What midwest U should son apply at?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Many of these suggestions are to schools that don’t meet need, so unless the merit is HUGE, any merit is just going to go towards need and then there will likely be a gap that is in addition to the EFC.</p>

<p>This family’s goal is to only pay $10k per year since they have another child in college. That essentially means that the merit scholarship would have to cover ALL of tuition and perhaps a bit more. </p>

<p>Additionally, the family needs to find out if Child #1’s school is going to increase aid once that EFC drops. The school may not increase aid and then the family may find that they still have to pay $20k+ per year for that child’s school plus pay whatever Child #2’s school expects. And, as we know, returning students often don’t get their aid packages until nearly summer! </p>

<p>Sometime back, a dad posted his situation with his 2 kids. He let Child #1 choose a school that cost about the same as his EFC, thinking that when Child #2 went to school that the first school would give a grant due to reduced EFC. When he asked he was told that Child #1 wouldn’t receive more aid. So, now Child #2 needed to attend the huge merit scholarship school because the family can’t pay 150% of their EFC. The entire budget plan fails because there was no reduction in actual family contribution for Child #1. Since most schools do not meet need, this often happens. And, again, at CSS Profile schools, the split isn’t 50/50…it’s 60/60 according to THEIR calculations.</p>

<p>The student needs to apply to schools that meet need, schools that have a low COA, and to schools that give HUGE merit scholarships.</p>

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<p>mom2 makes excellent points. I am an advocate of a) applying to a range of schools when in need of major FA, and b) looking where the money is. It does no good to apply to a school where the largest possible award is $30K in merit if that leaves you with a $20K+ gap that you cannot cover, or an “award” that is actually a $20K loan. That was the situation we were in when S applied to colleges. </p>

<p>You are extremely lucky in that you live in a state with a great flagship U that also has reciprocal arrangements with other states with great flagships. For the FA hunt, I would suggest looking beyond your driving restrictions and beyond the midwest. </p>

<p>Your son has great stats: send the 36 ACT and do not send his SAT. One question, though: has he taken any SATIIs? He would need two of them for some of the deep-pockets schools. It sounds as if Math II and a science–preferably one he took last year and did really well in–would work well for him. I believe he still has time to take them. Just get the prep book and have him run through a couple of practice tests and make sure he reviews the material covered by that specific test, because HS courses, even APs, don’t always match up with the test.</p>

<p>I would suggest looking at some reachier schools that have deep pockets, such as Harvey Mudd (I assume they have good FA, Pomona certainly does. If not, Pomona itself would be a good choice.), MIT, Swarthmore, and Dartmouth. He could also look at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford, probably with emphasis on the latter two, given his interests. For that matter, Cal Tech. Yes, all of these schools are reachy, but he has the stats to make him a viable candidate, and if he gets in they WILL meet need better than other places. I’m not familiar with Northwestern’s FA, but assuming that it is good I see no reason to take NU off the table until you see what kind of money he would get from them. I love the U of C, but if he is potentially interested in engineering, it is not a fit.</p>

<p>For a safety, with the potential for FA, look at Pitt’s Honors College. They do have large scholarships for OOS students with top stats, unlike many publics. I’m not sure what the top award is, but it may work for you.</p>

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<p>Just want to reiterate that USC DOES meet full need, in addition to offering fantastic Merit $$ to top students [ as long as the application is submitted by Dec 1]. 25% of incoming freshman receive both merit and FA $$. It would be a smart financial safety/ match, if the OP doesn’t strike gold at tip top colleges such as those Consolation suggested above.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for all the input. S is taking the subject SATs tomorrow (math, physics and chemistry) so we’ll see how he does on those. Since deadlines are coming up, I will ask him to apply to a variety of schools: the regionals which offer the NMF tuition, the 2 state schools, and maybe the financial reaches just to see what may be offered. Mom has a good point in not knowing what S1’s school might do as we didn’t see his package until summer, I figure it will probably be the same unless he loses his merit scholarship if his gpa goes too low. Any other comments/suggestions would still be appreciated!</p>

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<p>Menloparkmom, USC sounds great but California seems so far away. I will show your site to my son to see if he is interested. I guess if he you have get on a plane to go east, going west shouldn’t make too much difference. Just a little gun shy though as 3 weeks ago S1 ended up in the ER and at least we were able to get to the hospital within 7 hours…if S2 ever had a problem, it would be much more difficult to get to him. I don’t anticipate problems, but we didn’t with S1 either when he chose a school!</p>

<p>Again, please keep writing in any ideas. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Most UW departments have their own money to give to their best students. You just have to prove yourself. </p>

<p>[Research</a> scholarships | UW Madison - Department of Chemistry](<a href=“http://www.chem.wisc.edu/content/research-scholarships]Research”>http://www.chem.wisc.edu/content/research-scholarships)</p>

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<p>I don’t know if UM is within the 7 hour drive limit, but he should apply. Michigan is by far the best STEM school in the midwest, and your son’s stats put him serious consideration for merit aid. </p>

<p>When I was a student there, I knew a bunch of OOS students on full scholarships - and they had similar numbers as high school students. I think it’s at least worth an application.</p>

