WSJ: the Secrets of Elite College Admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many lower income families need to weigh the aid packages against each other, and you can't do this with ED.

You can do it in advance by running the net price calculators. Every college has one by law.

[Anonymous]

That is an estimate and not a real offer - need and how need is met are two VERY different things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many lower income families need to weigh the aid packages against each other, and you can't do this with ED.

You can do it in advance by running the net price calculators. Every college has one by law.

Sigh. We keep having this discussion. First of all, all aid packages are not created equal. "Meeting need" doesn't mean they will necessarily give you a grant for the entire amount. It is also true that many private schools (and some publics) may also provide significant merit aid, which is not taken into account in the net price calculator. This can be a big factor for a kid that is toward the higher end of income of those who qualify for financial aid. This is why the system is most helpful to those who are very poor or rich.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-meet-100-percent-financial-need/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many lower income families need to weigh the aid packages against each other, and you can't do this with ED.

You can do it in advance by running the net price calculators. Every college has one by law.

Sigh. We keep having this discussion. First of all, all aid packages are not created equal. "Meeting need" doesn't mean they will necessarily give you a grant for the entire amount. It is also true that many private schools (and some publics) may also provide significant merit aid, which is not taken into account in the net price calculator. This can be a big factor for a kid that is toward the higher end of income of those who qualify for financial aid. This is why the system is most helpful to those who are very poor or rich.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-meet-100-percent-financial-need/

"Sigh". Yes we keep having this discussion, and you keep being wrong about whether any family can have a kid apply ED if the college is affordable. They absolutely can.

Merit Aid is a totally different thing, and that can also be researched. And lots of schools DO put the expected merit aid in the NPC. But guess what? With very few exceptions, if your kid is applying to a school where they will receive merit aid, they don't need any "advantage" from ED.

What you can afford should be determined long before you kid begins the application process. It should NOT be a "toss out the apps and we'll see which one is best". That is why the NPCs are so valuable.

No family should avoid ED for the reasons the PP above states. PP is completely wrong, and any admissions officer, financial aid officer, college counselor, or person in the know will tell you. If you doubt me, ask one, (or all) of them.

PP, you really need to stop this, you are possibly hurting families with your mis-information.

[Anonymous]

Cornell is consistently in the top 15 in multiple worldwide rankings, consistently ahead of some of the other ivies. It's usually among the top 20 in nationwide rankings. Many of its programs (engineering, cs, plant and animal science, among others) are among the strongest in the nation. It's a unique university with a wide array of academic programs. I never understand why some bash the school and spread misinformation about it. It's the youngest ivy and was founded with an inclusive attitude toward women and minorities. It's weird that many of the haters don't seem to know much about it but jump in to trash the school whenever they see the name. Why compare Cornell to HYP? They're not trying to be HYP. They're a very different school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many lower income families need to weigh the aid packages against each other, and you can't do this with ED.

You can do it in advance by running the net price calculators. Every college has one by law.

Sigh. We keep having this discussion. First of all, all aid packages are not created equal. "Meeting need" doesn't mean they will necessarily give you a grant for the entire amount. It is also true that many private schools (and some publics) may also provide significant merit aid, which is not taken into account in the net price calculator. This can be a big factor for a kid that is toward the higher end of income of those who qualify for financial aid. This is why the system is most helpful to those who are very poor or rich.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-meet-100-percent-financial-need/

"Sigh". Yes we keep having this discussion, and you keep being wrong about whether any family can have a kid apply ED if the college is affordable. They absolutely can.

Merit Aid is a totally different thing, and that can also be researched. And lots of schools DO put the expected merit aid in the NPC. But guess what? With very few exceptions, if your kid is applying to a school where they will receive merit aid, they don't need any "advantage" from ED.

What you can afford should be determined long before you kid begins the application process. It should NOT be a "toss out the apps and we'll see which one is best". That is why the NPCs are so valuable.

No family should avoid ED for the reasons the PP above states. PP is completely wrong, and any admissions officer, financial aid officer, college counselor, or person in the know will tell you. If you doubt me, ask one, (or all) of them.

PP, you really need to stop this, you are possibly hurting families with your mis-information.

The NPC isn’t foolproof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is consistently in the top 15 in multiple worldwide rankings, consistently ahead of some of the other ivies. It's usually among the top 20 in nationwide rankings. Many of its programs (engineering, cs, plant and animal science, among others) are among the strongest in the nation. It's a unique university with a wide array of academic programs. I never understand why some bash the school and spread misinformation about it. It's the youngest ivy and was founded with an inclusive attitude toward women and minorities. It's weird that many of the haters don't seem to know much about it but jump in to trash the school whenever they see the name. Why compare Cornell to HYP? They're not trying to be HYP. They're a very different school.

+1.

[Anonymous]

US education is the single biggest scam in the history of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US education is the single biggest scam in the history of the world.

