<p>mocking the fact that she cares about poor folks is meanspirited, at best.</p>
<p>Where the hell did I say that?</p>
<p>If she wants to work in public service that is great- but as I posted either on this or another thread- you don't have to have a $50,000 a year education to do so & actually if she does end up having thousands of dollars in loans- how is she going to be able to afford to work for a non profit?</p>
<p>( I also was just talking about the condos across the street- I live in a light industrial/blue collar area & there are blocks of single family two bedroom homes that have been torn down to build these condos- they are far from the most expensive ones in the area-but the people that the developers expect to buy them, aren't sales clerks at Nordstroms)</p>
<p>great article NEmom
too late for us- as we had to refinance & take out equity in order to pay our EFC ( even though now we are barely able to make the interest payment- let alone pay any of the principal)
but it should help lots of other families</p>
<p>My kids are not going to those schools either, but I hope that schools with less funds follow to some degree too. The financial aid package was a large factor in picking a college for our family. I would send my kids to astate school before borrowing ridiculous sums against my home that I know that I could not pay back without selling, and then end up living the rest of my days in a shack :(</p>
<p>while we did certainly borrow more than I was comfortable with- our EFC was the same cost as the tuition/room/board at an instate public school-and D attended a school that met 100% of need. ( possibly because FAFSA doesn't take into account things that would lower EFC)</p>
<p>Our state as diverse and highly educated as it is- only has 6 public universities to choose from- while one of them for years, had been her first choice- when we really looked at it- it wasn't really a good fit.</p>
<p>However- I didn't know about the Western</a> Undergraduate Exchange program- for states in the west- where she could have attended for 150% of instate tuition* plus* since some state schools are better funded than ours, the cost could actually be straight across comparable.</p>
<p>The difficulty will arise with our next D- she doesn't quite have the scores and stats to get her into the * elite* schools that meet 100% of need or that could get her merit aid, even if she attended a very low ranked school ( am assuming- since her sister didn't really get offered any merit worth a 2nd look, she won't either)- but as a 1st generation college student with "special needs" she still is in need of a small school that can provide support not just academics
Which costs money.</p>
<p>I also don't mind selling our house- we wouldn't really be able to downsize much- 994 sq ft doesn't leave a lot of room for extras- but we certainly can find a cheaper area to retire to * a shack on the beach doesn't sound so bad*:D- I seriously am considering Costa Rica or Mexico. I would send my kids to astate school before borrowing ridiculous sums against my home that I know that I could not pay back without selling, and then end up living the rest of my days in a shack</p>
<p>since fafsa was setup by Congress, there are gonna be winners (low income states) and losers (high income states). However, as our former President once said "life is unfair." But, if you really believe it unfair, write your local congressperson and senator since only they have the power to change the rules (which are not likely).</p>
<p>For those who want further info, CB has a discussion of the 'Whys in Needs Analysis', starting on page 49 (the first 48 pages aren't worth the time to read).</p>
<p>almost all the schools i apply to will meet full need
several are need blind as well.
thanks for the articile,</p>
<p>as far as my so-called communist scheme, you have to realize that redistribution of wealth is what already goes on in the form of taxes, because ultimately, it is probably in society's best interest not to have too large of a struggling underclass.
also, without some form of wealth redistribution (aka providing financial aid through pell grants and the like) those with huge herds will go on multiplying while those with nothing will continue to have nothing, even if they would make a better breeder. ultimately, it's about your place in life not depending on your ancestral wealth. and if you have no cows, there's no hope to make more and become prosperous. i also think a small portion of the wealth (yes, taxes are too high, see pork barrel spending etc.) of the wealth should go to ensure people arent' starving and there are decent free schools, etc.
