anyone a pro with scholarship stuff?

[Sadie22]

Private schools may end up costing less than public schools because they may have more endowment money to give out. Smaller or mid-size schools as a rule may have more per capita than large schools. Make sure that all federal and state scholarship program and institutional application guidelines are met. Don't miss any guidelines, and also apply as early as possible because once the money is distributed, there may be none left for those who apply for it later.

Complete the FAFSA every single year as this information may be required by merit scholarship programs for statistical or other purposes, not just for awarding by financial need. The FAFSA information and possibly institution-specific forms may need to be completed every year to remain eligible for institutional aid or to be eligible for the first time.

There are scholarship programs for upperclassmen, so it's not a one-shot deal for incoming freshmen. One of mine was encouraged by the college to apply to national programs open to juniors and seniors. Having winners was prestigious to the institution as well as to the students.

Some majors have more merit money available than others, and free tuition through graduate school may be available in some fields of study at some institutions.

 

[Hrhpd]

For institutional scholarships, usually they have a grid, published or not, that shows if you have x GPA and y test score you get $ Z money. There are special interest scholarships that are different but usually the bigger merit awards at various schools are pretty cut and dry. Our kids did get one smaller scholarship, $2000, for being involved in our church, that kind of thing but their full-tuition scholarship was because of a combined GPA/ACT/SAT score only.

I have had three hildren go through the application process.

None of the schools my children have applied to. both in-state and out of state, Ivy, public Ivy and just plain old schools, have had any kind of guaranteed money grid.

Maybe in your home state of Minnesota the in-state schools still have a grid that guarantees money, but you are making a lot of broad generalizations in this thread that are just not true. What are your credentials that make you such an expert at college applications? Do you work in a large college admittance office?

All of the schools my children looked at said that they would be considered for merit awards if they had an xyz GPA and an xyz SAT/ACT and gave a range, but nothing was guaranteed.

I was told by the schools my children applied to, about 20 so not a broad representation, that they are getting away from GPAs as a true representation because of the recent trend of rampant grade inflation. I know our high school is guilty of it. Classes that were just honors and even regular classes that were still on the 4.0 scale just a few years ago are now on the 5.0 scale. Half the senior class is graduating with a 3.5 or better. And this is a top ranked high school (in the top 35 in the country) So now many universities are looking at the whole package for merit money as well as the teacher recommendations.

 

[mamacatnv]

Actually-the link I showed earlier disagrees-living at home can save a pile of $$-

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/10-things-kids-applying-college/story?id=26897509

7.
Living at Home Is the Best Advice

I have good news for those who are dreading the moment when their little birds fly the nest. Living at home is the smartest financial choice for students. According to College Board, the average cost of room and board in 2013-2014 was $9,498 a year for a public four-year school and $10,823 a year for a private non-profit four year school. Multiply that by four and that adds up to a lot of money.

If there is a good school close enough to home, then you should seriously consider it as an option. Even if they want to graduate from another institution, getting some first- and second-year credits at a local university or community college is going to be a lot cheaper than going away for the full four years


I have 2 kids-one lived at home all but one semester-other had apartment-both had great college experiences.
The one who lived at home actually has the more dynamic job-and moved near NYC to accomplish that

I agree its can be a good "financial" decision, yes it can save a boatload of money but living at home for college may not be the best decision for the student - if every single decision we made was based on the costs then we would all drive cheaper cars, live in smaller houses etc. The benefits of living on campus need to be weighed against the overall costs. IMO those costs were a good investment in my kid and his future. As with all things, every family will make decisions best suited for them but to just say a kid must live at home because its cheaper is not necessarily the best decision for the kid.

The decision to live on campus was not a financial decision at all...it wasn't an option to live at home in our house...well, if they REALLY wanted to ok, but much of what is learned in college happens living on your "own" and having to do for yourself. Our kids ended up with real full rides so it it ended up not mattering but it was always assumed they would live on campus and selecting schools were most kids lived on campus all 4 years was very important to them.

Personally, I cringe every time I hear parents forcing their kids to go to the college down the street to save a few bucks....

I think that like all things, consideration needs to be made. My DS at first wanted to "go away" to school. We looked and visited several options that would have taken him out of state - then we looked at the costs for out of state, travel etc. We knew that graduate school was going to be on his path and that was where he was going to need to spend the big bucks. In the end he decided that the dorm down the road would satisfy his need to "go away" to school and he saved a considerable amount by not attending an out of state school, he is now spending that money on his doctorate program.

