Just starting the search-need advice

[mom2collegekids]

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As I was reading your OP, I kept thinking - WHITMAN - then I saw it was on your list. Has your son visited? My S is a junior there and has absolutely loved it. ................... My S receives quite a lot of merit aid, as well as need based aid,
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^^^

Great to hear about your son's experience at Whitman

Do you mind sharing what your son's stats were and what your family's EFC was to get lots of merit and FA? And, how much merit and FA did your son receive?

I'm only asking because sometimes people's circumstances can be very different, but they'll think that they'll get the same $$ because they heard that someone else got that much. It can help to actually be able to compare using some real figures.


I also think the OP needs to find out approximately what the family's EFC will be because many families are shocked to find out how high their EFC is. I think that's because EFC isn't based on the idea that that amount will solely be paid out of current earnings. I think that's why families with - say - incomes of $100k will say, "how do they expect us to pay that much?"

If the OP determines that their EFC is not affordable (say it's $25k per year), then many of suggestions here probably will not be do-able, since FA won't cover that unaffordable EFC. Also, many schools don't meet need 100% and many FA packages include a bunch of student loans. I may be wrong, but I think I remember the OP saying she didn't want her son to take out loans (but maybe my memory is wrong.)

So, I guess another question to the OP is... could you afford an EFC of - say - $25k? At most, what could you afford? If you're child is going to a private school now, do you think that all you can afford is the portion that you're currently paying?

[scualum]

Since your son is just a sophomore, I would assume that his tastes will change in the future - and therefore when researching schools, I wouldn't narrow the search too fast. One of the best things we did with my DD search was look at a wide array of schools to figure out what she was really looking for. For example, we visited Seattle - and went to Seattle Pacific, Seattle University, Univ. of Puget Sound and Univ of Washington. Four very different schools - none of which made her list - but which taught her a lot about what she wanted in a school.

This thread, Pacific Northwest Roadtrip documents some of our search through the Pacific Northwest. Lots of helpful hints in there from a variety of posters.

[5boys]

momrath, Thanks for the post!! I do believe I have a smart but Exasperating son) He is a great kid and we are quite proud of him though.

Yes, you can only take 1 Ap as a 10th grader, it is Ap Euro and he had no desire to take that, he is happy as a clam in Economics. Next year he will have few Ap's. Latin. Bio and History.

I agree with you that we are in a crowded demographics, but we live in an under-privileged town. My S commuted 3 hours every day. I did not graduate college and my H owns a construction company, this all may tip in his favor.

My S does NOTHING to impress college AR's He does everything because he loves it. This summer he is going to Philmont with OA and working on trails, then he is going to Boy Scout Jamboree and working as a assistant lifeguard, next year he gets paid. His best quality is leadership and I want to focus on that.

I would LOVE for him to be competitive to William's but only time will tell.

[mom2sons]

I second the idea of visiting a wide range of schools. In fact, I think there is an advantage if the first 2-3 that you visit are not his top choices. It take a while for kids to understand how to get the most out of a college visit.
Good luck - he sounds like a great kid.

[ncmentor]

"Yes, you can only take 1 Ap as a 10th grader, it is Ap Euro and he had no desire to take that, he is happy as a clam in Economics. Next year he will have few Ap's. Latin. Bio and History."

5boys if your S is interested in Economics, he might want to look into the "Economics for Leaders" program by the Foundation for Teaching Economics. It's a one week selective program and costs only a small (placeholder) fee. My S attended two years ago and enjoyed both the program and the people. I think applications start sometime after the first of the year.

[momrath]

I did not graduate college and my H owns a construction company, this all may tip in his favor.

Yes, unusual (for elite colleges, that is) family situations are a positive. If, as your name implies, your son is one of five boys, I can feel another good essay in the making.

Boy Scouts is an unpredictable extracurricular. At some colleges it's a plus; at some it's a minus. You know the saying about not wanting to join a club that wouldn't accept you? Well, part of the wonder of the college search process is that putting "good fit" at the top of the priority list really does work.

[mythmom]

^^^^^Nice post.

Another way to go might be OOS publics. There are some small ones. Depending on the state they can be a really good bargain for OOS students and schools may be looking to increase OOS participation.

SUNY Geneseo and St. Mary's College come to mind. Both are "state honors colleges" so they have a fairly selective student body. Geneseo is in western NYS and cold, but it does have an "outdoorsy" feel. St. Mary's College (religious name is misleading -- it's a public) of Maryland is a gorgeous coastal campus (think Conn Coll or Bowdoin) in MD so he could enjoy the outdoors longer.

Drew is a less selective LAC in New Jersey that has good, strong academics, a famously wooded campus, and both need-based and merit-based aid.

