What are my options?

Paying for College
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<p>Basically my parents won't let me go to Vanderbilt unless I get significant financial aid. And I know Vandy is good about need-based aid, but that's the problem. We are too wealthy for need-based aid, but my parents have a certain amount of money set aside for college and won't spend more than that. This amount would be plenty if I was attending any school less expensive. But I want to find a way to make Vandy work...</p>

<p>What are my options for other forms of financial aid. Obviously I will apply for merit-based aid at Vandy, but they are very selective. Anybody know of any good outside scholarships I could apply for. I've been looking at many scholarship websites, but the search has been long and difficult. I have good grades, good test scores, good ECs, and several leadership positions. The main problem is finding those scholarships that don't take financial need or race into account. Suggestions are greatly appreciated :)</p>

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<p>I think it’s going to be VERY hard to make Vandy work unless you get one of those competitive merit awards. That being the case, I suggest you look for schools with similar qualities that are within the price range your parents have offered. They have told you they can pay for your education at a less expensive school. That is a HUGE gift…huge. Please…I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but please look for some schools within their price range.</p>

<p>Go ahead and apply to Vandy and for financial aid and for their merit awards, but have affordable schools you like in the application mix as well.</p>

<p>Re:other scholarships, you might be able to garner some local awards but these are typically not renewable and will not help you for four years of schooling at Vandy prices.</p>

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<p>*Basically my parents won’t let me go to Vanderbilt unless I get significant financial aid. And I know Vandy is good about need-based aid, but that’s the problem. </p>

<p>We are too wealthy for need-based aid, but my parents have a certain amount of money set aside for college and won’t spend more than that. This amount would be plenty if I was attending any school less expensive.
.*</p>

<p>Instead of wasting a lot of time on something that isn’t likely going to happen, you need to be developing a list of schools that you will also love to attend that will be affordable.</p>

<p>Vandy is not generous with merit scholarships. My nephew had a high ACT, high GPA, great ECs, and got NOTHING from Vandy…not one red cent.</p>

<p>Private scholarships are often SMALL, very hard to get, have a “need” component, and are often for ONLY one year. So, how would that help you for years two, three, and four.</p>

<p>What are your stats?</p>

<p>how much will your parents pay each year?</p>

<p>What do you like about Vandy?</p>

<p>*
But I want to find a way to make Vandy work…*</p>

<p>It doesn’t work that way. Many, many kids want to make a favorite college “work,” but there isn’t a tuition fairy out there. It costs about $60k per year to go to Vandy. If your parents will only pay for - say $25k per year - then there’s NO WAY you can come up with the remaining $35k per year.</p>

<p>Apply to Vandy as a “maybe a miracle will happen,” but come up with a reasonable list.</p>

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<p>Vandy can give good merit but it is competitive. A girl my daughter went to HS with got a very good scholarship from them. I believe it was very competitive with interviews and stuff. So apply there and hope, but apply elsewhere as well.</p>

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<p>I have personal experience with Vandy … the need-based aid is amazing. I encourage students to apply for financial aid at Vandy, just in case.</p>

<p>They DO have some really good merit aid. I know several people who were very pleasantly surprised when they received full tuition scholarships to Vandy. I would encourage you to apply, but do NOT count on getting what you need in terms of aid. Find some other, for-sure-affordable schools & learn to like them. That way, you will have some good options that you find acceptable … and if you do happen to get a pleasant surprise from Vandy, it will be icing on the cake.</p>

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<p>I found this on another thread:

Good stats but not excessively impressive by Vandy’s standards. Unfortunately probably not in line for a major merit award.</p>

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<p>Hard to say …</p>

<p>Lots of TX students at Vandy, so if it’s a well-respected school the rank isn’t that big a deal. The ACTs are great. If the ECs are strong, with demonstrated leadership … and if the essays are compelling … she has a shot.</p>

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<p>*They DO have some really good merit aid. I know several people who were very pleasantly surprised when they received full tuition scholarships to Vandy. *</p>

<p>My feeling is that Vandy gives them to certain students to help Vandy’s needs (students from an unusual state, URM status, etc). My nephew (from Calif) had similar stats and got nothing.</p>

<p>I have personal experience with Vandy … the need-based aid is amazing. I encourage students to apply for financial aid at Vandy, just in case.</p>

<p>Yes, but you have to have some “need” to get the aid. Those without need won’t get anything. The OP says that he’s “too wealthy”.</p>

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<p>If you file a FAFSA you’ll be eligible for unsbsidized loans regardless of “need”. For freshman they are $5500, the amount is higher for upperclassmen. Would that additional loan money, in addition to the amount your parents are willing to pay close in on the cost for you?</p>

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<p>Thank you all for the advice and help. I do have two other schools in mind. Both of which are more affordable, and I could potentially get major or even full-ride scholarships. I’ll keep Vandy as a reach school but try to start focusing on the other two.
As kind of a follow up queston, which do you think is better:
-Going to a school (like Vandy) that is more selective and known for a higher academic rigor, but being kind of “bottom of the pack”
-or going to other schools (ie Baylor) where, though they are less selective, I would have the chance to be among the top of my class…?</p>

