So…your student WILL know if they received the full tuition scholarship before they apply ED…and so will all the other scholarship applicants??
1 Like
That’s right, after the ED/EA application deadline. The student isn’t applying anywhere via ED, only EA and Regular Decision. Except for Lehigh, which will be ED if they are chosen for the scholarship.
If not, then they will hear back from universities they applied via EA somewhere in December.
Well….at this point, I think your whole question is premature. This student hasn’t been awarded this scholarship…yet.
I think you should have the kid visit Lehigh asap…and see if it’s a place they can picture themselves attending for four years. It might not be…even with a huge scholarship.
1 Like
I don’t believe it’s too premature. As part of finalist program, we have a family meeting with Lehigh scheduled next week to assess our interest in committing to this program.
There are, literally, only a few students competing for the final outcome.
3 Likes
But if the sibling will graduate high school and be in college while this student is a sophomore or junior or senior, MIT will likely give additional grant money for those years. You can ask.
And …you want to visit Lehigh by the ED deadline? If it’s ED 1, that November 1.
2 Likes
But they are often applied to the student responsibility first — work study and summer earning expectations and then student loans if the college awards them . So it can still be helpful.
1 Like
Do you think that if the NPC from Princeton is better AND the student is admitted to Princeton as well as MIT, that MIT would match Princeton’s aid offer? I know that is sometimes done between the Ivies and I think MIT is part of that “arrangement”.
1 Like
The “arrangement” was the subject of a lawsuit on price fixing- so parents need to be careful when discussing College A “matching” the aid from College B.
BUT- within reason, aid officers at MIT have been known to sharpen their pencils. And I think given the OP’s situation, getting Professional Judgement BEFORE any “discussion” is the way to go.
3 Likes
It would probably be euphemized in some way but, yes.
good point. When that happened to us, I think it was phrased as wanting to see other financial aid offers from peer schools so they could see if the current school might have overlooked something the other school did not.
2 Likes
I have seen a few cases where for some reason the way that a selective university calculates need just does not fit with the reality of a family’s finances. People who needed to retire for medical reasons but somehow got a nest-egg that helps support their retirement sometimes fall into this group. Other examples that I have seen / talked to including some small business owners and rental property owners. I expect that there are other ways that this can happen.
In these cases, I think that it might just be necessary to forgo the big name schools that only have need based financial aid (based on their definition of need) and instead find schools that are affordable. Fortunately the people who I can think of that fell into this situation were able to find universities that were a good fit for the student and that were affordable. Perhaps this is one benefit of the fact that there are so many very good universities in the US (and even more elsewhere).
Someone who has a lifelong disability, or who needed to retire for some health reason, very likely cannot earn back a significant debt and in my opinion needs to be careful about their finances.
And there are a lot of very good universities, particularly for an undergraduate education.
8 Likes
It sounds as if this is a student who is likely to have multiple offers within the UC system, potentially Regents offers that confer research/mentorship opportunities in addition to modest cash scholarships. If you were in a state that didn’t have powerhouse flagship options, it would be a different calculation. But this student is likely to have multiple in-state options that match or exceed the reputational and tech-incubator heft of Lehigh. I would be extremely cautious about getting maneuvered into an early commitment by a program that is clearly engineered to “scoop” students that they would more-than-likely lose to schools like Berkeley in the RD round. I understand being risk-averse and wanting to have a great deal nailed down, but this student is going to have great in-state options.
What’s the desired major? If it’s CS rather than another engineering discipline, and if part of the draw of Lehigh is the more intimate environment, you might want to have the College of Creative Studies at UCSB on radar. It’s often described as “grad school for undergrads,” which sounds like the sort of structure in which your student might really thrive. Computing | UCSB College of Creative Studies CCS requires a separate application in addition to the UC app.
6 Likes
So if the ED deadline is November 1, this student should hear about the scholarship results soon. Good luck!
And an aside opinion. Regarding college costs, I think all family situations need to be considered. Any family health issues or other financial obligations or issues really need to be considered when college ability to pay are considered. I don’t think jeopardizing the family financial health is the way to go.
So…at this point, I’ll 
your son gets that scholarship to Lehigh. (I do hope he can visit before he applies…).
7 Likes
Anecdotal point of one, I know a young man from my area who graduated about a couple of years ago from Lehigh (who, incidentally was on a full scholarship for an engineering and industrial design double major). He was anything BUT a typical fratty guy, and had, in fact, grown up in a rural and alternative lifestyle (he had been homeschooled, as well). Really creative kid. While touring colleges with my daughter we bumped into him (unplanned) at Lehigh and he took us around campus. He seemed pretty happy and had a group of friends similar to him in some social respects…we bumped into a couple of THEM as well. Not to say that OP’s student in question is an “alternative” kid…my point is more that seems to me that the school has possibly diversified a bit socially over the past few years. I asked this student specifically about the frat culture and he said that that it is there for those who want it but there are growing social niches apart from it. It really would be good if the student can make virtual contact with some other STEM students if a visit isn’t possible. With so many things riding on this decision , it might be worth making the effort to go there even if that would be expensive (if it saves money or a costly mistake in the long haul).
5 Likes
UCSB College of Creative Studies always sounded like a great option for self-directed kids. One of mine applied and was accepted there (non-STEM) but ultimately chose elsewhere – but it seemed like a really special environment.
5 Likes
On the flip side, bird in hand at half the price…assured admission vs hoping for a UC.
OP noted above the student would like to be done.
Not saying the UCs are wrong but just giving a contrarian approach.
OP - just curious - does any extra enrichment come with this scholarship - like an Honors type environment or mentoring or study abroad ?
2 Likes
Since you are in CA, is your student also considering CalTech?
2 Likes
Sibling wants to go to military academy and service route.
No, we don’t anymore. Which is interesting, because just shy of seven years ago, we lived off food banks and were about few dollars away from eviction. I learned a lot over those years – budget, invest, be smart about finances. I finally landed a job that pays well and doesn’t care about disability. I’m content with my journey, but moving to upper-middle class has eliminated some options for the children. I had debated if that’s good or not, but decided it’s better to have money and go to a less brand-name school than to live financially insecure as before. I still intend to get more raises/promotions in the future, but that means that our college bill will be bigger every year too.
Yes, scholars receive comprehensive support, including leadership training and mentorship. I think they mentioned study abroad included too.
The net price calculator shows $59,909 for CalTech. There’s something I noticed about the calculators: our numbers drastically change if we don’t contribute to a 401K.
There’s a specific question in the section ‘Untaxed income, benefits, and retirement plan contributions by your parents.’ If we maximize our 401K up to the IRS limit, then the tuition is high. If we put $0 in that field, then the tuition is much lower, at $38,368.
Princeton becomes very affordable too if we didn’t to 401K contributions.
4 Likes
For many the enrichment matters too - and it’s nice to be a part of a cohort family.
3 Likes
@kelsmom: it’s not something I have to deal with (most of my advisees don’t have them) so I’m likely mistaken but I thought 401k were specifically shielded? Am I confusing this with something else that’s shielded if retirement-related? Worth asking because it seems to make a big difference for OP. 
2 Likes