two kids in college - what is prestige worth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP is off in Lala-Land while his first child is sweating bullets this close to Decision Day.

Not cool, OP. Your cold feet are hurting your kids. Typical of a certain type of bean-counter.

You should have been upfront with your kids about you finances before they applied anywhere.

You're literally making this up. Why I have no idea. We called schools to ask for clarity on what happens next year when she got the acceptances. I'm sorry I didn't alert DC Urban Moms and Dads then, I guess? A lot of kids are still weighing decisions rn. Accepted students day at Princeton as last week ffs. For my child-of-bean-counters, decision-making includes how to allocate a big chunk of money set aside for college. Do she want to keep some powder dry for grad school? Do she want to do a gap year and get more FA next year (suggested by two schools - who also want the best for these kids)? She's a smart kid making smart decisions. I'm super proud.

You guys are talking about this with one week to go? I can understand a teen not having a great sense of timing, but you, the adult? You're cutting it a bit close to be still talking about a gap year in April of senior year!
The allocation of money was something you were supposed to do for the past 18 years, my friend. Calling around frantically now isn't going to change much.

DP. Last year with 1 week to go, my kid was meeting with various dept chairs and waiting for results of FA appeals at 3 T15 schools. "Calling around frantically " saved us 8k. Per year.

What iswrong here that you need to chastise?

People like this poster are honestly a problem. You went all "Karen" frantically appealing FA results sucking up more of the budget while the people who probably really need the money don't end up with it (you didn't mention any actually flawed FA data). I'm guessing you're a homeowner with a fair amount of equity there and in your retirement account they can't touch and would call yourself UMC to a non-FA officer?

What a rush to judgment. We are not UMC. We appealed based on lower income in '21 than '20. The other contacting was to see if the colleges that were more expensive were worth the additional cost so DD was talking to various faculty. So, because we made less money and realized that would be important for the unis to know, that makes me a "Karen?" You sure bandy that term around loosely. And, actually, "Karen" refers to someone who pre-judges others based on their own entitlements, so look in the mirror, babe.

Honestly, why do people feel the need to denigrate others when it's so unnecessary? Our EFC is not high. We need the FA. The week spent comparing schools and talking to FA office was fruitful. You stink.

I would agree that pushing back at the last minute also isn't an amazing thing to do when it isn't based on any merit. When you say "saved us 8k," it also didn't sound like you were not going to be able to afford it otherwise. It looked more like a pat on the back for saving yourself the money at the last minute. The point is that the money had to come from somewhere FA budget wise and maybe your family that goes through multiple appeal processes and escalates isn't the one that needs it most. But you could actually be fairly poor and if that is the case then the strategy was a true positive though trying to do things earlier would have been ideal.
I am also interested if you are a homeowner with decent retirement accounts though. Would you mind answering that bit? A lot of the FA stories on DCUM feel a bit fringe in terms of true need. The same parents trying to game admissions too often turn their attempts to the FA office too.

Firstly, why would you read so much into someone's experience appealing their FA when you know none of the details? We gave the 2 schools dd was down to info on our current income which had decreased from the previous year. That is NOT gaming the system. Not sure how we would have addressed it earlier as she had only just visited the last school. She contacted that school in person while on the visit, and theit FA officer advised her to submit updated income info. But, getting in the current info put us into the last week. We had only gotten the admissions and FA a couple weeks before. I don't know why you keep assuming someone else should get this FA. If the school thought that, they wouldn't have granted our D's appeal. Our efc is in the 30k range. We have some retirement, not a ton because I don't have benefits, but schools don't consider retirement accounts anyway.

I posted to try to help and encourage OP. Not sure why the need to pounce with assumptions and judgments.

A certain school might add a little, but the big engine in all of this is your FAFSA, which peculiarly you don't mention.

[Anonymous]

If my kid was among the 20% who prefer Williams over Princeton, I’d be fine with that. You guys are whack.

[Anonymous]

These schools don’t really use the fafsa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my kid was among the 20% who prefer Williams over Princeton, I’d be fine with that. You guys are whack.

No, you may be the one who is not thinking correctly.

The student who applied & was accepted to these two great schools should be able to articulate why he or she prefers one over the other--especially when the preference is for the more costly, less prestigious school for a humanities major.

Full pay students from UMC families should be able to appreciate that a college degree is a major investment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These schools don’t really use the fafsa

Of course they do. Either that or the CSS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These schools don’t really use the fafsa

Princeton requires the FAFSA. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are required to submit a FAFSA as part of your aid application. Make sure to include Princeton's federal school code, 002627, on the form to ensure we receive your completed FAFSA.

