference between a UVM education and a UMass education, considering UMass is ranked higher and for her major I don’t think it would make a lot of difference.
@klinska son had a similar situation with Hope College. I had even emailed the Admissions Dept asking how their NPC worked because it never asked me for his stats and even when I replied not seeking Need based aid they came back with a number around $10,000. Their response was that it was based on my input but seeing as there was minimal input I took the number with a grain of salt. They were one of sons top choices but unless they come up with some more $$ they are off the list. His merit award was half of the number quoted (if that) and that puts it over $5000 above his other schools.
He didn’t struggle as much with letting it go as I thought he would. It’s good to have other choices to change the focus to.
@smakl70, I’m sorry you had that experience–I think American and Hope must be using the same calculator technology! I should have taken it with a larger grain of salt. When we started getting acceptances where the aid offered met or exceeded the NPC estimates (even for schools with less detailed NPCs), I allowed myself to really get hopeful that it would work out with American, but alas, it was not to be. I’m surprised that my D is taking at as well as she seems to be–but you’re right, it definitely helps to have other good choices!
@suburbancat I am somewhat familiar with Loyola Maryland. We are in the Philadelphia suburbs and it is very popular with students from Catholic high schools (archdiocesan and private) in our area (as well as Baltimore and DC, of course). The campus is very attractive with sort a compact, central area for everything except housing, and then there are different area with dorms (freshman dorm rooms are on the large side) and apartments. Good public transportation access to downtown/Inner Harbor area. Adjacent to a very nice residential neighborhood on 2 sides and some vaguely sketchy areas on the other, but I’d have zero safety concerns.
As far as how “Catholic” it is – we are Catholic, so I might not notice some things that non-Catholics would (like crucifixes in classrooms). I would say that while the school certainly has a Catholic “flavor,” it would not be inaccessible or offputting to those of other faiths. The President is a Jesuit, so of course he’d be a visible presence. And there’s probably daily Mass on campus, but I’d bet that a lot of the Catholic kids don’t even attend on Sunday. Here is a post from a few years ago that says it better than I can: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/loyola-university-maryland/1082138-loyola-for-non-catholic-student.html
It’s a very nice place, often recommended to students who might like Villanova but come up just a little short on stats (or money, as Loyola offers much more merit.)
@klinska Out of curiosity I went to see the NPC on the American site…it is the same damn one that Goucher has, which asks for pretty much NO info! I was very concerned that it wouldn’t be accurate for Goucher and it actually was very close, but it has to be a coincidence. For American it said $13,200 for us, just FYI. I doubt my D would even get in there.
FYI on the NPC calculators: if you see the little calculator & books logo, rest assured it’s a terrible and useless device. Don’t even bother with it. I read that on multiple blogs/sites/newsletters affiliated with Higher Ed.
I will be much more savvy for D19! But seriously, these schools with these garbage in/garbage out NPCs should realize they are not doing anyone (including themselves) any favors by obscuring the COA. Inability to pay does give one the out to walk away from an ED acceptance with a clear conscience, but we very deliberately cut schools from our list that did not offer merit aid. American would not have made it on to our list had we known at the time of application what we know now. On their website they devote quite a lot of space to their merit scholarships (there are 5 or 6 levels), no additional application needed, yadda yadda yadda (what they don’t tell you is that merit goes only to the top 10-15% of applicants). Now I’m getting mad all over again, lol. I need to move on…
@CroissantMiser out of curiosity I checked the NPC at Hope and sure enough, calculator and books logo.
@klinska I think we have a harder time than the kids letting it go because we thought we were showing them schools that were financial possibilities and they aren’t.
@klinska that is the worst NPC calc out there. I’ve seen it on a few and do not trust anything that has “99k” as the top income line. Sigh. It does make me concerned for Goucher. American also showed 13,200K for us. I want results from the last 2 schools to put me out of my misery, and the FA offer from Ursinus so we can move forward with travel plans. LOL!
Funny story that you will appreciate (or not), the college I was mentioning on the 2019 thread today was Lawrence! It would be affordable for S17 based on their calc but for S19…upper edge of uncomfortable. I took a peek at the Denison new calc. Wow that was a bit of a pita…a mini PROFILE really. But it’s kind of a slick calculator I have to admit.
I think wishful thinking is ok. Dreams are good. I just think ED isn’t conducive to that for anyone outside of just admissions. Which is unfortunate.
I hear you on the UVM price tag. It is almost twice the price of his in state safety. Is it twice the education? I was bummed to hear the early FAFSA filing scholarship is going to almost assuredly be a no and while he is applying for a scholarship, it may not be the best thing for him from a commitment standpoint and the odds are really not good and it doesn’t make that much of a dent. For his major, it may make a difference. It may not. I can assure you that will be a focus of the visit!
@smakl70 I think that’s exactly it. I know for us, we had a lot of conversations around the fact that it was entirely possible every single school would come in too high and that he’d really only have one livable option. I hated the fact he would not add another financial safety. Still do to be honest.