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<p>*
Lots of TX students at Vandy,*</p>

<p>That is a problem. It makes her less unique. I think that’s what hurt my nephew (from Calif). Even though he had stellar stats, top leadership, athletic, and community ECs, and he was from a excellent prep school, Vandy gave him nothing. Vandy (like WashU) seems to give its merit to students that help Vandy’s stats…URM, from an unusual state, etc. </p>

<p>*-Going to a school (like Vandy) that is more selective and known for a higher academic rigor, but being kind of “bottom of the pack”
-or going to other schools (ie Baylor) where, though they are less selective, I would have the chance to be among the top of my class…? *</p>

<p>I doubt going to Vandy for undergrad is going to make a difference in your life. For grad school it might.</p>

<p>What is your intended major and intended career? If it’s med/law/etc, then going for the high GPA is very important. </p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>

<p>There are many schools that would give you big merit. Since Vandy is a “financial reach” for you (likely not affordable), you might want to apply to more than just 2 other schools that would financially work for you to give you more choices - so that you won’t feel like you’ll end up at a “consolation prize school.”</p>

<p>What is it about Vandy that you like? Maybe we can suggest schools that will give you that similar “feel”. I know that some Texas kids like going to southern schools because of their beautiful, traditional college look - which I guess some/many Texas schools don’t have.</p>

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<p>Baylor is a fine school.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for the insight mom2collegekids. </p>

<p>I’m interested in medicine, but leaning toward health administration. I really liked the location of Vandy (though it’s farther away from
home than the others, Nashville is infinitely better than Waco!). I like the campus layout (their Freshman housing is a cool system). I really liked a major they offer (world health organization or something like that). It is a good platform for medical law, health administration, med school, etc. And I liked the feel, a little more ivy league but still in the south. </p>

<p>So if you have any suggestions of schools with similar characteristics they would be appreciated. The other schools I’m looking at are Baylor and Trinity U (in San Antonio). I like Baylor but I don’t like Waco. I also like Trinity but I feel like it’s so small that my opportunities and choices might be limited. </p>

<p>I don’t know exactly how much my parents are willing to spend. But Vandy is the first school they said is too expensive. My brother is going to SMU and
received some scholarship money (maybe $15,000/yr?) and they were fine paying for that. So I’ve kind of concluded any school is within reason as long as I could get scholarship money to bring the price around $30,000. </p>

<p>They said Vanderbilt might be better to consider for grad school because, like you said, it probably won’t be that influential on my undergrad
experience. I haven’t really ranked those three schools yet in order of preference, so it’s not like I’m set on Vandy. I’m just trying to see if it’s even a possibility.</p>

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<p>You will need approximately $20,000 in aid to bring the cost of Vandy down to $30K. Remember to factor in your travel costs to Texas too. Books are pricey especially for science majors.</p>

<p>What about SMU for you?</p>

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<p>There is a great thread in the Parents Forum that is worth reading if you are trying to decide about putting a lot of energy into applying to a top institution when you know that you can get the big bucks somewhere else: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/905843-top-student-3rd-tier-school-four-years-later.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/905843-top-student-3rd-tier-school-four-years-later.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I like the campus layout (their Freshman housing is a cool system).</p>

<p>What else do you like besides Vandy’s layout, freshman housing, and Nashville. Other schools have good layouts and fab housing. The city of Nashville is great, but other cities can be fun/nice, too. College kids often have enough going on in their college cities that the happenings in a city like Nashville aren’t always necessary.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I don’t know exactly how much my parents are willing to spend. But Vandy is the first school they said is too expensive. My brother is going to SMU and
received some scholarship money (maybe $15,000/yr?) and they were fine paying for that. So I’ve kind of concluded any school is within reason as long as I could get scholarship money to bring the price around $30,000.*</p>

<p>Ask your parents. Get a number from them. It’s best to deal with real numbers so that there’s no misunderstanding. </p>

<p>Also, since med school may be in your future, will your parents pay for that, too? If not, then you might think about negotiating a deal with them. My younger son wants to go to med school. We negotiated a deal with him. He agreed to go to a flagship state school with big scholarship money, and we agreed to help pay for med school. That way he won’t have huge med school loans.</p>

<p>*
They said Vanderbilt might be better to consider for grad school because, like you said, it probably won’t be that influential on my undergrad experience.*</p>

<p>Absolutely, if you end up in med/law/grad school, no one will care where you went to undergrad.</p>

<p>My son’s orthopedic surgeon went to a low level Florida public for undergrad. He went to Duke for med school. He did his specialty at The Mayo Clinic. NO one cares that he went to a lower tier undergrad.</p>

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<p>Just thought I’d sent out a reply thanking y’all for the advice. After thinking about it, I realized Vandy is not the school for me. I am still not sure where I’ll go, but I am no longer captivated by prestigious reputations. I am instead looking for the school that will really fit me and my needs. Thanks again :)</p>

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<p>I sure hope you are a junior in high school…and not a senior. Especially if you are looking for merit money, it’s getting a bit on the late side for SOME applications.</p>