My DD is a sophomore, she is dying to go to either Canada or England for college - oye, this number crunching mom is getting gray hair. I shall be watching this thread to see if anyone actually comes up with a scholarship strategy that works!

 

[Happy Snowman]

I have had three hildren go through the application process.

None of the schools my children have applied to. both in-state and out of state, Ivy, public Ivy and just plain old schools, have had any kind of guaranteed money grid.

Maybe in your home state of Minnesota the in-state schools still have a grid that guarantees money, but you are making a lot of broad generalizations in this thread that are just not true. What are your credentials that make you such an expert at college applications? Do you work in a large college admittance office?

All of the schools my children looked at said that they would be considered for merit awards if they had an xyz GPA and an xyz SAT/ACT and gave a range, but nothing was guaranteed.

I was told by the schools my children applied to, about 20 so not a broad representation, that they are getting away from GPAs as a true representation because of the recent trend of rampant grade inflation. I know our high school is guilty of it. Classes that were just honors and even regular classes that were still on the 4.0 scale just a few years ago are now on the 5.0 scale. Half the senior class is graduating with a 3.5 or better. And this is a top ranked high school (in the top 35 in the country) So now many universities are looking at the whole package for merit money as well as the teacher recommendations.

Ivy's have guaranteed money-not based on grades, but financial situation

a quick look at most college websites will tell you differently from what you are saying

again, published or unpublished, the money is awarded based on GPA/test score grid and if you don't hit that spot, you aren't eligible. I never said it was "guaranteed" at every school but most schools follow a grid and then after that, other factors for non-guaranteed money. Don't confuse admissions standards with award money---two totally different things.....


http://www.northeastern.edu/financialaid/grants-scholarships/undergraduate.html#merit

http://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/281/tuition_and_aid_overview not based on grades but one of the most generous schools in the nation---very, very high income level "financial" aid awards

I could keep going....but you can do some research on your own...

 

[already]

My DS went "away" to college, all 8 minutes down the road to the Dorm. Just my opinion but the cost of that dorm was some of the best money we spent during his college career.

IMO college is so many things, it's not just what they learn in a book, or a class it can also be heavy on life lessons.

Looking back, my DS lived on or near campus all 5 years (yep, took him 5 but he is 10 months away from getting his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree so I'm ok with those 5 years) Yes, it was expensive but I would not change a thing. Sure, he could have lived at home and saved a chunk of change but he didn't. He worked part time, went to school full time and learned a whole lot of things along the way.

I don't know if there are any good statistics to back it up but I remember being told that kids who live on campus and immerse themselves in college life have a better chance of graduating in a timely fashion. Universities are concerned with their graduation rates, perhaps that is why they are moving towards requiring on campus living.

Like I said, IMO it is the best money we ever spent - DS paid part, we paid part. We were all invested in his education

I agree. I posted that freshman are required to live on campus at the school my child is going to. You can request a waiver if you live close, but you have to show financial need backed up by your Fafsa in order to be considered for a housing waiver.

So, my child will be living on campus just 7 minutes away. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I have had three hildren go through the application process.

None of the schools my children have applied to. both in-state and out of state, Ivy, public Ivy and just plain old schools, have had any kind of guaranteed money grid.

Maybe in your home state of Minnesota the in-state schools still have a grid that guarantees money, but you are making a lot of broad generalizations in this thread that are just not true. What are your credentials that make you such an expert at college applications? Do you work in a large college admittance office?

All of the schools my children looked at said that they would be considered for merit awards if they had an xyz GPA and an xyz SAT/ACT and gave a range, but nothing was guaranteed.

I was told by the schools my children applied to, about 20 so not a broad representation, that they are getting away from GPAs as a true representation because of the recent trend of rampant grade inflation. I know our high school is guilty of it. Classes that were just honors and even regular classes that were still on the 4.0 scale just a few years ago are now on the 5.0 scale. Half the senior class is graduating with a 3.5 or better. And this is a top ranked high school (in the top 35 in the country) So now many universities are looking at the whole package for merit money as well as the teacher recommendations.

Well, in defense of Happy Snowman, DD has looked at SEVERAL schools with guaranteed merit aid tied either to a grid like that or straight test scores. These were in many states (none in Minnesota that she considered), so that really is a thing, though I doubt it is all or even most schools, but it is many.

