Looking for a great fit LAC

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

@Sue22 We did ask these questions, kind of, we hadn’t really even considered there might be a place that would require less loans than the $5500…and that is wildly hypothetical. I have no reason to believe anybody would not require the $5500. So, my comment about reaching out to StO if that situation would arise (again, why would I even think it would, it was purely hypothetical) is all about me saying we would look to StO for guidance so we do follow the ED agreement.

We have thus far, we have no intention of changing that course. Also, the first time we spoke to FA about ED before she applied, we expressed concerns because there was an unknown regarding how they would handle one aspect of it. FA said to go ahead and apply ED while they made a determination about this one piece.

Do you see what I mean about open communication with her ED school?

There have been some open ended and unknown regarding what she could afford and the school still said it was ok to go ED.

I did not ask specifically what would happen if she got a lower price than their NPC…Again that is wildly hypothetical. I have zero reason to believe that would happen.

BUT if that hypothetical happened, I would ask StO what is the appropriate thing for us to do.

And again, just because I might wonder about it doesn’t mean my D is curious.

She’s pretty singleminded.

This has gone awry and it’s because people jump in about the ED agreement. I really just wanted to take a moment, breathe, relax, knowing an affordable, quality education is possible at a school that as a parent I felt great about,

And I have stated over and over again this is my thought process not my daughter’s. I’m a mom and I constantly worry. I worry about everything even when as some state we might be in a position of getting a 200,000 for next to nothing. First of all who said that’s going to happen? She hasn’t been accepted yet. Second, who in the world thinks 25-30,000 is next to nothing for us?

Seriously?

It might seem insignificant to some but I assure you it’s very significant to us.

I have 3 kids…one I’m paying plus loans for now, my D we are referring to in this thread, and another D who is a sophomore in HS.

And I am the only income…

[ucbalumnus]

In #784, replying to #783:

@Grinnellhopeful

I agree with your statement. If the NPC is accurate she will honor her ED commitment, and should.

Good.

So that means that the hypotheticals of comparing FA offers between St. Olaf and Earlham and figuring out what is doable would only apply to the case where St. Olaf delivers an ED admission but with an FA package significantly worse than the NPC estimate, correct?

[Sue22]

Here’s what St. Olaf says on their financial aid FAQ page. I’m sure the OP has had an opportunity to read it.

I received more financial aid from another school. Does St. Olaf match financial aid packages from other schools?
No. Every school has different financial aid resources and chooses to use those resources differently. We recognize that most families are looking at a range of costs when looking at different schools. Our mission in the St. Olaf Financial Aid Office is to provide access to a St. Olaf education to families of varied economic backgrounds. We administer financial aid programs with a commitment to equity, consistency and transparency in awarding resources. Although we do our best to take into account each family’s specific circumstances, we do not adjust financial aid packages based on the amount of financial aid offered from a different school.

How can I request a reconsideration of my financial aid application?
Families may request a review of their financial aid award when the family’s circumstances have changed significantly. Job losses and major medical expenses (that have already been paid) are examples of circumstances that can be grounds for reconsideration. These requests should be based on the family’s financial situation changing, not other factors.

Will St. Olaf reconsider my award if it is not enough to make St. Olaf affordable for me and my family?
If your or your family’s financial circumstances have changed since you applied, or if you feel you provided us with incomplete information, you may request a review of the award by writing to the Financial Aid Office. We may adjust your award if the circumstances are both extenuating and documented. Please include specific information and data showing how your situation has changed since you completed the PROFILE.

[homerdog]

I didn’t mean that $25.000 was nothing. In fact, we will have our kids take the $5500 annual loan just so they have skin in the game. My point is that $25.000 in loans is doable for any college grad. All kids from all kinds of backgrounds for all types of reasons take that loan. It’s not an insurmountable amount of money.

[twoinanddone]

I understand that the OP wants options for her daughter. I just think ED is not the right way to go. It’s not the way it works. It’s playing the ED game to get into the school and then trying to bargain.

You may not think it is fair but the control is all at the schools. A school can say “No, the award was our best and final.” USD does that. No bargaining at all, no comparisons with other schools. Many ED school do give another offer when they think they are going to lose the student. Is that fair to all the students who didn’t apply ED because the pre-read or NPC didn’t show that school as working out? Is it fair to all the students who took the first offer?

ED is a risk to the applicant. Not applying ED is a risk to the applicant who didn’t apply because they just weren’t sure the financials would work. It is a game my family didn’t play with 2 kids, but they were both admitted very early to their first choices with rolling admissions. Ha, we showed them we didn’t need their stinkin’ ED rules. Either could have had 10 other, better offers but their schools offered what they offered, and it was a take it or leave it offer. We took them.

I think that even if St O comes up with the offer the NPC says it will, it is going to be a very very tight budget, tighter than OP realizes. My kids are very lucky that they have an uncle who occasionally send them 100 bucks. I had a grandfather who used to send me $10 and I was over the moon excited; if it was $20 I could go skiing. At the time I was making $2.20 per hour typing at the library, so I was making about $33 per week.

[Sue22]

…we hadn’t really even considered there might be a place that would require less loans than the $5500…and that is wildly hypothetical. I have no reason to believe anybody would not require the $5500.

@Grinnellhopeful, to be fair I discussed that in post #305 on December 21.

Knox and St. Olaf may meet full need, but remember that full need offers are not all equal. For instance at a school like Colby all of her financial aid would be in the form of grants. That means that she’d come out of college owing almost $24,000 less than she would with Knox’s offer.

and in #471 on January 6.

