Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[mamacatnv]

@mamacatnv- did you hear that Berkeley sent out acceptance emails to "The 2000" yesterday? The top 2000 freshman were notified. I guess my DS is #2001. Oh well... the wait continues.

None of the Nerd Herd was in the top 2000, they are all impatiently waiting.........

 

[Sanchez]

Without the scholarships, it's over $62,000/year! Maybe everyone gets that much in scholarships, and no one has to pay that full amount. With the scholarships, it's more than the full price of the state school, and he already has a scholarship offer there reducing that cost.

I guess the sticker shock comes in because my older son didn't even apply to any private colleges. I know that my daughter did, but I think she made her decision before most of those offers came in, so we didn't look at them closely.

Without getting too much into the debate of what is merit and what isn't merit (hurt feelings and all of that), I think most private schools (except for the tops - Ivies, Duke, Stanford - who claim to discount the fee solely on need and not "merit") take significant liberties by slashing the "sticker price." They can call it merit aid or whatever, but mostly they have to do so in order to remain competitive. Thus, I would imagine that almost everyone qualifies for the rebate in some way or form. I think that these schools do their best to couch these merit awards as some type of grand achievement.

Even with the significant price slash private universities usually will cost much more that in-state universities. There has been much discussion on this thread about the low acceptance rates in public universities. The new hierarchy seems to be top end private (Ivies, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago), followed by major state research universities (Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVA, North Carolina, etc), followed by other private schools, and then rolling admission state schools.

I know that in my state Furman University was always considered the most prestigious school. The reported acceptance rate is 65% - not exactly difficult. Going back to the example I cited a few pages back, Clemson is in the thirties - very difficult. The all-in cost for Clemson is $25,000/year. This can easily be reduced by earning a state-sponsored scholarship available to all South Carolinians and there are, or course, other need and achievement bases scholarships available. For a good student at Clemson (and based on the acceptance rates you have to be one to get it) the real cost per student is probably in the $15-20k/yr range.

Compare that to the all-in cost at Furman which is $61,000/yr. Even when $30,000 is knocked off the sticker price under the guise of merit the private school is still substantially higher than the state school. And while a Furman degree still might mean something the facts are that in the isolated comparison between these schools the state school seems to be a better all-around deal (cost, quality.) Of course, there are certainly valid reasons to attend private schools such as the intimate environment, personal attention and perhaps courses of study.

 

[AustinTink]

None of the Nerd Herd was in the top 2000, they are all impatiently waiting.........

We got the "I know it's hard, but you will hear on March 30th" letter.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this thread. Can't believe I didn't find it earlier. My oldest DD is a senior this year. I also have a DS who is a sophomore and a DD in 8th grade. Need to go look for a 2019 and soon 2021 threads.

Like many here we are struggling with the choice between a big name school with big price tag and a less expensive option. My DD wants to study Atmospheric Science and wants to stay on the east coast. We are from MA but only one state school offers Atmospheric Science and it is mixed with environmental science while she wants straight Atmospheric Science. She applied to 5 schools-1 in NH, 1 in VT -both of those would offer her a "New England" discount plus merit; a small PA state school, Penn State and SUNY Oswego. She got into all 5 and now Oswego is on the top of her list. They have been very generous with aid-so much so that it would be significantly cheaper to go here than a MA state school or the NH & VT schools. She could go tuition free at a MA school but the "fees" are higher than what we have to pay for Oswego. Oswego seems to be a better fit for her as she doesn't want a big school. Next week we are going to do an accepted student day at Penn State. I've heard they don't give much aid so currently she could do all 4 years at Oswego for the cost of one semester at Penn State. Still I want her to see the Penn State again so she doesn't question in 2 years why she didn't go there. After that we are driving to Oswego for her to do an overnight stay with a student and be sure it really is the best place for her.

I bought the book Where you go is not who you'll be but have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to read too much of it. I think I'll take it with me on the road trip.

If we had the state college options here in NJ that you have in NY we'd be encouraging an instate school as well. SUNY are great schools and offer so many options - I have 8 cousins who attends different SUNY colleges.

