@BusyNapping If you have narrowed down your list of schools, you should definitely call each of their financial aid departments and ask for a re-evaluation. Some will say yes, and some no. There will be a lot of paperwork involved. I am working on this process right now. I hope it will be worthwhile. I think it will.
D had an interview with one of the top tier schools a while back (She is one of the kids who cast a wide net.) The alumni (a successful eye doc) quoted a study of people who got into both Penn State and U Penn, and some chose Penn State and others picked UPenn. Years later, they are roughly the same point in salaries and careers. While telling D that he is going to write her a glowing review, he also cautioned D to look at the fit and his main point that the student determines her own success instead of the school she goes to. D appreciated the advice greatly and she agrees.
Just want to share this.
@cubanmom , welcome!!
Thank you all for your very kind comments. My D has not visited any schools at this time. She is a very pragmatic and realistic teen who really cares about lessening our financial burden. That said I like all of you want to make sure she makes the best choice for her future …my post was mainly for guidance as many of you seem to be very well informed. She is actually waiting to hear from Vandy, WashU and Princeton. The first 2 will only be an option with merit scholarships.
This is a daunting process!
This is a great idea @socialmom007. My daughter also visited and has been accepted to Fordham. Probably headed back for an admitted students event in April. Thanks for the spreadsheet tip!
I think school reputation may help with beginning salaries in lot of fields, but not for physicians. Undergrad or medical school they attended won’t make a difference. Specialization makes a bigger difference. However, with more doctors becoming employees rather than independent practitioners, residency or fellowship program reputation may help securing the job in big groups or hospitals (speaking from spouse’s experience).
I think it makes a difference in only a few fields. Local market will make more of a difference in salary than where the student attended undergrad.
@cubanmom – have Vandy and Washington U already started notifying merit scholarship winners??
@carachel2 - Vandy notified some not sure ( couple of people posted about Chancellor’s and Ingram I think)
@carachel2 I have no idea she applied for the Cornelius at Vandy and Rodriguez at WASHU. Both highly selective and clearly long shots but she as more confident after receiving the Morrill.
I believe we should hear back next week from last year’rs info. I believe the spreadsheet is the great idea!
@itsgettingreal17 Thank you! We live in Fl and are not familiar with Ohio but hear only great things. I agree that the Morrill seems to be an amazing opportunity and at this time is her top choice. My only concern is the huge size of the school.
Startclass is a good idea too, it has lots of different points of comparison. For us it’s a valuable comparison to look at faculty ratio, rankings, and net cost in conjunction… in our situation 10k more a year for a significantly better rated school may be worth it. Our daughter isn’t married to a particular school type or school size. We currently have acceptances on the table at schools with 40,000 students, and schools with 4,000 students.
startclass - oh not another ranking? I hadn’t heard of this one before. Is it new?
It’s not new, but it has a good compare feature. Give it a go.
Welcome @robNNN – That was quite a commitment to read through 1800+ pages of our yakking. Thanks for the USC info.
Welcome @Cubanmom3 ! I have no specific experience with those schools, so I guess my only suggestion is to compare the remaining costs of attendance rather than the amount they are granting her. Compare that to what you can afford. Let her choose based on what she likes and wants from the ones that are affordable.
@MotherofDragons Do you know if your school has a senior awards event? If so, I’d provide a list of the scholarship names that she is receiving (probably not the ones she is turning down) to her GC a few weeks prior to that. Or, ask the GC how that stuff works.
@itsgettingreal17, I had never heard of Startclass either until last night when I came across a mention of it on one of the threads of a school that D has applied. It seems to be a bit helpful when comparing schools side by side.
Also, Startclass has an aggregate ranking - which is also a bit interesting. 
Welcome @RobNNN and @Cubanmom3 !
@SincererLove It’s fun when your child screams with excitement!! I’m wondering if most schools have a survey when you decline. We’re getting ready to submit declines next week.
@youcee Congrats on Chancellor’s reception at UCSB! That’s great, nice for him to have his time to shine!
@itsgettingreal17 I really can’t believe the school is giving you such a hard time about the absences… I feel your pain, makes no sense.
@HSCounselor2 Wow, fully tuition at Fordham, that’s really awesome! Sounds like your daughter has some good options…
I just went on Startclass. You should know that they are using tuition numbers from 2015, and it is not accurate.