<p>@billcsho Why would I make this up? What is the point of making up a story? It does nothing to help me become more educated about college. If you look at other threads I made, it all corresponds. If you feel like I’m making it up, there are hundreds of other threads you can go on.</p>
<p>@JCCsMom I feel like so many people of told me to go to the University of Alabama. They don’t have the academic program I need.</p>
<p>@KiaraInNYC </p>
<p>You have indicated that you need huge merit money. There is a big difference between what you need to get ADMITTED to a college and what you need to get significant MERIT money to the same college. That is a high bar you’ve set for the CC community. I read all eight pages of conversation, and I believe the people are trying to help, including some of the most veteran posters. If people here tell you they think you could get a higher SAT score, it’s because they have confidence that it is possible. </p>
<p>Cruikshanks, a STUDENT one year older than you, wisely told you several pages ago that the College Admissions Process is a high stakes game and that you need to be open minded. </p>
<p>You cannot take this personally. Use all the hooks and strengths you’ve got. See what weaknesses you can improve, but be open to other colleges, other ideas. </p>
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<p>You can live very well on that salary 60 miles north of the City; many Downstate New Yorkers don’t earn that kind of money and don’t consider incomes more than 5x their own to be middle class. Metro North is full of people who work in NY, but choose not to live there.</p>
<p>@Kiara: There’s nothing wrong with SUNY schools, but if you’re interested in NYS privates, check out Hartwick. They give merit aid for a range of SAT scores and GPAs. My son had a 1700 SAT & 3.75 GPA and was awarded more than half the COA, admitted to their honors program, and has guaranteed admission to Columbia if he decides to pursue engineering. You can meet your parents’ expectations for grants if you widen your list.</p>
<p><@JCCsMom I feel like so many people of told me to go to the University of Alabama. They don’t have the academic program I need.></p>
<p>Okay, in an ideal world, so what do you want in a college?</p>
<p>Do you have a specific major in mind? City/rural? Size? Are you comfortable going far away…because going to the Midwest or the West Coast could help as you offer geographic diversity being from New York and minority membership. </p>
<p>We’ve got the following list from you so far:</p>
<ol>
<li>Huge amount of merit money (ie 1/2 Tuition)</li>
<li> Diverse Environment.</li>
</ol>
<p>just to jump into one part of this conversation…by the poster who said that its much harder to get high grades today…from today’s Times…David Brooks column…“In 1966, only about 19 percent of high school students graduated with an A or A- average. By 2013, 53 percent of students graduated with that average.” So <em>way</em> more kids are graduating with 4.0 today than in the previous generation. </p>
<p>Edited to add the link! <a href=“Opinion | The Streamlined Life - The New York Times”>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/opinion/brooks-the-streamlined-life.html</a>?</p>
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<p>What academic program(s) are you looking for?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, yes, it was this year. It was one of her top choices since freshman year & she had to regroup and realize that taking out loans was going to be a burden. Last year when we discussed loans? She said that she was willing to pay whatever it costs to attend. But after some chats about loan debt, she decided that she would follow the $$$. TBH, we were both surprised that she got in. As we all know, UNC is tough on OOS when it comes to admissions. DD got very smart when it came to her final list of schools that she applied to. She realized how high the stakes were and didn’t want to be left out in the cold when 4/1 rolled around.</p>
<p>@NewHavenCTmom :
Good to know your financial aid experiences with UNC. This is new.</p>
<p>the story is not made up. Her story isnt that unusual. there are many parents who think kids can “work their way” thru college or pay half or some other crazy thought. </p>
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<p>You stats would have to go up an ACT 30 or SAT 1330 (m+cr) to get about a “half-ride” scholarship to Bama. </p>
<p>what is the academic program that you need? what is your career goal?</p>
<p>A reason why UAlabama is being suggested is because if you can get certain numbers in terms of GPA and test scores, you can get guaranteed merit scholarships. If you look at the list of schools on that sticky, you will note that there are not all that many schools that offer this kind of guarantee. UAl is the flagship school for Alabama, and is a national university with all of the amenities that come with that. it’s the best out there for guaranteed prices. </p>
<p>You can also check out UBuffalo and if you can get close to your ACT score as you did on practice, you can get a $2500 merit award there, and with the Direct Loans and some earnings on your part, you can meet the half way point, and again get a national research university with doctoral programs in many departments. Those are good deals. </p>
<p>On the other hand, you are not going to get half the tuition out of Northwestern for reasons stated a number of times. The possibility is just about zero there. You can also look for commuting possibilities that are pretty much sure thing that you know you will get but the list of schools where it’s nearly impossible to get the half the cost is far longer than that of schools where it’s a sure thing you can. You want to nail down the sure things and then start on the “lottery tickets” . No problem stretching and taking chances when you have some sure things on your list. </p>
<p><<<<
We’ve got the following list from you so far:</p>
<ol>
<li>Huge amount of merit money (ie 1/2 Tuition)</li>
<li>Diverse Environment.
