<p>My Ds friend needs some guidance as far as financing her college education. </p>
<p>This has also been discussed here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=246018&highlight=deadbeat%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=246018&highlight=deadbeat</a></p>
<p>What I know:
*SAT taken once - 550m, 780v and 800w. I'm not sure if she'll take it again. She has no plans to take the ACT.
* Grades - Not sure, but I think GPA is a B or so - all honors and AP classes.
* She works 30 hours+ a week during the school year. Helps to support the family.
* Parents have no assets and little income.
* She is 1/4 Hispanic
* Applying to BU, an IVY, one other school and the top public college in the state (she did not want to apply there)
*She says that she needs someone to co-sign the loan in order to attend college. That won't be us.
*Very good recommendations from teachers
*Not much EC's - too busy earning money for the family
*Bright, articulate and most interested (I think) in English as a major
*She wants to go to school preferably out of state, and have an apartment year round away from her parents. Probably a good idea.</p>
<p>I suggested that she drop down a notch or two as far as the schools selectivity and choose a school that will give merit scholarships and nearly a free ride, and enroll in the honors program. She is adamant about going to a top school that will challenge her. </p>
<p>In summary she is not afraid of having a job while at school, but is looking to take out loans to cover tuition, r&b, etc and working (I think) 20 hours or so a week.</p>
<p>Any ideas on how she should proceed, and what her options are? She is running out of time for Fall 2007 admissions.</p>
<p>Have her apply to some LACs...that guarentee to meet need.</p>
<p>Some Colleges:</p>
<p>Trinity (CT)
Union
Macalester
Lafayette
Connecticut
Colby
URichmond
Pitzer
Lawrence U
Beloit</p>
<p>Some Universities:</p>
<p>Oxford College of Emory U (you automatically go on to Emory after 2 years)
URochester</p>
<p>If she is in an adverse situation at home where going away is the best option for her, she should pursue that route. As to financial aid, she needs to gear up to filing FAFSA and other forms that are needed for her specific schools. Though she cannot do this until Jan1, she can get a hard copy of those forms from her school (or download from the internet) and work on them with her parents. If they did not file taxes, then so be it. But she needs to get the PIN for herself and parent and get started with the info. Since she is in a low income bracket, she may get some govt grants from this along with some subsidized loans that don't need cosigning. As a URM, the schools may be more likely to kick in some of their own money too, being that she is also in the low income range. Looking at BU's merit in aid charts, she may not get as much there since her stats aren't up there for merit. Depending on her state school, she will likely get enough to get by. I see many kids in that situation. Not a great idea to go to a very expensive school like BU where if she does not get full need met, and has to take too many outside loans, she'll find herself behind the financial 8 ball after she gets out. Better to go to a much cheaper school like the state uni where she can keep those loans low. What is her home state? </p>
<p>I suggest perusing the USN&WR for schools that give genrous financial aid because those are the best bets for her in terms of getting money. SHe will have a struggle getting parental help in filling the danged things out, and if she cannot get their cooperation, a localschool, work part time, may be the only option. With private costs coming to the $50K mark, even large amounts of aid in the $20-30K range, are a drop in the bucket for those who can expect to get nothing from the parents. Borrowing even the rest of such amounts is dangerous, because of what expected pay levels are for kids just out of school. Unless she goes the route that is on a CC thread about getting a free ride, getting sufficient merit money is pie in the sky even with top stats. She isn't there. She may get lucky, but she needs to prepare for what looks more likely or worst case scenario which would be parents refusing to fill out aid forms. She will not likely get enough merit aid to make it, and the loans would be terrifying amounts that I can't see any adult other than parents (who would then be unlikely to qualify or cooperate) to cosign because of the horrorific responsibility it puts on the cosigner. If she visits some LACs that are really hurting for diversity; Isleboy has listed someof them, and tells her tale and coud just get that FAFSA and PROFILE completed, she may get a good financial package. I know that Muhlenberg, where my neighbor's daughter goes will work closely with disadvantaged kids, particularly URMs which they are heavily recruiting, to get a manageable package for them. BU is big enough that my experiences and knowledge of experiences has been that they have trouble going beyond numbers.</p>