The last thing I’d do is to encourage financial reaches. What if she gets in, decides that’s really where she wants to go and you simply can’t afford it? I might be missing something, but I fail to see a positive when she already has schools she really likes that fall in your budget.
At the end of the day, she only needs to apply to one school: a school where she’ll be accepted and that she’ll be happy to attend.
If that school is on her list somewhere, she’s good. “Prestige”, like so many other factors is of varying importance to different people.
Every kid is different, but perspectives/plans can change between now and next January.
If she’s already done a lot of research and is certain of her feeling re: reach schools, that’s great. But as a parent of kids who were maybe a bit slower to get to that point, I would be hesitant to rule out all ‘reaches’ this early in the game (assuming the financials look like they could work). There may be one that could be a great fit despite it’s high rank or ‘prestige’.
Your kid sounds like my older kid. I bullied mine into applying to MIT, GT and Olin. She worked hard on the MIT and Olin apps, didn’t get in. Did NOT want to go to GT and really did a half-hearted application and didn’t get in.
She’s not sad that she didn’t get in, and is very excited about where she’s going (honors college at UA on the presidential scholarship), and feels like the apps for the reaches were a huge waste of time. She had some phenomenal options with her matches (and a few surprise stinkers, like a lot of the 2017 kids)
My H was deeply aggravated by having to fill out the CSS form, as well.
For my 2018 kid, we’re focusing on matches and safeties only-she, like her sister, does not want to be “the dumbest one in class”, and I’m older and wiser about the college process, and won’t push her to apply to a place where the odds are against her and she would feel less than accomplished (something she is actually more sensitive to than her older sister).
So far, her favorites are two in-state publics, net price <$20K with merit.
She completely understands our financial situation and she does not make decisions on emotions. She even asked if I would mind if she threw away all of the college mailings because she hates clutter. So I am not worried about her getting attached to a school that is unaffordable like I would be with my next one up who is all emotions.
My temptation to have her apply to a few more schools is to give her a chance to study a particular major that is not offered at the state publics.
The schools I am thinking about are not prestigious but are known to be very nurturing CTCL or similar type schools. Their NPC’s came in around $27-28K, and they would come with no significant travel expenses.
(For background: I originally considered my budget as $25K. Then when she liked two of our state schools that will come under $20K with merit and I found some deals with automatic merit scholarships, I thought I could limit the budget more to avoid federal loans.)
Since we have a very unusual financial situation (low income with savings necessary for survival during retirement), I had already been considering an appeal if an otherwise perfect school came back with a net price surprise over $25K.
^ I’m hard-pressed to think of any major that would be at a CTCL school that would not be at a big public.
Granted, for some majors at some publics, entry may be competitive so it may be easier to get in to that major at a CTCL school (if they have it).
Agree 100% with @happy1! It’s an exhausting process as it is. If your kid has a list where you can see they will be happy, has solid programs for their major AND they are affordable…then let it be.
@PurpleTitan , Neuroscience isn’t offered as a specific major at any of our state publics, but is offered at some CTCL schools. That isn’t to say you can hit the same material in other ways and perhaps more deeply at the publics. It just might not be as laid out.
Neuroscience with what long term goal?
@eyemgh She’s not sure, possibly grad school, research, or a doctoral OT program.
Perhaps she has figured out that she can construct a “neuroscience major” at her favorite schools by majoring in a related subject like biology or psychology and adding appropriate electives in other fields?
You can’t do meaningful research without a graduated degree. A doctoral program should be funded. If however she’s thinking a professional program of any kind (OT, PA, MD, et.), minimizing undergraduate debt while simultaneously vetting programs with strong teach records of placing graduates into ssic programs is paramount. Wish her luck.
Here are schools that have a 3-2 OT partnership with WashU: http://www.ot.wustl.edu/education/3-2-program/3-2-partner-schools-374
Admission to the WashU Master’s isn’t guaranteed, though.
However, at many of them, getting a significant scholarship isn’t going to be very difficult if she has high stats.
I’ve said it a billion times for normal jobs engineers (normal management, operations, low/mid level design, .gov), teaching, management, HR, social work, any medicine, public universities or local LAC’s are great. There is no reason to reach, spend more, stress more, in my opinion it WON’T make a difference.
It is about fit as much as anything! Out of all the MD’s we know (friends with), Lawyers, nurses, PA’s, engineers, wife I both have worked for 5 different Fortune 50 companies we met very few people who had these “top 30 degrees” you hear about on CC.
If your goal is to be a CEO, CFO, Wall Street stockbroker, get into Washington, maybe the prestige, CONNECTIONS, of a top 30 school will get you there, but again for normal jobs there is no need.
At P&G the MIT engineer worked right next to the engineer from Louisiana Tech, McNeese, and Ohio State all paid about the same.
Whatever she wants, you guys can afford, and hopefully she picks a major that is marketable and not fluffy. Best of luck!
@TTG,
Definitely agree it is “How you go to school not where” at least to a point!
@hannuhylu, @eyemgh Thanks for your help and the important reminder.
The fluffy major issue isn’t settled.
She just loves science and is not highly invested in neuroscience major specifically but recognizes it pulls in a lot of her interests.
I spent time looking at the UAB website and it really would offer a lot for her at a good price, not counting the travel.