<p>UA started off as a financial fallback but the more I looked at it the more I fell in love. In my mind I had pretty much made my decision assuming there was little to no chance of finding a better bargain. Now higher ranking schools are offering me even better merit aid. Would I be crazy to pass up full rides or near full rides to attend UA with a Presidential Scholarship just because I like it better? In the end the difference might be 20K total that I would need to work through school and summers or take loans to attend UA or 0-8K total at other schools I don’t like as much but will get an equal or better education. I am so blessed to have this dilemma but none the less I am struggling with decisions. HELP (:</p>
<p>It is nice to hear that you feel blessed to have this dilemma! And congratualtions to you! </p>
<p>Have you visited all of the schools? There are two things to remember: </p>
<ol>
<li>This is only four years of your life.</li>
<li>This is FOUR YEARS of your life!</li>
</ol>
<p>What I am trying to say is that you need to decide which school will make you financially, psychologically, and scholastically comfortable, if not happy. Happy is ideal, and what you want to shoot for if at all possible. But there may be things that you have to settle for at each school that are still “comfortable”, or “livable” if not ideal. </p>
<p>Even if this is only four years of your life, are you going to be able to tolerate the short-comings of each of the schools for four years? Or are you going to be “done” with the environment in 2 years and unable to tolerate it any more? You have to identify the short-comings of each school based on your own needs. </p>
<p>For example: If it were my son, any school that did not have food he liked would be off the list immediately. Yes, we have looked at menus at schools. He could not live in an environment and be happy if the food was not something he was used to and enjoyable to him. He is not a terribly picky eater, but he is not a typical school lunch menu eater either. If he did not have food he would eat, he would live on junkfood, and that is not OK with him! Additionally, any school that did not offer individual bedrooms for students as freshman would be off the list. He feels that this is a really important thing for his well being, sleep, and study ability. So those are a few of the things that allowed him to narrow down the school choices he would even apply to! I know that many students do not consider schools to that depth when initially looking at school for possible application, but he did. </p>
<p>I am big on charts, including pro/con charts and financial comparison charts. Start there. It may help you to organize your thoughts and figure out what is most important to you. </p>
<p>If you like something more visual, try this:
Put the names of each school you are considering on a individual peice of paper, include your expected cost of each school on the paper in big, bold red numbers (since this is a huge consideration, it needs to be up front). Then tape them on a blank wall. Get 2 piles of post-it notes in 2 different colors (say green and red). Go through the websites, CC, viewbooks, and your own notes for each college. On one color (green), write the things you really like about the school, on the other color (red), write the things your really do not like about the school. Put the post-it notes on the wall under and around the paper with the college name it corresponds to. When you have done this for all of the schools, step back, and see which one has more green post-it’s, and which has more red. You will get a visual feel for which school you are attracted to. And if the free school has mostly red post-it’s, it might not be worth the “free” education to YOU. </p>
<p>No school is perfect for every student, just like no student is perfect for every school. This is a big decision. Good luck to you! I am sure you will do well where ever you end up.</p>
<p>You have said you have received better merit offers from higher-ranked schools. Double check that this is actual merit money, not tied to grants. I say this, because one of my former students got an incredible package from a higher-ranked school, but it was grant money. She questioned if those grants could be lost, and in the end, she chose another top-flight school, because it was merit money not tied to grants. So do check that. </p>
<p>Like vlines said, the idea of having your own bedroom is very appealing. So much so that my youngest son, who is just a HS sophomore, lists that as a priority. Same thing for food – wants unlimited meal plans if possible or a place where he can cook what he likes.</p>
<p>* Now higher ranking schools are offering me even better merit aid. *</p>
<p>Can you clarify? </p>
<p>Do you mean that pricier privates are offering merit awards that are for larger amounts? Are these larger amounts for more than full tuition? I know that my sons received larger offers from some schools, but those schools had higher COAs so the actual “savings” was not higher. </p>
<p>Do you mean your instate public (UM-CP) has offered you more? If so, how much has it offered and what will it cover?</p>
<p>If so, then you need to contact Bama to find out if they’ll match those offers. </p>
<p>What have you gotten from these higher ranked schools?</p>
<p>What is your highest test score from one sitting?</p>
<p><a href=“18K%20a%20yr%20x%204%20yrs”>I</a>*</p>
<p>OK…I see that (instate) UM-Baltimore has offered you the above which covers tuition plus about $10,000. That’s pretty awesome.</p>
<p>However, this school is not ranked higher than Bama. What schools ranked higher than Bama gave you more and what did they give you?</p>
<p>*School: Clark School of Engineering Honors
Major:Fire Protection Engineering </p>
<p>UWGPA: 3.95
WGPA:4.23
Rank (if applicable):4/222
SAT (1600/2400):1490/2200
*</p>
<p>Did you select engineering at Bama? If so, then that’s another 2500. </p>
<p>Do you know how much your family can contribute? </p>
<p>BTW…do both the mom and the daughter use this same screenname? I see some posts from the student and some from the mom.</p>
<p>Yes my mom and I share. I don’t think we ever thought we would be posting so much. Time to get her her own acct. Sorry for any confusion.</p>
<p>Vlines- According to Myers-Briggs I am very visual and your idea might just be what I need.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be shallow but a beautiful dorm and private room is important to me. Blessed and privledged but always grateful.</p>
<p>I keep a spreadsheet with all my schools and their COA’s. I am interested in the bottom line, out of pocket expense. Whether I pay for it in loans, thru a job or my parents pay for it I consider it out of pocket. I will not qualify for any need based grants that I am aware of so concentrating on merit aid/scholarships/awards. I apply for 2-3 small private scholarships a week so maybe a few of those will come thru but I am not planning on anything. My parents EFC is way more than they can afford and I do not want them to struggle. I have a few concrete offers that would make COA cheaper than UA but they are not really in the running. What has me thinking is now that I have been accepted to UMCP Clark and Honors there is a real chance I could get some merit money there and it could end up costing less instate than UA in the long run. Both are great schools and I am so lucky to have these decisions to have to make.</p>
<p>Thanks for any insight.</p>
<p>* I have a few concrete offers that would make COA cheaper than UA but they are not really in the running.</p>
<p>What has me thinking is now that I have been accepted to UMCP Clark and Honors there is a real chance I could get some merit money there and it could end up costing less instate than UA in the long run.*</p>
<p>So, are you saying that your **firm **larger offers are from lower ranked schools? </p>
<p>However, you might get a better offer from UM-CP? How much has UM-CP offered so far? </p>
<p>When will you find out if UM-CP will offer you more? if they do offer you more, then let Bama know.</p>
<p>UMCP is so hard to predict for money. You will likely get some add’l from UMCP. It will never match UMBC though. They never have. I am going to guess that the new scholarship you were offered at UMBC is to woo you away from UMCP…You are from MD, so you know that there is a little bit of academic competition there! </p>
<p>Most of us agree that loans, job and parents are all out of pocket. And all agree that the bottom line that you have to pay or pay back is extremely important. </p>
<p>You will NOT get a private room at UMCP…not sure about UMBC. Those dorms are a little newer. You will not get AC in the honors dorms at UMCP either. So if you have allergies or asthma, consider that too. </p>
<p>Were you invited to the Meyerhoff interviews at UMBC? And did you apply for University Fellows/ CBHP at UA? </p>
<p>I am visual too, and have used the same strategy in the past. It does work well when you have colors staring you in the face telling a story. I am not sure if you ever watched the show on cable Homeland? The bipolar character Carrie used the same strategy tracking down the terrorist…hummmmm! LOL</p>