<p>@ItsJustSchool @mom2collegekids Because I’ve taken 13 AP classes and gotten 5s (assuming similar performance on this year’s exams), at UW I would have over two years of credits so it I could potentially graduate with a full degree in under two years, making it much more affordable. I’ve been in contact with UW admissions to confirm this. Sorry for not making that clear</p>
<p>Confirming with admissions does not comfort me. At UC, you would have 2 years of miscellaneous elective credit which would count towards the credits required to graduate, but you would still have to take all of the required general education breadth courses. Perhaps you could get credit for or test out of lower division courses in your major.</p>
<p>This is for UC, not UW. A solution, by the way, in CA, is to go to Community College and have those units converted to course credits, then transfer in. You may even be able to do that over the summer if Washington is the same way as UC, so there is a viable work-around. I would be certain- admissions very possibly only looked at transfer units, not the details of the specific classes you would need to graduate.</p>
<p>By the way, I have found Financial Aid people to be real people. I suspect that when you receive your acceptances and are on the cusp of making your choices, an in-person meeting with a FA officer at each school will do wonders to help you make the decision. Do plan to fly to the East Coast in April.</p>
<p>They are gatekeepers against abuse, but I think they also have if not compassion, at least realism, to real family situations. It is very likely (if your parents are realistic and cooperative) that everything will work out in the end. I do believe that, in the end, regardless of the initial process and initial data collected or excluded from collection, top schools will meet demonstrated need and not “cookie-cutter” it.</p>
<p>An outside scholarship would stabilize the entire process and add certainty; however, for the top colleges you are probably ok even with the uncertainty.</p>
<p>Ccggp remember that your student loans under your name can be 5,500 freshman, 6,500 sophomore, 7,500 each jr and sr years. The other loans have to be parent plus in your parents name or private loans that are in parents name or consigned, which still puts them 100%on the line. So make sure your parents are in a position to do that depending the standing UW gives you.</p>
<p>What does your profile look like beyond the gpa/sat?</p>
<p>Are you interested in any LAC?</p>
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<p>That may be so, but that doesn’t change the situation if your parents can’t/won’t pay for those 2-3 years. </p>
<p>(BTW…13 AP classes probably means a lot of duplicate or unneeded credits (such as too many history credits), so having those AP credits doesn’t necessarily mean skipping two years. </p>
<p>My kids each had AP credits for AP US history, world history and Euro…but they could only use the credits from one because they weren’t history majors. So, 12 of those AP credits were worthless. </p>
<p>Also, if you’ve taken AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC, then AP Calc AB becomes worthless. </p>
<p>What is your major and what AP classes have you taken? </p>
<p>Ask your parents how much they’ll pay for each year that you’re at UW (which UW???). </p>
<p>What if they say that they can only pay $10k per year??? How would the other costs get covered? </p>
<p>YOU can only borrow $5,500 for frosh year. </p>
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My dad is self-employed and we’ve had some very lean years 2008-2013 but he just happened to have an exceptionally good year in 2014, which disqualifies me from a lot of need based aid for both schools and scholarships. </p>
<p>So basically, they are still recovering from the past several years fiscally and that leaves me with the majority (if not all) of the financial burden without the help of a lower income to provide need-based aid</p>
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<p>Leaves YOU with the majority of the financial burden? You’re a kid. YOU CAN’T borrow much. Do you understand that? You can borrow $5,500 per year.</p>
<p>Your family no longer has a lower income. </p>
<p>I know that this must be frustrating, but the realities are that your parents now have a good income and if they won’t pay, then those schools won’t be affordable. </p>
<p>@ItsJustschool that’s what I’m hoping for, and that describes the situation aptly. Thank you.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids For explaining the situation for my state school, I have taken:
9th: AP Human Geography (scored 5, 5 credits)
10th: AP World History (5, 5 credits), AP Chemistry (5, 15 credits), AP Statistics (5, 5 credits)
11th: AP Calc AB/BC (5, 10 credits), AP Macroeconomics (5, 5 credits), AP Microeconomics (5, 5 credits), AP Language (4, 5 credits), AP Environmental Science (5, 5 credits)
12th: AP Literature, AP American Government, AP Computer Science, AP Physics 1