Schools were only on our list if they had a chance at being affordable. But with the list he ended up with, to be so it required the best case scenario, and/or someone to exceed the NPC. Thankfully at least one did exceed the NPC and even more thankfully it is one that while it was never in S17’s top 3…has now crept into top 4 status based on both the offer and more research on his end (and we do not have acceptances from 2 out of the 4) and is very excited to go visit it. So that’s good.
When the calculators were first required (I think by the department of Education) most schools just used the sample one provided, which basically will give you Pell eligibility and the Stafford loans. Some schools decided it was a great marketing tool and beefed theirs up, put in their own merit based aid, any funky grants that most kids get, etc. Other schools did the bare minimum. My daughter’s school seemed to flip flop, sometimes including state grants, sometimes not. One big negative was the COA numbers were 2 years behind; they will never be right because they don’t put through increases until July, just before you have to pay them in Aug. and you’d think they could at least have the current year in the calculator, but it is always the prior prior year (off by about $4000 as tuition goes up by $2000 every year, and other costs inch up too).
Just reporting status so far. My DD that is in the 3.0 to 3.4 GPA category has been accepting to East Carolina University with an invitation to apply to honors college and Queens University (Charlotte) with a merit scholarship and an invitation to visit and interview for their best scholarships.
I can report on Loyola Maryland! It was on the list recommended for TacoSon. It is a beautiful campus and just the size and environment that we were after (hence the recommendation). It also has a highly regarded business school. It fell off the list for a few reasons. The location is not far from, but not especially convenient to, downtown Baltimore. For that reason, it compared unfavorably with Catholic University in DC, which is similar in tone and setting but has its own Metro stop, making it really easy to take advantage of internships and the city’s offerings. At Loyola, I think it would feel pretty isolated if you don’t have a car, public transport options notwithstanding.
Some purely personal observations: TacoSon was the ONLY male at the 50+ person information session and on the tour. Yes, that might be a bonus for a lot of boys, but I think TacoSon didn’t want to stand out that much (and honestly, girls are scary). Finally, our tour guide was dressed in torn cutoffs and wearing a flower wreath, and had a strange, loosey goosey affect. This I might expect and perhaps appreciate at Berkeley – but not at an East Coast Catholic school at which I required TacoSon to put on a golf shirt for good first impressions. I would expect a well-regarded school to more carefully vet and train its guides.
In the end, it was too similar to CUA, and not as impressive in a few key areas, so he didn’t apply. But the reputation of its business school and the fact that it’s a fairly small school with D1 sports might make it a great choice for others. It will probably help if male applicants aren’t terrified of girls too.
@tacocat333 - ok, now CoyoteSon and TacoSon really are like-minded quirky Son’s Struggling with Calculus and Girls (because all girls are scary)! =)) CoyoteSon is now calling himself a “monk”, having nothing at all to do with the recent thoughtful posts on various religions but everything to do with his vow to never have sex with (terrifying) young women! (His vow was simply to never have sex – so that would apply to young men too, but pretty sure he’s straight but shy - ha ha). @Hankster1361 - Congrats on getting great aid to Montana State – sounds like it makes a really good contender for your child! And thanks for sharing positive, recent feedback that W&M has that quirky and studious vibe without being too intense (and even bringing your friend’s D grades up compared to HS – sounds awesome!) If TacoSon and CoyoteSon actually get in, we will have to check it out in person. CoyoteSon has been reluctant because my parents live in Williamsburg, and he wants independence from them much more strongly than he does from me and DH (those teenage rebellions need an outlet somewhere – ha ha) @eandesmom - very funny about how W&M might draw a complete blank in Seattle - just goes to prove how almost all colleges below Ivy level have more regional than national reputations (for academics–not counting football or basketball name recognition).
Beloit has really been growing on me – it might really be close to a “best fit”…I’m hoping that the interview with the Beloit AdCom will provide enough spark for CoyoteSon to want to visit an accepted students weekend. Feel free to share more impressions of Beloit - good or bad.
Good luck with travel planning - if the merit $$ is close, I would urge you to visit both Ursinus and Goucher while you’re on the East Coast; I’very found that the CTCL schools in particular seem to vary a lot in “personality/vibe” - andour own quirky kids react differently. For CoyoteSon, he ruled Ursinus out right away, but kept Goucher on his list much longer (I’m thinking that Goucher mentioned a special interest dorm for video gamers kept it on the list)…but my kid’s not into theater - Ursinus has a beautiful, new (<5 years?) performing arts center that looked to me like it had all the bells and whistles for lights, sound, etc)…Goucher has a relatively new student union building - I don’t remember seeing the theater on our tour, though we did have a big information session in an auditorium with a very large stage - maybe that was the theater? @klinska - so sorry about American – but as a fellow parent who has been trying to craft the overall list so carefully to help ensure fit…it really stinks that the NPC was so bad that you didn’t have good I enough intel. I think it’s great that your D is moving on.
Well - only one more app to go, and then I think I can stop obsessing for two-three monthS (Ha! Not much chance of that happening!)
) He still has the supplement for the CU Boulder app to go… And a few of those short answers for Oregon State. But he’s seeing his counselor today so hopefully that will get him motivated to put it near the top of his list. It’s the writing… it’s always holds him up.