What I’ve been trying to tell you is that schools do not all calculate demonstrated need the same way, nor do they meet demonstrated need the same way. You may want to browse the CC financial aid forums. You’ll find that students applying to schools that claim to meet full need have received a much broader range of financial aid packages than you might expect. Bates expects students to take on less than the $5,500 for which they’re eligible. Colby meets need with grants, no loans.

As did @OHMomof2 (#472)

Most full need schools include loans UP TO that amount, not above it.

Also while colleges that don’t include loans at all are relatively rare, there are a larger number that don’t include loans below a certain income level.

and @college_query (#474)

The schools my kids attended met full need, and their schools did NOT include loans. They both had work study included in their financial aid packages, and both worked during college.

Stafford loans were an additional option for us, but were not part of their financial aid package.

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

Yes @Sue22 this is where the idea came from, it none of the schools she applied to are schools that are known to have less loans than the 5500. And I have absolutely no reason to believe that Earlham wouldn’t require 5500. When I spoke to FA BEFORE submitting ED I hadn’t considered the possibility of less than $5500 in loans.

BTW Knox is NOT full need. And again, none of the others are either, technically.
I did submit just a few others right before deadline because of the conversation around the time you are quoting from. I wanted her to have some options that would close the gap if she wasn’t admitted to StO.

However, I’m sure I’m sure I said then and I’ll say it again, at times EVERYTHING feels like a reach and unrealistic. Especially after spending too much time on here.

And she’s really pushing her comfort level with distance…we all know that isn’t realistic but right now that’s a hard line for her. 6 hours was her max and now I’ve gotten her to consider 8 hours…

Also some schools factor travel money into the NOC and COA others don’t.

So…the schools that meet need without loans, at least the ones I learned of here are not schools she has applied to.

[ZZdecision2016]

This is a most unusual and fascinating thread. And thanks to all who have shed light on the Early Decision process.

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

@ZZdecision2016 I did what I said I would do if I’m doubt. I called the school to confirm we were on the same page. There are many different opinions here and it really IS a little different when the resources are non existent like ours.

My recommendation to anyone considering ED is to be transparent with the school you are considering ED, communicate, if in doubt about something, ask.

Many of the opinions stated here are in conflict with our ED school.

I was also able to discuss some of the other issues I was concerned about, work study, books, deposit, etc.

I’m comfortable that for my particular situation and everybody’s is different, my D and I have not done anything that doesn’t mesh with the spirit of ED.

Even considering the amount of loans and work study required at schools in which she will have already received a award package from.

What I cannot do, is continue to explore that AFTER the FA decision has arrived.

My point is communicate with the school directly regarding your situation and not just what people in this forum state as absolute.

And it’s not a bad thing to go ED if you don’t have a lot of resources. If there’s not a vacation home in question, or investment accounts, etc. And I think it also depends on the school that you’re going ED. If it’s not a school that meets demonstrated need, it might factor into a decision.

There is invaluable information in this thread. Which creates great questions, but at the end of the day, I go directly to the school to clarify.

[citymama9]

I have to say that I agree with @Veryapparent, I remember early on you describing your D and what she was looking for in a school, and Earlham is actually it. At St. Olaf only 15% are Pell recipients and it’s 75% white. At Earlham approx 30% are Pell recipients and I think 49% are white. You mentioned diversity being very important to your daughter. We visited St. Olaf and I did a lot of people watching while there. There were all kinds of kids, but overall I would say that it was a pretty mainstream bunch. I haven’t seen Earlham, but I have heard that the kids there are kind of quirky and social justice types. Also, it’s not known to be a party school. Oh, and it’s also very small, with less than 1000 students. I just think it’s a great fit for your D, but that’s her decision.

I like the idea of pulling the St O ED app and going for RD. It will give her a chance to visit both. You really have to see the schools to see which is a better fit. There have been schools that I thought were perfect for my D on paper, but she wasn’t crazy about them in person.

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

Finallly…it’s official. She’s in with 30,000 a year merit Scholarship. The rest of the picture will come on Friday!!

The acceptance letter made me cry. It spoke to her integrity, honesty, moral character. Probably a form letter but maybe not. It’s was still lovely.

[Sue22]

Congratulations!

[Emsmom1]

@Grinnellhopeful Congrats!! Let us know how things work out with the financial aid package.

[thumper1]

Great! So…she has another $26,000 to cover with need based aid. About $10,000 should be covered between your Pell Grant and Direct Loan…

So that leaves $16,000 for them to cover with institutional grant money…and maybe work study.

[elena13]

Congrats!

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

@thumper1 I’ll report back on Friday when I see it in black and white but they may not advertise as meet full need school but they will.

I am confident in this for very specific reasons.

[OHMomof2]

Fantastic!! That’s a nice merit award, should make the need gap not-so-hard to meet for them

[ucbalumnus]

@Grinnellhopeful

Finallly…it’s official. She’s in with 30,000 a year merit Scholarship. The rest of the picture will come on Friday!!

St. Olaf?

[Momof2girlsandafrenchie]

@ucbalumnus StO Decision won’t happen until February 1. This was just the official official notification from Earlham.
@OHMomof2 I thought you might be particularly happy about this bit of information. I’m very happy. My daughter did respond to the words in that acceptance letter, if it was a form letter they nailed it. Those are words that appeal to her

[Dancer41]

Great news - congratulations!