I also have 25 credits from a Community College in my area that I got from being dual enrolled in my high school classes. </p>
<p>Totaling this all up, per UW Foster undergraduate requirements, I have 70 Natural World credits, 25 Individuals & Society credits, and 10 Visual Literary and Performing Arts credits. You need a total of 90 undergraduate credits, at least 20 of which come from each category. If I take two more classes that fall under the VLPA category my first semester, I will be done with undergraduate work. I also could be admitted directly into the business school, allowing me to take classes in my major that first semester.</p>
<p>And its not that my parents won’t pay, I know that if they could they would be happy to, its just that they have had to borrow money to stay afloat the past 7 years and this year’s high income was used to pay that off. So we’re still operating on the same slim budget we’ve had the past 7 years, our income is just higher and I’ll get less financial aid from schools and I can’t qualify for need-based scholarships that use 2014’s income.</p>
<p>This is all a very long-winded way of explaining essentially what @ItsJustSchool said. While at “elite” schools I can potentially explain my situation to the financial aid department, and they can probably make adjustments to my aid package, this is not a guarantee. I would like to have a backup plan, and I have stats that could potentially make me a good candidate for some scholarship opportunities.</p>
<p>So back to my original question, does anyone have any suggestions for scholarships that I should be looking at? Some of the one’s I’m planning to apply to are Elk’s and Burger King.</p>
<p>As a new dependent college freshman - you get $5,500 in Stafford loans TOTAL for the year. Whether the $5,500 is subsidized or unsubsidized (or a combination of both) will be dependent on your parents income. </p>
<p>@kgos16 ok, I see that now, thanks. Sorry the mix-up.</p>
<p>Just because some people are picky- I believe OP means <em>lower division</em> rather than <em>undergraduate</em>, as can be inferred from context. :)</p>
<p>I would worry as much as you are if I were you. But, being on the other side with nothing at stake, I am convinced that in the end you will be in an elite school and things will work out.</p>
<p>No, you are dead wrong about the loans. Freshman can only borrow 5,500 (or up to 2k more depending on your standing), and you can only get it partly subsidized (3,500) based on parent income . If parent income is too high then it will all be all unsub. The larger amount you mention is for independent students upperclassmen and that is not in addition to, it is instead of the dependent student amount. This table will lay it out more clearly, remember to look in the dependent student column:</p>
<p><a href=“https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized#how-much”>https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized#how-much</a></p>
<p>No one is trying to argue with you, rather to prepare you. Foster seems a great option with your advanced standing if you get accepted, But you have to know that your parents can and will take the loans for you. If they can’t then you need a different strategy for a backup.</p>
<p>I think the discussion about outside scholarships is over as the big ones passed. You can apply for little ones like you mention because every bit helps but do note that those are usually small amounts for one year only, Look at rotary club and local banks too. They not recurring usually and you need a plan to get you to graduation. You HS GC should have a list of local ones. Big ones often have a need component. There are all sorts of sites dedicated to scholarship search. They get tons of applicants but you have great stats. Also search for scholarships for students studying business specifically and after you are in college you can find ones that you are eligible for. </p>
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<p>Do you understand that if you win those awards, your school is just going to take that money and subtract their aid they’re still going to expect your family to pay their “contribution”. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, are you sure about that? In other words, if funding comes from family funds, loans, and grants: F=EFC+L+G, are you sure they will peel off Grants first? I would think they would peel off EFC if you brought in money; or some combination of EFC + Grants. Reducing Grant aid alone seems perverse.</p>
<p>Outside grants may be allowed to replace the student loan and any work study award at some generous colleges. If you get an award, your ‘need’ is reduced, so your need aid is reduced. It will not replace EFC unless all the school need aid is reduced. </p>
<p>So if EFC is 20k and school aid is 40k, and you get scholarship of 5k then your package is adjusted to EFC 20k and 5k scholarship and school aid is 35k</p>
