Suggestions for Safeties, Matches and Reaches for D

Parents Forum
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<p>I believe you mentioned that your daughter will be first generation. A great website to assist students is called “I’m First”. Colleges that are interested in first generation students are listed as partner colleges. Here is the link to the website. [Find</a> Colleges | I’m First](<a href=“http://www.imfirst.org/colleges/]Find”>Colleges | I'm First!) They recently changed their website so I believe you can now do a search function. </p>

<p>to help you find some more schools use the search function on “Big Futures” on college board.org. Here is the link: <a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search[/url]”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search&lt;/a&gt; On the far left click major and insert “animal sciences”. at the top to the far right of the box click “close and see results”. To narrow it further go to the paying section and look for either colleges that meet at least 80% need or have a net price in your range (say less than 10K) Again you can click the close and see results. When I used net price only with animal science I got about 50 schools. </p>

<p>As far as Davis I would not even have your daughter apply. I too have a rising senior and live in California so I have suggested acceptances. Davis in animal sciences is impacted so a student needs at least a 4.0 to even be in the running. Since you are low income it would really be a waste of your money to apply. I am trying not to be a downer but realistic especially since it takes a lot of energy to apply to college. Have your daughter use her energy to apply to colleges where she has a realistic chance. Applying to Davis would accomplish nothing other than taking your money and having your daughter waste her time. If she loves California then a more realistic option is Sonoma State which has animal science and is near Davis. Again you would not get any financial aid for the out of state surcharge. </p>

<p>I am glad you mentioned bright futures which is a great program to make college affordable. Also look to see if Florida has any tuition reduction programs with neighboring states. </p>

<p>Another place for some ideas is the website [College</a> Majors 101 - Within Every Major A Universe](<a href=“http://www.collegemajors101.com%5DCollege”>http://www.collegemajors101.com). There is a wildlife/animal major listing as well as a biology. Look at the schools listed and then cross-reference those schools with the website [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) On collegedata look up admission stats (picking out schools where your daughter is a match and safety) also pay attention to % of need met and % of merit scholarship. Don’t forget rates for graduation and retention. By cross referencing you can start coming up with a realistic list. I think college data also lets you search by major. </p>

<p>Most merit money is given for SAT scores and grades so if your daughter can raise her scores it could really help her. A school I really like is Eckerd College in Tampa Florida. They have a fabulous biology program which has an animal science component. It is part of the “colleges that change lives” program. CTCL.org. I love the admissions officer and my student who loves animal science will be attending in the fall. I love their admission director. I don’t know how generous they are but the admissions director really tries to make things happen for students. </p>

<p>Other schools good for animal science are Kansas State; Oregon State; New Hampshire and Vermont however they would not give aid for the OOS surcharge. You should check with them just to make sure my belief is correct. </p>

<p>Also be mindful that colleges that require the CSS Profile will require your daughter’s father to give income information and will consider it in their award. A good place to help you figure out the financial aid puzzle is the book “The College Solution” and the website [The</a> College Solution | The College Solution](<a href=“http://www.thecollegesolution.com%5DThe”>http://www.thecollegesolution.com)</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

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<p>You have a really amazing attitude. I mean it honestly - your daughter is lucky to have such an excellent father. I hope and pray that you are successful in your venture. Just make sure you have some fall backs in case things don’t work out. Kudos to you, sir! </p>

<p>BTW, you should check out the SAT/ACT prep forum. I dunno how good the ACT stuff is exactly but the SAT threads were very handy for me.</p>

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<p>OP; I am sorry for some reason I skipped the second page of this thread and did not see that others had already mentioned Eckerd and the difference in financial aid forms. Also I am trying to multi-task so please forgive the mistakes in my posting. </p>

