No, I have not done any of the NPC’s. Once I talk to my parents about a finalized budget, I will try to run through some.
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High school students typically overestimate how much their parents can spend on college. (Parents need to factor in many different things-aging parents, other children, retirement, medical bills, etc). So your “I would rather not have budget constraints” is irrelevant, sorry, you likely WILL have a budget.
I think it shows great maturity to go to your parents and initiate the conversation such as “I really want to go to college but I know finances are important. As I start to make my list, is there a yearly cost of attendance amount I should aim for?”
I know it is hard as students tend to focus on “ratings lists.” However, there are thousands of colleges out there where you can get an amazing education! Do not be influenced solely by US News and word of mouth!
I made my son visit a school nearby that I know he did not want to apply to. But it was excellent for him to see a small liberal arts school. Being on campus he was able to verbalize more into words what he did and did not want out of his college experience. From there we were able to fine tune his list.
Also, sadly, 4.0 does not make most schools a safety. My 3.4. gpa kid got into schools that 4.0 plus kids were denied. For a true safety, look at the common data set (google college name plus common data set) to see what their admissions profile looks like. Change thinking up a bit to that only 75% or more acceptance rates may be true safeties based on gpa alone.
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ohh okay, that makes sense. Yes, the only issue is my parents just don’t like talking about finances with me, but I will try to get them to open up. I think visiting a college will help me broaden my views on college, I will be sure to try to prioritize that.
I think it can depend on how it is worded. Can you work and raise some money? Or know that you can only borrow $5500 yourself the first year? So maybe a “If I put in 8k towards college, would I be able to look at schools that are 30k/yr?” (and be sure to factor in tuition PLUS dorm/food costs).
And please be aware that each college’s Net Price Calculator will show different amounts for the family and student contribution than other schools will, so be sure to run it for all schools of interest.
And if your parents are divorced or own a small business, it may not be accurate, unfortunately.
Also, it is best to use the college’s own NPC, not MyIntution (even if they provide a link to MyIntuition on their own website). The former is likely to be much more accurate.
Good luck!
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Oh yes, I will make sure to do that!
They do not have any of those conditions so it should be fine. I will make sure to use the school NPC.