<p>I totally agree with Bruno. In addition to asking for students speak to admissions; yes their job is to sell the school but they can be really helpful I called admissions for one of my options and the admissions counselor knew who i Was ( turned out he was the recruiter for my school)and he helped put some of my fears to rest. </p>
<p>NP! Hope they’re on there
Also if you google "student reviews of _______ " the first link is a review site it has a red banner I think
Students -review- dot com</p>
<p>And I lied. To the link in my last post add “tv” right before dot com or just google youniversity</p>
<p>@Jazzii Yeah, I was confused about the link about I found it soon, haha. I used to read a lot from ************** but everyone just seems to be complaining allllllll the time or they’re just ecstatic and provide two sentences of satisfaction, so I found it to be unhelpful? Do you know how I could maximize my use of that website?</p>
<p>I look at the advice posts (they’re the blue ones I think) and I also look at the neutral ones. After looking at those I look at the negatives to see WHY people hate it and if there’s a common theme in the negative ones then I keep that in mind and try to figure out how important that factor is to me.</p>
<p>That’s a pretty impressive contradiction! For money not to be “a deciding factor,” you’d have to either (a) have sufficient resources to pay over $200k OUT OF POCKET or (b) be willing to incur significant debt. Well, there is the third possibility that your family income is so low that you’re assured of getting significant need-based aid if you’re admitted to a school that meets 100% of need, but that seems unlikely if both of your parents are working.</p>
<p>Unless you’re ridiculously wealthy, money is ALWAYS an issue. Finances need to be taken into account in deciding which schools to apply to. And if you don’t do that and manage instead to apply only to those schools where you don’t qualify for EITHER need-based OR merit aid, you could well find yourself next April, as ucbalumbus and m2ck have already pointed out, with no college options at all!</p>
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<p>If what you’re referring to are scholarship contests offered by someone other than the colleges themselves, you need to know that these are usually not the solution to “how to pay for college.” The scholarships offered, even if you’re one of the lucky few who actually wins them, are generally one-time awards only. So even if you were somehow miraculously able to cover your freshman year of school, what do you do for the remaining three years???</p>
<p>Usually, the only scholarships that will cover your costs for all four years are those offered by the schools themselves - in the form of need-based and merit aid.</p>
<p>@dodgersmom You’re totally right because every single family works perfectly alike. After moms have already said the exact same things you have, at this point, it’s no longer really a helpful advice as you’re not really offering any solutions here. So what if I do suddenly “realize” that “omg I’m 2 poor?” and that I’m not impressive enough for scholarship contents? What do I do then? I don’t really understand why you think my family is naively ignoring the costs. They have been to colleges; they’re from a big, poor family. They have an idea. It’s great how you conveniently overlook the fact that I’ve already said I’ve seen our savings. When I say that “money isn’t a deciding factor,” it means that my parents and I have already talked about the costs of the colleges that I’m looking into, and that they have “approved.” We’re well aware that most of these schools are already expensive, thus I won’t be choosing colleges based on tuition alone because they’re all pretty similar in price range. Most of the scholarships that I’m applying to are from my own country, and we’re not careless enough to not look at what those entail: duration, coverage, etc. And I’m perfectly aware that it’s another competition and that I have to win it to get it, but my point was that I’m not just sitting here twiddling my thumbs while my parents don’t even visit the school websites or research the average cost of college. Basically, please realize that just because some people are willing to invest (ridiculous, granted) amounts of money to education, it doesn’t mean we’re stupid and don’t know anything. There are families without much financial aid going to Ivy League and the equivalent in cost because they think it’s the best for them (prestige and whatever, but who are you to judge?). Ultimately, the choice is up to me and my family – not you and your “advice.”</p>
<p>Now if you have any advice that could answer my original question, I’d appreciate it, but I’m pretty done with defending myself.</p>
<p>I have a suggestion-think hard about the kind of are you want to live in. Do you want a large city? Rural town? Southern vs. northern state? Larger school is a big town or a small town? SMALLER school in big or small city? How often would getting off campus matter to you and how much would it matter if you CAN’T get away?</p>
<p>Smaller towns mean less available or maybe UNavailable public transportation, while colleges in cities often provide free bus or metro passes. Small towns also mean no airport and fewer or no buses or trains to get to an from school. Cities have more cultural and recreational options, small towns, fewer. Then there’s the weather to think about-hot most of the time (Texas) or cold (VT winters). </p>
<p>Anyway, you get the idea. Don’t think these things won’t matter. They will. D has completely changed her outlook after a miserable year at a small college in a small town. When there’s only one taxi and one bus during an emergency, that’s too small in her book. Her friend on the other hand was freaked out by her college’s large city and being too far from home.</p>
