List of Schools and Pledges [Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)
[Project</a> on Student Debt: Summary of Pledges: Eligibilty Guidelines and Basic Provisions](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/Type_and_Coverage.vp.html]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/Type_and_Coverage.vp.html)
Bottom line: [Project</a> on Student Debt: What’s the Bottom Line?](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php]Project”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php)
hi I just joined! My son is a high school sophomore and we are seeking opinions an the value of AP courses in the college admissions process. His guidance counselor is recommending that he take several AP courses in his junior and senior year. She reports that colleges are placing a lot of value on these courses .Does anyone have experiemce in navigating this process? He is an A student in honors classes and the extra rigor of AP will require more hours of homework and will probably bring down his overall GPA. he also plays 2 sports and we don’t want to overload him, Maybe he should drop the athletics and go for straight academics, Any advice from those who have been there?
39to43–I think you will get more answers if you start a new thread in the parents forum with a title that is specific to your concern. If you don’t wish to start a new thread, you could pose your questions in the thread for Parents of High School Class of 2013 under the Parents Forum. Welcome to CC!
Are you sure that CalTech gives merit based scholarship? I cannot find this information from their website.
“Caltech Scholarships are gifts awarded from institutional or endowed funds specifically established for the purpose of assisting undergraduates. The amount of the award depends entirely on demonstrated financial need, subject to available funds. It can be renewed each year according to the student’s level of need in subsequent years.”
Hopkins rep proudly told us they don’t offer merit scholarships because they don’t have to. It’s a great school but that statement sums up the attitude.
SMU - our son received a $48K honors award (over 4 years) that completely surprised us, as we didn’t apply for (nor qualify for) finanical aid. It was a nice surprise.
Rose-Hulman. My D graduated from there this past May. She had merit money for all 4 years and was not at the top of her class. I got the impression that most of the student body got some form of merit aid
If you are good enough, any school will give you plenty of money to be able to attend.
*If you are good enough, any school will give you plenty of money to be able to attend. *
Not true. Some schools don’t give any merit money. Some are need-based aid only. So, you can have TOP stats, but if your family earns too much, you won’t get any money from a need-only school.
^^^^^^
Yes, but those schools are the ones that you don’t have to worry about finances anyways if you get in. They will make it happen as they have the resources to do so.
Not true–there are many top schools that don’t provide ANY merit awards, even for top vals at very competitive HSs, which the val from our HS found out to her grief after being admitted at nearly every U she applied. She did not get nearly enough FAid or merit to make the expensive privates work for her & her family. They make too much to qualify for significant FAid but too little to be comfortable shouldering a huge tuition bill–they are NOT uncommon. She ended up going to flagship U with merit & was placed as a sophomore due to all her APs; will be graduating early with $$$ saved to apply toward her projected med school.
my daughter received a nice merit scholarship from University of Vermont. we are out of state.
*Yes, but those schools are the ones that you don’t have to worry about finances anyways if you get in. They will make it happen as they have the resources to do so. *
Absolutely not true.
At those schools you have to financially qualify for their financial aid. So, if you have parents who can’t pay (even if the school believes they can) or you have a NCP that won’t contribute/cooperate, the school isn’t going to “make it happen.”
…said the magic financial aid fairy and they all lived happily ever after. The End
Bonster, I feel the same. S is attending Hopkins, but the financial reps sure have an attitide. I seriously have my S to consider to transfer to another school.
My D just rec’d 120K from St. Lawrence University. We did not apply for financial aid and we were not expecting this great gift. Now she faces some tough decisions. This was a safety school for her and the majority of the other schools she applied to do not offer merit aid (although she did get 30K from Dickinson). She would go there for sure if we told her that she had to but I would hate to make the decision only about money (and yes, I realize we are very fortunate that we don’t have to make it about money–and no, we aren’t rolling in money, we have just been saving for a looooong time). What would you go for–the money or a school with a righ ranking? We will visit SLU and I think we are all hoping she likes it (the rank of schools doesn’t matter to her at all–she is looking for a place where she feels she fits in–I think school ranking is much more my hang-up).
^^Just curious why you considered SLU a safety. I guess we sort of did to, but just based on the Naviance data for my son’s school. His school is one of the New England preps, though, so lower gpa’s get in than what is generally considered the norm. When I look at SLU’s stats, though, I see acceptance rates over the past few years ranging from the low-high 30% range. That’s not really “safe” for anyone, is it?
I am a newcomer to the college scene.
My oldest children are twin high school sophomores who are B or B+ GPAs at a highly competitive public high school w. a national rep.They have had alot of music training, orchestral, private lesson in strings from great teachers, music theory from a Curtis Institute professor, but are not interested in conservatory. They’re struggling a bit in the sciences (making C - B- grades there) which brings their GPA down a bit. They are good healthy well adjusted kids, turned off by the competitive atmosphere that surrounds them, not as motivated as their younger siblings at this point, but by no means failing.
We are in a punishing financial bracket - not rich by a long shot, but certainly not middle class (single earner is a doctor but not in the high earning specialist fields) and living in one of the most expensive counties in the country. They are not kids that know for sure their direction - but one is likely bound for a career in the arts, and the other, possibly, medicine (will pull her grades up eventually in the maths/sciences).
Husband groans that they are bound for state schools or community college. I am not worried about them not going to the 25 top colleges I hear about all the time in this place where I live.
Where are great undergrad liberal arts educations here in the states, or Canada, or FRANCE that will not bankrupt us or them? (They are French language speakers) #3 kid is starting college the year after they enter!!!#4 is a few years behind!!!
My daughter was valedictorian with above a 4.0 GPA and got 2300 on her SATS and she didn’t get a dime of merit based financial aid. So much for high scoring kids getting money. Not true!!
It all depends on WHERE you apply to school–you need to match the students with Us likely to award merit aid to YOUR kid. The vals at our HS often don’t get merit money either because they choose to attend schools that don’t offer it, not matter how great the credentials of the applicants. One of our vals choose to go to in-state public on a full ride PLUS outside scholarships. She has graduated and will be attending med school in the fall; the funds she saved will help pay for her prestigious med school. She had wonderful research opportunities at our in-state public, which helped her stand out.
There are quite a few Us that offer automatic merit awards to kids who meet the stated criteria for parents who want GUARANTEED merit aid.