Should I review financial aid award for OOS school(s) or go to college in-state?

Paying for College
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<p>Hi, I have been accepted to several colleges out-of-state (Purdue, UIUC, UT Austin, University of Washington) and waitlisted in Georgia Tech, but for in-state I only got into UC Santa Cruz and am waitlisted in UC Davis (and waiting for UC Irvine to release decisions) because my stats aren't dazzling (rejected from UCSD and Cal Poly SLO). I would like to go to great schools like UIUC but my FAFSA EFC is really high (over 22000) and I don't have any merit aid, while the schools cost slightly over $40k for tuition, room and board, and fees. I know for UIUC my financial aid award consists of just PLUS and Stafford loans. </p>

<p>So I don't think I can go OOS without piling up $100k worth of loans, but I would be happy if I just went to a UC. My question is, is it viable to ask a OOS school for a review in hopes of getting better financial aid? I'm sure that is unlikely, but I would like an explanation. Thanks!</p>

<p>(I'm asking because I happen to have a college consultant who insists on "leveraging" the financial aid offers, thinks the UC system is unfair, and won't tell me anything else so I would like more insight.)</p>

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<p>A consultant suggested you’d get money from OOS publics? Ask for your money back!</p>

<p>You can ask, but don’t expect much if anything.</p>

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<p>If your college consultant recommended that you apply to THOSE schools when you needed aid/merit, then your consultant is incompetent and you should get your money back.</p>

<p>Those are OOS publics who don’t have a history of giving significant merit …especially without very high stats (which you indicate that you don’t have). Purdue does give some $10k per year merit, but for high stats.</p>

<p>And, those schools aren’t going to give need based aid (other than loans) with your EFC. </p>

<p>If your stats are only getting you into schools like UCSC, then if you needed merit, then you should have applied to lower ranked schools.</p>

<p>Your consultant is especially stupid about the concept of leveraging since you don’t have high stats. If you had a tippy-top SAT and super GPA, then maybe one of these schools might throw you some merit that is larger than they typically award. But, your consultant knows your stats and those schools won’t give a rat’s patootie about whether you attend their school or not. They just want you to pay their full freight high OOS costs.</p>

<p>Edited to add…</p>

<p>*Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 590 CR, 700 Math, 670 Writing
ACT: 31 English, 32 Math, 29 Science, 27 Reading, 9 Writing (Took ACT twice)
SAT II: 730 World History, 800 Math Level 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.57
UC GPA: 3.68 (Took some courses in a CCC)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20% I guess
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 in World, 4 in Environmental Science, 3 in Computer Science (plan to retake this year)</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, I think I may get loans
Intended Major: Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <100000
Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, Personal Statement
Weaknesses: GPA
.*</p>

<p>With the above stats, you could have gotten significant merit at some lower ranked schools that have very good engineering. Your consultant must be new at his job.</p>

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<p>Usually the ones offering huge merit awards are the schools competing with more well known ones in their state. My son, who scored a 35 on his ACT, was only offered $1,500 from our very well known IS public but was offered full tuition at two other IS colleges. Unfortunately, they were second tier academically. He ended up getting the best offers (i.e. highest percentage of COA in grants/scholarships) from two of the privates he applied to.</p>

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<p>OOS public universities are VERY unlikely to increase your financial aid. If finances are a consideration…then racking up $100,000 in loans is not a good idea.</p>

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<p>Joining the choir, I don’t see any of those schools increasing your FA and it would be unwise to take 100k in loans over UCSC.</p>

<p>And your consultant should not be in business recommending that list to you.</p>

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<p>The consultant should be ashamed … the advice you were given was awful.</p>

<p>Agree that in state is your best bet.</p>

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<p>Terrible voice, but can I join choir too. Those publics are way too selective to give much aid.</p>

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<p>Show your consultant this thread and then demand that he return his fee.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone, I couldn’t make up my mind by myself but you have all confirmed my suspicions. I guess I could have gotten some merit aid but I did my testing and essay writing so late I submitted most of my applications near the deadlines so I know it is my fault. I’ll probably start rejecting my finanical aid offers and move on.</p>

<p>Regarding the consultant, I would like to expose his ineptness but I am not sure if it is possible. A year and a half ago, my parents signed me up for a deal with a private tutoring center that included a college consultant, one on one tutoring, and outside tutoring classes that costed my family $10000. (I’m not aware about anything that denies me any right to get a partial or full refund, but there was some sort of contract.) Unsurprisingly, my parents and I at that time were not so familiar with the college process. I don’t recall my consultant considering my financial status nor did he tell me about getting merit aid, I found out all about that in CC. I now think I did not have firm knowledge about my own stats until recently, and I think neither did he. </p>

<p>But I am skeptical about doing this, is this really feasible?</p>

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<p>Skeptical about doing what?</p>

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<p>I’m skeptical about following everyone’s advice to demand a refund or my money back.</p>

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<p>It’s really your parent’s call but from what I’ve read above I think anyone posting in this forum would have given you better advice for free.</p>