<p>My response to your original question was sent to you in a PM shortly after you started this thread. You received it yesterday evening, read it yesterday evening, and responded . . . oh right, never. You’re welcome.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest you attend admit weekends of your top two or three acceptance choices. A weekend on campus with prospective students and faculty will provide a good basis for comparison. Keep in mind both schools will be putting their best foot forward with special activities for you, but you can meet faculty, attend presentations and talk to many students on campus. No one will have a better sense of where you fit than you.</p>
<p>My daughter and I had been thrilled for her admittance to one of her top pics. While some may dispute this, we both independently observed that the reality of the university did not at all match the reputation. This seems to be due to the marked extent some go to on cc and elsewhere to present their school as the “best” or most “elite” while defending obvious concerns. It may be that some are just overjoyed with their school because it meets their needs, but they are not you. Most ratings are based on factors most meaningful to faculty advancement (publication #, grants) and administration (endowment). Ratings provide little about the vibrancy of day-to day campus life, most certainly not as it fits your needs.</p>
<p>Keep in mind you are choosing a university community where you will live, play and grow as a person overall, not just academically. My daughter and I both were markedly impressed way over and above expectations after a probing visit with a university that was not originally a strong contender, so much so that is where she chose to attend. </p>
<p>Universities change in character and climate over time, reputations seem much slower to change, but all is obvious with a visit which includes attending classes, meeting with faculty, students, checking out dorms, cafeteria, fitness centers, any aspect of the school that will become part of your life. If you do so with your top pics, you will know where you want to be.</p>
<p>OP, Why don’t you start by checking out the schools that gave your parents “diplomas from renowned universities” They should be able to tell you a lot about those schools and the potential fit for you.</p>
<p>Use the colleges’ web sites smartly. Just like when going on a campus tour you would want to get past the guided tour and visit dorms, talk to students, and sit in on classes, use the Internet to do the same, as much as possible. Use Google Earth and Street View to get an accurate, 3-d view of the campus. Some colleges have 3-d views of the inside of buildings you can use. Some even have 3-d tours of dorm rooms. Look at the school newspaper if it’s available online and dining hall menus. Look through course catalogs. Preview classes that interest you by looking at online materials, professor’s websites, and textbooks. Some schools have video classes available online to the public you can check out.</p>
<p>* I don’t really understand why you think my family is naively ignoring the costs. They have been to colleges; they’re from a big, poor family. They have an idea. It’s great how you conveniently overlook the fact that I’ve already said I’ve seen our savings. When I say that “money isn’t a deciding factor,” *</p>
<p>In a later post you say that your parents went to college in another country. If so, then they might not know how much college costs in the US.</p>
<p>There were schools my daughter loved on paper and internet, that she didn’t love so much once we visited. There was a school my daughter could see herself at the minute she walked on campus, that she chose to attend and has been very happy with. She had a horrible visit at Wellesley, after loving everything about the school from afar, and that visit was enough to make her decide not to apply because she wouldn’t select it if accepted anyway. Sitting in the dining hall, listening and watching students is a good way to get a sense of the climate and feel of the school. Even better, at William and Mary, even the cafeteria worker checking us out was so friendly and warm that right away we felt the positive atmosphere. Other schools had unhappy, grumpy workers, unfriendly to visitors and just rushing us through lines. Not impressed. All those experiences of a visit go into the thought process during decision making time. I strongly encourage you to visit at least one really large school, one small school, and one in-between, just so you get a sense of the size/type of school you like the most. Sitting in on classes, and seeing the level of involvement of the students is also very important. If your parents are about to invest a good amount of money into the school of your choice, I think they wouldn’t mind spending the money on visits to be sure the investment is a wise choice. Would you pay $50k for a car without test driving it first?</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids We’re well-aware that education system in US is quite different. They’re education researchers, so we’ve been talking about the differences since I was young (we’ve been living in the US for around 8yrs btw). Thanks for your concern, though. It is certainly an important point that could have been carelessly overlooked.</p>
<p>@teachandmom I’m sure we’ll do some visiting come decision season, but I was mainly concerned about reducing my list of schools I’m interested in. But it’s definitely true that it’s hard to get a feel for the student body unless you’re there yourself.</p>