From the Xavier web site-
“For Fall 2015, these academic scholarship and award amounts ranged from $11,000 to $20,000 annually”
That would leave you to pay up to $37K/year. How is that affordable?
My W attended XU and their aid was never very good.
@mom2collegekids They think in a manner similar to your SIL. They are pretty much saying if we don’t get full rides, we have to go to an HBCU (nothing wrong with that) or go into the military (again, nothing wrong with that). It’s just that I’ve already set my sights too high, something that was foolish for me to do in the first place. I should have been more realistic, even with my reaches (hindsight is 20/20 lol).
Lucky you – it isn’t hindsight yet. You can build an application list so you have some choices in the spring of senior year. You would be so much worse off if you had just put in applications with the same illusions your parents have.
One thing you can do is print the Common Data Set (Google with school name) for top schools (if they have them, a few don’t) showing how much merit they give (highlight that line). Print out any web pages on scholarships, too. So they can see for a college that gives no merit what those sources say.
Also, run the net price calculators with them. Again… not sure how they can argue with those numbers.
Your full ride scholarship shopping list (look for the full rides, not merely full tuition):
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ (potential safeties)
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ (potential reaches/matches for the scholarships, not just admission)
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (if anyone has National Merit status from a high enough 11th grade PSAT score)
Thanks for all the advice everybody. I’m definitely reconsidering my options. Still gonna apply to a few Ivies, because why not. But, my target schools and safeties are gonna changes to fit our finances realistically. And for sure, we are gonna run some NPCs and do the most research possible.
OP- Your parents are engaging in what we here at CC call “magical thinking”- that somehow all will be well come April 1, 2017, and they magically wont have to pay [ much] for their kids education. YOU need to have the MONEY talk with everyone, but most especially your parents, before anyone sends off applications, so there are is NO sticker shock or broken dreams when admissions results come in. It may be the most uncomfortable conversation you’ll every have with them, but it is vitally important, in this day and age, to realize that their dreams, wishes and assumptions are not accurate predictors of the results you all may experience next April…
The chances of any of you getting into Ivys are too small to even think of as a “chance”, even if you get your ACT scores in the 34-35 range, like most of the enrolled, non athletic recruit, Ivy students from what are considered wealthy families. Most applicants are rejected simply because there is not enough space for every qualified applicant. A review of the Common Data results of enrolled students at each Ivy will show you and them what the competition is really like.
IF you do get into an Ivy, but realize after the fact that you cant afford to go, it will be much harder than not getting in at all.
So cast a WIDE, DEEP net, and dont turn your nose up at applying to colleges that offer automatic Full tuition or full ride scholarships.
My DS applied to Ivys and top colleges in 2006 and was accepted at most of then, BUT he was also unexpectedly offered a full tuition scholarship at what for him was his safety.
He decided to take the scholarship, because he knew grad school was in his future and thank the Lord he did!
We, nor most Americans for that matter, saw the Great Recession coming, and if he had been at one of the tippy top colleges where he received some FA, we would have had to pull him out because our income dried up.
You DONT know what the future holds for your parents, so I hope you will talk all your siblings into applying to colleges that you ALL can afford to go to NO MATTER WHAT, in addition to those “wish upon a star” colleges.
Exactly. Those HBCUs are schools we will get full rides at. We are applying there for sure, and for sure like I said, a conversation will be had, and numbers will be crunched, with the whole family present. @menloparkmom
Your parents will have four kiddi’s in college at the same time for four years…which is an expensive thing to think about.
It’s good that your parents, you, and your siblings are looking at affordable options for the family.
Can you tell us what the major and career goals are for each Quad?
For me: Major in Int Relations and Economics, Minor in Arabic and French. Hope to be in Intel/Diplomacy
Bro2: Neuroscience major, he wants to be a researcher or doctor
Bro3: Computer Science Major, Cognitive Science Major. He wants to work with artificial intelligence
Bro4: Aerospace and Bio medical Engineering major, he wants to be an engineer obviously
@mom2collegekids
Impressive kids!
The reason I was asking major, is maybe to find a reach “full need” school that would fit all 4 bros. It would be nice and easy for your parents if you were all at the same college (move in, graduations, etc).
Plus, a full-need school that admits all four might be more understanding that a lot of aid is needed.
Would Cornell fit all four of you?
However, it is entirely possible that a school like Cornell could admit a subset of the four applicants. Given the varying preferences for college majors (and perhaps other things), the family should not count on all four of them attending the same college.
I agree.
But a year or so ago, one of the ivies accepted all quads. I think it was done for yield protection.
I was just thinking of convenience for the family. Move in, Move outs, and graduations would not be so crazy. Imagine if 3 or 4 were at different schools and graduation was on the same day.
Lol, my parents were like “we are going to the graduation that’s the closest” @mom2collegekids
Yale accepted a set of quads in 2009
I think it was in 2010 (unless they regularly accept quads): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/education/29quads.html
That’s the case…I forgot that it was that long ago.
“Buckland from Wisconsin” - funny! (I assume that’s Bucky for short).
I do think if you find a school that fits for all of you, for you all to put in applications together - and you may decide on a number of these schools.
Then you apply to others on each of your lists. And the safeties.
If parents are willing to contribute room/board, that probably opens up the list of ‘safeties’.
Have you visited schools in your general area - different sizes and characteristics to get a feel for what each of you prefer and what doesn’t work for sure?
You want to at the end of senior year have options that are affordable and desirable.