@Chembiodad actually she was a little concerned at first that St. Olaf would be too big, she likes small. By far it is the biggest of the schools on her list.
Definitely good that she is visiting Earlham. She really needs to see St. Olaf as well as a single visit can throw a kid off, either a reactionary too positive or negative based on a single experience - they need the ability to compare a coupe different vibes.
Just remember Earlham is considerably smaller than her high school. It may sound good on paper but feel small in person. That’s why we generally recommend visiting a school before making a commitment.
3000 students is a coveted size for many as it slides right in between the traditional LAC and the larger uni - and 3000 is still small, just not tiny. I am not saying that it is a reason to not attend as smallest schools fit for a certain student - Haverford has a similar appeal, although even in that instance it benefits from shared classes with Bryn Mawr, so 3,000 students mix together (and that’s aside from the consortium with Swat and Penn).
Since the stakes are now so high, @Momf2girlsandafrenchie, is there no way for her to visit both St. O and Earlham before the deadline to withdraw from ED? I know money is beyond tight, and she doesn’t want to miss school, but I think it would be critical to move mountains for her to visit St. O ASAP (even if that means getting on a Greyhound bus on your own dime and arranging an overnight in a dorm.) Then, see if that all-expenses-paid trip to Earlham can also be arranged before 2/1. Or, at least the Earlham trip to see if that is a place where she could thrive and, if so, change to RD. Don’t most high schools allow a certain number of absences for college visits? S much hangs in the balance…
@inthegarden She can miss school her GC reassured her about that part. It’s simply money. I don’t have it. I wish I did. Earlham will pay for a trip in February but not till the end. StO…they won’t fly her in right now…I don’t think. I mean I haven’t asked. They might not look upon that request fondly.
Re: your question about how work study money is used in packages…YMMV.
You will need to wait and see.
@Sue22 her high school might be big but she’s in the IB program, six students total. So, she’s somewhat isolated from the other kids. She LOVES that.
Work study basically means that she will have a hiring preference at on-campus (and possibly some off-campus non-profit) employers when looking for jobs, since her pay at such jobs will be subsidized (i.e. it will be cheaper for an employer to hire her than a non-work-study student). She still has to work and earn the money. Note that if she is hired as a work study employee, the employer may want to limit her hours to the amount subsidized by the work study. She is not obligated to work at a work study job in that she can seek employment at non work study jobs as well.
The 65% at Earlham is a worry for me as well. Especially since there are a number of dual degree students at St Olaf that graduate in 5 years so the number (85%) is likely higher than reported at St Olaf (if you count the dual degree kids - 5 years to finish the two degrees).
Living in Indiana, we’ve heard broadly that one of the factors contributing to Earlham’s graduation rate is that, compared to some other LACs, there is a higher percentage of 1st gen and international students with high need. Those are two populations who may find themselves having to take a break from school for family/financial reasons.
So, so happy for you! I also think it’s important for your daughter to visit both Earlham and St. Olaf. Let me know if you’d like me to PM you about the experiences that my close friend had at Earlham and my niece at St. Olaf. They are both excellent schools but have different emphases and atmospheres–though many students would be happy at both. Actually if you want me to PM you, I have to figure out how to do it, lol.
Work study is work. At most places it can be replaced with a job on campus or in the community if the federal aid is lost.
We looked at one very small (1200 student) school and I knew as we pulled into the parking lot that my child would never go there. She loved the coach recruiting her and the facilities were nice, but there were only 5 professors in the math department. We could just tell she would outgrow the school after a year. The town was cute, which was wasted on that daughter. I’m sure she would have received a full ride between the merit aid and the athletic aid, and it was a D1 school so she would have received a few more perks, but it was just too small. She goes to a school with 3500 in a much larger town, and at times it is too small. This semester, her last, she has the same professor for two classes because he’s the one who teaches those two classes. No choice and if she doesn’t like that prof, too bad for her.
Other daughter wanted very small (she liked the 1200 student school) but ended up at one with 10,000 and now thinks it’s small even though it has D1 athletics, lots of federal projects bringing money onto campus, many visiting professors and many opportunities to study off campus.
I think the Earlham grad rate is low because some kids outgrow the 1000 student campus very quickly and transfer. What seems cute and cozy at 16 or 17 when picking a school becomes confining when a 20 years old junior.
You asked how the SEOG grant can be guaranteed. I think the point being made is that the current players in Washington may cut the program paying the money to colleges. It is nothing the college could control.
I do not think St Olaf feels “large” at all from spending time there.
@intparent Well then the question would become what happens if the school doesn’t have the SEOG money? Will they compensate in another way. It’s a significant amount for us. I mean obviously I need to ask these questions but I don’t think that they would say sorry you don’t have this money so you can’t come back next year. Maybe I’m naive?
But I feel like that’s gonna be a factor in any financial package at any school.
I’m not doing the best job articulating my question regarding work-study money. I understand you have to earn it. But I can see from the financial aid package that it’s not included in the breakdown of billed costs. The grants, loans, and scholarships cover all of those costs, it shows an amount due of 0.
Which in my mind means her work study money is directed towards her personal expenses as opposed to direct costs. I was concerned about personal expenses, this was a relief. What I don’t know is if it’s the same at every school. If this is typical.
I guess people compare all the time here, so I’ll give you my limited knowledge of the two colleges. Excuse my corny similes; I just want to give you and your daughter the feeling I had when visiting them.
Earlham: down-to-earth, quirkier students, more “granola,” more diverse, more first generation students; social justice is very important to all, warmer weather; students will mostly be wearing casual, thrift-store type clothing; spurns brand-name and image-driven society; may be more comfortable socially for your daughter but I’m not sure; has a feeling of being grounded about it–like contributing to a community organic garden that is flourishing
St. Olaf: Northfield is a wonderful town; the campus is beautiful and on a hill; music central to life; more mainstream but gathering the best of what “well-rounded” means; more of a well-to-do suburban feel (but my niece from a small WI town loved it there); larger alumni network; has a feeling of mental and physical clarity about it–like breathing in air on a sunny snowy day
What a relief, congratulations!
Work study definitely varies by school, both in the amount and in the ways the campus helps students get a job.
Right now it looks like Earlham is offering work study as a way to pay personal expenses and, perhaps more critical early on, books.
I assume there’s the $5500 loan in there too?
OP, I’m not sure if my answer is directly responsive to your question. But I’m guessing, based on what you’ve said, that the grants and loans in the financial aid package from Earlham cover tuition, fees, room, and board (directly billed costs) but do not cover books, travel, and the personal expenses you’ve mentioned (because none of those are directly billed). Is this so? If it is, this means that you or your daughter would need to have money available to pay for books and to pay to get her to the school if she enrolled there, even if you anticipate she will get a work-study job and eventually be able to pay for those expenses.
^^ and we come back to how critical a job - now and for the summer - could be for her.