I’ve been saying show me the money all month.
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@BeccaRuth (confused you with Beverly… but for what it’s worth, here is my comment on Furman)
If Furman is still in the running, it was one that was giving out more merit $ in April two years ago… and even after May 1. If it was my kid, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for more if that is his first choice. Just an FYI… obviously different year and different kid. 
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Furman is not on my kid’s list, however it’s good to know that more merit can come this month. That would be fantastic if it came from a few of the schools still in the running. (Maybe you heard me talk about Thornton? Sounds similar. Damn, I wish they would send us a letter saying our whole offer was wrong.)
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Have you gone back to them about merit? We went back to D23’s top 2 schools with an email, listed the merit she received at comparable schools where it brought their net prices down lower than the two schools she really loves, and asked if there were any more funds available for her. That was just last week, but we received nice responses back from both schools - one asked up to upload the offers to their portal, the other said they would see what they can do and let us know this week. I mean - the worst they can say is no.
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We plan to do this with his top pick school this week. I’ve asked him to write a heartfelt letter about why he loves it there, and we will just inquire about more funds to make it possible. I don’t think we’ll send any other schools’ offers unless they request them. I know a parent whose child was successful doing it that way, without comps, at this particular school. Like you said, the worst is they can say no!
As for USC/Thornton, it would take a complete aid overhaul (which I’m appealing for), because they give very small merit. My kid got a scholarship of $3750, but many students get zero. We need a need-based grant of a very large amount, which we were honestly expecting and didn’t get.
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Hopefully you find out why USC didn’t step up as they meet need. There’s likely a valid reason but hopefully you are provided it.
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My opinion:
We loved Auburn. We liked everything about it. Child ended up at a different school that they loved more, but if it were up to us (parents) it would have been Auburn.
This round our D23 was accepted to UTK and FSU from your list. We liked both of them and had pros (and cons) for each. I feel like our daughter would have been happy at both. Both came in under budget for us. We liked both campuses and would not have applied if we didn’t see great benefits to our daughter. Some minor concerns: We were worried about the impact of over-enrollment UTK last year on classes and housing. FSU required those extra summer sessions and we worried it might impact internships and/or travel experiences. We are also worried about political issues that are/have the potential to impact the universities in the state. She had a clear #1 so went in a different direction.
Clemson was just too remote and too similar to other schools she was looking at without being different enough to justify the higher cost. She never applied. Our #2 was accepted to Clemson with huge merit but ultimately also passed because of the location and the lack of anything that made it special compared to other schools.
Furman is very small. For my kids it would feel like high school 2.0 and I feel they would outgrow it. (This is a feeling both my husband and I had from our small undergrad university long ago). Elon seems like a great fit. I don’t know that I would pay significantly more for it over the other choices. If the cost difference is not a deal breaker it would stay on our list.
Texas A&M is only 5% out of state. That is something that really worried all 3 of my kids. They wanted to meet people from all over. They also didn’t want to feel like “outsiders”. They wanted to be around others who ventured out far from home and were in similar situations (not being able to head home for small breaks, not having family at the tailgates, etc…) They were worried about being passed over for leadership and other opportunities in favor of friends of friends “old boys club”. I have no basis for this, but it was enough of a concern that none applied (although we did visit with #1 and loved the campus).
You have an amazing list of great schools. Everyone has different things that they value and feel are important in the “fit” category. We realized that they could only go to 1 so we could afford to nit pick some (see above). Your has the opportunity to receive an awesome education and great college experience at every school on his list. Lucky boy!!
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We have a low-key college consultant - it’s a service through my husband’s employer. It’s been a nice perk, they mostly reinforce what we know/think but they encouraged us to go back to her top two and as you said - make it personal. D23’s attended accepted students day at both and both schools have things that resonate with her! So even though we agonized over the letter, it really wasn’t that hard to write. One of the schools had said at accepted students day financial talk that they considered the net cost of the schools/offers. So - don’t come to them and say so and so offered more than you, if at the end of the day that school will still cost 20K more. Hopefully we will get good news.