The two she has narrowed down to will provide her with 30-50% of her out of state tuition (nowhere is in state for us) for sure--now she is just waiting on other (not guaranteed) scholarship offers to see what comes out to be the better deal (and I will note that she could have had full ride, and to clarify that means at least room, board, tuition, fees and books and in some cases all a computer or stipend with her grades and tests at a handful of schools, guaranteed, but none of those offer a really good program in her intended major, so she chose not to look further into them).

SO, yes, actually, these things do exist.

I agree its can be a good "financial" decision, yes it can save a boatload of money but living at home for college may not be the best decision for the student - if every single decision we made was based on the costs then we would all drive cheaper cars, live in smaller houses etc. The benefits of living on campus need to be weighed against the overall costs. IMO those costs were a good investment in my kid and his future. As with all things, every family will make decisions best suited for them but to just say a kid must live at home because its cheaper is not necessarily the best decision for the kid.

I think that like all things, consideration needs to be made. My DS at first wanted to "go away" to school. We looked and visited several options that would have taken him out of state - then we looked at the costs for out of state, travel etc. We knew that graduate school was going to be on his path and that was where he was going to need to spend the big bucks. In the end he decided that the dorm down the road would satisfy his need to "go away" to school and he saved a considerable amount by not attending an out of state school, he is now spending that money on his doctorate program.

My DD is a sophomore, she is dying to go to either Canada or England for college - oye, this number crunching mom is getting gray hair. I shall be watching this thread to see if anyone actually comes up with a scholarship strategy that works!

(oh, and does your DD know that many degrees in Germany, where tuition is free and fees are rarely over 500€ in a year, are done completly in English? If she can get in, that might be an option for her if she wants to go abroad )

 

[Happy Snowman]

I agree. I posted that freshman are required to live on campus at the school my child is going to. You can request a waiver if you live close, but you have to show financial need backed up by your Fafsa in order to be considered for a housing waiver.

So, my child will be living on campus just 7 minutes away. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

More and more schools are moving in this direction. Studies show kids that live on campus just do better academically and socially.

 

[NewRVLady]

The decision to live on campus was not a financial decision at all...it wasn't an option to live at home in our house...well, if they REALLY wanted to ok, but much of what is learned in college happens living on your "own" and having to do for yourself. Our kids ended up with real full rides so it it ended up not mattering but it was always assumed they would live on campus and selecting schools were most kids lived on campus all 4 years was very important to them.

Personally, I cringe every time I hear parents forcing their kids to go to the college down the street to save a few bucks....

The degree my son, (who lived mostly at home) wanted was only available at the local University-(not the big state school or the "mini Ivy" in our big city offered it)
It is very specialized and also offered at schools a couple states away-which wasn't of interest.

He now is a senior Industrial designer at a design firm out of NYC and has had contacts/done work for and conducted phone meetings with an amazing amount of major firms in the USA-his name is on a couple design patents

 

[Happy Snowman]

The degree my son, (who lived mostly at home) wanted was only available at the local University-(not the big state school or the "mini Ivy" in our big city offered it)
It is very specialized and also offered at schools a couple states away-which wasn't of interest.

He now is a senior Industrial designer at a design firm out of NYC and has had contacts/done work for and conducted phone meetings with an amazing amount of major firms in the USA-his name is on a couple design patents

So.... that wouldn't be forcing him to go there then would it??? Did you MAKE him live at home???

 

[richmo]

A couple observations that I've seen with both of my kids the past couple of years:

- Private schools will often give a "merit" scholarship that brings the cost down to about the same as a top-tier state school (Penn State in my case). This is often given along with the acceptance letter before they have any clue of your financial situation. Neither of my kids had especially great grades or test scores. My take from this is don't rule out a private college just because you think it is expensive.
- Similarly, public schools in other states will sometimes give similar "merit" scholarships to bring the cost for an out-of-state student to about the same as an in-state student.

In both of the cases above:
- The merit scholarship requires the student to maintain a certain GPA while there...usually 2.5 or 3.0. How much this is enforced may depend upon the school.
- To get either of the above, I would encourage you to apply early in the process -- during the fall, September or October if possible. You don't need to do early decision...most schools seem to be trending towards early action or "priority" admission.

I haven't read thru most of this post, but I did see a couple of comments regarding essays. In the two years between my kids going thru applications, there has been a noticeable drop in schools requiring and even wanting them. As an admissions counselor (from a state school) said at a high school meeting one night, they get so many applications now they don't have time to read them and with the proliferation of professional essay writers, many of them aren't genuine anyway. Some private schools have gone more towards interviews than essays.