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<p>Washington University in St. Louis… Great school, and they have a large endowment. They give substantial scholarships, and with your son’s stats, I would think he’d get serious money.</p>

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<p>Denison in Ohio may be a little more than 7 hours drive…and a little smaller than desired…but they like National Merit Finalists. Miami U in Ohio has a very good honors program…not sure how much they’ll give to out of state student, though. Pitt is also probably a little further than the desired distance…but Pittsburgh has a very midwestern feel and they seem to have some money available for kids with good test scores.</p>

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<p>Wash U doesn’t have the same caliber math or chemistry depts as UW-Madison- I’ve researched them since OOS relatives chose it for premed. Where he chooses depends on his proposed major. He also should consider the overall experience. Liking NMFs may mean a school is trying to upgrade its student body by luring top students. Your son doesn’t want to be the top dollar getter but not the recipient of top classes in fields that matter to him. UW has many students who were a good peer group for my stellar son (stats as good as your son’s) in his honors courses. </p>

<p>You and your son need to set priorities. Does the best financial aid package trumpo the academics? He needs goals- science/math, social science et al. He needs to examine the merits of various programs/majors at the schools. Marquette isn’t as good as UW in most fields…</p>

<p>Coming from Wisconsin he needs to set his sights high to beat/match the cost of a UW education.</p>

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<p>Excellent points, wis75. I would think that this student should be applying to UW and to the excellent, deep-pockets schools I suggested. Applying to a bunch of mediocre schools that don’t meet need, and–even if they come up with significant merit–will cost more than your great state flagship makes no sense to me.</p>

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<p>I would not rule out private colleges like NU and WashU. I know NU at least tends to be generous with FA, and a lot of upper-middle class/middle class families have been pleasantly surprised with their FA awards. Apply and then decide later based on an actual award.</p>

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<p>Also, NU caps loans at 20k for 4 years. Should you need more than that, NU will pay the rest through its endowment.</p>

<p>[Grants</a> Replace Loans for Neediest Students : Northwestern University Newscenter](<a href=“http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2008/01/noloanpolicy.html]Grants”>Grants Replace Loans for Neediest Students: Northwestern University News)</p>

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<p>Shoot high–especially with a math-science kid, def. consider UChicago and Carnegie Mellon (as well as NU).</p>

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<p>“you might want to protect yourself by having your NMF son apply to a few schools that give HUGE NMF scholarships.” - Agree. </p>

<p>Take a look at Northeastern in Boston. Far from home, but VERY easily accessed from Logan Airport. (I kid you not - 4 “T” stations on campus, 2 different lines). Many cities have direct flights to Boston.</p>

<p>If the policies stay same. NMFs get automatic full tuition scholarship at Northeastern. Only requirement is to designate them by spring of senior year. Room/board + fees + travels might push the bill toward $15K/year. But the co-op program is fantastic. And taking 5 years to get through college may mean more overlapping years with younger sibling.</p>

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<p>Bradley University will give your NMF son a full tuition scholarship. And they have an excellent, highly rated engineering program. My son, who was also a NMF, attends and is very happy. He also tells me is being challenged academically. </p>

<p>Based on your financials, you would pay $8000 for R&B and your son would graduate debt free.</p>

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<p>Marquette just opened a new engineering building. Not sure about aid though. They are not known for being generous. But, it can’t hurt to apply. The best aid at MU is given to those who apply by Dec 1st.</p>

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<p>Pitt is about 7 hours driving from Chicago, and they can give full tuition grants for OOS with high stats. (Suggest you just send the ACT; I think the SAT is low for those grants). Pitt has just over 15000 undergrads, in an urban setting. They have an engineering school, honors program, and many other options.</p>

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<p>If your son is looking for a big-campus, everybody-is-a-number experience, then I would agree with the posters who suggest that you’re unlikely to do better than your in-state flagship. But if he is looking more for a school with a nurturing environment that still provides excellent academics, then both Bradley and UE would be very good choices. And both offer significant merit aid to top-stats students.</p>

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<p>I recommend that you check out this link: </p>

<p>[Which</a> Colleges Claim to Meet Students’ Full Financial Need? - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2011/02/16/which-colleges-claim-to-meet-students-full-financial-need]Which”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2011/02/16/which-colleges-claim-to-meet-students-full-financial-need)</p>

<p>It lists colleges that meet 100% of need (and describes what that means). Your son could be looking at a full ride. The top, Midwestern liberal arts colleges on this list–Carleton and Grinnell–have an outstanding placement record into top Ph.D. and MD programs, much higher than any of the state universities on the list. Small classes enable professors to know every student well and to write letters of recommendation that get their graduates into top-ten Ph.d. programs with full rides. Even though Washington U. is larger, you might want to look there too.<br>
One other factor: seven hours by car puts your son at colleges still in the midwest. Seven hours by flying could be anywhere. My daughter is an 18-hour drive away but a 4 hour flight. She is a senior and it has worked out really well. The east coast schools typically have one-week fall and spring breaks and a month at Christmas. We feel we have spent just as much time with her as we would have if she had stayed closer to home.</p>