Nice to hear more good things about the SUNY system. As an out of state resident we have been very happy with the aid they offered DD.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Without getting too much into the debate of what is merit and what isn't merit (hurt feelings and all of that), I think most private schools (except for the tops - Ivies, Duke, Stanford - who claim to discount the fee solely on need and not "merit") take significant liberties by slashing the "sticker price." They can call it merit aid or whatever, but mostly they have to do so in order to remain competitive. Thus, I would imagine that almost everyone qualifies for the rebate in some way or form. I think that these schools do their best to couch these merit awards as some type of grand achievement.

Even with the significant price slash private universities usually will cost much more that in-state universities. There has been much discussion on this thread about the low acceptance rates in public universities. The new hierarchy seems to be top end private (Ivies, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago), followed by major state research universities (Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVA, North Carolina, etc), followed by other private schools, and then rolling admission state schools.

I know that in my state Furman University was always considered the most prestigious school. The reported acceptance rate is 65% - not exactly difficult. Going back to the example I cited a few pages back, Clemson is in the thirties - very difficult. The all-in cost for Clemson is $25,000/year. This can easily be reduced by earning a state-sponsored scholarship available to all South Carolinians and there are, or course, other need and achievement bases scholarships available. For a good student at Clemson (and based on the acceptance rates you have to be one to get it) the real cost per student is probably in the $15-20k/yr range.

Compare that to the all-in cost at Furman which is $61,000/yr. Even when $30,000 is knocked off the sticker price under the guise of merit the private school is still substantially higher than the state school. And while a Furman degree still might mean something the facts are that in the isolated comparison between these schools the state school seems to be a better all-around deal (cost, quality.) Of course, there are certainly valid reasons to attend private schools such as the intimate environment, personal attention and perhaps courses of study.

I wish our top state schools offered state sponsored scholarships like Clemson does. DS goes to UVA, and I can tell you the scholarship money at UVA is scarce! Kids have to be valedictorian material to even get in, so merit money is pretty much non existent. There is some income/need based aid, but the middle class folks don't qualify for it. So we pay full price, and UVA and VMI are the two most expensive state schools in Virginia. I posted up thread that UVA is $26,500 for tuition, room & board. If he gets into the undergrad business school next year, tuition goes up another $5000 a year to $31,500 for tuition, room & board (You can reduce room costs a bit if you live off campus and get a deal on housing - like your fraternity house).

DD is considering Va Tech (still waiting to hear, acceptance rate 69%) and James Madison University (accepted, acceptance rate 61%). She didn't get into to UVA (acceptance rate 29%). Va Tech costs $21,400 for tuition, room & board. JMU is a bargain at $19,960 for tuition, room & board. She also got into Old Dominion University (acceptance rate 83%), and they offered her $4000 a year in Merit money, but she feels the school is academically beneath her (and it is, that's why she got so much merit money). ODU is $20,750 for tuition, room & board; less the $4000, it would be $16,750 a year. However you slice it, college is expensive!!!

 

[bjscheel]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this thread. Can't believe I didn't find it earlier. My oldest DD is a senior this year. I also have a DS who is a sophomore and a DD in 8th grade. Need to go look for a 2019 and soon 2021 threads.

Like many here we are struggling with the choice between a big name school with big price tag and a less expensive option. My DD wants to study Atmospheric Science and wants to stay on the east coast. We are from MA but only one state school offers Atmospheric Science and it is mixed with environmental science while she wants straight Atmospheric Science. She applied to 5 schools-1 in NH, 1 in VT -both of those would offer her a "New England" discount plus merit; a small PA state school, Penn State and SUNY Oswego. She got into all 5 and now Oswego is on the top of her list. They have been very generous with aid-so much so that it would be significantly cheaper to go here than a MA state school or the NH & VT schools. She could go tuition free at a MA school but the "fees" are higher than what we have to pay for Oswego. Oswego seems to be a better fit for her as she doesn't want a big school. Next week we are going to do an accepted student day at Penn State. I've heard they don't give much aid so currently she could do all 4 years at Oswego for the cost of one semester at Penn State. Still I want her to see the Penn State again so she doesn't question in 2 years why she didn't go there. After that we are driving to Oswego for her to do an overnight stay with a student and be sure it really is the best place for her.

I bought the book Where you go is not who you'll be but have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to read too much of it. I think I'll take it with me on the road trip.

Nice to hear more good things about the SUNY system. As an out of state resident we have been very happy with the aid they offered DD.

Good to check everything out so she knows she's making the right decision but isn't nice that the current top choice is also the best price!

