<p>GAclassof2008. It is important for clarification purposes to read past posts. Often inadequate information is provided, and past posts provide added details.</p>
<p>I had almost an identical converstion with GAclassof2008 on this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=352272[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=352272</a></p>
<p>He’s still rude and still wrong.</p>
<p>let this OP apply… and get a full ride… just cause ur child didn’t… don’t get mad.</p>
<p>in fact… my 2 cousins go to ivies: brown and columbia… their parents don’t pay anything… the mom was in the military and the dad is in business.</p>
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<p>For Fafsa schools definitely not the case. Our income is less than $40,000 and our daughter does not get to go to college free. We pay the EFC (which is quite low), she has some merit aid, then for financial aid she does get some federal and State grants but the majority of her aid is loans (subsidised so no interest till after she graduates) and work study. </p>
<p>As you are pretty early in the game (good for you to be thinking of this) I suggest you have a look at this web site <a href=“http://www.finaid.org/[/url]”>http://www.finaid.org/</a>
it has excellent information about financial aid (saved my life as I was clueless when we started this process) and is kept more up to date than most other web sites. It also has calculators where you can plug in your financial information and get an idea of what your EFC is which tells you your eligibility for financial aid. Just remember you cannot always tell what form your aid will take - for instance in our case we have a low EFC and my daughter qualifies for a pretty high Pell grant so we sort of assumed she would get the SEOG grant (another federal grant but the college has limited funds and decides who gets how much). She did not so her loans were a couple of thousand more a year than expected.</p>
<p>If you are looking at highly selective schools make sure you also look at others. From reading CC the competition was fierce this year and they say it will be worse the next couple of years so don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Good Luck.</p>
<p>entomom --I read that thread when it was originally posted. I have tried to refrain from commenting on GAclassof2008’s post in the past but I just get so concern when misinformation is posted. I see so many kids who really have limited access to information and I would hate for them to make a poor choice because of bad information they read in a post. I have to say that most information posted on CC is pretty accurate and many people add a caveat to do further research – so those that post incorrect or misleading information certainly stand out.</p>
<p>As far as rude language – I better never catch my kids posting in such a way. You would think that at some point in a student’s life they would learn the value of respectful and polite communication.</p>
<p>hsmomstef,
I agree completely, I’m very afraid of incorrect or too generalized information being given as fact, particularly when it comes to FA. I can only hope that the OP’s truely do consider the source and always fact check before they make application decisions. There are so many reliable posters on CC and so much good information available here, I hate to see these gross inaccuracies go unchallenged.</p>
<p>Hey…it’s me again. I apologize for confusion as to whether my statement was hypothetical or not…I fee like I stared the fued between GAclassof2008 and hsmomstef. Thanks for all the help, hsmomstef! And you too, swimcatsmom! GAclassof2008, sorry, the statement does sound hypothetical, and it only half is. I used to live in the states, so I was wondering exactly what hsmomstef informed me of: that colleges will look at income differently if I am living in a different country.</p>
<p>hsmomstef: I think it was you who asked about property and stuff? In the states we are very poor - unfortunately in Egypt we are undeniably rich. We would be considered the elite of Egypt (but that’s not saying much, since most of Egypt lives in poverty.) We own a villa, but we don’t have an other land or property. The US dollar = 5.71 Egyptian pounds.</p>
<p>Right. I don’t really have stats, as I have yet to take my SATs. I just want to start thinking about his and figuring out how I can go to college early, like swimcatsmom said. I really don’t want to go to collge in Egypt, and am looking for a way to get a scolarship to a college in America. I am not picky…I don’t have to go to a school like Harvard or Princeton (although I kind of had my sights set on Yale), just any school that will offer a scolarship. </p>
<p>As for what I am interested in, as of now I am planning to double major in psychology and German, and minor in Spanish, maybe. I am planning to be a flight attendent, but I also want a Bachelor’s in psychology.</p>
<p>If you need anymore info, just ask! This is turning out to be a great way to learn stuff about college, thank you all!</p>
<p>Midnight, looks like you’re on the right track! As you take tests and get a more complete set of stats, ask more questions and people here will give you lots of help. Good luck!</p>
