@mommdc Our instate system is good for geology and outstanding in atmospheric science, so we may not need an OOS public. Wyoming was a surprise, but yes Arizona is famous for this field. Arizona State as well.
We definitely need to visit schools, but they’re all so spread out on the map it’s hard to figure out a reasonable trip or two.
@Madison85 Let’s use child 1’s budget of 33-35K per year for now. Full pay in state, but needing significant merit at a private school. We don’t need full ride.
Bit didn’t you say that even IF schools had something related, it was just a smattering on the undergrad level? That the kid would need to do earth science and pick up the rest of the planets later on grad school?
If that is the case,you daughter needs to understand this. From what you wrote…it sounds like she has to pick a college with strong earth sciences…where she can do research…and then apply to grad school later on if this interest persists.
Just about ALL flagship public universities have earth science programs. You say your instate publics have programs. I’m not sure why you think a private university where your daughter would need $30,000 a year…or more…in merit aid would be better.
Did I miss her ACT or SAT scores…and her GPA?
Yes, I think that’s the original question, asked more succinctly, can we afford to look at private research-oriented schools?
Possible benefits of private schools are more personal attention available and the money the school has to spend on students. We went to a college presentation for a school last week, and I was blown away at the money they had to spend on undergraduate experiences. Granted, without stepping foot on campus I can’t see the neglected corners, but our state has definitely not been immune to the trend of states investing less in their university systems.
She just finished sophomore year, so not many stats yet. 1420 sophomore year PSAT, AP Chem 5. That’s all I’ve got. She’s homeschooled, so adcoms will look at her straight As skeptically. She’ll have dual enrollment outside grades in junior and senior year. I’ll figure out a preliminary budget after doing 2016 taxes.
Northeastern University in Boston is a private, mid-to-large university and touts the Northeastern Promise- the idea that your financial aid cannot be decreased after freshman year even if circumstances change (winning the lottery, sibling graduates college, etc.) It can be re-evaluated for more aid, but never less. In addition, the merit aid is common and easy to get with high stats. Many students in the Honors program seem to receive $20-$30k in scholarships.
@novafan1225 could you please provide the source that shows that “many” students at Northeastern receive $20,000 to $30,000 a year scholarships?
northeastern does have some merit awards. They are given typically to the top % age of acceoted students each year. The school just discontinued one of the more generous scholarships.
NEU is moving more towards awarding need based aid.
^ yes they are, even the new honor program has been “rebuilt” whatever that means the new class coming this fall is the first one to figure out what the benefits are or what the aid difference is I believe if not the incoming classs in fall 2017. They have the NEU promise which is great, they are also a leading research institute by the carnegie association or something, prestigious recognition as its a huge part of their research website.
^^ i agree that having an over-specialized major at the undergraduate level may not be the greatest idea. Personal interests change. The job market can be fickle.
However, I disagree that “large” research universities are the only type of institutions that can provide a strong foundation and enable research in the physical sciences. There are many LACs that have an excellent record of sending a high number of STEM students to grad school.
FYI
http://www.collegerank.net/amazing-college-observatories/
The issue here is…this family cannot afford the costs of a private university unless there is significant (like half COA or so) financial aid of some sort. But they CAN afford their flagship university.
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Let’s use child 1’s budget of 33-35K per year for now. Full pay in state, but needing significant merit at a private school. We don’t need full ride.
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Can you clarify?
Are you saying that you can pay $35k per year FOR EACH CHILD when both are in school ($70k per year)? If so, then when Child #1 graduates, it seems like you can pay the $70k per year for Child #2.
Or are you saying that you can pay $17k per year for each child when both are in school? ($35k per year)?
How much are you paying per year now for Child #1?
What do you think Child #2’s stats will be? Is she a strong standardized test taker? Has she taken a PSAT?
Out of pocket - only about 14K of the 35K for child 1 is coming out of pocket. She has a college fund.
We have high assets for our income level. Once the assets are gone, they aren’t easily replenished. The money that is set aside for child 1 is gone when child 1 graduates. It can’t be turned around to use for child 2.
