GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 19, 2015 17:24:37 GMT -5
My son just started filling out applications this week, however, the two he chose were pretty much the most expensive ones in the state... I had a talk with him, explained that the cost of tuition would be more than I take home in a year. I've been trying to get him to start figuring things out for the last year +, but he just wouldn't do it. He made AP scholar a year early (as a junior), so most of his first year is already knocked out, but because he took a nose dive last year, his GPA hovers barely above a 2 point. So incredibly frustrating! He'd be able to apply for all kinds of scholarships, but the gpa is really going to limit him. I just could not get that through his head last year, and now, it's a little late for a big improvement. I'm going to have him apply to a couple state schools, and if I can get some good overtime next year I can help him out more. He has a little child support coming his way as long as he stays in school, so he'll have that. We did a financial aid forecast, and doesn't look like he'll get anything there (just $1.5k in work study, and $5.5k in loans). I've got most of the next two weeks off, he has next week off, so I plan to sit down with him and really look at what is realistic, without crushing his newly found hope to go to college. Ideally, financially, he'd go to the local community college and take enough to knock out the final couple credits for his freshman year, as well as complete his sophomore year, and then next year go to a state school with better grades and more money. I know he doesn't want to right now, but I'm going to lay it out as one of the options. He's incredibly intelligent, and really could do anything he wanted, just doesn't have the grades and was late on finding motivation (but, so happy he has found it! And, in the end, that is what really matters.) Anyway, we'll be working on the whole process pretty heavy soon as well. And really, really searching for scholarships. Were there extenuating circumstances why his grades bombed? Was he impacted by the crap you went through at work? If so, that should be explained in his application, by his Guidance Counselor in his/her recommendation letter, by teachers' letters of recommendation, etc. The fact that he has rebounded works in his favor and explaining the reasons for the grade drops can still open doors for some scholarships and grants. It's worth a try with the CC being his Plan B.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Nov 19, 2015 17:24:59 GMT -5
Don't assume "expensive"'schools will end up being expensive in the final tally. Many have deep pockets and can find all kinds of reasons to give scholarships, grants, and awards to kids that they *WANT* for their team/orchestra/whatever. "Expensive" schools often end up costing the same, or eve less, than state schools IF an applicant has special skills the colleges want (which it sounds like your nephew has). College admission -- rightly or wrongly -- has, for most colleges aside from the Ivies -- now become a campaign of sales and marketing and negotiating than the academic crowning achievement it once was. So, don't write off expensive schools simply because of cost. Unfortunately, you don't find out how much a college will give an applicant until he/she applies (although one school ODS visited on a coach's invite had the Admissions Director meet with us and personally tell us how much they would give ODS if he went there and played lacrosse for them -- but that was a Division II school so different rules). As for the standardized test scores, many, many colleges have now deemed them to be an optional part of the application. Check B-W's Admissions requirements to find out if they have also gone the optional route. If so, your DN need not submit them. And will not be thought any lesser for not doing so. If B-W still requires standardized test scores, did your nephew take the SATs? Because SATs test logic and critical thinking and the ACTs test subject knowledge. Many kids do better on one test than the other, so SATs might be an option. Also, your nephew's Guidance Counselor will be writing a recommendation. If test scores are required at any school your nephew is interested in, your nephew should be sure to meet with him/her beforehand and ask the counselor to address the low ACT scores. The Guidance Counselor can highlight in the letter your nephew's strong writing skills or math proficiency or other academic strengths that will easily offset the standardized test scores (because, really, standardized test scores reflect very narrow skill sets that colleges are beginning to realize don't fully predict a student's likelihood of college success absent other issues such as learning disabilities). So, have him apply. Have him apply early and to tell the track coach that he applied so that the coach can be part of the Admissions and the scholarship decisions. And, it is absolutely now appropriate to ask for a reconsideration of aid if your nephew doesn't get enough and therefore can't afford to attend the school. That's another time when letting the track coach and the college's admission rep assigned to your nephew know he needs more money can be hugely helpful. I wish him well. Feel free to ask more questions!!! .
I attended a private college for less than it would have cost to go to a state school. And I did not have student loans.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 19, 2015 17:36:48 GMT -5
Apple in that case could he go to summer school at the CC to complete the freshman classes and then either:
- choose a more reasonably priced state school for the last 3 years? or - stay at the CC for one more year and go to one of his choices of private school for the last 2 years?
In my experience they always do better with choices.
