<p>You are too funny! Yes - we joked that it did indeed feel like a “blind date” - as we described our appearances to each other beforehand and picked out our meeting location. But alas socalad - no dirt to dish - just 2 suburban moms chatting about their kids!</p>
<p>Incidentally - my last “real” blind date was when I met my husband 24 years ago. We are celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary tomorrow!</p>
<p>Happy 22nd wedding anniversary, RVM! Hope you celebrate in style!</p>
<p>Our big 25 will be in November. When we were married 20 years we went to Hawaii. I think for this one, we’ll lie low. We now have college bills! :eek:</p>
<p>I met my wife on a blind date 27 years ago. I love blind dates. Glad you two enjoyed yours.</p>
<p>RKV - Yes it was great meeting you yesterday. I really enjoyed it! Mazel Tov on 22 years! </p>
<p>socaldad - well we both lived to tell about our “blind date” so I guess all went well. LOL! I don’t think there were any surprises. Just two typical suburban moms!</p>
<p>chocchip - Congrats on 25 years. Our 20th is this year. With tuition bills looming, I think we are staying home!</p>
<p>Linymom: It sounds like your son is having a great trip. I loved “The Help.” I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.</p>
<p>I’m currenty reading “The Invisible Bridge” and really enjoying it, but I have a feeling it’s going to get very sad.</p>
<p>Happy anniversary, RVM. We’ll celebrated our 28th in August. We’ll celebrate a week late when we stop in Newport after dropping our daughter off in Boston.</p>
<p>Happy Anniversary Rockville!</p>
<p>Highly recommend Immortal Life of Henrietta – excellent!</p>
<p>In regards to these public university tuition hikes of 8 to 12%, any opinions on what the ripple effect will be? Do you think this will affect our kids application process this fall? Will it be harder for a B student at these smaller schools now? or will OOS publics rally for our kids because of the tuition dollars? </p>
<p>If schools don’t have money, how are they giving scholarships? Is it also safe to assume that means a larger FA package because tuition has increased but a family’s EFC has not? and is 50,000 in student loan debt going to be the new norm? Is that ok?</p>
<p>How are people to manage a 8 - 12 % tuition increase on such short notice? Do we need to factor a contingency plan just in case? RU will be over 30,000 each year if that’s where he decides. I’m thinking that we should list the house and only sell if we get asking price and move to North Carolina immediately. UNC Chapel Hill at best for four years will be under 60,000!</p>
<p>I know that so many families have been affected by the economy and the current state of affairs. I feel fortunate that we can still take on college for our children but I wonder at what cost will still produce a good return on investment. </p>
<p>(((sigh)))</p>
<p>Thanks for the anniversary wishes!</p>
<p>I do feel the college admissions process will go well for our kids at OOS publics. Keep in mind that even if they file the FAFSA and get some FA - say a Stafford loan - the university is still getting the full OOS price in their coffers. So - my feeling is that bodes well as long as you do not need tremendous FA - in which case I think you may be disappointed.</p>
<p>This situation also makes me take graduation statistics with a grain of salt - when you see the lower graduation rate at public universities - keep in mind that part of that may be due to financial issues - kids who drop out for a semester or a year due to their inability to pay. Maybe they work and save and then return to school - maybe they never return. But I’m not sure that we should worry too much about the lower graduation rates given the economic realities today.</p>
<p>It’s hard to figure out this OOS public tuition thing. When we started this process last year, there were 3 OOS publics we put on D’s list as safeties because they guarantee merit awards based on stats. In looking at fall 2010 tuition rates the net wasn’t so bad. But after 2 years of significant tuition increases and the merit awards don’t go up, not as much as a financial safety anymore. I am trying to convince D to add one more private school as a safety because I think the net price with them may be lower. She is reluctant to change her list at this point, she is happy with her list and doesn’t want to make changes. However, I may make the decision for her! </p>
<p>Maybe these OOS schools will add additional merit money to the guaranteed award? I don’t know.</p>
<p>I think you can tell your D that it is an accepted practice that parents get to add one college to the list that they feel makes sense - either financially or in other ways. Usually called a “parental pick” or something similar. I may yet exercise that prerogative myself and add Univ. of South Carolina since the sports mgmt program would be available to us at in-state rates.</p>
<p>Mdmom, sometimes the private schools can prove to be very generous. I like that strategy of applying to a mix of public and private.</p>
<p>Anyone interested in seeing what endowments look like? Scroll down to the second page and beyond.
