NEW here - worried about paying for college!

sailfrosty · 10-26-2009, 06:00 PM

My son has always worked very hard at school and I thought he had been doing well but reading everyone's posts here, I'm not sure he hasn't done enough to get scholarships & merit aid. I doubt we'll qualify for much financial aid except for possibly loans. I'm worried sick and need to come up with a gameplan! Hoping people here can help me - I'm so confused to what schools he should apply for a greater chance at merit aid.

My son's GPA is about a 3.7 (his school grades on a numeric scale).

He goes to a Jesuit Private High School. He has been an Honors Scholar for all 4 years. He has already taken AP World History and American History and had 5's on both exams. This year he is taking 4 more AP's.

His SAT's weren't great - 680 Math, 600 Critical Reading and 570 Writing. He just retook them in October and we should have his scores at th end of the week. He took the Kaplan course so hopefully it helped! He has some great EC such as spending a week building a house for Habitat for Humanity, School Ambassador, Big Brother, etc...

Some of the schools he's looking at are: Forham University, Boston College, Georgetown U. - he likes Jesuit schools. He also likes U. of Vermont, Cornell, Michigan State and possibly Stony Brook for an instate school.

I feel like I need to point him in the direction of some smaller colleges that might offer him scholarships/merit aid but don't know where to start.

Can anyone help give me advice?

Thanks!

speedo · 10-26-2009, 06:30 PM

you'd probably be better waiting to get those SAT scores back to have this conversation but at your son's stat level he would be a candidate for merit/tuition discounting at a lot of small colleges. In the ny/ne area schools like Union or Clark come to mind. In Pa, Muhlenberg or Gettysburg and in Ohio, Wooster and Denison. You could probably end up paying something in the low thirties at quite a few LACs. But remember these days as a full paying customer you have a lot of leverage. Even places like Lafayette or Holy Cross may give you money or you son may be able to get into even higher level colleges like Bates or Hamilton if you are willing to pay the freight. Those stats may seem low here on CC but out there in the "real world"
they're pretty good especially combined with a full paying customer. I think, also, there is a merit aid thread in the financial aid section of this site, that may be helpful

mythmom · 10-26-2009, 06:56 PM

I read the title of the thread, and I laughed. Yeah, we're all kinda worried about that. Well maybe some people aren't, but most of us are.

There are excellent threads on places with merit awards and the stats for them and schools that match each set of stats.

Look for curm's threads -- they're the best, but there are many others.

I live five to ten minutes from Stony Brook and have taught there, so feel free to PM if you have any questions.

New Paltz is a good choice, too.

mom2collegekids · 10-26-2009, 07:12 PM

Georgetown & Boston C...no merit money there (and both are super reaches)
Fordham...mostly only to NMF

He'd definitely get $$ from Spring Hill (Jesuit) in Mobile

Might get $$ from St. Louis U (Jesuit)

(my kids went to Catholic schools, so I've looked at many Catholic Universities)

IF his SATs come back higher, there will likely be more choices..

What will his major likely be?

How much can you spend each year on his education?

nngmm · 10-26-2009, 07:25 PM

I'd second St. Louis U. He might get some merit money there.

thumper1 · 10-26-2009, 08:24 PM

I would guess that Georgetown, BC and Cornell are reaches at this point for your son. I don't think any of them awards merit aid (BC might...).

Fordham might be a match...depends on those SAT scores.

What about Loyola in Maryland? Or Siena (not Jesuit but is Catholic).

I would suggest that you figure out how much money you can provide to your son each year for college costs. You should also run your family financial numbers (income/assets) through one of the EFC calculators to get a guestimate of what the colleges might expect you to be responsible for financially. This information will be helpful to you and your son as you do your college search...especially if finances are a significant consideration.

ellemenope · 10-26-2009, 08:48 PM

Also remember that paying for college does not just come out of accumulated savings. Besides that, other streams of money that could help pay for college are current cash flow, a non-working spouse going to work, student loans, parent loans, student summer jobs, student on campus jobs, small scholarships, tuition discounts, etc. Going to a cheaper college or going to a college and living at home are also options that will make the dollar stretch farther.

thumper1 · 10-26-2009, 08:59 PM

Also, you are fortunate to live where the SUNY system is at the instate cost for your college bound student. There are a number of campuses in the SUNY system that are real gems and folks from OOS desire admittance. I would check some of those other SUNY schools as additional options as well.

midwesterner · 10-26-2009, 09:04 PM

You have to assess what you are able to afford, and the sooner the better. If it's not going to be sufficient for college without a big merit scholarship, the time to tell your son is now. There is no point in his applying to schools like Georgetown or Cornell where he will not get any merit aid. You don't want to spend April with a heartbroken kid with an acceptance he cannot afford.

Once you have passed this hurdle and consulted an aid calculator like the one on College Board, you know what your goal is: a school with a good reputation that awards significant merit dollars. I'd urge you to look beyond the fierce competition in the east. Check out St. Louis U, Creighton and Marquette.

The other angle that could work is applying to a LAC that has a big imbalance in the female-to-male ratio.

mantori.suzuki · 10-26-2009, 09:05 PM

All new members who are concerned about paying for college ought to read this:

What I've learned about full-ride scholarships

and this:

Update on What I learned about free ride scholarships

It seems that most good students can get good financial aid somewhere, but it takes a whole lotta lookin'. Good luck!

Geneseograd · 10-26-2009, 09:11 PM

There are a number of colleges within SUNY that are gems....Geneseo is one of them. There are many students choosing this school over privates to save money for graduate school.

Check out the discussion page on Geneseo:

SUNY College at Geneseo - College Confidential

mom2collegekids · 10-26-2009, 09:19 PM

Is your son leaning towards Catholic universities or, at least, schools where being Catholic isn't an oddity. (That was our concern...LOL... When we visited The University of Alabama, we were glad (and surprised) to see a big Catholic church right across the street.)

samiamy · 10-27-2009, 12:05 AM

Holy Cross in Mass.

D got significant merit money even took the chance without sending test scores since they are a test optional school.
She may have been an outlier, female with significant math/science interests and a few years of research in HS.

Her GPA and course load were similar as your son.

SixthDeclension · 10-27-2009, 12:11 AM

UVM, which you said he was interested in, is killer expensive for OoSers from what I've seen. Its a wonderful school though.

nightchef · 10-27-2009, 12:31 AM

If he likes the Burlington, VT area, you might consider St. Michael's College. It's not Jesuit but is Catholic (Edmundite), and would be a comfortable match or maybe even a safety (their average SATs are 573V/578M/574W). Check out their merit aid pages; sounds like your son would have a pretty good shot.