ETA: Shop I'm certainly not ignoring you but I know nothing about athletic scholarships. Best of luck to your nephew!
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 19, 2015 17:52:21 GMT -5
Other thing I forgot to mention ... he can't stay in the dorms during his visit in Feb because of course they are occupied by the students, duh! They only offer that option in the summer, which makes sense LOL
DS3's 5th and last choice is the only school he applied to in London. To be honest we are very relieved, for several reasons: financially (the cost of housing there is insane), for safety reasons (given the recent terrorist attacks here), and because he has spent all of MS and HS commuting 45 min each way to and from school. DS3 is very happy with the idea of being on a campus (at least initially) after all those years spent commuting.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 19, 2015 18:02:24 GMT -5
Apple in that case could he go to summer school at the CC to complete the freshman classes and then either: - choose a more reasonably priced state school for the last 3 years? or - stay at the CC for one more year and go to one of his choices of private school for the last 2 years? In my experience they always do better with choices. ETA: Shop I'm certainly not ignoring you but I know nothing about athletic scholarships. Best of luck to your nephew! Yeah, I definitely just want to lay out options I can think of for him, and let him think about them and start to do some of his own scheming. In a way, it's all new to me too. I didn't go to CC until I was 21, and I went through a program tied to a job. My dreams of "real" college were crushed as a senior, knowing I'd get no financial help from my parents, and then getting pregnant. I had the grades, but he doesn't have the other road blocks I had. So, we'll wade through it together. He'll need to set his own priorities, I just want to present good info to him so he can make an informed decision. Right now, he is not considering military at all, not sure if that will change or not, but I'll present that as an option as well. However, with him, it's not the best fit, for many reasons. And, working for the government myself, I don't wish those frustrations on him at all. Even though I had a high GPA, a ton of AP classes under my belt (I graduated with over 40 college credits), and had been working since I was a kid (paper route, orchard work, retail, pizza restaurant, etc) no one ever once sat down with me to talk about options, how to apply for scholarships, anything. I'll I got from my parents was "you're on your own, but if you go to CC in town, you can live at home for a while." I won't do that to him. This town is too small for him, I never escaped, and I want to help open up the world for him as much as I can.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 19, 2015 18:05:59 GMT -5
My son just started filling out applications this week, however, the two he chose were pretty much the most expensive ones in the state... I had a talk with him, explained that the cost of tuition would be more than I take home in a year. I've been trying to get him to start figuring things out for the last year +, but he just wouldn't do it. He made AP scholar a year early (as a junior), so most of his first year is already knocked out, but because he took a nose dive last year, his GPA hovers barely above a 2 point. So incredibly frustrating! He'd be able to apply for all kinds of scholarships, but the gpa is really going to limit him. I just could not get that through his head last year, and now, it's a little late for a big improvement. I'm going to have him apply to a couple state schools, and if I can get some good overtime next year I can help him out more. He has a little child support coming his way as long as he stays in school, so he'll have that. We did a financial aid forecast, and doesn't look like he'll get anything there (just $1.5k in work study, and $5.5k in loans). I've got most of the next two weeks off, he has next week off, so I plan to sit down with him and really look at what is realistic, without crushing his newly found hope to go to college. Ideally, financially, he'd go to the local community college and take enough to knock out the final couple credits for his freshman year, as well as complete his sophomore year, and then next year go to a state school with better grades and more money. I know he doesn't want to right now, but I'm going to lay it out as one of the options. He's incredibly intelligent, and really could do anything he wanted, just doesn't have the grades and was late on finding motivation (but, so happy he has found it! And, in the end, that is what really matters.) Anyway, we'll be working on the whole process pretty heavy soon as well. And really, really searching for scholarships. Were there extenuating circumstances why his grades bombed? Was he impacted by the crap you went through at work? If so, that should be explained in his application, by his Guidance Counselor in his/her recommendation letter, by teachers' letters of recommendation, etc. The fact that he has rebounded works in his favor and explaining the reasons for the grade drops can still open doors for some scholarships and grants. It's worth a try with the CC being his Plan B. I'm not sure what he can explain away, but I know he'll get awesome references from a couple of his teachers, even with the poor grades. I think he can succeed in college, even though high school wasn't great for grades. Hopefully he can convince someone who makes decisions about that.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 19, 2015 18:09:09 GMT -5
Other thing I forgot to mention ... he can't stay in the dorms during his visit in Feb because of course they are occupied by the students, duh! They only offer that option in the summer, which makes sense LOL DS3's 5th and last choice is the only school he applied to in London. To be honest we are very relieved, for several reasons: financially (the cost of housing there is insane), for safety reasons (given the recent terrorist attacks here), and because he has spent all of MS and HS commuting 45 min each way to and from school. DS3 is very happy with the idea of being on a campus (at least initially) after all those years spent commuting. I'm glad things seem to be looking right for him! I'm so jealous of your school costs I've let him know he has my blessing to apply for European colleges, even if it's a long shot, and we won't get those prices.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 19, 2015 18:17:33 GMT -5
I just want to present good info to him so he can make an informed decision.
