son is getting "express" applications...

Northstarmom
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:54:02 +0000

He needs to check their merit aid info to see what kind of students get selected for it. Sometimes colleges list on their sites profiles of students who have gotten their merit aid. That can give one info about what to emphasize on the app. Also check the board on CC for that college because you may find info about people who have gotten their merit aid and about people who didn’t get it.

If you name the college and give your S’s stats, there may be people here who have info based on their kid’s experiences. There’s no reason to hide this info because without it, you’ll not get the most useful advice.

It is an advantage being a male of any race who’s applying to LACs because LACs want to maintain male:female ratios of about 50:50, but LACs have a hard time attracting males because of the lack of football. Without about a 50:50 ratio, LACs get fewer applicants because the girls who are applying to co-ed LACs usually want a co-ed college, not an overwhelmingly female one.

If there are similarly ranked colleges offering merit aid, your S could apply to those, try to get the merit aid so as to be in a negotiating position with his college of choice.

He also needs to have match and safety schools that he’d love attending and could afford. It’s never a good idea to pin all of one’s hopes on a dream school. Virtually all students could be equally fulfilled at a variety of colleges, so do encourage your S to expand his search and to also keep an open mind.

If you have demonstrated financial need, most of the top LACs promise to meet 100% of that (which may or may not be what you feel you can pay).

When it comes to LACs: Grinnell Kenyan and Earlham have some nice merit aid.