<p>relax everyone, according to an estimate the Federal mythology at CB calc. says i pay nothing. institutional one says 1990 bucks. so what do i think?</p>
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<p>I think you are confusing your EFC with what you may actually end up paying. If your EFC is zero (is that what the CB calculator says), then you expected family contribution would be low. BUT that does not mean that the colleges will automatically GIVE you the rest of the money you need to attend. Many many schools (in fact MOST) do something called GAPPING. This means that the EFC and the finaid award do not add up to the cost of attendance. And again I say…even schools with generous finaid awards who meet full need can do so with loans AND expect a student contribution that can be several thousand dollars. In other words, they expect the student to work and earn some money. Even IF your EFC is zero, the schools still expect the students to contribute. The CB calculators compute your EFC…they do NOT compute your financial aid award. The colleges do that. The ways the colleges compute financial aid vary wildly. Just because your EFC is zero does not mean that you (or anyone else for that matter) will get a free ride to the college of your choice.</p>
<p>Midnight, I know you said you haven’t taken the SAT yet, but have you taken the PSAT? Do you have an idea as to what schools you might like to apply? That might help us point you in some useful directions based on the experience of many veteran posters. Do you have a US passport or do you have dual citizenship? That might make a difference in how you’re treated for FA, too.</p>
<p>“I am planning to be a flight attendent”</p>
<p>You can be one without a college degree.</p>
<p>lets i cant afford more than 9k, they’ll just drop me? like my future will be in some community college?</p>
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<p>First of all…there is nothing wrong with a community college. Many fine students and successful adults did a year or two of study at a community college and then transfered to a four year school. It is one way to save some money and nothing to be ashamed of.</p>
<p>Secondly…colleges award financial aid based on a financial aid formula…not based on what you can afford. Yes, your EFC is considered as calculated is PART of that formula. However, as I mentioned above, most schools do not meet full need. And your need can be met (even by those “meet full need” schools if you are accepted first to one of them) with loans and work-study at least partially. The school will NOT just “drop you”. But unless you can pay the balance between what you are awarded and what they give you, you will not be able to enroll. And lastly, remember that the financial aid award given to you will be determined by the school…not you. If you look at the Common Data Set for each college, you will get an indication of the %age of financial aid given to incoming freshmen and upperclassmen. You will not get an indication of your award, but at least you’ll have something. If you are applying to a school that costs $40,000 a year and the CDS indicates that they meet an average of 50% of need…then you can do the math and figure out the balance. </p>
<p>Please understand…the colleges have limited resources to give to students. Even the most wealthy schools don’t spend their whole endowment to fund the educations of ALL of their students (although many are in the “full need” award category and do better than schools that gap). And remember that student contribution.</p>
<p>Midnight Firefly – you are doing your research at the right time. You have two more years of school left (my son does also, so I know the timing).</p>
<p>Some of the things to be aware of at this point – </p>
<p>*don’t set your sights on any single school. Feel free to add Yale to the list or any other school that sounds good – just don’t get wedded to one or two schools. That way, when you get closer to finalizing the list, you can add or discard schools appropriately without too much emotional involvement</p>
<p>*Find out how your new school in Egypt works. do they rank? If yes, how will that affect you since you are transferring in. Do they issue american type grades (4.0)? Do they routinely send kids to schools in the US? Do they offer SAT and SAT II testing? What about AP classes and testing? The more you know about the school, the better prepared you will be to take advantage of what the school offers. If you are transferring in as a junior, you don’t really have time to waste figuring out how it all works.</p>
<p>**learn all about the college admission process and financial aid. you would be surprised how many “college counselors” know less than some of the parents on this board. My son will also be attending an international boarding school next year for his last two years. The school traditionally sends 20-30% to top schools, however – they tend to underestimate the advantage it is to be applying as an American. I have been told that in the past, the college counselor has advised kids not to waste their time and money applying to schools in the top 100 and those same kids are now attending Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Being a US citizen is a huge advantage over international applicants for both admissions and financial aid.</p>