The students who get into top SLACs and top universities don't seem to be picking the former

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

And before someone chimes in with “it’s worth it because rich people are willing to pay it or because anybody is willing to,” there’s an unlimited flow of student parent loans propping up the price.

We were happy to be full pay to support DC’s decision to ED at his first choice NESCAC. That investment paid off in a remarkable four year journey and a six figure job at a FAANG. I suppose it all comes down to whether one can afford the investment and the value one places on education.

CS at a NESCAC school? Really?

Data science and yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are kids even applying to SLACS then?

Colgate had something like 22000 applicants this year. A few years ago it was 9000.

Why are kids applying to 10+ schools period? They are casting a wide net.

There are plenty of large universities to cast a wide net without applying to SLACS. So why are kids still applying to SLACS?

If you asked my DC who just applied to 20 schools all over the map he would say:

For variety
For fun
Because I can

Maybe he does not understand the point of the process. Or does not know himself?

The "point of the process," one is led to believe, it to find a school, or group of schools, that will admit a student, and then pick one. It's not that complicated. He's not getting into Harvard, but also think that he can excel at a school beyond community college.

What 17-year-old boy really knows himself?

My response to you, and to PP who states that he still has time to pick up wisdom - is to say -- the system is set up for this. Once a student has slaved over a common app, what problem is it to push a button for a few more submits, especially when there is no application fee, as there is in a large number of these schools, both state universities and SLACs? Oh sure, he had to write a few more supplement essays, but those are largely cut and paste projects as well.

And voila - before he knows it, student ends up with applications submitted to 20 different schools - SLACs, large universities, smaller colleges - whatever you want. My DC ended up with a nice choice to pick from.

Creating more work for other people, applying to schools he’a not really interested in, would never really consider going to, and possibly taking away slots that one of his classmates might have received. I’m sure you don’t see it that way, you are teaching him that his own self is the most important thing, but not all of us have that worldview.

You’re absolutely right. I don’t see it that way at all.

As expected.

But you seem to assume that you are right. You’re not. SLACs love to brag about how many applications they get. So, why not give it to them?

Because you might be taking a spot from a kid who really wants to go there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

Which ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

And we’re happy to take that. Those “third tier schools” you derive for great for the students who go to them. The public universities analogous to those are like zoos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

Which ones?

max open to all students:

Swarthmore- full ride
washington and lee- full ride
davidson- full ride
claremont mckenna- full tuition
harvey mudd- full tuition
denison- full tuition
grinnell- 20K a year
macalester- 20K a year
scripps- 28K ''
oberlin- 25K ''
kenyon- 25K ''

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

Which ones?

Those are one and done scholarships = almost impossible to get like UVA’s Jefferson Scholar. I’m talking for the normal applicant
max open to all students:

Swarthmore- full ride
washington and lee- full ride
davidson- full ride
claremont mckenna- full tuition
harvey mudd- full tuition
denison- full tuition
grinnell- 20K a year
macalester- 20K a year
scripps- 28K ''
oberlin- 25K ''
kenyon- 25K ''

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

Which ones?

Those are one and done scholarships = almost impossible to get like UVA’s Jefferson Scholar. I’m talking for the normal applicant
max open to all students:

Swarthmore- full ride
washington and lee- full ride
davidson- full ride
claremont mckenna- full tuition
harvey mudd- full tuition
denison- full tuition
grinnell- 20K a year
macalester- 20K a year
scripps- 28K ''
oberlin- 25K ''
kenyon- 25K ''

Au contrair. Oberlin offered my kid who did not ask for financial aid a great four year merit scholarship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

Do your homework. SLAC means selective.

I’m glad your kid will thrive at an enormous state school. Mine would not, so we are very happy for them to benefit from the advantages of a small private school that has a great track record of sending kids off to get PhDs and getting their students Fulbrights. Especially as DC got a great merit package.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t realize Williams and Amherst College had trouble filling their classes.

They actually have very low yield rates (and relatively high acceptance rates) vs. other top 15 universities. I think it's closer peers today are schools like Vanderbilt and WashU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t realize Williams and Amherst College had trouble filling their classes.

They actually have very low yield rates (and relatively high acceptance rates) vs. other top 15 universities. I think it's closer peers today are schools like Vanderbilt and WashU

So what? This is meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SLACs are going hit as high as 83K a year. My iwn is not worth it. My kids weren’t even interested and I didn’t see the value in it anymore

I don't think any school, LAC or big U is worth $83k. But plenty of good schools offer merit aid so that the sticker price is meaningless.

The top SLACs don’t offer merit. And no one should enter this market on the assumption that they will get merit many oysters in here seem to be surprised when their kid is accepted without merit and with a full tab owed. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen: “OMG I just learned that DD’s favorite school, Northwestern, is $85k a year. No way can we afford that”. Too many here don’t understand that merit comes only from second and third tier SLACs and usually your child is offering something (high ACT; high SAT) in exchange for the merit money. And many parents here don’t understand his few Dc area families quality for anything under FAFSA. Do your homework first, work the net price calculators, file FAFSA early but don’t count on it (we got zero)

There are a handful of very good SLACs that offer merit.

Which ones?

max open to all students:

Swarthmore- full ride
washington and lee- full ride
davidson- full ride
claremont mckenna- full tuition
harvey mudd- full tuition
denison- full tuition
grinnell- 20K a year
macalester- 20K a year
scripps- 28K ''
oberlin- 25K ''
kenyon- 25K ''

Also, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr

[Anonymous]

Mine is turning down a top university for a SLAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t realize Williams and Amherst College had trouble filling their classes.

They actually have very low yield rates (and relatively high acceptance rates) vs. other top 15 universities. I think it's closer peers today are schools like Vanderbilt and WashU

Did you really just say that?

WashU is ranked #14. Which means it is a T15 school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we just acknowledge that not all LACS or SLACS are rural and that not all big stage schools are urban?

Thank you.

No -- too nuanced for the DCUM hive mind.