<p>I found out yesterday that I got the Boettcher Scholarship. It’s the most prestigious merit scholarship in Colorado, awarded to 40 high school seniors a year (and you have to be in the top 5% of your class and have an act score of at least 28 to even apply) and gives full tuition, room and board, and a book allowance to any school in COLORADO. The Boettcher community also seems pretty fantastic. If I accept it I’ll probably attend Colorado College, a nice liberal arts college. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, maybe I’m crazy, but I still just love the University of Chicago. When I visited, it felt perfect. I was accepted EA, but with NO financial aid. Fafsa said my family’s EFC is $60,000. Our income is skewed because of the family farm and there’s no way my parents can pay in full for me to attend the school. I’m planning on contacting the aid office but have no idea how to explain my situation. I know they don’t “negotiate” and hate it if you bring up other merit scholarships to try to get more money. </p>
<p>Can anyone offer advice? How can I try to get money for Chicago? Is this hopeless? I don’t know how to go about talking to the financial aid office and if it will even do any good. </p>
<p>Would I be crazy to turn down this scholarship so that I can attend Chicago but graduate with loads of debt? </p>
<p>Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.</p>
<p>Yeah, then I agree with unalove.
On the plus side, you can now look at Chicago for grad school (where you’re going to have to pay out the butt anyway).</p>
<p>Also, find and read Gregg Easterbrook’s essay about Colorado College from The Atlantic about 10 years ago. It will definitely psych you up about Colorado College.</p>
<p>There are lots of wonderful colleges. And free is good . . . .</p>
<p>And, congratulations! That’s really a huge honor!</p>
<p>DS spent a week at Colorado College last June and said it was absolutely beautiful. His dorm window overlooked the mountains – you don’t get that kind of view where we live. Said the food was great and the dorms very nice.</p>
<p>It sure is hard to consider turning down a full ride to a private college! A lot of folks here on CC have had great things to say about it – have you visited? I know the FA situation stinks – and it’s not fair to ask your parents to sell the farm (literally) for you to attend college. If you’re at Colorado, though, you will be able to take advantage of a lot of other things college has to offer (study abroad, ECs, etc.) that you might not be able to if you are working and struggling to keep your head above water financially.</p>
<p>Time to visit, sit in on classes, talk to profs. Any other Colorado schools you would consider?</p>
<p>CD more or less tuned into the reasons I would choose a Colorado school over Chicago.</p>
<p>Chicago’s a great place to be, but I think that it’s much, much harder to be happy here if you’re going into significant debt. If you’re worrying about money, you’re going to be extremely limited by opportunities. (There are people who do it, though-- talk to poster phuriku).</p>
<p>In my mind, at least, CC is a gem of a school, and has a bit of a Chicago vibe to it, in that students are there to learn and their Block plan is really unusual (and very cool). One of my friends from high school, who could be described as intellectual and offbeat, attends.</p>
<p>You could also attend CC for a year or two free, and then, if you decide it’s not your thing, try transferring into Chicago. Then, you’d get a U of C experience for half the cost.</p>
<p>I was a poor mouse at a state flagship and neither the students or faculty were used to people who were stuggling financially, had to work, and in general, didn’t have $$/time for things they all took for granted. I was so focused on financial survival that it was hard to appreciate the opportunities that <em>were</em> accessible to me. I imagine the isolation and financial stress would have been even worse at Duke, which I turned down. </p>
<p>DH had a similar experience at an Ivy – he was putting himself through (merit & loans & work), which was alien to most of the people there at that time.</p>
<p>That said, I was desperate enough to get out of my small southern town that I was willing to be poor at the flagship rather than live at home and go to the local four-year public. Naive about the challenges, but not sorry I did it.</p>
<p>As far as students taking out loans for UG – my gut feeling is that anything more than Staffords is gonig to impinge on your lifestyle for years to come and should merit some serious thought about whether it’s a good idea. Grad school is a different story.</p>
<p>I also don’t like the idea a student borrowing more than the Stafford/Perkins maximum - and I don’t like the maximum either. The FAFSA formula is VERY difficult for folks who depend on their assets to live. Farming is so dependent on elements beyond our control that borrowing against equity is a pretty dicey situation. If your folks are not able to take this risk, then Colorado College sounds like your best bet - IF you like Colorado College.</p>
<p>I really do like Colorado College. I took a fiction writing class there this summer and really enjoyed it. However, I feel like it’s pretty different from Chicago. People at Colorado College are smart, but they focus on a lot more than academics. Yes, this is good, but at the same time I love the idea of a very “intellectual” environment. I talked to an English professor from Colorado College who has also taught at Chicago. He expanded on this and seemed to admire the Chicago students more… But that’s just him. </p>
<p>I also really dislike Colorado Springs. But location would be a silly reason to give up such a great opportunity. I’m leaning towards Colorado College, but haven’t quite given up on Chicago yet. </p>
<p>I’ve spoken with recent graduates about jobs. Some are in very exciting, but low-pay situations and they are very grateful to be debt free. It’s allowed them some space to take positions that they really care deeply about and they scrape by on the money. If they had had big debts to repay they wouldn’t have been able to take the opportunity. So maybe you could try to think froward to graduation and earning power and your employment goals.</p>
<p>CC is a great school. Can you find what you need there? How much would debt step on your college and post college choices and lifestyle? Are you a person who can tolerate the stresses of debt?</p>
<p>I know Chicago is a member of the Questbridge program, which I thought meant that their financial aid is pretty good. You should definitely contact Chicago’s financial aid office and see what happens. I think they’ll be very understandingespecially since you are considering giving up a full ride to go there.</p>
<p>sjones, that’s what my dad thinks. But I’ve heard financial aid offices get angry when you bring up merit scholarships from other places because it’s really not a comparable situation.</p>
<p>I’ll give them a call and see if there’s anything that can be done, though. I have nothing to lose.</p>
<p>Just explain that you’re in a position of considerable financial need-- I think some people who can afford full freight easily try to bargain down for their own amusement. Explain that the financial situation, as is, is potentially preventing you from attending. See where it gets you.</p>
<p>I would take the Colorado scholarship. Putting yourself into a mountain of debt by going to Chicago, in my opinion, doesn’t outweigh going to a fantastic liberal arts college for completely free.</p>
<p>I love UChicago and I would be struggling in your position too, but I think that in the end Colorado would be the better choice.</p>
<p>blindkite,
I’m really glad to hear that you like Colorado College - you will be fine there if that’s where your path lies.</p>
<p>Regarding money issues - I can’t imagine that it would be easy to neotiatiate much with a FAFSA that high (even if it is mostly generated by farm assets). You might want to ask if anyone is familiar with negiotiating finaid where the bulk of the assets are farm related on the financial aid forum or parents. Curmudgeon (posts on Parents a lot) might have some suggestions as he has ranch property.</p>
Said the food was great and the dorms very nice.</p>