<p>A couple of more points:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Apply early to colleges- Most merit money comes in the early rounds. In addition the admission rates are better for those who apply early. LSU is rolling so you could apply now.</p></li>
<li><p>Have you run your EFC (Estimated Family Contribution)? This is the basis for federal financial aid and should be your first stop before you create you list. </p></li>
<li><p>I love your attitude but want you to be realistic because college admissions doesn’t work the way things work in real life. Also you do not want your daughter graduating with a lot of debt. It can be back-breaking and really affect her future. Instead figure out what you can afford now and then tailor her list to that affordability factor. I can’t tell you how heartbreaking it is to see a student go through the application process; get accepted and then discover they can’t afford the schools they have been accepted to. Rather do it the right way; figure out what you can afford and then based her list on what schools fits this number. </p></li>
<li><p>Have her prep this summer for the ACT. Look for free test prep at sites such as <a href=“http://www.number2.com%5B/url%5D”>www.number2.com</a> or the great videos at Kahn Academy. </p></li>
<li><p>Check with your local area to see if there is any free college application organizations. My city has 4 of them who help students. I also believe there are free ones. </p></li>
<li><p>Get a crate and create the files to get her organized. A good place to start is the website <a href=“http://www.admissionpossible%5B/url%5D”>www.admissionpossible</a>. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>Florida A&M has an agriculture school, but no equine department. She could go there for a year or two and if she gets excellent grades, try to transfer to UF. Financially it’s probably her best bet. Nearby FSU has an equestrian club so that might help her cultivate her love for horses.</p>

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<p>That’s a great attitude to have but, really, it’s your child who would have had to set the goal (higher gpa and scores) and it’s too late to adjust the gpa half of that equation. The biggest source of financial aid is the schools themselves-- and some state schools limit just about all aido instate students. So it’s important to make sure the college offers aid to oos students and it would be wise, if you want to limit loans, not to add geographic restrictions.</p>

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<p>Keep in mind that NC A&T is now part of the NC state U system, which can only take 18% OOS. While OP’s D may meet the base requirement for a full tuition scholarship, there will be a lot of competition in the pool for the scholarship.</p>

<p>Please, please, please use a bottoms up approach that include true safety schools which meet the following:</p>

<p>Financially feasible options for your family
Schools where your D stands a good chance of being admitted
Schools that offer her potential major, with a little latitude (in the event that she changes her mind)
and when all of the dust settles, if it is the only school on the table, she will be happy to attend.</p>

<p>Like others have mentioned, schools use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for federal aid. </p>

<p>It uses only the custodial parent’s income/assets (you must include any child/spousal support as income). The max federal aid availability is: </p>

<p>$5645 in Pell (based on a 0 EFC)
Federal Work Study if the school has the funds and she can find a work study job (not all FWS students are able to get jobs), SEOG, based on availability of funds at the school,
Perkins loans based on availability at the school
Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized stafford loans $5500 max freshman year.</p>

<p>Most FAFSA only schools do not meet 100% demonstrated need (GAP).</p>

<p>when it comes to institutional aid the most generous schools, will request the CSS profile/ Non-custodial profile or their own institutional aid forms from both the custodial and non-custodial parent. Institutional aid is based on what the school feels the parents can afford to pay based on their income/assets, not a willingness to pay as parents are first in line when it comes to funding their child’s education. </p>

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<p>Given what you have presented, it is highly unlikely that you will receive a waiver because you cannot have your cake and eat it too; you have no contact and don’t know where he is, but you will have to have some sort of contact with him in order for him to submit the paper work so that you D can receive scholarship $ from his union.</p>

<p>I would definitely run your numbers through the school’s net price calculator to see if comes up with numbers that are financially feasible for your family.</p>

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<p>Or they may be public schools which meet need only for in-state students (many public schools do not even do that, or do it only for students who qualify for some in-state scholarship based on high enough high school grades and/or test scores).</p>

<p>Also, schools have expected student contributions, typically between $4,000 to $10,000. Schools which “meet 100% of need” may have significantly different expected student contributions.</p>

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<p>Lastminute- I have over 30 scholarships she will apply for that give 15-20k a yr. I understand this is different than some of you think but it has always worked for me and she can go to any school she gets into as we will make sure that happens for all 4 years. That is the reason I was looking for people to contribute different schools not really affordability because I have that under control.</p>

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<p>itsv-thank you. Someone else suggested Eckerd and it is now on the list! Not to far so we can drive down a take a look also.</p>

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<p>ecouter-thanks and I am mom, lol. Thanks again.</p>

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<p>sybbie719-Actually she can apply online for the Union scholarship with her health ID #. I am not trying to have my cake and eat it too. He won’t even send me a insurance card for our daughter and son. I have tried to contact him multiple times through his work and he does not respond. Legal is the only way with him and we are in 2 different states. So please try not to accuse me of something that I am not doing.</p>