 

[already]

More and more schools are moving in this direction. Studies show kids that live on campus just do better academically and socially.

Better academics is exactly the reasoning our school gives. They produce study after study that students that are immersed in the school environment for at least their first year are far more successful and have a much higher graduation rate than those that live at home.

 

[mom2rtk]

You all talk about the advantages of living at school like it's free or something.

I have yet to meet a kid who was "forced" to live at home for college. I'm sure plenty of families make hard choices and have very pointed discussions about whether they can afford it though.

Are there advantages to living at school? Sure. Are they worth $40k over 4 years of school? I imagine there's going to be a lot of disagreement on that.

 

[Happy Snowman]

You all talk about the advantages of living at school like it's free or something.

I have yet to meet a kid who was "forced" to live at home for college. I'm sure plenty of families make hard choices and have very pointed discussions about whether they can afford it though.

Are there advantages to living at school? Sure. Are they worth $40k over 4 years of school? I imagine there's going to be a lot of disagreement on that.

You talk like living at home is free--they still have to eat, commute, use electricity, etc. there too....

No one said it was free...well it is if you get a full ride...but the benefits outweigh the costs in my opinion. Go back through other college posts here or over at College Confidential and you will see PLENTY of people that force their kids to live at home....or go to a community college for 2 years to "save" money....

 

[mom2rtk]

You talk like living at home is free--they still have to eat, commute, use electricity, etc. there too....

No one said it was free...well it is if you get a full ride...but the benefits outweigh the costs in my opinion. Go back through other college posts here or over at College Confidential and you will see PLENTY of people that force their kids to live at home....or go to a community college for 2 years to "save" money....

Home may not be free, but it's not $10K a year. Sure we save on food with one of our sons away. But the mortgage, electric and gas bills are the same. The son that lives at home isn't costing anywhere near that.

I understand there are advantages to going away. I went 8 hours away from home and our other son is 3 1/2 hours away. If it can be done, I highly recommend it. But with a price tag that high, I would never make a blanket recommendation for it.

 

[NewRVLady]

No matter WHAT college Confidential says-

my son chose to live at home after one semester in an apartment-

.

Sometimes, for instance with the OP-who seems not to have much $$ for her DD's college, it makes sense to stay home to save some $$-

 

[mamacatnv]

Well, in defense of Happy Snowman, DD has looked at SEVERAL schools with guaranteed merit aid tied either to a grid like that or straight test scores. These were in many states (none in Minnesota that she considered), so that really is a thing, though I doubt it is all or even most schools, but it is many.

The two she has narrowed down to will provide her with 30-50% of her out of state tuition (nowhere is in state for us) for sure--now she is just waiting on other (not guaranteed) scholarship offers to see what comes out to be the better deal (and I will note that she could have had full ride, and to clarify that means at least room, board, tuition, fees and books and in some cases all a computer or stipend with her grades and tests at a handful of schools, guaranteed, but none of those offer a really good program in her intended major, so she chose not to look further into them).

SO, yes, actually, these things do exist.





(oh, and does your DD know that many degrees in Germany, where tuition is free and fees are rarely over 500€ in a year, are done completly in English? If she can get in, that might be an option for her if she wants to go abroad )

You got a spare room?
Hadley, just curious, if the student is coming from the US how is tuition handled? My DD is currently looking at McGill in Montreal

She called me all excited a few weeks ago because the tuition is "not bad Mom" then I mentioned room, board, travel etc and the price tag went up substantially - weighing the options and having the conversations now so that she begins to understand the "entire" costs of college, not just tuition.

 

[clutter]

Well, in defense of Happy Snowman, DD has looked at SEVERAL schools with guaranteed merit aid tied either to a grid like that or straight test scores. These were in many states (none in Minnesota that she considered), so that really is a thing, though I doubt it is all or even most schools, but it is many.

We had the same experience. Certain grades/test scores were worth x dollars. They were 'guaranteed' until the funds ran out, so they recommended you apply for early admission. Of the schools dd applied to, some informed her of the merit amount immediately. Some are waiting until later dates to announce the awards. Most of the funds are to encourage good out of state students by bridging the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition. One school offered enough to make it less than in-state in our state! As for grade inflation, most grids were based on unweighted, not weighted grades. Some schools want to attract talented out-of-state students and they use these programs to do so. You won't see it in some of the 'name' state universities such as North Carolina or Wisconsin, but you will see it at good schools such as Michigan State and Ohio State.

