<p>I’m curious why you think different colleges determine need significantly differently. For example, if your family has typical assets and makes below something like $180,000 then Harvard thinks your EFC is about 10% of your family’s income. I imagine at a family with an income of $150,000 would have an EFC considerably higher than $15,000 at Reed [I suspect they would not qualify for need based aid at all]. My impression is that the reason Harvard calculates EFCs much lower than Reed [and virtually every other college] is because Harvard has a lot more money and a lot larger financial aid budget.</p>
<p>Schools clearly use different calculations, but is endowment the reason? Yes, Harvard is more generous than most, and there are some schools with high cutoff points below which EFC is zero. And I don’t know that Reed wouldn’t give more than their Profile calculation after becoming need-blind. Perhaps collecting historic data from various similar schools would give an indication if changing endowment-per-student values affect FA need calculations.</p>
<p>It is widely known that 4 schools are over and above the others in the amount of need based financial aid awarded to its students, with the bulk being pure grants. These four schools are also at the top, or close to the top, in terms of Endowment/student. What does this tell you?</p>
<p>the schools?</p>
<p>Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Williams</p>
<p>Too bad 0% of students attend these outliers! :)</p>
<p>So you think a large endowment only affects how the college determines financial need if the endowment is REALLY, REALLY large?</p>
<p>I sense you’re about to prove me wrong… :)</p>
<p>There is surely some correlation between endowment size per student and the generosity of financial aid. This correlation is evident in the distinct aid policies of these three schools.</p>
<p>Chicago is a need-blind, full-need school that awards merit aid. This pattern is fairly unusual.</p>
<p>Oberlin apparently is not completely need-blind, but does claim to meet 100% of need for students it admits. It also does grant merit aid. </p>
<p>Like Oberlin, Reed is not completely need-blind but also does claim to meet 100% of need for students it admits. However, it does not grant merit aid.</p>
<p>Chicago’s pattern would seem to reflect the fact that it has a much higher EPS than Reed or Oberlin (though we may need to examine how well it actually addresses “full need”). However, although Chicago is rich, it has a relatively high percentage of low-income students compared to some peer institutions. The percentage of Pell Grant recipients at Chicago is 15%. Well it’s about the same at Reed (16%) but lower at Oberlin (9%), according to Washington Monthly. Chicago also has many demands on its money that a small LAC does not. It has to maintain a much larger physical plant, provide a private security force in a crowded urban neighborhood, conduct expensive research, and hire high-cost faculty in some fields that aren’t even represented at a small LAC.</p>
<p>Within a group of peer schools, it would be hard to predict how EPS, policy, and other factors might play out in the order of individual offers. In a very general way, Chicago’s much higher EPS should translate to better resources, but not necessarily the ones that matter most to every undergraduate student. A LAC that attracts many other people like yourself may be focusing resources in a way you prefer.</p>
<p>I think looking at your interests (back to the orig questions you had), Oberlin has a music conservatory which is a lot different than a music dept. - I don’t know how into music performance you are, but that gives you alot of opportunity to continue studies on the side or as part of something. Also, one of the things that I loved when I was at Oberlin was going to recitals at the Con - which were just awe-inspiring and free. Now, as far as saying Oberlin is homogenous - I don’t think you can claim that (unless maybe you are talking about Liberty U. maybe) without really meeting all those kids. On the surface, people who are a bit quirky or more hipster lean toward Oberlin because of that rep but you also get people who are super intellectual geniuses who come to Oberlin because of the closeness of professors from the get go or the science facilities or maybe a particular program like Jazz. Pre-professional - no, not here. Pre-PhD - yes, most definately. So if you want to get an internship at a bank, maybe Oberlin is not a good fit. </p>
<p>Since you have so many disparate interests - you also should consider how the core curriculum requirements would help you or get in your way. I’m not sure about Chicago and Reed but at Oberlin, they were very flexible and not at all cumbersome requirements which allowed me to dabble in lots of areas - without pushing my degree into a 5th yr. Also, can you design a major that combines some of your interests? I know a few people in my year that designed their own major - one majored in humor. He became a stand-up comic. (I think people in Chicago might cringe at that?)</p>
<p>Anyway, good luck. I had a friend who went to Reed and it seemed alot like Oberlin but a bit/lot more intense.</p>
<p>Was good financial aid a criteria? It seems the discussion went in that direction about endowments and such but I didn’t see that you brought that up.</p>
<p>Another thing - you should post on the individual colleges forums too, there is a english prof that I had that regularly answers posts and also the nice admissions dean posts. Ask away.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>the OP initiated the discussion on this matter:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13973338-post19.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13973338-post19.html</a></p>
<p>for the love of god, stop saying “quirky”</p>