<p>Single mom here so money was a big issue. My daughter got into 8 of the 11colleges she applied. Denied by Yale and Harvard which were her reach schools. Got full scholarships to Boston U, George Washington, and Loyola. Also got into USC and Univercity of Maryland still waiting on their financial pkg. Plus the state colleges full scholarships....Although I love Loyola she is leaning towards Boston U or GW?? Any incites? We live in NY.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Your daughter has some wonderful choices. Any of those schools are good. It depends on what your daughter wants. Has she visited the campuses?</p>
<p>Are all 8 of the colleges affordable? Any which are unaffordable can be eliminated as “financial rejections”. But with full scholarships to at least 3, she still has choices to consider.</p>
<p>She may want to consider all of the possible things that she might major in and consider what the academic offerings in those subjects are at each of the schools.</p>
<p>She has visited GW and University of Maryland. Visiting Boston next week. She loved both but really loved the dorms at GW. I honestly think the dorm may tilt towards GW. So far her plan is Chemistry and research…She has a Passion for chemistry. I am thinking either DC or Boston is just a train ride away. Not so bad…thanks for the compliment!</p>
<p>USC, is out. Too far!! Like you said she did look at the academic offerings, plus easy access to move around. Close proximity to be home for the holidays etc. I told her she would go where she can graduate with the least debt. She is in good shape in that area I guess. So far zero loans offered!! Hope she goes to GW if she turns down Loyola.</p>
<p>You can check for ACS approval of chemistry degree programs here:
<a href=“American Chemical Society”>American Chemical Society;
<p>But note that chemistry job prospects are not very good, so choosing a school with low cost and no debt is a good idea. (Is she interested in chemical engineering, and do any of her schools offer it?)</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter! She has some amazing choices. As a fellow single mom, I know that finances are just as critical as a good program!!</p>
<p>When you say “full scholarship” are you talking full cost of attendance or full tuition? It’ll be important to make a list of each school and what the total cost of attendance is. Check and see what they cover under each school’s calculation. I found that some school’s calculations are far below what our expense will be, while some are a bit higher. 
</p>
<p>:) Good luck!</p>
<p>Also, where merit scholarships are concerned, make note of any college GPA needed to retain the scholarship. Maintaining a 3.0 should not be too hard for most students with big scholarships, but a 3.5 demands GPA management like a grade-grubbing pre-med (of which a chemistry major may share some courses with at many schools).</p>
<p>I agree, “full scholarships” are rarely awarded. Did you get a full financial aid package? If so, that is better since it’s just income that determines that award year to year. What is your net price at each school? Did you consider transportation costs into that net price. Which school will be the least expensive for her to continue to attend? Boston is hugely expensive, will she be able to afford an off campus apartment next year? Have you looked into those costs? Usually for families getting full financial aid packages living on campus all 4 years is the least expensive way to go. Which schools can she do that at?</p>
<p>Check on a few things…</p>
<p>Were merit awards a “set dollar amount”? such as $25k? If so, what happens when college costs rise each year?</p>
<p>When you say that she got “full scholarships”…what do they exactly contain? Many of those don’t really cover everything. many don’t cover transportation, personal expenses, and misc. Some don’t cover course fees or university fees. </p>
<p>If money is a concern, then distance can be a big deal. I had the luxury of having my kids’ undergrad only be about 2-3 hours away. Getting them to and from campus for school start and end, holidays, etc, was rather easy and inexpensive. Moving them into and out of dorms wasn’t too bad cost-wise. However, when my older son went to grad school quite far away, then the costs really started showing. Airfares during holiday times are high. Airport shuttles (to and from) add a lot to the cost. When I went to help with the first 'move in" to his apt, I spend a whole bunch of money on my hotel, food, transportation there, etc. Luckily, since he’s a grad student, he’s in a year-round apt. Having an undergrad in a dorm means moving in and out every year, paying for storage over the summer, and paying for extra luggage on airplane trips.<br>
Having a child attending a school that is far away is pricey!</p>
<p>I like this tool for comparing aid packages because it lines them up side-by-side and it is easy to see your own final costs: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid)</p>
<p>Where do you live in New York? If it is easy/cheap to get to and from Manhattan, the cheap way from DC is to take the bus. Both Bolt Bus and Megabus have multiple trips each day between Union Station and Penn Station. One or both may also have trips to other places in Manhattan. At least one of these companies also runs buses between NYC and Boston as well.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter and you ! What a choice you have there. Maybe once you have all of the visits out of the way and know all of the financial packages you are being offered then the decision will be easier</p>
<p>Which Loyola?</p>
<p>People have brought up all of the important questions already. If I were her, I’d pick either BU or GWU for the location+finances. Boston may be expensive, but so is DC. And the Boston area is full of students, so there are lots of student apartments. (<em>IF</em> she would need or want to live off campus at some point.) I think that the Boston area <em>probably</em> has more diversions to suit a student budget. Both DC and Boston are easily accessible from NYC by public transportation of several types, and within reasonable driving distance, depending on where in the state you live. Both are well-located for internships and so forth.</p>
<p>Congrats! These are good choices. D has friends at both. The BU wins in my mind. Excellent in sciences. GW tends to get to be a stickler on rules/details.</p>
<p>Both Boston and GW sent the full packgage. She got merit scholarships for both and Bostons package comes with additional grants and scholarships NO loans. The full $59,000 plus for all 4 years. GW I would have to come up with at least $6,000 per year. She’s already saying that is $6,000 she can use buying things she needs for Boston. Has a point there! As for the question about chemistry this is one area she loves. She is looking into doing a double major chemistry/finance. Thanks for all the insights and advice. Greatly appreciated. Thx for the bus info!!! For all the single moms keep your head high and do whatever it takes to keep your kids off the streets!! I always told her hanging out on the street with
friends was NOT an option!! Am the parent</p>
<p>Sounds like BU is the way to go. (As long as that money does not come with a difficult GPA maintenance requirement. Remember that kids who have A averages in HS often find it MUCH more difficult to maintain a 3.5 in college.)</p>
<p>I admit that I am totally prejudiced in favor of Boston/Cambridge as a college town. :D</p>
<p>Great choices! Encourage her to research the chem/finance double major idea more once she gets her feet wet with courses. It may not be doable in 8 semesters (often the limit on scholarship). Perhaps a minor could work.</p>
<p>Friendlyelse good for her. BU is a great school and if she got so much merit money she must be a good student. She can always decide the majors once there. I believe Boston will be a more exciting place for her (even though I love DC) because is full of students like her. Also the more she saves the more she will be able to invest later in life in grad school (if she wishes) or as a financial safety net for both of you. All the best and good luck.</p>
<p>I agree with coloradomom’s cautionary note - a chemistry major, which will be lab-intensive, will involve very few of the same preliminary courses that a finance major is required to take, so I doubt the typical student would be able to complete both a business major and a hard sciences major within 8 semesters. If your DD goes to school in Boston you want her to have some free time left to enjoy her surroundings and classmates - the traditional life of a student in such a vibrant, historic city.</p>
<p>I’ll bet the sciences are stronger at BU than at GW. But they are close enough that you can let her decide. Sometimes it is intangibles that really count. And if you push one or the other, she’ll blame you if she ends up not liking it.</p>
<p>Congrats on the great choices!</p>