completely overwhelmed by the college process - any help or advice??

upstate13 · 07-04-2012, 11:30 AM

Hi - brand new to the site, 1st child (son) entering senior year. Competitive upstate NY HS, 3.6 unweighted GPA at end of junior year (A's in AP classes but not enough focus on regular classes last term brought him down a bit), 33 ACT (one time only sitting), 700 Subject matter tests, captain football team, lots of sports, editor on newspaper, various clubs, school doesn't do ranking/honor society etc but he is a good solid student, has worked really hard.

Wants to major in Accounting - looking at U Richmond/Wake Forest. BU, Suny Binghampton and Univ of Alabama (ONLY because we hear he might get great money there), any other great accounting programs he should apply that we can afford? I am kind of in a bind on the financial end. Single parent (53 years old), who happened to make a darned good bonus this year, likely puts me out of any need-based money. (FAFSA looking like EFC of $25-30K - which really cracks me up because i also have a daughter graduating in 2015 and really who has that kind of money?).) Like i said, i did well this year but i have raised these kids solo and for the first 10 years of their lives made very little money as i needed/wanted to balance work and home. I am really not trying to sound whiny here - i appreciate the fact that i make great money now, but the reality is i worry that i have now painted myself into a corner where i have severely limited the college choices my kids will be able to make. I do NOT want them to come out of school 100k in debt, that makes no sense to me.

Based on the above does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts - based on his stats will he get any merit money at any of those schools? I want to call and have a frank discussion with them but i am not sure if that is something that we can do? applying to schools to only find out you can't possibly pay for them is such a backwards way of doing things - higher ed is really flawed in the US.

Any feedback or thoughts would be SO appreciated...

emeraldkity4 · 07-04-2012, 11:45 AM

I'm confused.
You make great money now, but you estimate your FAFSA EFC of $25,000 as being unaffordable. If your EFC is$25,000, you probably make about $100,000. It is decent money certainly, but I wouldn't call it a great salary.

You need to identify how much you can afford from a combination of loans, savings and current income. Did you put your bonus into savings?
Freshman year students are eligible for $5,500 fromDirect loans.
If he scores well on AP tests he may be able to get cr edit that will apply to his degree.

SnowflakeVT · 07-04-2012, 11:47 AM

You should read the merit aid stats of students with 3.6 GPA and 33 ACT. At some of the schools you cite, that could help. Also consider smaller schools that are selective ... some of the private LACs can still get your son a great job at an accounting firm plus they can be very generous with scholarships.

Good luck ... it will work out ... there are many smart people on this site that can give you advice along the way.

intparent · 07-04-2012, 11:49 AM

His financial aid may get better in future years, as you probably will not have that bonus income every year, and a sibling in college his senior year would help. Be sure you file the FAFSA for financial aid no matter what, as some colleges will not allow you to apply in subsequent years if you did not apply for freshman year.

Did he take the PSAT, and does he have a shot at National Merit finalist?

momofthreeboys · 07-04-2012, 12:13 PM

Figure out how much you CAN pay..add to that federal direct loans which give you a base number. Look for colleges that offer tuition discounts for GPA/ACT/SAT scores - these are generally posted on college website so are easily searchable (and there are threads in the financial aid forum.) Finally target some schools where your kids GPA/Test scores put them at the tippy top of the incoming class to increase changes of merit scholarships. you can start with the 4 schools you've listed reading the financial aid sections of their websites and you can use the search feature at the top of the page to search the threads for anecdotal reports on financial aid with the four colleges you've mentioned.

No sense in really overwhelmed or stressed spend that anxiety time doing some research so you can help your kids. Plan on belt-tightening for a few years, too.

hayden · 07-04-2012, 12:14 PM

You seem to mention large schools, so I'll assume your son has a preference for them. You may want to look into schools with special programs. I'm thinking, for example, of University of South Carolina, which (at least 3 years ago) gave residency status to out of state students they wanted to attract. My niece from out of state got residency status, so she paid tuition of about $12,000 total.

Of course, if finances are important, SUNY Bing should be affordable, and that's a really good school which has everything he's looking for (unless he wants to get away to warm weather!)

sybbie719 · 07-04-2012, 12:21 PM

Welcome to Cc and the parents forum

What is the possibility of your son being recruited?

