Parents of the HS Class of 2012 - Original

[glido]

Okay - I am startng to get nervous. EFCs are arriving and they are all over the map. Is there anyway that one school could calculate EFC at $18,000 and another at $47,500? Can that really happen?

[kttmom]

glido - I would love to know that too - they all have the same exact information so how can the numbers vary so much?

[Highbury]

Oh no Glida, that's crazy....almost all our schools came in within a thousand dollars of each other. The only exception was BC which was about 7,000 per year more than the others..but the numbers you describe are just crazy.

[Highbury]

Ha ha didn't mean to change your name to glida! Sorry glido...

[jaylynn]

5boys--- A book about the PCT called "Wild" is getting a lot of good press. Another something you might want to look at.

All this talk about revisits--- there's no way we could do any. Time, dance team schedule and distance the main factors--- we didn't even visit all eight schools the first time around! D didn't want to do any overnights (how does THAT bode for a kid who's supposedly going to live away from home next fall-- hmm.). So. We will base our decision on printed stuff, websites and memories of our visits long ago! Luckily there is a girl from our high school at USD who has been giving D some good info and encouragement via Facebook.

[mathinokc]

Glido --

That amount of difference is amazing! Our EFCs were all within $2000 of each other (and we have the FA info from 9 schools).

My daughter is doing a single visit this month. She's either already visited the other schools and doesn't feel the need to go back OR she's eliminated the school from consideration.

[condor30]

glido, yes, yes, that can happen. we have a wide disparity too. very different packages.

[MommyMommy]

EFC at $18,000 and another at $47,500? Can that really happen?

Yeah, we're in the same boat. Brings clarity in a hurry, eh? I think (I'm guessing here) that it relates to the total aid available vs. how much they really want the student. At least, that's how I'm taking it. In our case, there's no way Sarah Lawrence could have looked at our family income and determined that we could afford to pay or go into debt $40,000 a year, yet that was their offer. Like they want our kid, but only if she can pay. It had not occurred to me that when colleges say they "meet demonstrated need" that that can mean they meet it with loans.

[Lark123]

I had a similar question on FA. I know at least one of the schools required D's dad submit non-custodial parent information through the CSS profile. Most schools did not require that form be submitted though. Would that additional piece of information be why they were the only school to offer substantially more assistance (and when I looked it up, the grant being offered that put the package well above the others appears to be needs based). I had heard about schools offering LESS aid when they considered the noncustodial parent's financial situation, but do some schools take the noncustodial parent's income into account and offer MORE aid?

[MommyMommy]

I had heard about schools offering LESS aid when they considered the noncustodial parent's financial situation, but do some schools take the noncustodial parent's income into account and offer MORE aid?

I think count your blessings and don't ask the school too many questions 'bout this.

[kleibo]

Glido - do all of the schools that have sent you packages claim to meet 100% of need? I think that difference is really too much.

Mommy, mommy - colleges should not be including parent loans when meeting need. If a school meets 100% of need (I didn't think SL did) - the need should be fulfilled with grants, scholarships, stafford and perkins loans and work study. Only the EFC should be filled with the Parent Loan.

But if a college does not meet 100% of need. Anything is game.

[cortana431]

Parents, for your childrens accepted studeny days, are you generally with your sons or daughter(s) the entire time or basically drop them off and leave them to the celebration an visit?

[Highbury]

That makes sense kleibo, D only applied to schools that meet 100 percent of need. That's probably why all our aid packages were so similar.

[familyof3boys]

DS and I are going to Student Orientation next week. This is for students who have already committed and deposited. He meets with his advisor, gets his student ID, etc. The schedule for the day is on the website, so I know that the parents and students are together for some parts and separated for others.

[mihcal1]

Luckily, my D's school is being very understanding (so far! knock on wood!) of all the days she will miss in April. She'll miss 4~5 days for college visits, and another 3 days for school-related competitions.