<p>That means most schools (some may use different calculations and/or require the PROFILE) will expect you to pay about $15k per year out of pocket. Schools may make up the difference between your EFC and the cost of attendance by using grant, loans, merit aid, or some combination of the above. Some schools (NYU) is famous for this may also “gap,” aka not provide enough aid to fill the difference between your EFC and the COA.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Okay, that makes sense. And without any financial gymnastics, we can probably handle that barring the unforseen. </p>
<p>So, more noob questions…</p>
<p>Should that EFC calculation be what we expect at any university, since the privates always seem to have some kind of way to make up the gap? I mean, if that’s the case, then it would seem that we may be talking the same amount of money out of pocket regardless of whether it’s a small private or a large public school. I suppose if that’s true (and I’m not assuming it is), then wouldn’t she be better off at a small private school?</p>
<p>John</p>
<p>Yes, but no. Many schools may fill the gap with a <em>lot</em> of loans, which isn’t much “aid” at all (imo), and some may have the own, institution-specific way of calculating EFC and aid. I’d apply to at least a couple of schools where you know your “gap” could be filled with <em>merit</em> aid (and yes, this can include a lot of smaller, private schools as well).</p>
<p>limbwalker - since you are a nooby, I want to make sure you understand the whole “don’t fall in love with a school” idea. You should not be encouraging your Dd to be choosing a favorite school now, but rather to choose a range of schools (including some that would be affordable even without merit/financial aid) to apply to; say 10-12 schools if you want merit aid, 6-8 if you have one solid affordable safety. Each school will have some down/up sides, but all should meet her basic criteria. The time to decide on a favorite school and to revisit schools is after the acceptances and FINANCIAL AID packages are in hand.</p>
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<p>fireandrain: This is exactly what I was trying to get at in one of my earliest posts on this thread, and why I thought that tippy top schools were not automatically excluded by the scores and GPA. </p>
<p>OP has since stated that his daughter is not interested in going to school too many states away, in which case the issue is moot. I had started with that assumption and suggested Tulane and Vanderbilt, both of which would be much closer to home.</p>
<p>"Should that EFC calculation be what we expect at any university, since the privates always seem to have some kind of way to make up the gap? “”</p>
<p>The majority of colleges in the country – including private ones – don’t guarantee to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need (and remember the colleges, not the families, determine need). The ones that do guarantee to do that are the most difficult ones in the country to gain entrance to.</p>
<p>Some of the colleges that guarantee to meet need do by offering very large loans.</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to pay the $15 or so to access the U.S. News on-line college guide from Aug. to Aug. It has lots of detailed info about admissions and financial aid for thousands of colleges – probably every college your D would consider applying to.</p>
<p>“Looked at your link, and while those acceptances show excellent academic achievement, they say nothing about the kid’s social abilities. That always seems to be at issue, but I think the parents of homeschoolers understand that and are making progress in developing their kid’s social skills. Nothing against home-schoolers at all. To each their own. But every single one I know has had some adjustment issues and has not fared well in group settings or when the spotlight shone on them.”</p>
<p>Just a comment on this. Most colleges require and/or strongly encourage (and we all know what THAT means) homeschooled students to interview, perhaps to overcome some of what you experienced (and I’m not trying to invalidate your experience at all). So the homeschooled applicants have more than likely done an interview even at colleges where none is required.</p>
<p>Anxious, </p>
<p>Thanks. We’re by NO means focused on one, two or even three schools. Don’t plan on it either and daughter is a very open minded and curious one. Your suggestions are well heeded. Wife and I went to a small state school here in TX, but we know the daughter is much more capable than we were at that age. So it’s an open book IMO. Even the schools she’s had bad first impressions of, I want her to thoroughly consider. As much as I’d hate to see Aggie maroon in my household, I’d be proud to send her there if that was her preference and she applied herself. Like I said, one of the main reasons we chose to move back to Texas last year was to put her in a position like this, where she has a lot of good schools nearby to choose from. Nothing even close to this kind of opportunity where we were in S. Illinois, and we’re finding out that while she loved the high school up there, they weren’t preparing her all that well for many college entrance requirements. So it’s all good now that we’re here.</p>
<p>Northstar, </p>
<p>thanks for the info and tip on the U.S. News. I’ve got a lot of of things filed away now…</p>
<p>I hope my Q&A isn’t too frustrating for some of you. Many of these questions are great places for our daughter and us to begin a conversation about her likes and dislikes. I was open to her attending college wherever she wanted, and somehow working the details out, but she’s pretty sure she wants to stay local. At least for now. So that really narrows it down. We’ve discussed that issue before, but all I got was an “I’m not sure…” She read along with some of your suggestions (why do kids always listen to strangers more than their parents!?!) and then gave it some real thought. So I think we’re going to look at the local schools first and move on from there. </p>
<p>We absolutely have some must-see schools now as a result of this discussion. I am so pleased I found this place and that all of you chose to reply. </p>
<p>Highlandmom, </p>
<p>you’re welcome to PM me if you want to discuss the homeschool thing further, but you’ll have to clear some space in your message folder first.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>LW-
I think you may have confused me with psych a few posts back, but no matter.