<a href=“Page not Found”>Page not Found;
<p>I have already added two to her list. College Park and Towson. Two financial safeties. Also two schools that she says she will not attend! </p>
<p>It’s strange, but for the programs she is looking at and her other parameters her list falls out that her academic safety schools are OOS publics, her matches and reaches are private. We have one private school on the safety list, I would like to add one more, she would like for me to leave her alone!</p>
<p>It’s summer. There’s time yet. One meal at a time.</p>
<p>RVM, happy anniversary! </p>
<p>How would you get in state rates at U So Car???</p>
<p>What makes people here so sure privates won’t start raising tuition in the coming years?? I believe some have too. My D’s well endowed LAC did when she was there. Even if they have endowments (and I would think many endowments will suffer) seeing that so many schools are raising rates, why wouldn’t they just go along and raise them too?</p>
<p>My guess is they would just increase financial aid for top students to attract them and raise the school’s academic profile.</p>
<p>I look at applying to both as hedging your bets, but who knows? Maybe someone. Not me! </p>
<p>“(and I would think many endowments will suffer)”</p>
<p>They sure did the year before…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf[/url]”>Page not Found;
<p>mhc - thanks for the anniversary wishes. </p>
<p>Re Univ. South Carolina - I mentioned the Academic Common Market a few pages back. Maryland belongs to this consortium - along with 15 other mid-atlantic and southern states. It’s basically a reciprocity agreement where if you want a specific major that is not offered at your own state’s public institutions - you can do that particular major at another member of the consortium and pay in-state rates. South Carolina has a major called Sports and Entertainment mgmt - the word Entertainment being key. Maryland has sports mgmt - but not sports and entertainment mgmt - hence - S2 can do that specific major at South Carolina for in-state tuition. It is a substantial difference in cost. </p>
<p>He was noncommittal - but to me - another option under $20,000/year sounds like something we need to pursue. In-state tuition is about $9000/year vs. OOS is about $25,000/year. So - in-state total COA is about $16,000.</p>
<p>I’m glad to see our state publics high on that list of endowments, it would be interesting to see how these breakdown to endowment per student. I’ll bed some of those LAC’s at the top of the list are doing even better than it appears.</p>
<p>I know Alfred University has be discussed on this thread. Yesterday I was browsing <a href="http://www.guaranteed-/%5B/url%5D(scholarships">http://www.guaranteed-/(scholarships</a> and .com were deleted?)I saw this. It seems like it could be interesting for A-/B+ students. I know of one student from here who went there and really likes it but I have no information beyond that.</p>
<p>Alfred State College (New York)
offers the following:
Offers free tuition, room, and board to students with a minimum of a 93 high school average and at least a 1200 SAT or 26 ACT composite score.
Students with a 90 or higher average and 1150 SAT or 25 ACT composite or higher receive a free room.
Students with an 88 or higher high school average and at least an 1100 SAT 24 ACT composite receive free board (18 meals a week).</p>
<p>Also, I believe that at USC (U of S Carolina) if you have the stats for these merit awards you should qualify for instate tuition if OOS. I would always double check with admissions:</p>
<p>[Academic</a> Scholarships](<a href=“Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships | University of South Carolina”>Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships | University of South Carolina)</p>
<p>spectrum, FYI Alfred University and Alfred State are two different entities (across the street from each other!!! ) Alfred University is private, but like Cornell-has a couple divisions that are subsidized by the state -ceramics engineering and ceramics. Alfred State is part of the SUNY system. Just wanted people to be aware of the difference b/c in your post you refer to both Alfred U and Alfred State. :)</p>
<p>Thanks hollisue, oops. The second part of my post which mentions Alfred State college was copied and pasted directly off of the website so this is what I was referring to. The “Alfred University” part that was my slip. As for the student from here, I’m not sure which one she goes to. I didn’t know there were two.</p>