without soem form of wealth redistribution, the rich will only get richer (and their children, who may not be so hard-working, smart, or talented as their parents) while the poor get poorer, who may be much more talented, smart, hard-working than their parents. hey, isn't that what's happened in the past 20 years? ceo pay has grown tremendously while the average worker makes about the same or even less in real terms than before.</p>
<p>private property was great, but you're probably better off giving a small portion away so that truly starving people don't take it away from you. maybe this is a bit marxist, but really i believe fdr saved the capitalist system in america through his introduction of mixed-market initiatives.</p>
<p>Passion...you seem to be well versed, educated, insightful. How many scholarships have you applied? My daughter's free time early summer, has been spent researching, applying for a multitude of scholarships. Sounds like you won't qualify for those set aside with true need but many, many best on creditentials, essays, contests, etc. </p>
<p>Yes, our economics in this country sucks...not just education, but healthcare. But realistically, complaining here isn't going to change your situation. Apply to a wide variety of institutions, with varying levels of costs. My daughter has applied to many of the top schools in the country, some of the best in our state, and a few smaller, instate private schools. Whether it's fair or not, regardless of where she may be accepted, she knows the financial aid package offered will be the deciding factor.</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear about Stanford's decision. Are top schools starting to realize that they are screwing the middle class?</p>
<p>The more cynical side of me is wondering if places like Stanford aren't worrying that more and more smart middle class kids will go to places like Rutgers, Carolina, and UMass and that this will bolster the reputations of these State schools to a tipping point where State schools are acknowledged to be every bit as prestigious as elite private schools.</p>
<p>If the top 10 most prestigious schools in the country end up including Cal, Rutgers, Michigan, and Carolina, places like Stanford will have a much harder time justifying their high tuitions.</p>
<p>unfortunately i'm a senior, and pretty much all deadlines have passed.
i'm trying to apply to lots of scholarships i think i have a chance of winning, particularly local ones.
my parents said just to see how much fa i get, and in the meantime i'm going to visit rutgers
thanks for the help</p>
<p>emeraldkity - "where the hell did I say this?" you didn't. sorry sorry. I was responding to "This socialist view is common on many campuses-- so you'll probably feel at home." statement by sblake7.<br>
I really should figure out how to quote here. duh.
We've also used equity and big loans for EFC and now starting again with #3 and nothing left to tap.
this is why passion feeling the whole thing isn't fair is kind of funny for me, since we're way down the food chain here on CC, but I also don't expect her to have The Secret Of Life either.</p>
<p>In the middle of her junior HS year, daughter dreamed of attending a well known Catholic university in the Midwest. Her father stated emphatically "If she gets accepted, we will find a way to pay for it".
Near the end of her junior year, my husband passed away very unexpectedly. Daughter applied to her dream school, has been accepted and plans on attending this fall. He would have been so proud. I'll pay for her education with her father's life insurance payout.
Life just doesn't seem fair sometimes.
Passionflower, I wish your Mom and family all the best as you face her health challenges together. Please give her a hug for me.</p>
<p>as i was applying for a local scholarship, my mom came in and handed me a "big envelope" from Lafayette College (small lac in eastern PA). It contained a personalized acceptance letter (referring to my essay, the rigor of my hs, and advising me of the things i'd enjoy on campus) as well as
A MARQUIS SCHOLARSHIP 16k or full grant to meet need!
That being said, I have a cousin who went to the school who felt the school was both rich and eager to help out. ALso receiving the scholarship indicates i'm one of their 60 or so most desirable applicants, so i'd assume they'll do what it takes to get me there.
In addition, they see outside scholarships as a means of SUPPLEMENTING not reducing college grants. so that's pretty aweseom.
Also, the college has a pretty liberal policy on AP credits, and that should help me out a lot as I will have taken 7 aps by graduation, although I"m not taking the AP US GOV and POl exam because that's the subject I'm majoring in so it'd prlly be better to get a solid introduction at the college rather than lose the study time for other exams and have a half-A#$ed version of the AP course which may enablt me to pull off the necessary 4, but i'm not sure.
besides the moeny, there are also programs available for scholars including free interim sessions abroad and cultural events like jazz concerts and lectures.
I AM SO EXCITED!!!!
i am BEGGING my parents to take me to look at the campus ASAP because I've gone totally wild with glee and all i've been able to think of is lafayette. I am in close contact with a person from the school who LOVES it and turned down Princeton and Yale because of the quality of interaction between profs and students.
so if you can't already guess, I'm ecstatic!
thanks for all your interest and understanding at this rather interesting time.
The jury is still out on Laf's finaid offer, as well as the final decision and packages of all the other colleges i applied to excempt rutgers. i did get wellesley likely early evaluation but i still haven't been officially accepted.
Right now, I just COVET a Lafayette sweatshirt because even if I don't end up going there, they still deserve the 50 bucks for taking a huge weight off my shoulders. GO LEOPARDS!</p>