That's the best thing you can do for him Apple. :-)
IMO there is no point in applying to Europe unless it's a free or low-cost program. It's so far... He can go to Europe later. :-)
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 19, 2015 18:20:58 GMT -5
Apple our costs are probably very comparable to your costs for state university (I think, but I could be wrong.) Remember DS3 is only applying to public UK universities. UK tuition today is equal to nearly $14K a year (plus room and board). But, it's only 3 years here.
There are more and more 4-year programs available but the vast majority include a year abroad learning another language.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 19, 2015 18:38:51 GMT -5
I just want to present good info to him so he can make an informed decision.
That's the best thing you can do for him Apple. :-) IMO there is no point in applying to Europe unless it's a free or low-cost program. It's so far... He can go to Europe later. :-) But if it gets him to consider college! I think mentioning it is what helped finally light some kind of fire in him, so no regrets there. It's far, but and it means I'd have to visit him at college in Europe, so I could handle that Really though, it would have to be the right program, and I know he thought about it but not sure he's doing it. As for home, I've told him until he knows what he wants, he should only apply for in-state colleges since out-of-state is usually double the tuition (or more). No need for that for the first year unless there is more of a goal in mind (and he has no idea what he wants to do). I've asked about Southern Oregon University, but he isn't really excited about that one, and I don't know why (hoping to get more answers next week when we have more time to pour over stuff). It's in an area with lots of theater related activity (think Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and he loves theater. Reasonable tuition, etc. I've also brought up University of Oregon, and Portland schools (I shudder at the thought of Portland, but I think he could do well there). I also think he'd excel at OIT, but technology/engineering so far has held no interest for him.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 19, 2015 18:42:41 GMT -5
I'm sure you will find a happy compromise Apple! He's a lovely young man and if you give him all those options I'm sure he will make intelligent choices.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 20, 2015 8:34:01 GMT -5
Both DH and I went to a CC and then transferred to a university. So nothing against a CC, but if he is looking for a school that has lower tuition for out state tuition this may be a good place to start. www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/10-colleges-with-affordable-out-of-state-tuition/2My experience is some areas are just cheaper. So here on the east coast the southern states tend to be cheaper than the north east. Living in NJ an avg cost for one year including R&B is between $20K and $25K when all is said and done. We looked at some state schools in North and South Carolina and the costs were really close. Their costs were double what they cost in state students but since their tuition is only $5k a year to start with it makes it doable. Or at least as doable as in state tuition was to begin with.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 20, 2015 8:46:29 GMT -5
Apple: When your DS decides on a major and if your state colleges don't offer that major, check wth reciprocity agreements between your state colleges and the state schools in neighboring states. Often, students can attend out-of-state public colleges for in-state charges under these programs. If accepted, YDS will have the choice of 3 fabulous state colleges in nearby states at the same cost we would pay if he attended UMASS.
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shopaholic814
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Post by shopaholic814 on Nov 20, 2015 9:17:44 GMT -5
debthaven: no worries, I know my case is specialized since I'm not him mom anyway. There's only so much DH & I can do for him. I'm just trying to get info to help him anyway. Just reading what all of you are talking about helps me learn for my own kiddos down the road anyway. Thanks!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 20, 2015 11:06:10 GMT -5
debthaven: no worries, I know my case is specialized since I'm not him mom anyway. There's only so much DH & I can do for him. I'm just trying to get info to help him anyway. Just reading what all of you are talking about helps me learn for my own kiddos down the road anyway. Thanks! I'm happy to help on the athletic recruiting side. ODS was recruited to play college lacrosse by both DII and DIII schools. It is a very interesting process with a nearly vertical learning curve. And, now, I have YDS going through the regular application process. What a difference in both good, and bad, ways.
