Too late for our D16s, but folks with younger kids (especially folks you know with babies and toddlers!) should study Paying for College Without Going Broke, published annually by Princeton Review. It’s a bit wonky, but it gets into the details about positioning assets etc. for families with college-bound kids. Excellent resource.
I’ve only this year started to read a subreddit (on a favorite subject). Does anyone know how to find subreddits for a certain college or university? I think Palm mentioned reddit. I’m ignorant about reddit, but would like to figure out how to use it for specific schools, for that “hyper-local” info.
Now that my D16 has picked a school but is still keeping her list in play, I’m trying to get more info on each school at the top of her list. I can’t forget that we picked a high school for her that turned out to be nothing like what it had represented during admissions and she had to transfer – so I’m afraid I might accidentally do that again as we/she decides on a college.
Understanding that “YMMV” for student experience at each school, I’m starting to check all kinds of sources that might reflect a school: collegedata.com, the student paper (online), the local paper (online), the chamber of commerce, dorm room tour on YouTube (individual students post these of their rooms – apparently it’s a thing), any meeting minutes online of the faculty senate, the strategic plan, Yelp, Glassdoor, ratemyprof…even (donning haz-mat suit) YikYak. Starting to wonder how to fold Twitter and LinkedIn to the mix. (Hmmm, I wouldn’t call it “stalking,” per se…)
Any advice for sources of local-intel on schools?
@Themommymommy: I am particularly interested in the nuances of such things as I was hoping to step back a bit and let the oldest (a sophomore in college) drive this whole process going forward, and I could concentrate on the others. Thank you for access to real-time statements on this type of information. While my son is not studying or planning to study anything in the dental sciences field, it is anybody’s guess where the wild wind of change and chance will blow him by the end of this school year, so I’d like to be looking farther down the road as he finds himself narrowing his focus.
Again, it was information I did not have, so thank you.
@dyiu13 : I like how you think, but don’t have the patience for it all. My son is a real subreddit fan: more than anywhere that is where he has found his people. I marvel at the wit and mental acuity of the people with whom he has found digital community.
Interestingly, a young person recently reached out to my son for information and advice about putting one’s best foot forward in the college application process, and I was so proud of the whole-person context in which my son framed his response.
Let me know how the feeling-for-the-temperature-but-not-stalking goes.
Ok. The spring break has been booked for extration of D16’s four wisdom teeth (none erupted). We know how to have fun.
@dyiu13 You can find a list of college subreddits under /r/college/wiki/faq (not sure if I can link to reddit on this boaad, so I didn’t link it.) Some subreddits are very active, some are dead, but it might be useful.
Trying out the reddit thing today. Hmmm, of course the same schools seem to get the most play. Really searching for more on Truman State, but no luck.
I know someone was asking about schools that might still have merit money available. We received an email from Oklahoma State saying that their merit aid deadline is 2/1. I have no clue if they have a decent engineering program, but I thought I would pass it on.
@Booajo We have several friends with kids that go or went to Truman. I would be happy to email them if you have some specific questions. We may go check it out later this Spring. My son wants to go out of state but has said he would go there if he stays in MO. I toured with my daughter some years ago. It’s a very nice campus. Have you all visited?
@dyiu13 - I subscribed to the subreddit for my DS’s #1 school choice. I just used the search tool- entering the school’s name. Every so often I’ll search a few of his other school choices & just browse through posts.
Yep, another proud stalker here. :-h
@CAMidwestMom yes, we visited on a beautiful September day. For us, this is an OOS option. I don’t know what I’m looking for, just more info I think. Most of the other places D is considering at this point are more powerful research universities, plus Grinnell. My feeling was that Truman reminded me of Grinnell, but 30k or more less per year. But not sure the academic experience would be as good.
I hear you on that @Booajo. I know it is actually well-regarded, but I guess I have some concerns, partly due to the location. One of my friend’s D went to school there and loved it and followed it up with law school at OU. I have truly only heard good things. Partly my concern is with the overall experience given the rural location.
@carolinamom2boys, yes I agree with @GoldenWest.
As far as I know scholarships and grants (not Federal work study or student loans) that exceed the cost of tuition, required fees and books are taxable income and need to be reported on the student’s tax return 1040 form on line 7 with SCH and $ amount next to line. If student has W2 income you add it to that.
Then on the FAFSA (in student income section) it will ask for amount of taxable scholarships or grants that was included in AGI on student’s return. They will subtract this from his income so it does not count against EFC.
But for S16 this will not come into play until next year’s FAFSA. If he starts school in 2016 he hasn’t even received the scholarships yet or paid any college costs 
I was shocked and dismayed when I first found out that room and board is not a qualified education expense for the purpose of figuring the taxable amount of scholarships or the AOTC.
It is however one of the qualified expenses to be paid with 529 funds I think.
For example my D has a tuition scholarship. She also had outside scholarships and state grant totaling $4,000, which covered some room and board costs, so she is including that $4,000 in her income on her tax return. We are in turn claiming the fees and books of about $1,500 for AOTC on our tax return.
@dyiu13 Yay, welcome to the dark side; we have cookies!
I found Reddit sub-forums for colleges the way I find everything, Google. Ex: xyz university reddit. Voila!
One thing not mentioned, and this gets a little rabbit hole, searching Instagram for pictures with a geographic tag for the college. I’m a little embarrassed checking out private pictures, but hey, these folks have no privacy filters on their accounts. I’ve found it telling to look at 100s of pictures from 100s of different people/perspectives tagged with xyz university.
Mandatory fees and books also count to reduce taxable amount of scholarships, not just tuition!
But like in our case it might be beneficial to have the student report more taxable scholarships and the parent being able to take the AOTC.
room for one more? I am an admitted stalker (reddit, yikyak-- I’ve done it all) and CC lurker. D16 is nearly certain where she will attend next year (as long as NMF comes through and she likes the revisit next month); but holding other options open anyway. 7 apps done; 5 acceptances (waiting on a match and a moderate reach); working on honors and scholarship stuff now… it seems like this will never end!
@oneundecided welcome to the fold! You’ve found an extremely nice and helpful bunch here.
Welcome @unundecided ! I use CC as my place to let off steam and give and get support, but I also spend plenty of time stalking my kids and their schools. They know I’m savvy about what’s going on and I think they appreciate it. I try to keep my stalking hidden – they have no idea how much I know
Welcome @oneundecided - I too recently joined the group after following for a while- great resource of info.
I am also a tech person by trade & am amazed at what I can find online. All my accounts are set at private & I make sure what DS uses are too!
@oneundecided Welcome to our little corner of the world!!
Interesting the way kids drop little hints about their own thought process in the Process. D16 made it clear that if a school near the top of her list had its scholarship weekend the same weekend of her Science Olympiad, she couldn’t possibly go to the scholarship event. Now she is president of the Olympiad team, or whatever title they have, and are trying to reach the State level for the first time in years, so that part was understandable and we explained that the school likely has other ways to participate, especially for the interview process, since some kids are bound to have unavoidable conflicts with whichever weekend they pick for the scholarship event. She was fine with that, but her offhand comment of “I already have two really good offers” that followed was telling that the list of six might be winnowing in her mind to two, or even one. I didn’t press it, but it was one of those quiet and subtle, ‘hmmm’ moments.