 

[luvsJack]

You talk like living at home is free--they still have to eat, commute, use electricity, etc. there too....

No one said it was free...well it is if you get a full ride...but the benefits outweigh the costs in my opinion. Go back through other college posts here or over at College Confidential and you will see PLENTY of people that force their kids to live at home....or go to a community college for 2 years to "save" money....

I can provide the things you list for my child a whole lot cheaper at home than in the dorm. Depending on what the student wants to go to school for and where they want to get their degree, living at home and doing the first two years at a cc is the best option so that there will be money for the rest of their education.


Now, dd will live in the dorm when she goes in a couple of years. But she will attend your dreaded "community college" And it will save us money--choir scholarships, show choir scholarships and employee that will pay tuition and room and board. And she will receive the same education that she would at the university for the first two years, paying twice the tuition.

Living at home, attending community college, living off campus, etc. are all legitimate ways to get headed in the right direction and yes, save some money for those students who don't get scholarships or FA. So it is definitely things that most parents should look at and consider when looking at the cost of their child's education.

And there is another factor that every parent should consider and we see it all the time--is their "just out of high school" kid READY to live away from home? Some just aren't. We have a big number that move in the dorm and are not good at managing their time, their money, or their grades and they fail (and they would fail just as much at a 4 year as they do at cc) They move back home, commute to school and do fabulously and then move back into a dorm when they transfer to a university and keep doing well.

 

[Happy Snowman]

I can provide the things you list for my child a whole lot cheaper at home than in the dorm. Depending on what the student wants to go to school for and where they want to get their degree, living at home and doing the first two years at a cc is the best option so that there will be money for the rest of their education.


Now, dd will live in the dorm when she goes in a couple of years. But she will attend your dreaded "community college" And it will save us money--choir scholarships, show choir scholarships and employee that will pay tuition and room and board. And she will receive the same education that she would at the university for the first two years, paying twice the tuition.

Living at home, attending community college, living off campus, etc. are all legitimate ways to get headed in the right direction and yes, save some money for those students who don't get scholarships or FA. So it is definitely things that most parents should look at and consider when looking at the cost of their child's education.

And there is another factor that every parent should consider and we see it all the time--is their "just out of high school" kid READY to live away from home? Some just aren't. We have a big number that move in the dorm and are not good at managing their time, their money, or their grades and they fail (and they would fail just as much at a 4 year as they do at cc) They move back home, commute to school and do fabulously and then move back into a dorm when they transfer to a university and keep doing well.

Maybe it saves money, maybe it doesn't and getting the "same" education is questionable....but what most people fail to consider is the cost of those last 2 years and the reduced scholarship money available and it often turns into 3 years canceling out any "savings"....then factor in a LOT of grad, medical, law, etc. schools will not accept community college credits so they have to take more classes, at full cost, to continue on, not all, but a lot..so something else to consider.....but when you ONLY look at the initial $$$$ it almost always ends up costing more in the long run.

 

[luvsJack]

Maybe it saves money, maybe it doesn't and getting the "same" education is questionable....but what most people fail to consider is the cost of those last 2 years and the reduced scholarship money available and it often turns into 3 years canceling out any "savings"....then factor in a LOT of grad, medical, law, etc. schools will not accept community college credits so they have to take more classes, at full cost, to continue on, not all, but a lot..so something else to consider.....but when you ONLY look at the initial $$$$ it almost always ends up costing more in the long run.

And your information about community college credits comes from where? Is it "many" or just those you have looked at?

I just looked on several college forum sites for the question and all have posts saying that they did that very thing--went from community college to university and their credits did transfer. These are students who plan to go on to grad school.

There are 3 large universities in this state, and dd will look at two out of state schools. All of which certainly do accept credits from the community college. Several of these schools, in fact, will advise students struggling in a course to drop it at their school and take it here and transfer the credit back in so that they stand a better chance of passing the course.

Eng Comp is Eng Comp is Eng Comp. Why should we pay $1200 to take it when $300 gives you the same class with the same instructor? And yes, it will transfer.

For some kids that didn't do well in high school or start college a little later or those that did do well enough in high school to get great scholarships to a community college (full rides, half tuition/books, etc), community college can be a great way for them to start school and get scholarships to a university so they aren't giving up anything. We have had students start here paying out of pocket and leave here with full rides to a university. So your information is not always correct.