Daughter got accepted, not sure I can afford it

lookingforward
Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:42:17 +0000

But, any college has multiple masters to satisfy. As evidenced by the 2400-score kids who didn’t get acepted to Yale and Stanford in ED/EA, there is a complex balance of needs to be fulfilled. Some schools need to put students at the expensive new lab benches or find enough French majors to keep tenured professors active. They may need more gals in the STEM program and more guys in the English dept. Depending on the U’s self-image (and funds already sunk into programs, facilities and professors,) there may be a need for kids likely to pursue a theatre EC, fill out the intramural sports teams or study abroad via a well-funded research program. The list is extensive. It’s all what comprises the notion of students likely to contribute to the vibrancy of the school. Add to that, the desire to have a well-rounded, diverse population- in geographic, income, ethnic, racial and other terms.

So, in considering ED applicants, of course, admitting a large number of full-pays is an advantage. But, the kids who can satisfy multiple institutional needs can have an edge of sorts. In addition to locking in a full-pay, it is advantageous to the school to lock in the science major girl who comes from the opposite side of the country, has always played at orchestra level and indicates she would like to continue in college, and has performed extensively in school plays, held leadership positions in some clubs and won an occasional award, even if minor or as part of a team effort. Let’s also say she has stress-tested herself through rigorous APs. Whatever patchwork image we create, this is just an example of the “holistic” approach adcoms often take. Perhaps this gal is borderline in her stats. Nonetheless, if she presents a picture of likely to “fit and thrive” at that school, engage in campus life, if she meets several needs on the adcoms’ check lists, she may, in fact, be a great admit.

And, if this gal needs financial aid, there is no reason to presuppose the FA folks will gyp her. She’s a good buy. A worthy investment. And, she committed to enroll if the aid is sufficient.

Would she have an equal chance in RD? We can’t pick numbers out of the sky, so let’s use Swarthmore’s. Out of 5575 applications total, 969 were admitted. Of these, 497applied ED and 166 were admitted. That’s an overall rate of 17% versus 33% for ED (from their own CDS records pdf on their web site.) Even if we assume some wildcards/legacies/faculty kids (and those full-pays) in the ED pool, this kid who has committed to matriculate is a good bet. And, on her side, she is not competing against 5077 other RD-ers.

Swat also indicates 277 of the overall admitted applicants asked for aid. Common sense suggests some number were in the ED pool. The college is working to its own advatage when it accepts kids who fit multiple needs of the institution, even if their stats are less strong and even if they require aid.