It is also only 45 minutes to NYC via train and the student I knew who attended got a fabulous internship at the UN.

It is not Colorado College -- nowhere near that outdoorsy, but the wooded setting is very pleasant.

These are just very different ways to go. May not be to your liking or your son's, but I thought I'd mention them.

He has many, many choices.

I second the poster who strongly suggested you look into whether or not a school is need-blind before application. We needed (and qualified for ) FA, and we found that both kids were accepted at much higher rated institutions that were need blind and rejected at lower ranked institutions where the kids had lower stats that were not.

In other words: Acceptance Barnard, Vassar -- rejection Sarah Lawrence, to put it into concrete terms.

Sadly, the money does play a part in the process. Fortunately there are wonderful choices.

Oh, that brings me to Bard -- need blind -- and I think a good match, very good match come to think of it, for your son.

[tk21769]

I agree, St. Mary's College of Maryland is a very nice school. Small classes, good academics, beautiful waterfront campus. Full pay for out-of-state students is about $35K (about $10K cheaper than Colorado College). I do not know how generous they are with aid for non-residents. However, for all students, it appears they provide a much lower average percentage of demonstrated need than some of the private schools we've been discussing.

It's a different kind of "outdoorsy" than Williams, Whitman or Colorado College. It is near the end of a flat, rural peninsula between the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The biggest sport there is sailing.

[5boys]

Mythmom, I have been hearing a lot about Bard lately and it does sound like a fit for my S, especially the supposedly quirky student body. Do you know anything about it's location? Is it close to outdoor activities or is it more urban? Sorry, I'm from CA and don't know the east coast very well.

[5boys]

momrath, why do you think scouts would sometimes be seen as a negative to colleges? Is it because of their conservative viewpoints? My S is actually VERY liberal. He just keeps his mouth shut at scouts. Scouts is so amazing in so many ways I just find it hard to believe it would be seen as a negative.

[momrath]

why do you think scouts would sometimes be seen as a negative to colleges? Is it because of their conservative viewpoints?

Yes, exactly. Some aspects of the BSA platform are preceived as unfriendly to liberal values. I can see some validity to this charge and would caution Boy Scouts applying to intensely liberal colleges to "be prepared" to counter criticism, especially if they interview.

Most college cultures lean left, though some are less in your face political than others. Some appreciate the physical, service, environmental and self-reliance benefits of Scouting. Some can't get around the negatives.

[mythmom]

Bard is very rural in setting. The campus is beautiful, breathtaking really. There's a gorgeous old mansion overlooking the Hudson that serves as the engineering department. I don't think there's a major, but there are courses.

Both my kids adored the campus the minute they stepped on, though each chose different schools. My "nephew" (cousin -- but nephew gives a better feeling for the relationship) attends, and did DD's BFF, and both really love the school.

It is small and there is not a lot to do on campus that isn't outdoorsy. There are towns within striking distance but a car is needed. Both the kids above attached themselves to kids with cars. It wasn't hard to do.

NYC is about 2 hours by bus and train. Kids do go occasionally. BFF went for an art class; nephew went for a music class. It doesn't change the daily life to have the proximity, but it does change the character of the school -- it's a very sophisticated environment.

Bard began as an offshoot of Columbia University. The president is both an historian and very accomplished musician/composer/conductor. The school is strongest in the arts but is making a big push toward sciences and economics, hoping to train financially savvy people to save the arts.

Majors for the two kids I mentioned: BFF: double-majored in physics and art history. (Has a parent with a PhD in each; isn't that cute?) She plans on physics teaching and is now doing Teach America. Nephew went in as an actor, but his parents want him to do something more practical. I am not sure on what he is doing. He is just starting junior year. However, he shocked himself by doing VERY well there in math, though I think he was leaning toward history.

The negatives there are too much pot smoking (not a problem for the two young people referenced, but I wouldn't want to leave that out a discussion of Bard), some geographical isolation, and some really crummy dorms.

The positives are a very intellectual, vibrant student body, amazing, amazing faculty (they are all full-professors I think, the way Bard works, and some live in NYC, though the majority don't) and excellent pedagogy. I am a college professor and was very pleased with the course catalog.

My daughter was drawn by the human rights major (she eventually doubled majored at Barnard/Columbia in American Studies and Human Rights) and my son was drawn by the new music conservatory, which he also applied to as a composer. He was accepted to the school but not the conservatory but the head of the conservatory wrote him that his skill level was high enough to take courses with the conservatory kids. That would have been quite a boon had he attended.

He is now happily a Classics major at Williams if I can answer any questions about it.

However, I would have been happy to see either of my kids attend Bard.