Child 1’s cash is coming from reducing 401(k) contributions, (which we stopped “maxing out”) and then as we figure out how much having one kid out of the house changes finances, we will work on household expense savings to figure out the cash flow available to child 2, who also has a 529 plan. So, available funds after child 1 graduates might be X + 14K, where X is whatever we were paying per year towards child 2.
Which brings up another question - I’m kind of assuming Child 2 will need more money than Child 1 because tuition (almost?) never goes down, so providing the same opportunity will cost more money. But, it doesn’t seem fair to give one kid lots more money than the other one got.
We’re still in the fuzzy stage of building both the college list and the budget.
Stats post #23.
Ok…thanks for the clarification.
It is fair to spend more on a younger child if costs have gone up. What if your kids were 10 years apart???
I think inflation needs to be considered. In your case, “a lot more” may not be right, but a reasonable bit more would be.
Since you can’t afford privates w/o large merit, then include publics that will give large merit for stats.
@thumper1 I clearly said “seem” and made no claims to have a statistic. My findings are anecdotal, though most people I’ve met are consistent with this. I am in the Honors program, and all Honors freshman live in the same dorm… as a result, many to most of my friends are Honors students and I’ve met tons through classes as well. Most cite scholarships as why they started to seriously consider/attend NU (this topic came up pretty frequently at admitted students days/move in/etc, for whatever reason). For example, in my relatively small circle: 2 NMF’s (30k), 4 Dean’s (20k), 3 Scholars (full tuition), 1 I’m not sure of. Though there are most definitely some students who were in the Honors program without merit, they were the minority. Some students who were NOT honors also received merit aid.
I consider this to be relatively generous aid because of the ~2800 in my entering class, I believe 600-700 were Honors students. If what I’ve found in that most all Honors students receive aid is true, that’s about 20-25% of students.
Again, I have no specific statistic to point to, but from what I’ve gathered from… a.) my own admission experiences senior year, and my high school peers b.) classmates and peers at Northeastern and c.) this board during admission season results threads for the past several years, I would feel comfortable in my statement that Northeastern is relatively generous with merit aid. It is true they are revamping their full-tuition scholarship, but I don’t think that makes it less of an option to check out for OP.
Fair does not mean equal or the same. Sometimes what one kid has is NOT what the other actually needs. IF your second child must have a masters…that could be considered. Maybe D1 is studying something that doesn’t require graduate study at all for gainful employment.
If your second kiddo would benefit from being at a flagship university…why wouldn’t you consider that?
[quote=Northeastern University]
Undergraduate – The Northeastern Promise
At Northeastern, we believe in your future. We also believe that financing your education is a partnership that continues throughout your enrollment, not just for your first year. Our commitment is reflected in our unique Northeastern Promise. The Promise enables you to plan for the entire cost of your degree. Under the Promise, we guarantee that:
We are dedicated to meeting each incoming domestic financial aid applicant’s full demonstrated need.*
Northeastern University Scholarship and grant funds will not be reduced during your undergraduate program (for up to eight in-class semesters).**
Northeastern University need-based grant funds will be increased annually at the same percentage rate as the increase in tuition.
If your family experiences a substantial negative change in financial circumstances, we will reevaluate your aid package and make available all financial resources for which you qualify.
Additional Information
*Demonstrated need is determined using the information provided through the CSS PROFILE. This policy is effective for the incoming fall 2014 freshman class and will be honored for each successive incoming domestic financial aid applicant.
Please note, our full demonstrated need commitment applies to those applicants who meet all relevant deadlines and other application requirements as outlined on our website.
**Students must file the FAFSA each year and meet satisfactory academic progress standards to be eligible for Northeastern University grant funds. Students must maintain the minimum cumulative GPA required to be eligible for any scholarship funds.
[quote]
@thumper1 We are absolutely considering the in-state flagship, as well as a directional campus where one of the physics profs is on the Curiosity science team. It’s still very early in the process for us.
Oh, just go to Wyoming. D2 will be so far under budget she’ll be able to go to grad school too.