I would have disagreed in decades past, but now? $60-$75k each year? And some get to go for free? Yeah, it is a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US education is the single biggest scam in the history of the world.

I would have disagreed in decades past, but now? $60-$75k each year? And some get to go for free? Yeah, it is a scam.

Only the very poor get to go for free. If being poor is so fun go quit your job and have your DH quit too. Heck of being poor is so awesome why did you get that job in the first place? Kids who PICK to go to schools where they’re asked to pay $65-75k could’ve gone to many state schools loan free, but many MC and poor kids have to go into enormous debt for state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many lower income families need to weigh the aid packages against each other, and you can't do this with ED.

You can do it in advance by running the net price calculators. Every college has one by law.

Sigh. We keep having this discussion. First of all, all aid packages are not created equal. "Meeting need" doesn't mean they will necessarily give you a grant for the entire amount. It is also true that many private schools (and some publics) may also provide significant merit aid, which is not taken into account in the net price calculator. This can be a big factor for a kid that is toward the higher end of income of those who qualify for financial aid. This is why the system is most helpful to those who are very poor or rich.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-meet-100-percent-financial-need/

"Sigh". Yes we keep having this discussion, and you keep being wrong about whether any family can have a kid apply ED if the college is affordable. They absolutely can.

Merit Aid is a totally different thing, and that can also be researched. And lots of schools DO put the expected merit aid in the NPC. But guess what? With very few exceptions, if your kid is applying to a school where they will receive merit aid, they don't need any "advantage" from ED.

What you can afford should be determined long before you kid begins the application process. It should NOT be a "toss out the apps and we'll see which one is best". That is why the NPCs are so valuable.

No family should avoid ED for the reasons the PP above states. PP is completely wrong, and any admissions officer, financial aid officer, college counselor, or person in the know will tell you. If you doubt me, ask one, (or all) of them.

PP, you really need to stop this, you are possibly hurting families with your mis-information.

The NPC isn’t foolproof.

It’s pretty damned close if you do it right, and if the offer comes back wrong you are released from your ED commitment, so you have nothing to lose whatsoever.

ED is available to every family.

[Anonymous]

NP. Colleges with unreliable NPCs should not be surprised when their accepted ED students pull out. Example, NYU has a reputation for a lame NPC (and NYU doesn't claim to meet full need in any event). But, most colleges have decent NPCs and pulling out after ED acceptance seems to be a relatively uncommon occurrence.

That said, I really don't like ED. The timing of the commitment from a 17 y.o. is a challenge. It's amazing the difference that 6 months (Oct to April) can make in their perspective.

[Anonymous]

Good, solid, high-ranking schools are where if you have certain stats and $$$$, you can pretty much predict your chances. Elite schools, on the other hand, are crapshoot schools where you have the stats and $$$$$, but you are still not a shoo in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is consistently in the top 15 in multiple worldwide rankings, consistently ahead of some of the other ivies. It's usually among the top 20 in nationwide rankings. Many of its programs (engineering, cs, plant and animal science, among others) are among the strongest in the nation. It's a unique university with a wide array of academic programs. I never understand why some bash the school and spread misinformation about it. It's the youngest ivy and was founded with an inclusive attitude toward women and minorities. It's weird that many of the haters don't seem to know much about it but jump in to trash the school whenever they see the name. Why compare Cornell to HYP? They're not trying to be HYP. They're a very different school.

Some of the hate is a cringey meme by dullards who've never stepped foot on campus. It's also the largest Ivy, so it has a lot of dime a dozen above average types who convince themselves they have a genuine chance to get in verse their in-state public university. When they or their child are rejected and end up at Rutgers, GW, UConn, UMD or Michigan, they hold onto that bitterness for the rest of their life. "It wasn't even elite anyways!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is consistently in the top 15 in multiple worldwide rankings, consistently ahead of some of the other ivies. It's usually among the top 20 in nationwide rankings. Many of its programs (engineering, cs, plant and animal science, among others) are among the strongest in the nation. It's a unique university with a wide array of academic programs. I never understand why some bash the school and spread misinformation about it. It's the youngest ivy and was founded with an inclusive attitude toward women and minorities. It's weird that many of the haters don't seem to know much about it but jump in to trash the school whenever they see the name. Why compare Cornell to HYP? They're not trying to be HYP. They're a very different school.

Some of the hate is a cringey meme by dullards who've never stepped foot on campus. It's also the largest Ivy, so it has a lot of dime a dozen above average types who convince themselves they have a genuine chance to get in verse their in-state public university. When they or their child are rejected and end up at Rutgers, GW, UConn, UMD or Michigan, they hold onto that bitterness for the rest of their life. "It wasn't even elite anyways!"

And the reverse side of the same coin is that the 2nd tier students who DO get in think Cornell is the best thing since sliced bread - and by extension, they are God’s gift to the world.