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shopaholic814
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Post by shopaholic814 on Nov 20, 2015 11:49:06 GMT -5
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl: this is such a hard case b/c nephew's mom is literally a mean, horrible woman. She's a mess & making this whole college thing so difficult for him. He wants nothing to do with her anymore & just wants to get into a good school, far enough away that his mom can't visit all the time. His dad works all the time, just to get away from the mom. So my DH tries to fill in b/c he knows more about college than either parent does & he works at the High School nephew attends, & is his coachin 3 sports. If we could, I would move him into our house in a heartbeat. Nephew also has a very rare heart condition, so he doesn't necessarily want to go out of state in case something severe happens. He has been accepted to Kent State University & Ashland University, but both places he would only walk on in Track at this point, no money has been offered. Ashland has an ex-Olympic discus & hammer Thrower as their throwing coach & he is very well known in the area (very full of himselftoo) and nephew's throws haven't been good enough for Judd Logan to offer $$ for him.Nephew has not taken SAT's b/c his parentswon't pay for them. His mother said they are too expensive for him to take. She is a very selfish, horrible woman. She wouldn't even pay for summer Throwing camps for her son to improve his sport, knowing he had a chance to get college scholarships. She has 3 older childern, they refusedto fill out any college paperwork for any kids b/c they wouldn't take on any debt fortheir kids to go to college. But they bought a brand new camper & go on vacation every year. DH & I paid for individual lessons forhim with the Throwing coach at Kent State Univ last winter & will do it again this winter as his Birthday & Christmas gifts. It gets him noticed by a Head College coach, he can put that work on his resume, and its experience for the upcoming season. Nephew ismore than happy with that. He loves to work that coach. He wants to go work with the coach at Baldwin Wallace also, which DH will figure out a way to make happen. Anything to get nephew out of his house, away from his mother & out of that town. It sounds like an episode of Jerry Springer... I can't believe what I married into, they used to be such normal people 15-20yrs ago!
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 20, 2015 12:13:24 GMT -5
Shop, they don't have to take on any debt just because they fill out the FASFA. But if they don't fill out the FASFA the child might not be eligible for any school aid even scholarships. The schools just want to get any state or federal aid that the student is entitled to before putting out school money. But not having that FASFA filled out can in some cases be a deal breaker for scholarships and aid. Sorry.
Is it possible to have another family member talk to her and convince her to at least fill out the FASFA while explaining ti their kid that they will not put in any money? It think it will be really really really hard to do this without any cooperation from the parents for filling out forms.
Good luck~
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shopaholic814
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Post by shopaholic814 on Nov 20, 2015 12:52:05 GMT -5
Oh, my DH tried, her parents have tried, school counselor tried, but she knows more than everyone! She might fill out the paperwork for this last child, b/c he's the last one & he's the most talented of the bunch. She might get some more accolades if he gets an athletic scholarship on top of having placed at State the past 2 years in Discus. Its all about her, don't you know? She's insane....
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 20, 2015 12:58:05 GMT -5
A couple of other points. I apologize if any of this is old news.
Your nephew should start casting a wider net, comparatively speaking. I understand that he wants to stay relatively close to home, but there are a lot of really good schools in Ohio (ODS was formally recruited by 3 of them!) that would keep him only a couple of hours away. There are also good medical centers in other areas, such as Columbus. He should reach out by email (using a new email addy he sets up just for recruiting such as John.Smith@gmail.com) to as many track coaches within a certain radius of home as he is comfortable with. He should introduce himself, explain what interests him about each college: I am interested in Jones College because of its strong business/biology/whatever program, its strong athletic programs in the Whatever League of Division I/II/III, and its urban/suburban/rural campus near (name a bigger town). (This previous sentence is HUGELY important -- it lets coaches know that the student is NOT sending out generalized spam, but has taken the time to learn about the coach's school and is, therefore, a viable recruiting candidate.) He should then tell the coach about any and all athletic honors and let the coach know where your nephew will be competing in the coming months (indoor and outdoor VARSITY track meets, invitationals, etc.).
Your nephew should also fill out the recruiting questionnaires on each of the schools' athletics websites.
Finally, he should check each school's track team's website for recruiting camps/prospect days, etc. and try to attend some of them.
My point in all of this is that two fold: 1. By reaching out to many coaches rather than just a couple, your nephew increases his chances of being recruited, and 2) when the dust settles, it is possible to pit 2 or more schools against each other for more money.