Welcome to the thread! I'm on the 2019 thread too- please join in!

 

[punkin]

Niece just got accepted to another school, but it's not high on her list and they gave very little money. Oh well. Still 3 schools we are waiting on.

 

[sk!mom]

Without getting too much into the debate of what is merit and what isn't merit (hurt feelings and all of that), I think most private schools (except for the tops - Ivies, Duke, Stanford - who claim to discount the fee solely on need and not "merit") take significant liberties by slashing the "sticker price." They can call it merit aid or whatever, but mostly they have to do so in order to remain competitive. Thus, I would imagine that almost everyone qualifies for the rebate in some way or form. I think that these schools do their best to couch these merit awards as some type of grand achievement.

Even with the significant price slash private universities usually will cost much more that in-state universities. There has been much discussion on this thread about the low acceptance rates in public universities. The new hierarchy seems to be top end private (Ivies, Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago), followed by major state research universities (Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVA, North Carolina, etc), followed by other private schools, and then rolling admission state schools.

I know that in my state Furman University was always considered the most prestigious school. The reported acceptance rate is 65% - not exactly difficult. Going back to the example I cited a few pages back, Clemson is in the thirties - very difficult. The all-in cost for Clemson is $25,000/year. This can easily be reduced by earning a state-sponsored scholarship available to all South Carolinians and there are, or course, other need and achievement bases scholarships available. For a good student at Clemson (and based on the acceptance rates you have to be one to get it) the real cost per student is probably in the $15-20k/yr range.

Compare that to the all-in cost at Furman which is $61,000/yr. Even when $30,000 is knocked off the sticker price under the guise of merit the private school is still substantially higher than the state school. And while a Furman degree still might mean something the facts are that in the isolated comparison between these schools the state school seems to be a better all-around deal (cost, quality.) Of course, there are certainly valid reasons to attend private schools such as the intimate environment, personal attention and perhaps courses of study.

You explained this all so well. I think that there is so much misconception about schools and available money. So many people seem to think that top students will get free rides and that just isn't the case for most. It really pays to research so that you have a realistic idea of what money your child might be offered at different schools.

I wish our top state schools offered state sponsored scholarships like Clemson does. DS goes to UVA, and I can tell you the scholarship money at UVA is scarce! Kids have to be valedictorian material to even get in, so merit money is pretty much non existent. There is some income/need based aid, but the middle class folks don't qualify for it. So we pay full price, and UVA and VMI are the two most expensive state schools in Virginia. I posted up thread that UVA is $26,500 for tuition, room & board. If he gets into the undergrad business school next year, tuition goes up another $5000 a year to $31,500 for tuition, room & board (You can reduce room costs a bit if you live off campus and get a deal on housing - like your fraternity house).

DD is considering Va Tech (still waiting to hear, acceptance rate 69%) and James Madison University (accepted, acceptance rate 61%). She didn't get into to UVA (acceptance rate 29%). Va Tech costs $21,400 for tuition, room & board. JMU is a bargain at $19,960 for tuition, room & board. She also got into Old Dominion University (acceptance rate 83%), and they offered her $4000 a year in Merit money, but she feels the school is academically beneath her (and it is, that's why she got so much merit money). ODU is $20,750 for tuition, room & board; less the $4000, it would be $16,750 a year. However you slice it, college is expensive!!!

Very good points. University of Texas is similar- very little merit money for anyone because with a 39% acceptance rate EVERYONE they are accepting is a top student. They just don't have to give aid to bring the cost done. Plenty of students are ready to enroll if accepted.

My DD is at a mid tier school. She got $6500 Freshman and Sophomore year and $8000 this year. Her school is right at 24,000 a year all in. She would have gotten $0 at UT.

 

[HockeyMomNH]

Hello all. I don't think I have ever posted in here before. My DD17 is graduating this year. She got accepted to Berklee School of Music in Boston. Not sure how we are going to swing it financially yet.

I didn't read too far back, but if anyone is looking for the 2017 Mickey Graduation Ears they are available on the Shop Parks App. I haven't seen them anywhere else yet. I had to order 14 pairs for my DD's HS Band trip in April.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Ugh, we just got an email from one college saying there are discrepancies between our CSS and fafsa. I don't know how that's possible since I used the numbers from CSS to complete fafsa but I guess I have to go through them again. Fun fun.

