<p>“Just sit down with him and let him know that parents learn along the way as well. If you assumed incorrectly, I would expect that he’ll be disappointed but down the road, a year from now when he needs to make a final decision, he’ll have gotten over it.”</p>
<p>This is excellent advice. I have nothing to improve it.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t like TAMU because he wants a smaller school or to live in a different region, you’ve gotten great suggestions about schools in the WPI/RPI/Rochester range that may well merit him nicely. Bargains Olin and Cooper Union are reaches, but why not give it a shot?</p>
<p>“I’m in the class of 2014 as well but my brother went through the process a few years ago (3.9uw, 2150 on the SAT) and was also interested in engineering. He got into Harvey Mudd (excellent school for engineering) and was offered a full tuition merit scholarship there. I’m not sure if this helps you at all, but it HM might be another school to consider.”</p>
<p>I just saw on another thread here on the CC forums (25 colleges with the happiest freshmen) that Harvey Mudd had a 99% freshman retention rate, which is extremely high. If your child could get a significant scholarship to HM that might work out on a number of fronts.</p>
<p>^^ For 2011-12, Harvey Mudd gave merit aid to only 33 incoming freshmen. The average grant was about $11K (against total costs of nearly $60K). HMC is as selective as some of the Ivies. You can give it a shot, but I would not count on a bigger-than-average merit scholarship from Harvey Mudd, given the competition. Ditto for Rice (although some of the numbers there are slightly more favorable).</p>
<p>There definitely are OOS and private schools that will award merit aid for 2230/3.8UW, but they still won’t necessarily be cheaper (or better engineering schools) than your in-state public options.</p>
<p>Talk to him about it as soon as possible. It’s not your fault- a lot of parents assume incorrectly about fiscal college matters. I’m a HS senior, and my parents (unfortunately) have still not given me a concrete amount that they can pay, but when I told them what our EFC was, they said it was not affordable in the slightest, and to look to schools that would not make us pay that amount. So that’s what I did. They told me this in the fall of my senior year, but the earlier you have this conversation, the better. He won’t get his hopes up on a very expensive school, and can find an affordable school that he really likes. Good luck!</p>
<p>There is no need to spend that kind of money. My parents sat down with me and told me what they could afford. They also told me that if I get a full ride, I could spend the savings, get a new car, when I graduate. They pointed out that money would buy a new car, and could be a down payment on a new house, and travel. Yeah, I am going for it! I have an older sibling who managed to earn full ride. It was not his first choice school, but he really likes it. And when he graduates, he will be set. I am shooting for that.</p>
<p>Maybe if you present it with that added bonus, your son will go for it. The amount our parents are giving us, I think it about half or less of what they would have spent otherwise, so, it was a win for everyone. I know my brother would not have applied to the scholarships he applied to. He also has to do some specific work over the summer to maintain one scholarship and he does work study too. But, he is paying for it 100%. He never would have tried so hard, or been so happy about it, as he is, with how our parents presented it.</p>