Let his mother know that if she fills out the FAFSA and supports your nephew in the recruiting process, he may get enough aid (scholarships (athletic for D1 and DII and merit for all 3 NCAA Divisions), grants, awards, etc.) based upon his athletic skills and high school grades to attend college for very little money. She won't have to pay. Getting this money will absolutely take some work, but it can definitely pay off in the long run.
P.S. Re: Ashland -- Division II program -- the coach only gets a small amount of scholarship money compared to the football team. So, he might only get 10 full-time equivalent scholarships that he has to spread out over a track team of 40-50 athletes. It is not uncommon to get very little athletic money from a Division II team that isn't a money tree (football, basketball). Your nephew needs to talk to the Admissions folks at Ashland and any other school to find out what kind of merit aid he qualifies for. He can bring unofficial transcripts with him on a campus tour and meet with an Admissions rep who can give him a conditional answer.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 20, 2015 12:59:06 GMT -5
I'd talk to the FA office about hte situation. Some colleges do offer their own FA paperwork to get aid thru them. However he won't be able to get any federal aid unless the FASFA is filled out. I understand why things are set up the way they are with the FASFA but it's kids like shop's nephew that get hosed. It angers me that parents can screw their kids when it comes to college just by refusing to fill out a form.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 20, 2015 13:10:09 GMT -5
Oh, my DH tried, her parents have tried, school counselor tried, but she knows more than everyone! She might fill out the paperwork for this last child, b/c he's the last one & he's the most talented of the bunch. She might get some more accolades if he gets an athletic scholarship on top of having placed at State the past 2 years in Discus. Its all about her, don't you know? She's insane.... For someone like this, try the "You know a good chunk of your state and federal taxes go toward financial aid for college, right? Don't you think it's time you got you got some of those taxes back?? Other families' kid's are getting all the benefit from your taxes. Don't you think (darling nephew) should??" argument.
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shopaholic814
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Post by shopaholic814 on Nov 20, 2015 13:35:35 GMT -5
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl- You know, I never considered that. I will have to tell my DH to have this discussion with her or her husband. I don't speak to her anymore than I have to at family gatherings.
NomoreDramaQ1015- It runs in the family, my DH's father filled out all the paperwork, but DH was on his own for paying for a private school college education all on his own. He worked full-time, went to school full-time, and was on the college track team, plus has extra hours he had to work for the Athletic Training degree he was getting. DH didn't have great grades in HS or ACT, so he didn't get much Financial Aid. DH's family was busy catering to his sister, her husband & her family to help DH in college in the mid-90's.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Nov 21, 2015 13:26:32 GMT -5
IME it isn't the low income people who refuse to fill out the FASFA for their kids. Every time I have seen it the parents actually make pretty good money, even by YM standards. What they don't want is their kids to get that info.
So while not helping your kid at all when you make six figures doesn't make you look good, to them not filling out the form just makes the bad guy someone else not them since it isn't their fault that the school won't give out aid or scholarships without their info on the FASFA.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Nov 22, 2015 17:31:30 GMT -5
Now DS3 is thinking that maybe his 5th choice maybe actually be his third choice. To clarify: since he didn't get his first choice, everything else moves up a notch: his former 2nd choice is now his first choice, his former third choice is now his second choice, etc etc. So (eliminating the first choice) he now has 3 conditional offers, and is still waiting for to hear from the 4th school. So we'll see a) if he gets an offer from them and b) what mark they want on the Bac. That's the only school in London, so we don't love the idea (partly but not only because of $$$), but we won't refuse if he opts to go there.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Nov 22, 2015 22:27:50 GMT -5
Now DS3 is thinking that maybe his 5th choice maybe actually be his third choice. To clarify: since he didn't get his first choice, everything else moves up a notch: his former 2nd choice is now his first choice, his former third choice is now his second choice, etc etc. So (eliminating the first choice) he now has 3 conditional offers, and is still waiting for to hear from the 4th school. So we'll see a) if he gets an offer from them and b) what mark they want on the Bac. That's the only school in London, so we don't love the idea (partly but not only because of $$$), but we won't refuse if he opts to go there. Not sure how it plays out there, but, here, it is possible to apply to many colleges well into February. That means, many kids are receiving acceptances well into April. Most schools have a May 1st deposit deadline to secure a student's place in the Freshman class. That means, kids can, and often do, shuffle the deck like your DS3 is doing and change their minds until midnight on May 1. This extended application process in the U.S. can be horrifically stressful, although it can also offer kids who don't get accepted anywhere in the early rounds a chance to get accepted at schools who still need to fill seats.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 23, 2015 18:09:31 GMT -5
Last night I wrote out a bunch of options, with pros/cons of each. They included military, community college for one year, and going straight to college.
