HelloImChelsea

Hi everyone.

My mom basically told me that Scripps or any other college (Middlebury, Macalester, Colby) won't give kids any financial aid unless they're a minority or highly intelligent (which she said that I'm not). She said that Scripps (my first choice) relies on the government for money. She said that I'm middle class, so I won't get anything. My parents' income was roughly $52,000 last year. Surely I'll get some help, right? She also said that I'm not good enough to get into Scripps either.

My mom wants me to go to a college where the tuition is $5000 per year. She said she'll only pay half. And if I'll get into Scripps, she'll only pay $2500 and I'll have to take out loans to cover the rest.

Please help me. Please tell me that I'm not living in a fantasy world. It's not like my dream school is NYU.

I'm very distraught, so please excuse any errors.

PatheticHopeFul

Well, Scripps is a pretty pricey school, about $59,000 a year. However, they do meet 100% need so if you are a needy applicant I'd assume you might get quite a bit of aid. If your income is accurate and your family doesn't have any significant assets you should qualify for a lot of aid (the average FA package is $35,000--87% of that is pure scholarship money, too. Have your mother review Scripps Website about Financial Aid, she may be misinformed and make sure you apply to a variety of schools as well.

HelloImChelsea

Thanks! I've tried everything.

I'm applying to Scripps, Middlebury, Pitzer, Macalester, Colby, Mount Holyoke and Occidental. Are those schools fairly generous with aid? I might also apply to Trinity College in CT. My safety schools are University of Arkansas, Missouri State, Mizzou and Truman State.

dodgersmom

Do a search for "Net Price Calculator" at the websites for each of the schools you're interested in. Then fill in your family financial information and run the calculator . . . see what result you get. Have your mom sit down and do it with you, so that she can see what kind of aid you might be eligible for. The results are not guaranteed, but they should be in the ballpark of what your award would be if you were admitted.

mom2collegekids

I don't think UArk is a safety school. Isn't it OOS? If so, how would you cover the costs? It doesn't give great aid

For a school to be a safety, you HAVE to know that you have all costs covered.


Scripps does NOT rely on the gov't for money. And its aid is given to ANYONE with need, not just minorities. And, yes, you have need.


have your mom do a net price calculator on each schools' website. She's very wrong.

Parent46

Hi, Chelsea. I'm sorry to hear that your mom is not exactly being very supportive. Please don't go by her estimate alone of your capabilities--look at some of the discussion areas for colleges you are interested in and compare your test scores and GPA with those of past admitted students. Also check out websites that list statistics of admitted students, such as the colleges' own websites. And maybe talk to your school's guidance counselor or some trusted teachers?

Many private colleges, Scripps and those others you mentioned, do give quite a lot of financial aid, and if your stats are high enough, you may get a lot of your education paid for. However, you'll at least be expected to take some student loans at these places, so you may come out of college with possibly $26,000 in debt, that's kind of the high average for these schools.

There are many good schools, the University of Alabama and Indiana University at Bloomington come to mind, that will guarantee you a merit scholarship if you have a high enough GPA and SAT scores. So you might want to look into those possibilities.

You're from Missouri, right? Does the University of Missouri offer merit scholarships for high-achieving in-state students?

Anyhow, don't give up! Even if you have to go to community college for a couple of years, you could transfer to your state university and get a great education...

HelloImChelsea

Mom2collegekids: I live close enough to the border that UArk will consider me in-state. I'm two counties from the state line.

I did do College Board's Net Price Calculator. It said that our net price for Scripps would be about $11,000 per year. She didn't believe it. I know that I'm not going to be able to go for free, but I don't think I'll have to pay the full price either.

HelloImChelsea

Parent46: Yes, I'm from Missouri. My guidance counselor isn't used to dealing with kids like me who want to go away to school because kids from my school end up attending either Mizzou or community college.

Mizzou does have scholarships for high-achieving students; however, my back-up plan is to go to Missouri State. I don't think I would like how big Mizzou is. Mizzou doesn't offer my intended major either. Thanks for the advice.

My mom wants me to go to the University of Michigan because we have family there, but she doesn't know how we would afford it.

I plan on getting a job during college as well. I don't mind taking out a 5 or 6 thousand dollar loan. I hope that it doesn't get too overwhelming.

annasdad

As long as your mom is letting you apply to the more expensive schools, what's the problem? Apply and see what the financial aid packages look like come spring.

missemily516

Keep in mind that schools like Scripps have additional financial aid forms (such as the Profile) that your parents will need to fill out. Scripps does meet need, but they decide what your need is, and it isn't always based on your FAFSA EFC.

Just keep an open mind, apply to the schools your mom wants you to apply to as well as the schools you want to apply to, and see what the financial aid offers are next March. Good Luck!

shoboemom

It sounds to me like there be more to the story than just your mom's feeling that you won't be able to afford a more expensive school. I am hearing (well, reading) that your mom probably pretty much expected that you would go to Mizzou, just as you said that most people in your area do, and had never given much thought to the idea that you might actually go away to school.
I know I always thought that going away to school was for 'those other people', Like the people who jet off to Europe for lunch, or sort of thing. lol
I think it's a good idea to keep the conversation going with mom, and give her time to come to terms with the idea that you might go away to college, and then, maybe by the time the financial aid details come in, she may be more open to it.

HelloImChelsea

Annasdad: You have a point. I guess she doesn't care because I'll be paying the application fees.

HelloImChelsea

Shoboemom: My mom really wants me to go to the college in my hometown where the tuition is 5,000 bucks. She works there, so I can get a 60 percent discount. My main thing is: it doesn't offer my major.

Thanks for your help!

I feel better!

jym626

Scripps is a great school, and attending one of the Claremont colleges allows you the benefit of accessing the other schools and resources there. Great choice. Are you a good candidate for Scripps? Are your scores/stats competitive?

Does your mom's school offer tuition exchange arrangements with other schools? Can you attend other schools for the significant discount your mom's school would offer? Its a shame to have to attend a school that does not offer what you plan to study.

lookingforward

You don't know about a school's generosity to you until you receive the FA offer.

The NPC numbers are only an estimate and that calculator assumes you entered all the detail correctly and completely. Did the NPC projections for Scripps include Stafford loans (aka subsidized/unsub?) Was that one of the line items they "subtracted," to get to the 11k figure? If so, you'd end up with that debt. (If they did not include Staffords, then, of course, you could use them to reduce the 11k family cost guesstimate. It's still debt.)

But, there's another line item families often miss: "estimated contribution from student's summer earnings." It means that, on top of the "family contribution," the Staffords and the work study, my kids were expected to kick in roughly 1800 for first year.

These are details you need to be aware of. Sometimes, it's better to just look at the free money (grants,) subtract that from the total cost of attendance, and see what the real remainder is, the real financial nut.

If Mom says all she'll pay is $2500/year, even IF Scripps, eg, only tagged you for only 11k (plus your student loans,) you still fall 8500 short. Most 18 year olds cannot get that level of personal loan. If your school choices offer merit, check the eligibility requirements and the amounts. Sometimes, they make the difference, sometimes they are small amounts. Just think about all the ins and outs here.