<<<</li>
</ol>
<p>I think she said that she needs a half the total cost. NOT just half of tuition.</p>
<p>@Picapole for some, they could pay the amount without blinking an eye & would probably think it a bargain. But for us? It was a stretch!!! A very long one!!! So that’s she isn’t matriculating to UNC. It just wasn’t worth the loan debt. I guess the point I was trying to make was that she was even headed enough to realize this and changed gears. When the FA award letter arrived, she quickly fell out of love! Up until that point, being a Tarheel was all that mattered.</p>
<p>I think it is possible for parents to not be aware of how the finances of college work and assume the scholarship money is out there for the taking. I know parents who report a long list of prestigious schools their child is applying to, and in the end the child attends an in state option once the parents see the acceptances with the actual numbers.
Since the OP’s parents are saying they will pay half of whatever college she gets in, I get a different message. They aren’t saying “we can only pay $X” but “we are asking you to pay for half of college”- which means “we want you to take some responsibility for the cost”. So - to the OP, take responsibility by doing your research and applying to schools that are likely to help you meet your parents’ requirements.
I think it would help for the OP to look at all her options, and do some serious research, then, sit down with her parents and show them the options and the numbers. Don’t demand anything. Simply say that after researching the situation, this is the list of schools most likely to award the kind of merit aid she needs, and show them.
If you apply to Alabama early, well ahead of the deadline, you will have actual numbers to show your parents, and an option that you know right away. If you or your parents still want you to apply to some private dream schools, then do it, and let the numbers speak for themselves. Sometimes this is the only way to answer the "what if"question. But also take the advice of others here to not discount an opportunity. The application is not a decision. It just opens the possibility. </p>
<p>Look what the OP wrote in another thread:
OP’s mom is a teacher and has MA in Education and planning to go to Ivy for PhD. Why do we think she cannot give any reasonable advise?</p>
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<p>Isn’t it too obvious?</p>
<p>OP you don’t seem to understand that the people here, experienced adults and college students, ARE trying to help you. You say thank you but are coming off as negative and somewhat entitled. All you tell us is what you don’t want (CC/HBCU/NY/NJ/South). Or what you are too good for. Or that we don’t understand your needs (lots of merit money, high prestige, diverse). Or how the tests aren’t accurate. Or how your parents are unfair. </p>
<p>It has been suggested above that you approach this from another angle. From what you are looking for in a school GIVEN your needs, wants, scores and abilities. Turn the funnel over. You get more bees with honey, etc. </p>
<p>“Where should a AA NY girl, with 1700/4.0 GPA get a great education (as defined as…blah, blah, blah) in colleges like (x, y, z) for less than the big ticket shiny places that her friends are focused on and that her parents will accept and can afford?” </p>
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<p>A generation ago, working one’s way through college was more doable without parental support than it is now. So current parents may have the mistaken idea that their kids can do college like they (the parents) did.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>I agree…that is why I think the thread is real. </p>
<p>many parents dont know times have changed. Although, if they have any idea of what these pricey privates cost ((even if they are off by a bit), they have to be nutty to think a child could work his way thru since it would require the student to earn way too much. </p>
<p>It is still possible to work one’s way thru in many modest-tuition states if student can commute and parents will cover home expenses, medical, insurance, cell, etc. </p>
<p>I am still wondering what the academic plan this student has that cant be found at Bama. while Bama certainly doesnt have every major on the planet, there usually is an end run (another major) that will suffice for nearly any career goal. </p>
<p><<<<
OP’s mom is a teacher and has MA in Education and planning to go to Ivy for PhD. Why do we think she cannot give any reasonable advise?
<<<<</p>
<p>that doesnt qualify to give current college advice. who knows if she has kept up with the latest.</p>
<p>This might explain the parents stipulations that she come up with half the expenses. Although mom and dad may be very compatible in many ways, if dad didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, and people in his family did not have parents paying for their college, he may not agree with that idea. It’s possible that this is some kind of compromise between both parents.
Another thought is that if mom is going back to school, OP’s parents may be saving for the extra tuition or the loss of income if she works less.
I think our environment influences how we see colleges. If the OP’s peers are all aiming at expensive private colleges, and mom is considering an Ivy, then the colleges the OP may need to consider don’t look as appealing as they might otherwise- but outside this influence they could be seen as good opportunities.</p>
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<p>That still counts as a non-trivial parental subsidy (although it typically costs the parents less than what the student would otherwise have to spend living on his/her own). A generation ago, a high school graduate was more likely to be able to live on his/her own through work earnings. S/he might have some left over, or get a small student loan, to afford the small state university tuition costs (and would not be limited to the schools near the parents’ house).</p>
<p>I.e. opportunities to attend college without parental support of any kind are more limited than they were a generation ago, so parents who expect their kids to “work their way through college” as they did may be expecting more of their kids then they themselves did.</p>