Then, I wrote down the estimated expenses for University of Oregon, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, Linfield, and the local community college. I put down tuition costs, housing, meal requirement if mandatory (it would be nice if he could find an off-site apartment or something with a kitchen, since he cooks), books, fees, etc.
I also listed how much he'll be getting in child support (until he turns 21), how much he can expect from me, how much he can get in work study (not much, only $1500), and subsidized loans (first year is $5.5k, I'd rather he not take out any until he is in senior year and knows what he wants to do though).
I plan to sit down with him this week and go over it. Not sure if I can talk him into the CC for a year, but financially, I can show him that it can be completely paid for with the child support, he can get a part time job and save that money, I will save so much each month (and dedicate any overtime to it as well), and at the end of next school year, he might have enough saved, with enough coming in, to go to the college of his choice for junior and senior year. If he gets the "average assistance" to Linfield, it could end up not being much more expensive than a state school.
Will give him more to think about, and I think real numbers laid out for him will help a lot.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Dec 12, 2015 18:04:36 GMT -5
DS3 got an offer from the last school today! But it is a higher offer than his first choice, which is already high enough (i.e. they want a higher grade on the Baccalaureate).
Now that he has heard from all 5 universities, he needs to decide on a first and second choice. It's still unclear whether he has one week or till May to decide. I think it's actually up to him, but I'm not sure. He's seeing his college counsellor on Monday to clarify that.
He has a definite first choice, but his second choice is asking for .5 less on the Bac, which is tempting. His college counsellor told him that he can write to his first choice and ask them if they would come down half a point to match the other place, in exchange for him listing them as his first choice. She has offered to help him write that letter.
It's a difficult decision though ... the school he got the offer from today is probably more prestigious worldwide, and he's tempted by that. But, it's in London, and after spending 1.5-2h per day commuting all through MS and HS, he's torn, because he really wants to be on a campus and live "locally". His college counsellor (who knows him very well) is advising him not to go to school in London, and to go to a university with a real campus.
Does anybody else have any news/updates?! Shooby? GRG? Apple?
ETA: Now that it's less fresh I can say it ... he got an offer from everywhere he applied but Oxbridge. He was really upset at the time but it's probably for the best, the Bac mark they would have asked for would have put too much pressure on him.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 13, 2015 1:02:01 GMT -5
No real update here, just saving what I can. Child support now goes to DS since he turned 18. I'm letting him cash a little each month, and then save the rest for college. I've spoken with him, but he hasn't responded with much yet.
Scholarship packets are not available at the school until January, but hopefully he'll get something there. He has high SAT scores, but that low gpa is going to hurt him...
I'm hoping he'll go the community college route for the first year. I've done more budget manipulating, and will sit down with him and show him that if he does that, at the end of one year, we should have enough in cash to pay the entire second year at a state school. Third year we'd have most of it saved, but he may have to take out a small loan.
I've been on him about those grades for years, so it's kind of ticking me off that he didn't get them up. I'm already paying more for car insurance because he can't get the good student discount. So, I definitely won't pay for everything, since he refused to help himself, but I won't completely punish him for the bad decision if he'll get off his butt and get it corrected. We'll see how it works out, but he's going to have to get a job when he graduates (I made a deal with him sophomore year that if he stayed in theater, I would not make him get a job in high school. I worked since fifth grade, and while the money was nice, it sucked to miss out on theater and other stuff I wanted to do. He has a lifetime to work, but is only in high school for a few years.)
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 13, 2015 6:00:40 GMT -5
I worry about some community colleges. I only know about Chemeketa but what I know is those kids rarely go beyond. If you're absolutely sure you can get him to go on, it's worth a shot, but remember what and who he could be attending school with and seriously look at the background of the teachers at the CC you're thinking of.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Dec 13, 2015 7:46:50 GMT -5
I worry about some community colleges. I only know about Chemeketa but what I know is those kids rarely go beyond. If you're absolutely sure you can get him to go on, it's worth a shot, but remember what and who he could be attending school with and seriously look at the background of the teachers at the CC you're thinking of. It would be the community college in my town. I went there for my associates degree (for my current job). He'd be living at home that year. Since he doesn't know what he wants to do, it would help him knock out his general classes and save money to go somewhere else. Of course, he hates this town, so it may be a hard sell. A different community college would still require housing,etc, so at that point he may as well go to a state college.
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