@thumper1 Thank you!
We have 120k in college fund savings for S. Anything over that, we can pay out of pocket and/or co-sign a small student loan (mainly for him to bear some responsibility for his own education and to establish his own credit history) to meet the entire COA for 4 years.
That said, obviously I would love for him to get some merit money. but we are prepared to pay the full cost.
ETA: our EFC is ~50k. So far, the highest NPCs I have seen for us are around 57k-58k per year: BU, R Rochester, Syracuse)
Even though the OP son is not interested in UMaine, readers should know about their Flagship Match program where students from most New England states pay what they would at their state’s flagship institution. I think it’s in its second year.
Is U Maine the only school in Northeast having such a program for MA residents?
California schools seem to be conspicuously absent from this thread, even though CA has a lot of good schools for STEM generally and CS in particular. Sometimes out-of-staters give up on CA, because they know that (1) the public schools (like the UCs or Cal Poly) have limited space and zero financial aid for OOS students, and (2) the best known private schools (like Stanford, USC, Caltech, Mudd) are extremely selective.
And those points are true, but there is one very good private school for CS that has a relatively low profile, reasonable acceptance criteria, and an interest in adding OOS students. Check out Santa Clara University. It’s a Jesuit school which happens to be located in the middle of Silicon Valley. 1300 SAT should be competitive. If you want to study engineering or CS in the Bay Area, but didn’t get into Stanford or Berkeley (and you probably didn’t), then SCU is the next best option.
Could be worth looking into, if studying CS in Silicon Valley seems appealing. SCU’s principal weakness is that they aren’t particularly wealthy and aren’t noted for great financial aid.
@MomtoAndrew2018
University of Maine is the only New England state with the tuition matching program.
Does your son understand that there will be drinkers, partiers and drug users at ALL of those flagship universities on his list! All of them! He just might not know who they are. UMAine is sufficiently large that he would never need to see HS folks…unless he wants to.
Another relatively accessible school in Colorado might be the Colorado School of Mines. Small public university, STEM-focused (originally for mining industry, as the name implies, but now broader). High OOS tuition, but significant merit scholarships for OOS students. Highly regarded for undergraduate STEM education; reputation in this area as good or better than any school between CA and TX. Social environment sometimes considered lacking; enrollment is skewed male.
https://inside.mines.edu/Scholarship-Information-Prospective-Freshmen
Eastern CT State University is another school that MA residents pay a reduced tuition.
Any reason WPI isn’t on your list of schools to look at? (Probably not a candidate for merit.)
I also thought if he’s willing to go far afield Colorado School of Mines might be a possibility.
@thumper1 I know. I don’t think it is fair for him to think negatively about U Maine due to a few bad apples he knew from HS, but you know how kids are like sometimes. If he is not crazy about the school, I can’t make him. I have to say though - the COA of 26k per year??? Wow - what a bargain. My wallet would be very happy if he is willing to go there.
How is U Maine’s reputation for STEM majors?
Sample of one. One of our close relatives spent two years at rose Hulman and transferred to U Maine where he finished an engineering degree. He was pleased…and has done well.
@mathmom WPI is a reach for S based on what I see in Naviance. He is way below average. WPI is also too small of a school for S’s taste. Plus he has other ‘reach’ schools he is more interested in (knowing fully he might not get into any of them).
@NEPatsGirl Thank you!
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He may well get into the honors program at UMass. Don't discount the ACT, its a different test but he could score a tier higher than the 1300 SAT, you never know. Do the other state schools have good CS programs? Could he start at one for two years and transfer in to UMA?
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For some reason I missed your post yesterday. You got my hope up! Let’s see how well S does on ACT practice tests. The next ACT test is in September. so we will see.
I really don’t know if any other state schools are worth looking at for CS. Perhaps UMass Lowell - but hopefully we don’t have to resort to going somewhere as a stepping stone for UMA.
UMassAmherst allows early applications which can really lessen the stress of applications. My D was accepted into the BioTap early but chose another school.
Yes, we will do EA for UMass Amherst. That is what I heard too.
The University of Maine created the regional (and Canadian) tuition rate due to the fact that enrolment at all campuses had been falling for several years. It was away to attract OOS students.
@MomtoAndrew2018
My D took an initial dislike to the ACT because of its pacing. However, after not getting the score she hoped for on the SAT, she did a timed practice test at home and got very encouraging results. With some prep, she did even better, putting her into the merit scholarship category for the schools where she applied. I recommend that your son do the same and if there’s potential, use the rest of the summer to prep for the September test.
U MA Amherst Honors program has become increasingly competitive. Colorado School of Mines is also increasingly difficult to obtain merit scholarships (and he would have to apply early for consideration - check deadlines!) At Case Western, his chances would be improved by applying non-restrictive EA. In the RD round, I know of excellent students that were shut out but students with lower stats who applied EA got in.
Also as mentioned earlier, there are lots of public universities in the West where he might qualify for in-state rates with his stats. If he’s interested in going farther afield, I can follow up with examples. However, it looks like there are plenty of good options for him that wouldn’t involve getting on a plane. U VT would be a great place to go to college.
Edited to add: I posted this link on one of your other threads. Lots of good ideas there. Scroll back several pages for compiled stats of students from the class of 2017, including merit outcomes.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1871275-parents-of-the-hs-class-of-2017-3-0-to-3-4-gpa.html#latest
@mamaedefamilia
Great tips! Thank you so much. I will share your post with S and urge him to do the same.
I’ve always wondered about the pros and cons of EA. From what I understand, there is really not a big incentive for the schools to admit students during EA round because it is non-binding. So, what makes EA more appealing to schools than RD?
@mamaedefamilia Thank you! I did see that. I’ve already scanned through the whole thread! That took me nearly a day!
It is scary how much time I’ve already spent on CC and I am not even close to being done!
@MomtoAndrew2018 It depends on the school. Case Western, for example, is very sensitive to “demonstrated interest,” because it is aware that high stats kids treat it as a safety school, should they not get into a higher ranked choice. The ultimate demonstrated interest, of course, is to apply ED but that locks you in and IMO, it would not be in a university’s interest to award merit scholarships to ED students, because they don’t have to be lured with merit. In theory, they’re a sure thing.
Case’s application involves no supplementary essay and I believe there’s no application fee either. So (again, just my opinion), putting in an early application might suggest seriousness about the school. Applying right before the RD deadline suggests that it might be an afterthought.
Anecdote - my daughter applied EA and got a substantial merit scholarship. Two other students I know who are of similar caliber who applied RD were waitlisted. Yes, I know that anecdotes are not data.
As to your broader question, there are some places where EA is more competitive than RD (Notre Dame, for example).
What’s in it for the school to have an EA round? It’s a chance to lock in part of their class early on. I think there’s a psychological benefit for students to get an early acceptance - it gives them more time to imagine the school as a place they might attend. There is more time to plan an on-campus visit that might seal the deal.
As for Case, I think it might be a bit of a reach for your son, but worth a try. The application is easy through the common app. It is a wonderful school, IMO. It ended up being my daughter’s second choice. The Maker space is a fantastic resources and there is an energetic feel about the student body. While known mostly for tech, liberal arts are strong also. There are no barriers to entry for specific majors. It’s in a relatively safe area of Cleveland with a large park and lots of free museums nearby.
@mamaedefamilia You sold me on Case! I’ve always known Case as a well known, prestigious school but this seems like reaching stars for S. I will re-evaluate our list. Does not hurt to try.
You made some really good points on EA. Those do make a lot of sense!
Congratulations to your D! That is a huge accomplishment! What year class is she and what is her major?