<p>Unfortunately, for my family it has come to the point where money is a HUGE factor in deciding where I go to school. I wanted to go to a pretty expensive school to study music because it had the program I was looking for. I was scared to take out loans and then I found this list of schools that will pay the student's tuition if his/her family cannot pay.</p>
<p>Is this legitimate? I go to some of the schools' websites and they all say that they will meet every student's financial need. Should I compromise a good (contemporary) music program for a cheaper school?</p>
<p>Um…those schools that meet full need are NOT cheaper schools, unless you happen to be instate for UMich, UNCCH, or UVA. They are very expensive colleges, and are also amongst the most competitive in the country. You also should check transfer statistics…Princeton hasn’t accepted transfer students in years. The %age of transfer students accepted at many of these schools is in the single digits.</p>
<p>I also think you are confusing two terms…</p>
<p>Need Blind- this is an admissions term. It means that the admissions department does not consider your financial need when considering your application for admission. It has nothing to do with financial aid awards (you should note, however, that there are schools that are need blind for admissions on that list for incoming freshmen but NOT for transfers…something to check).</p>
<p>Meets Full Need- this is a financial aid term. It means that the college meets financial need guaranteed for all accepted students. The COLLEGE calculates your financial need based on your financial aid application materials. NOTE…some schools on that list guarantee to meet full need for incoming freshmen but NOT for transfers…something to check.</p>
<p>Where are you now? Does your state have a public university that is affordable to you? How are you paying your costs this year? What was your FAFSA EFC for this current year? How much can your parents contribute annually for your college costs.</p>
<p>ETA…I see you are currently a community college student taking many music courses. You have expressed interest in Belmont,and Berklee (which was too expensive). Can you discuss four year schools with your community college advisor? Some CCs have articulation agreements with four year schools, and in a small number of cases there is scholarship money for transfer students.</p>
<p>As you know…in the performing arts, the vast majority of scholarships are based on the strength of your audition. Very few are full…or even half rides. </p>
<p>Need based aid even at those generous schools is largely based on your parents’ incomes and assets.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider…if your parents have been consigning large loans for your brother, they COULD be reaching the limit on what lenders will extend to them in terms of loans.</p>
<p>Thanks thumper1. I am aware that they are not cheaper, but that’s why I did some research on schools that have enough money to give financially needy students more aid. I did some more research and found only six schools in the country that currently meet transfer students’ financial need. They are all Ivy League, but I might as well try as long as my grades are good, right? </p>
<p>Currently my GPA at my community college is a little over 3.9 including this current semester. My costs this year were paid all out of my own pocket. I didn’t meet the financial aid deadline so I paid out of my pocket then received not even half back from the Pell Grant. And after I paid out of my own pocket, I had <$100 left in my bank account. I am aware it sounds like you think it’s a bad idea…but I can’t afford to pay for anything at all. No matter what school I go to (unless I do get accepted into one of these schools that claim to meet a student’s financial need) I will have to take out loans. The only place I don’t have to take out loans is my community college…It makes me upset, but there’s nothing I can do about it.</p>
<p>What do you plan to major in at an Ivy should you be accepted? Yale, for example, does NOT have an undergrad music performance degree. You can get a bachelor of arts in music, but not a BM. </p>
<p>I agree, you can’t get accepted if you don’t apply. I’m not sure if these schools will,ask for your SAT or ACT scores. Some also require SAT subject tests for incoming freshmen. I’m not sure whether these requirements are for transfers also. But do check. If they are required, you will need to,be at the top of the game to be a competitive applicant.</p>
<p>If you are a woman, check Smith and Mt. Holyoke. They usually take transfers, and I thought they met full need for them. You will need to check that for accuracy!</p>
<p>That’s the problem… There’s nothing else I can think of that I would want to study as much as music. I sent you a PM, but I’ll post it here anyway. I do find writing interesting, but nothing serious. I would never want to write a novel or anything like that. I wouldn’t mind writing for a magazine or a newspaper, but some schools require that you submit like five pieces of writing and recommendation letters…I mostly have only recommendation letters from music professors. I am not a serious English student and I can already picture myself slaving away at 10-15 page papers which is a nightmare to me.</p>
<p>My problem is…I’ve worked so hard for music and now I have to start over because I can’t afford these schools. I have to pick a new college, new major, new extracurriculars…I hate growing up.</p>
<p>“I did some more research and found only six schools in the country that currently meet transfer students’ financial need.”</p>
<p>What you found was that there are only six places that guarantee to meet the full need of all transfer students who are accepted.</p>