Funny-I had not an hour previously read your post and I got a call from my dh saying the same thing. A discrepancy between our CSS and FAFSA. In our case, the FAFSA only had two spots to list college students in your family, but the CSS had three. We will have three in college next year-two undergrad and one graduate school. As it turns out, we were told to list three college kids on both the CSS and the FAFSA. This is huge since it knocks our EFC down by $5,000.00 per kid! That is huge@!

 

[aprilgail]

I know that in my state Furman University was always considered the most prestigious school. The reported acceptance rate is 65% - not exactly difficult. Going back to the example I cited a few pages back, Clemson is in the thirties - very difficult. .

I would say 30's would be more middle of the road than "very difficult" Stanford University is 4.8%- THAT is very difficult to darn near impossible LOL

 

[robinb]

I would say 30's would be more middle of the road than "very difficult" Stanford University is 4.8%- THAT is very difficult to darn near impossible LOL

You really think an admittance rate in the 30's is "middle of the road"? According US News and Reports only 153 out of 1817 have acceptance rate of less than 40%. That is not "middle of the road" IMO. FWIW, Clemson comes in with a 51% acceptance rate on USN.

 

[Sanchez]

You really think an admittance rate in the 30's is "middle of the road"? According US News and Reports only 153 out of 1817 have acceptance rate of less than 40%. That is not "middle of the road" IMO. FWIW, Clemson comes in with a 51% acceptance rate on USN.

Agree with you on the difficulty aspect - I think a one-third acceptance rate for a major state school is difficult. You are also correct that various published numbers show much higher acceptance rates. I pulled the 30% figure from a recent article claiming that this year Clemson had 23,500 applications for fewer than 4,500 spots. Understanding that there are more acceptances than slots the indication is that this year the acceptance rate is in the 30's.

Our son is not applying to Clemson so I have no reason to bolster the numbers. Just using that particular school as an example because it indicates the increasing difficulty in gaining acceptance to good state schools. It certainly was much easier in my day and even five years ago.

 

[sksjasams]

Actually, accurate data comes from the school's published common data set or fact sheet.
Here Clemson states for Fall 2016:

FALL 2016 FRESHMAN CLASS


Applied 23,506

Accepted 11,891

Enrolled 3,685

So, for this school year, the acceptance rate was 50.587% or 51%. While they appear to enroll about 30% of their accepted students, that figure has nothing to do with acceptance rate...

 

[robinb]

So, for this school year, the acceptance rate was 50.587% or 51%. While they appear to enroll about 30% of their accepted students, that figure has nothing to do with acceptance rate...

I think that's called the "yield rate".

 

[sksjasams]

I think that's called the "yield rate".

Yes! The word escaped me...thank you!

 

[robinb]

I am in the process of planning an EXCITING spring break. No, we're no going to WDW. We're going to tour colleges! Yay!

• We are going to start in Chicago on Monday April 10th for the World Champion Cubs opening day. I have not missed an opening day in over 30 years and I'm certainly not going to miss this one!
• On Tuesday we drive to Indianapolis to visit Indiana University Purdue University Indiana (IUPUI) where my DD has been accepted. I'm going to arrange a tour in the afternoon.
• On Wednesday we then head west to Kansas City to visit the University of Kansas where my DD has also been accepted. It's about a 7 hour drive and I'd like to stop at another college on the way. I was thinking about Southern Illinois University in Carbondale or maybe revisit Illinois State where my DD has been accepted. I'll arrange a tour at one of those schools (even though we unofficially toured ISU already).
• On Thursday we will tour University of Kansas.
• We will then head north (I think) either to Minneapolis to walk around again and maybe drop into the admissions office and speak to a counselor if I can determine if that may help her chances by showing that level of interest. They will let her know id she's off the waitlist by April 15th. Or, we will head back to Chicago for another Cubs game on Saturday. Along the way we may stop at Iowa State in Ames, IA.

 

[sksjasams]

I am in the process of planning an EXCITING spring break. No, we're no going to WDW. We're going to tour colleges! Yay!

Have a great time!! Happy to hear your DD can add Kansas to her accepted list

 

[robinb]

Have a great time!! Happy to hear your DD can add Kansas to her accepted list

Thanks! She also got accepted at IUPUI .

 

[sksjasams]

Thanks! She also got accepted at IUPUI .

That's awesome! She is on a roll!!