<p>couple things
Some of schools that you have applied to( Boston college and UPS for example) aren't known for great aid.
Gonzaga and University of Portland however, I have known several students with good packages.</p>
<p>If you really don't want to stay in state- I would agree with your parents that Washington schools are a good bet.
It is a hella long way away ( my daughter wants to go to Hilo or Hawaii Pacific), but if you have family in Washington, that could be a big plus.</p>
<p>I think if you haven't already- you should consider some of these schools</p>
<p>Here are is the financial info about Gonzaga from the CB:
Full-time freshman enrollment: 970
Number who applied for need-based aid: 824
Number who were judged to have need: 610
Number who were offered aid: 608
Number who had full need met: 119
Average percent of need met: 83%
Average financial aid package: $13,857
Average need-based loan: $4,097
Average need-based scholarship or grant award: $12,554
Average non-need based aid: $5,638
Average indebtedness at graduation: $23,113</p>
<p>First-year students & Total undergraduates from us news paysite
[quote]
Need-based aid
Students who applied for financial aid 83% 71%
Those determined to have financial need 54% 52%
Students whose need was fully met (excluding PLUS or other private loans) 25% 27%
Avg. financial aid package (% awarded aid) $20,356 (54%) $21,356 (51%)
Avg. need-based scholarships or grants (% awarded aid) $13,838 (53%) $14,249 (51%)
Avg. self-help aid, such as work study or loans (% awarded aid) $4,125 (47%) $6,020 (43%)
Avg. need-based loan (excluding PLUS or other private loans) $2,912 $5,511
% need met (of those awarded need-based aid) 89% 84%
Non-need-based aid
Avg. merit award (% awarded aid) $12,245 (41%) $16,651 (43%)
Avg. athletic scholarship (% awarded aid) $23,843 (4%) $22,787 (4%)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>looks like Gonzage has better aid than U of P- and I don't know stats of students that are attending, but their parents seemed happy with packages.</p>
<p>Son had financial aid packages from 3 of the schools last year. Vanderbilt, Boston College and Gonzaga. Vandy by far, had the "best package", low loans (2000), workstudy (2000) and no gap. Gonzaga was loan heavy, heavy workstudy with a large gap (7500) and this included a substantial merit award. BC's merit package was better, but the entire package fell short of Vandy's. </p>
<p>kat...the only problem with that is I would be shocked if I got into BC or Vandy.</p>
<p>Also, I know that a lot of you suggesting against getting a job because it is my senior year and I should be enjoying it, but I feel that if I don't get a job and don't have any cash, I won't be able to do a lot of the "fun" things that other senior are doing.</p>
<p>surfette, that makes some sense, if you are out playing tennis, you might not even enjoy it if you are thinking about college, and having a bit of cash, it is actually a very mature thing to do, IMO.</p>
<p>Have you talked with your parents about this? I know I talked to my kiddos about the money non-stop. It was the key factor in where all 4 of them ending up going to school. Fortunately, each had a couple of choices when April 1 showed up and I do mean financially. Not only did they all have back-up (safety) schools academically but financially as well. And financially in the sense of worse case scenario (received no scholarships/aid and THEY had to pay cash for it themselves).</p>
<p>If you were my child I would want to have a full disclosure discussion so that way there are no "surprises" and you can have all the info upfront so as to make the most mature decisions for you and your family. And I do stress "your family". Yes, you will be the one attending college but you do not exist in a vacuum and as a soon-to-be-adult you should have the privilege and responsibility of making family decsions that will impact your WHOLE family.</p>
<p>And this isn't just in reference to whether or not you visit schools or which ones or if you play tennis or work part-time. This reflects on where you eventually will attend, what part YOU will play financially and most importantly, how you will conduct yourself through the process.</p>
<p>How you act, the things you say and do especially with regards to your parents is a reflection of your growing maturity and defines who you want to be as a person, definitely character building. Your friend pointed out how you were acting. You have the opportunity to really use this opportunity as a springboard into adulthood. </p>
<p>Be strong, keep your chin up, have fun and remember your parents love you very, very much. And feel free to keep asking questions/advice on the PF.</p>
<p>I discussed the job idea with my mom and she thought it was a fantastic idea. My dad grumbled a bit, but kept his opinion to himself. </p>
<p>Now although I've been researching colleges for about a year and a half, I've never thought to look at the financial aid available to each school. My parents are completely uninterested in my college choice as long as it is affordable. Are there any schools with deadlines that haven't past yet that offer good merit based scholarships and have a good writing/English program?</p>
<p>WUE is a really good program & I don't believe it's deadline has passed. It allows you to pay 150% of resident tuition at several schools on the West Coast instead of non-resident tuition. University of Oregon is a member, as are several schools in Colorado, Washington, and other places. <a href="http://wue.wiche.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://wue.wiche.edu/</a></p>
<p>You need to check the specific requirements & rules & deadlines for each school. </p>
<p>You might ask your counselor if s/he is aware of any schools that might award good scholarships to a student with your credentials.</p>
<p>It does make sense to work for money to be able to be at things like Prom and other end-of-the-year senior events. It's good that you limit your working hours so that you can have time for school and tennis, but remember that your limited hours may work against you when employers look at you. They want you when THEY need you, not when you can be there. That's why some places don't hire college kids over the summer, because they know they'll leave in August. </p>
<p>Good luck with this process and I'm very sorry that your parents only care about what this will cost them, and not how it will help you grow ad become a successful young adult.</p>
