Advice on talking about Out-Of-State options

SeniorSlacker
Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:00:08 +0000

If finances are the main issue, you might look into specific schools’ merit scholarships. Many times a sizable scholarship can lower the cost of attending to equal or less than what you would pay for your state school.

A good rule of thumb is if your grades and SAT scores are above the college’s 75th percentile, you have a chance at earning a merit scholarship from a school if it offers them. Some colleges also offer various diversity and talent scholarships, so also look into that if you think you could qualify.

Also, if your family is considered to have financial need, look into schools with generous need-based. Some of the top liberal arts colleges (e.g. Amherst, Williams, Middlebury) have almost of completely need-blind admissions and guarantee to meet a family’s full demonstrated need. In addition many other schools reserve a large portion of their financial aid budgets for need-based aid. Often running some of the financial aid calculators online and poking around individual colleges’ websites will give you a good idea of how much aid you can expect to receive.

On a more personal note, my parents also initially discouraged me from applying out-of-state, asking me “What more could you want than Big Local U?” I did end up getting their blessing to go to school in a nearby state, but only after gently planting the idea in their heads and constantly reiterating the reasons why my current school was a much better fit for me than Local U. If you have just recently brought up going away for college to your parents, it is understandable that they might not be the most amenable to the idea.

Give them some time and see what happens; they may warm up to the idea eventually, especially if the money does come through.