<p>Where if EFC is 15k plus student loan 5k and school aid is 40k, and you get scholarship of 5k then your package is adjusted to EFC 15k and 5k scholarship and school aid is 40k at colleges that allow student loan reduction first.</p>
<p>That extra money will help if he is full pay at UW-Seattle, so he should be applying for that case as he hasn’t mentioned if the EFC at the top tier schools is going to be do-able yet. Plus he doesn’t know if he will get in top tiers yet. </p>
<p>I get it. I was missing the piece that top tier schools often are loan-free, so just F=EFC+G. That explains it. Thanks @BrownParent!</p>
<p>Is there still time to apply EA to any schools that want the CSS instead of the FAFSA? I was reading on other threads that those parents have to turn it in soon and use their 2013 tax forms. I’ve also read that the CSS focuses more on net worth, which might help you. I am not an expert on these things, however.</p>
<p>Try for schools that offer full-tuition merit awards. Vandy & UMich have been mentioned and you’re applying to USC. Emory and UVa also have them. So does Duke, but they’re tough to get there. JHU has very few (in engineering). CalTech also has, like, 2 full-tuition merit scholarships. Check the deadlines, though. You <em>might</em> be able to get them from WashU and ND. UChicago gives merit money, but not sure they’ll give enough (if they want you enough, they may match what you’d have to pay to go in-state after you get acceptances). Rice also gives merit money; again, not sure they will give full-tuition, though.</p>
<p>Moving farther down the list, Wake, BC, & NYU (depending on your field of interest, though, NYU could be top-tier in your field) have a few full-tuition awards. Rochester and Case may be generous with merit (though not sure you can get full-tuition there; run their NPC).</p>
<p>For UDub, can you commute? If so, direct Federal loans will pay for a little over a quarter of tuition each year. If you have enough credits to graduate in 6 quarters, you could maybe go to school 2 quarters a year & work the other 2 quarters (through co-op or something) and still graduate in 3-4 years (still have to satisfy all the major and school graduation requirements).</p>
<p>BTW. what major(s) are you considering?</p>
<p>To the app…you are being penny wise and pound foolish. </p>
<p>Your parents are self employed. Your income will vary from year to year. Your need based aid will vary from year to year. You are targeting schools that cost $60,000 a year…or more. They don’t give merit aid. You are too late for all of those generous outside merit awards for the upcoming school year. </p>
<p>There are plenty of colleges that would give you wonderful merit aid, but you seem to be dismissing those because they are beneath you. This is really too bad, because in the long run, your finances would be much better getting a merit award at one if these schools.</p>
<p>USC merit awards are highly competitive. You might get one, and you might not. Getting a full tuition award is a huge longshot. </p>
<p>I would strongly advise you to open your mind to some of the schools where huge merit could lighten the financial blow to you and your family.</p>
<p>And FYI…for those very competitive outside scholarships…most are for high school seniors only…not for kids who take a gap year. Check their fine print to see for sure.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, the CSS is even more complicated for parents like the OP’s who are self-employed or own their own companies. BTDT…and still not sure how things like basic operating funds and estimated worth of company holdings (vs. individual holdings) will be interpreted by colleges.</p>
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To the app…you are being penny wise and pound foolish.</p>
<p>Your parents are self employed. Your income will vary from year to year. Your need based aid will vary from year to year. You are targeting schools that cost $60,000 a year…or more. They don’t give merit aid. You are too late for all of those generous outside merit awards for the upcoming school year.</p>
<p>There are plenty of colleges that would give you wonderful merit aid, but you seem to be dismissing those because they are beneath you. This is really too bad, because in the long run, your finances would be much better getting a merit award at one if these schools.</p>
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<p>True.</p>
<p>I think the student is soooo focused on top schools that he thinks they will work out financially simply because he wants them to. He thinks that if he tells them that his parents used to make a lot less money that they’ll give him a lot more aid. These schools may give him a bit more aid (a couple thousand) but they’re not going to cancel out most of the family contribution and leave him a small amount to pay with a $5500 student loan. </p>
<p>If he read thru past spring posts, he’d find numerous posts from kids who were similarly focused on top schools who find that none of their schools are affordable.</p>