If you need merit start here

Schools known for good merit aid

IMPORTANT: Links to AUTOMATIC/GUARANTEED Merit Scholarships

Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships

Institutional Merit Based Scholarships (Full Tuition +)

ameliab12 · 07-04-2012, 12:25 PM

I am a prospective freshman at the University of Maryland College Park. I had a 3.5 GPA (upward trend), 2340 SAT, 35 ACT when I applied. I got an $8,000 per year merit scholarship. I also got quite a bit of financial aid, but the scholarship was entirely merit. With a slightly higher GPA and slightly lower test scores, it looks like your son has a decent chance at merit scholarships at similar level schools. He should also look into outside scholarships. Even if they're only a thousand or even a few hundred bucks, it all adds up!

Have you looked into U. Maryland at all? It costs the same (~$40,000) for an out of state student as university of Alabama, which is much less than BU or Richmond. The scholarship I got (here's a thread including stats of some people who got it: Presidential Scholarship) goes up to $12,000 per year for out of state students. Also, the Smith School of Business at UMD is highly ranked and has a very good accounting major.

Creekland · 07-04-2012, 12:34 PM

What kind of college is he interested in attending? There's a huge difference between the University of Richmond and the University of Alabama. Which type would he prefer? If he's not sure, visit some different types of colleges near you and see if he gets a feel for what he likes and doesn't.

Then, start looking at schools fitting his criteria that give merit aid and he is in the top 25% of students (the college search feature on here allows for this). Many schools will be on that list with his 33. See whether they have decent merit aid awards or just a few $$ given to many students. There may be just a few awards, but try for some of them - they might work out. Keep UA as a financial safety, but beware you'll still be paying room and board. Other schools could conceivably work out to be cheaper if he gets a decent award. They won't if you look at top of the top schools though or those that only give need-based aid.

If you post his preferences on here, people can suggest more directed options.

Walker1194 · 07-04-2012, 12:39 PM

Try the class of 2013 thread. Lots of good advice there.

beth's mom · 07-04-2012, 02:30 PM

Your son WILL get great merit money at Alabama - full tuition for 4 years. However, if that's your ONLY reason for having him apply there, I think you and your son will be pleasantly surprised if you take a closer look at the school. Pay a visit to the University of Alabama forum here on CC - it's quite active and you'll find a lot of good information. A large state flagship isn't for everyone, but UA definitely had the smallest and most personal feel of any of the large state flagships to which my daughter applied. She has stats similar to your son's and is very excited to be heading there in the fall. And FWIW, her choices were not limited by finances; she chose Alabama for reasons other than her generous scholarship. Oh, and Alabama's accounting program is ranked in the Top 25 by Public Accounting Report.

soccergurl7988 · 07-04-2012, 03:25 PM

Not sure what his preferences are, but he's pretty close to being a Kelley direct admit at Indiana. To be a guaranteed direct admit he needs a 3.7, but since his ACT score is much higher than the required (29), he may be able to petition to get in.

In terms of merit aid, IU has a $20,000/4 years scholarship for a 3.7/28 ACT and a $44,000/4 years scholarship for a 3.8/31 ACT. Kelley DA's also have access to a lot of scholarships that they don't even have to apply to.

Momom2 · 07-04-2012, 05:59 PM

I will second what Beth's mom has said. Alabama wasn't even on our radar screen since where I teach has a tuition exchange with hundreds of other schools as well as most of the Jesuit ones. After we heard here that my son qualified for the full tuition scholarship and how great the school was doing financially, how they are growing so many programs, and many wonderful things about the Honors program, we decided to visit. Needless to say, now Bama is tied for the #1 slot for my son. The beautiful campus, beautiful weather, and beautiful girls (in addition to the great engineering program), really impressed us. The dorms are incredible, like apartments, too. Moreover, as a result of their tremendous aid, Bama is attracting kids from all over the nation. Don't sell it short before checking it out.

89wahoo · 07-04-2012, 11:13 PM

Upstate I second Walker's advice. If for no reason other than parental understanding this year, come to the HS 2013/ college 2017 thread.

SteveMA · 07-05-2012, 09:05 AM

Does he want to play football in college? If so, I would start looking at some smaller LAC that are Division 3. They often find the money for athletes with good academic stats to attend those schools. They can't get outright athletic aid but they tend to be generous with the merit aid with students like your son.

D3football.com Top 25, 2011 final: D3football.com

This might be a good working list to start. I would add St. John's in MN and Gustavus to that list as they typically are football powerhouses known for great merit aid and both have excellent accounting programs.