You should also use the “search” option and search on keywords of questions you are posing. Many of these have been answered in very helpful, detailed threads previously</p>
<p>Hmm, sorry if I did. Hard to keep up with all the great information. </p>
<p>Yea, I’m using the search option now. Already had to look into the “National Young Leaders Conference” today to see if it’s legit.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Hope your daughter will apply to Wash U. They don’t have a marching band but DS got his music fix playing in their wind ensemble. Although admission there is very much a crap shoot, your DD’s stats are very competitive. Make sure she applies for the named scholarships which require a separate application. DS didn’t get one of those but did get a nice Dean’s scholarship which has both a merit and a need component. His award for next year went up $10,000 because his little sister will also be in college. Something to think about since you have younger kids.</p>
<p>DS came home for fall break, Thanksgiving, Christmas break and spring break his freshman year. Having Southwest fly into St. Louis is great! Of course, now that he is an upperclassman he only came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas but that is to be expected once they get involved and make friends. Your daughter sounds really special. I’m sure she’ll find a great school.</p>
<p>M’smom, </p>
<p>I think she will give Wash U. a good look. All my kids really liked St. Louis. Wife and I did too. We were up there (2.5 hr. drive) every chance we got to take in the science center (their favorite), or the zoo (great zoo!), or the ballpark, or Forest park. You never hear much about St. Louis, but I’ve never been dissapointed by a trip to that town. Great town.</p>
<p>Daughter just finished looking at the Rice marching band website. She was laughing and excited the whole way through. Just as I suspected, that sounds like her kind of people for sure. She really did have the best experience with marching band while in Illinois. It was part of her identity in that high school. I would love to see her continue in college as I think she would develop friends and be in a safe environment from day one. I’ve been in law enforcement for 15 years, and I can’t ever recall meeting a marching band kid that raised my suspicions. Good kids.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>
Ahhh…you’re welcome ;)</p>
<p>yea Jym, thanks. I think you just helped me convince her to take another look at Rice. That band reminds me (and her) so much of the group of friends she had in Illinois, its scary. They had a WONDERFUL marching band program at that high school, and the running joke in that town was that the marching band allowed the football team to use THEIR field 7 or 8 times a year 
I think even the football players would agree with that, and they went to the state semi-finals twice while she was there.</p>
<p>Since moving to Texas, that part of her school life has been a dissapointment, but I can easily see her choosing a school based in part on their band program. She’s a talented player, but there is no question it’s the social aspect that really appeals to her.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Should that EFC calculation be what we expect at any university?
Absolutely NOT for OOS universities. Given the current state of the economy and the huge deficits many states are experiencing, it would not be wise to expect the same financial aid package, especially grants instead of loans, from a Public U vers a endowment rich private college.</p>
<p>I encourage you to also consider USC, which has the largest financial aid program in the country. They are using their large endowment and generous merit scholarship programs to land many hi stat students. The Trojan marching band is pretty famous as well as fun to be in.</p>
<p>Seems this thread got derailed by the “REALLY smart” issue. Settled yet?</p>
<p>If so, I’d like to take up a comment made way back in #30. It touches on one of the more important choices (big school or small?):
This statement applies to the best LACs only if you seek training in a highly specialized field. Schools like Williams, Middlebury, Haverford, Macalester, or Whitman College do not run too many weak programs. I think the OP’s daughter should not be too quick to settle on a large urban university (though certainly WUSTL is a good one) before having a chance to visit at least one first-rate liberal arts college. The best ones in relatively temperate areas include Davidson, New College of Florida, the Philadelphia-area Quaker schools, and the Claremont Colleges. Colorado College is one of the closest to home. Bryn Mawr College would be a very good choice if a women’s college has any appeal (strong anthropology department, plus consortium ties to nearby Haverford). Some of the midwestern LACs (Grinnell for example) offer good merit aid, are closer to Texas and slightly less selective than the best New England schools.</p>
<p>This sounds like a kid who needs a little coaxing to come out of her shell, someone who could benefit from a more intimate learning environment.</p>
<p>Re marching band: You need to be aware that at some colleges, students have to audition for marching band, and some are not accepted. At other colleges, anyone who knows which end of the instrument to blow into is welcome.</p>
<p>Checking out marching band web sites – or even e-mailing the bands if you have any questions – might be a good idea.</p>
<p>menlo, </p>
<p>a while back, we had a discussion about the “big” marching bands because she was so serious about it for so long. However, she has an aversion to those types of schools for some reason. Too competitive, I think. The Rice MOB seems quirky enough for her. But I don’t want to sound like that’s a really big factor for her. I think staying involved in a band is more important than she realizes now, but she is more focused on the overall campus and experience than anything else. </p>
<p>tk, hopefully that topic is settled. I like to think we met in the middle. I had to learn a thing or two, and they needed to back off with the snobbery a bit. Enough said. You’re right about the coaxing part. Classic introvert - you get her into a comfort zone, and she explodes with enthusiasm and wit. Otherwise, she’s likely to slink by trying not to be noticed… The only time I can honestly say I’ve seen her act like a “normal” high school kid was when she was with her prior marching band. In that environment, she had status, friends and a common cause and she was pretty much unstoppable. Outside of that group, you would hardly notice her. </p>
<p>And so it goes…</p>
<p>Good suggestions on the LAC’s. That’s sounding like a good route to help her decide just what she wants to be when she grows up…</p>
<p>Marain, I considered that but I hardly doubt it will be a problem. The girl knows marching as well as any band director, is a team player and can really blow! It’s amazing to watch her in that environment. Leaves my wife and I wondering what they did with our daughter! ha, ha.</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>For a more traditional but high quality (traditional marching) band progam at a school she would get large merit scholarships - look at TCU.</p>