<p>There are many more out there that do not make that guarantee, but do indeed meet the full need of some of the transfer students who are accepted. If you are the only transfer student whose need is fully met, well then that is good enough for you. Happykid and her pal transferred from our local CC to an in-state public U, and in both cases their full needs were met. I do not know if that is true for all students at that U.</p>
<p>Meet with the Transfer Advisor at your CC and with the instructors in your department, and find out where students with your major have been admitted recently and whether or not they received enough financial aid to make it affordable.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it is true, but there is an old belief that if you are willing and able to play the tuba in a college marching band, it is your ticket to being admitted and getting great financial aid. Apparently, there is a shortage of tuba players applying to college, but they are important for the marching band sound. Start practicing now.</p>
<p>Anyway, UVa is a need blind university that meets 100% of need for US students, and that accepts many transfers. However, I believe most of those transfers are Va. residents who did very well at community colleges and other public colleges in Va.</p>
<p>Does your state of residency have public universities that will be affordable, according to their net price calculators, and which have your desired major?</p>
<p>My state does have state schools, but unfortunately they do not have contemporary music programs so if I did go to school here I would probably major in something else and minor in music. I have looked into Oberlin (I live in Ohio) which seems to completely meet the student’s needs. They have to fill out a CSS profile first though… This is something I might look into more.</p>
<p>There are MANY public universities in Ohio. You should be able to find some school within the system that can offer you a program of study that will meet your needs.</p>
<p>I hope that you tossed an application at OSU (because their scholarship deadline for transfer students was 11/1).</p>
<p>If you are a US citizen/Permanent resident, the majority of colleges in the country are need blind (which is an admissions process). However, the majority of colleges in the country do not meet 100% demonstrated need.</p>
<p>Have you considered Smith or some of the other womens colleges (mount holyoke, bryn mawr, barnard)?</p>
<p>All take transfer students and are part of consortiums or have cross registration with other schools. Mount holyoke and smith are SAT optional to transfer students. all of them are need blind and meet 100% demonstrated need.</p>
<p>I would recommend looking at some of the post from mini, whose D studied music at Smith and is not finishing a PhD at Princeton.</p>
<p>Talk to musicians in your fiels, the profs and others, and see what is out there. Some schools do have money out there for musicians. As Charlie says, if a band needs a certain instrumentalist, you might bea able to capitalize on this. Talk to some band teachers and those in the field as to where they know some needs are at some schools. </p>
<p>Though most schools are need blind in admissions, very few do meet full need for all or even most of their students. Even fewer for transfer students. Transfers usually come after high school grads and returning students when it comes to financial aid and merit money.</p>
<p>THere is Juiliard and Curtis. DOn’t know if they take transfers. Their auditon process makes them the most selective music programs, but Curtis is tuition free and Juilliard does well in terms fin aid, I hear. </p>
<p>Also, the most pragmatic thing to do, is to look at the schools that tend to take kids who complete what they can at your CC and if they have music programs and what money they have for transfers. Your transfer coordinator at your school can give you such info.</p>
<p>Also make sure you run some NPCs and estimated EFCs, to see what the schools are going to expect your family to pay vs what they are willing and able to pay. The calculators may have a whole different definition of what is affordable for your family. You are not likely to get aid at all if your EFC, for example shows your family should be paying full freight. That means you have to look at the merit money because you aren’t likely to get any financial aid.</p>
<p>Contemporary Commercial Music Performance is a major that is not offered at many schools. However, you may find programs at public four year universities in OH that would allow you to focus in that direction. As a transfer student from a CC in OH your most likely bet for graduating on time is to transfer to a OH public university that has an articulation agreement with your CC.</p>
<p>You can also look for private universities (or OOS publics… although this is less likely) that may offer significant merit aid to transfer students.</p>
<p>Last time I looked, Curtis Institute was the most selective college in the US, as far as percentage of applicants who are admitted.</p>
<p>I’m sure you can find some affordable Ohio publics with good music programs and that welcome transfers. One of the advantages of going to a public university is that they typically have many transfers, so you are less likely to feel left out. At some colleges that accept few transfers, it can be a problem because many students have developed their social circles in their freshman year.</p>
<p>Also, if your state offers need-based grants to students, that can be a major factor. Some states do not allow their grants to be used at out of state colleges, or they greatly reduce the grant amount.</p>