For USC-Thornton I think it’s wonderful that you are able to get a little more insight into what happened there. Again-such a year with so many applications, I’m sure mistakes are made. I hope you get a resolution in your favor!
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Oops. I mixed you up with Becca. Sorry!
you make a great point about A&M. the out of state rate is so low because it’s so popular in texas and there’s also the top 10% rule, so it’s not only very difficult to get in below top 10% and precedent is given to in state students. Which makes OOS a big accomplishment. A&M is overflowing. they really need to look into going to top 6% like UT Austin did.
BUT if they want to be in a massive environment in the college town that defines college towns, then it’s the best place to be cough 1st seed in CC showdown cough
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Why I always seek out Jesuit parishes!
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I hope so. The FA person said don’t hold out much hope. 
However, I’m pursuing it with a consultant now, because if there really is an error, then the appeal is valid.
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I’d agree not to hold out hope. But you should find out for peace of mind.
If the NPC said one thing and you are many thousands off, there’s an issue somewhere.
Hopefully in your favor but even if not it’s nice to know what happened so you can properly close the book on it.
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I’m not sure what you mean by NOC, but I can say there is a $50,000 difference between our EFC and our USC-determined need. That seems big.
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Typo. NPC.
When you say EFC, meaning Fafsa, that has zero to do with how much USC is giving.
It’s the CSS that they’re using.
So you likely have assets the Feds don’t care about that USC does.
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Yes, got it! The NPC showed us getting aid that would bring the COA to 35k. Not 75k. So a 40k difference. I ran the NPC dozens of times trying all kinds of things, so now I’m going to go over it with an expert. I’ll give it a go and see what happens!
ETA: Our main asset is our home, which USC doesn’t use, so it’s confusing.
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Thank you all so much! You all brought up many good points, and I appreciate your takes.
I’ve been catching up on this thread and just noticed this. It pretty much came down to Pitt v. Alabama for our S23 as well. He was accepted to the Honors College and received a 5K (in-state) scholarship offer from Pitt. Several of his HS friends will be attending colleges in the Pittsburgh area, too, so Pitt was really pulling at him emotionally. But after we visited Bama in early December he became much more receptive to their offer. He is now committed to Bama and just found his roommate through the University’s online portal. Your son might be pleasantly surprised when you visit. There is plenty to do in Tuscaloosa, the campus is gorgeous, and the weather is a big upgrade from Pittsburgh (during the school year, at least). Oh, and eliminating student loans is a big plus, too.
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Thanks for that input!
I am so torn. Alabama is so far, it’s not a place I ever had on my want-to-visit radar, it’s got political strikes against it for our family. But I’ve just been really bothered by the complete lack of love Pitt has shown him. Honestly, it makes me angry, because of COURSE my kid is the best thing since sliced bread and they should want him! 
Every interaction, I get the impression they think they’re doing him a favor.
That’s just on me, though - I have not expressed this to him and he remains in love with Pittsburgh. I am trying not to express my feelings about this in particular, because I don’t want to color his perspective if he does end up going to Pitt.
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I get what you’re saying about the “political strikes,” but we collectively decided the financial offer was worth it. I respect that others might come to a different conclusion on that issue and choose to go elsewhere. We had never set foot in Alabama prior to our visit. Once we realized there is little difference politically between rural PA and rural AL these days, the decision became easier. Tuscaloosa is one of a handful of bluish bubbles within AL and seemed more progressive than our own area. Our son’s friends are now looking forward to road-tripping down to visit him next year, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy showing them around this big, beautiful SEC powerhouse that’s shown him a lot of love.
Yes, it’s far away. We’re not loving that part, either. And it wasn’t on our radar until about ten months ago. But we told him that with his grades and SAT score he should cast a wide net and seriously consider any school that loves him back. Safe travels, and I hope you enjoy your visit. Make sure you take time to visit the STEM Quad and the area around Ridgecrest and Lakeview residence halls if the guided tour doesn’t go there.
And if your kid ultimately chooses Pitt, that’s great, too! You really can’t go wrong, so whatever your kid decides just embrace it and don’t look back.
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