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<p>Thank you everyone for your input. Please continue to suggest schools. I have done all the calculations and have over 200 scholarships on our list. I got the financial part down. Thanks for everyone’s concern. I may currently have low income but have not always. Many thought I could not get a house by myself with 2 kids and many other things. I have a beautiful home and that is the only debt I have, no car loans, credit cards etc. (Dave Ramsey method for those of you who know who he is.) My income can and will change. </p>

<p>As I said before I have the financial portion under control. Decide, commit, resolve.</p>

<p>Moving forward I have received wonderful additions to my D’s college list and she thanks you. Please list any others that have not been listed yet based on her intended major and stats. By September her gpa unweighted should be at 3.5 for the 2 dual enrollment classes she took over the summer that ended today and she received 4.0 on both classes.</p>

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<p>itsv-Thanks again for the great links!!!</p>

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<p>Also look under the specialty admissions forum under admissions. There is a forum for African American students. They may have some lists that could help you as well as contribute additional schools.</p>

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<p>crvng4mr, what state does your DD’s father live? If there are state schools there, read up on the rules for children of divorce and if in state tuition can be gotten from those schools. I’ve known kids who have gotten that even with little or no contact, and no cooperation from the NCP. It does depend upon the school. Also you can state your case and try for a NCP waiver in financial aid, but these are all extras to explore, just as the scholarships you are eyeing are. Make sure your DD has some schools where she can get most of what she wants, can afford, and will take her. THe rest is pure gravy, and you can plan up to the whazooie with them. But you want some sure shots in place.</p>

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<p>cptofthehouse-Great Info!!! Thanks! He lives in New York City.</p>

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<p>OP- you sound like a terrific parent.</p>

<p>Please take the advice given upthread and run the net price calculators on the college websites to see what your actual contribution is expected to be. I respect your attitude that if she gets in, you will make sure you can afford it, but I know plenty of people who went into the college planning process unaware that assets can impact aid (so you being low income now is important… but your expected contribution will be bigger if you have assets reflecting higher past income), and not understanding how merit aid operates (you may not be able to “stack” awards… i.e if your D gets an outside scholarship of 5K from one place and 3K from another place, you are thinking “hey, that’s an extra 8K”. But at some colleges, that 8K will first go to reduce the amount of aid your D will get FROM THAT COLLEGE, i.e. won’t replace your expected contribution.). Etc. It is more complicated than just getting together a list of 50 scholarships for which your D will be a possible recipient- in some cases, that outside money just reduces institutional money, and your own financial need will remain the same.</p>

<p>I’m not trying to discourage you- just to give you a reality check that you need to ascertain what colleges are going to expect you to pay; then figure out if there will be an expectation of money from your D’s father (which you likely won’t be getting, but it doesn’t change the fact that many colleges will calculate his contribution), and then figure out what you can realistically afford to pay. Outside scholarships may or may not help with your own contribution. Also, many schools practice “preferential packaging”, where the amount of non-loan aid varies not according to how much you need the money, but according to how valuable a candidate your D is to them.</p>

<p>So IMHO you need a couple of days getting up to speed on how the money piece will operate, before you get too far down the road on actual college pros and cons.</p>

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<p>SUNY in-state residency requirements for children of divorced/separated parents</p>

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<p>CUNY Residency requirement (divorced/separated parents)</p>

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<p>I am just giving just giving you the benefit of my experience as a person who writes non-custodial waiver letters. Based on the information that you have presented here on this thread, it is highly unlikely that you will eligible for a non-custodial waiver unless you divorce decree stipulates that ex has no contact with kids (schools are becoming more strict in giving waivers).</p>

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<p>Blossom-Thanks but I have done this and as I have already stated I have what I need to do financially under control. My DD’s father will not be contributing anything unless he is legally bound to as he has been doing for 11 years now. If you do things differently great. Any colleges you can contribute?</p>

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<p>sybbie719-Thanks for the info. It would not work for us because we were never married. I however have been able to get his signature waived for her passport which is a really big thing. As I have said he pays child support only because they take it out of his check and does nothing else, even when our son was deathly ill in the hospital and I contacted his place of employment.</p>

<p>Thank you for the info and we can only try. It is what it is and I am willing to accept that and focus on getting my DD into school.</p>