Apply for Financial Aid - Princeton Admission

Princeton University
https://admission.princeton.edu › cost-aid › apply-financi...

[Anonymous]

Articulate that here? To you? Okaaaaay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These schools don’t really use the fafsa

Of course they do. Either that or the CSS.

+1. Princeton uses the FAFSA. Williams uses either the CSS or FAFSA but you must submit one or the other. Colleges are not going to offer any financial aid consideration without it,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP is off in Lala-Land while his first child is sweating bullets this close to Decision Day.

Not cool, OP. Your cold feet are hurting your kids. Typical of a certain type of bean-counter.

You should have been upfront with your kids about you finances before they applied anywhere.

You're literally making this up. Why I have no idea. We called schools to ask for clarity on what happens next year when she got the acceptances. I'm sorry I didn't alert DC Urban Moms and Dads then, I guess? A lot of kids are still weighing decisions rn. Accepted students day at Princeton as last week ffs. For my child-of-bean-counters, decision-making includes how to allocate a big chunk of money set aside for college. Do she want to keep some powder dry for grad school? Do she want to do a gap year and get more FA next year (suggested by two schools - who also want the best for these kids)? She's a smart kid making smart decisions. I'm super proud.

You guys are talking about this with one week to go? I can understand a teen not having a great sense of timing, but you, the adult? You're cutting it a bit close to be still talking about a gap year in April of senior year!
The allocation of money was something you were supposed to do for the past 18 years, my friend. Calling around frantically now isn't going to change much.

DP. Last year with 1 week to go, my kid was meeting with various dept chairs and waiting for results of FA appeals at 3 T15 schools. "Calling around frantically " saved us 8k. Per year.

What iswrong here that you need to chastise?

People like this poster are honestly a problem. You went all "Karen" frantically appealing FA results sucking up more of the budget while the people who probably really need the money don't end up with it (you didn't mention any actually flawed FA data). I'm guessing you're a homeowner with a fair amount of equity there and in your retirement account they can't touch and would call yourself UMC to a non-FA officer?

What a rush to judgment. We are not UMC. We appealed based on lower income in '21 than '20. The other contacting was to see if the colleges that were more expensive were worth the additional cost so DD was talking to various faculty. So, because we made less money and realized that would be important for the unis to know, that makes me a "Karen?" You sure bandy that term around loosely. And, actually, "Karen" refers to someone who pre-judges others based on their own entitlements, so look in the mirror, babe.

Honestly, why do people feel the need to denigrate others when it's so unnecessary? Our EFC is not high. We need the FA. The week spent comparing schools and talking to FA office was fruitful. You stink.

I would agree that pushing back at the last minute also isn't an amazing thing to do when it isn't based on any merit. When you say "saved us 8k," it also didn't sound like you were not going to be able to afford it otherwise. It looked more like a pat on the back for saving yourself the money at the last minute. The point is that the money had to come from somewhere FA budget wise and maybe your family that goes through multiple appeal processes and escalates isn't the one that needs it most. But you could actually be fairly poor and if that is the case then the strategy was a true positive though trying to do things earlier would have been ideal.
I am also interested if you are a homeowner with decent retirement accounts though. Would you mind answering that bit? A lot of the FA stories on DCUM feel a bit fringe in terms of true need. The same parents trying to game admissions too often turn their attempts to the FA office too.

Firstly, why would you read so much into someone's experience appealing their FA when you know none of the details? We gave the 2 schools dd was down to info on our current income which had decreased from the previous year. That is NOT gaming the system. Not sure how we would have addressed it earlier as she had only just visited the last school. She contacted that school in person while on the visit, and theit FA officer advised her to submit updated income info. But, getting in the current info put us into the last week. We had only gotten the admissions and FA a couple weeks before. I don't know why you keep assuming someone else should get this FA. If the school thought that, they wouldn't have granted our D's appeal. Our efc is in the 30k range. We have some retirement, not a ton because I don't have benefits, but schools don't consider retirement accounts anyway.

I posted to try to help and encourage OP. Not sure why the need to pounce with assumptions and judgments.

A certain school might add a little, but the big engine in all of this is your FAFSA, which peculiarly you don't mention.

?? Poster referenced EFC which is a direct product of FAFSA. So, what else is there to disclose? You want all the financials on some random person because you got caught out making baseless assumptions? Your attempts at a gotcha moment are pathetic. Also, as another poster mentioned, CSS is more relevant here anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These schools don’t really use the fafsa

Of course they do. Either that or the CSS.

+1. Princeton uses the FAFSA. Williams uses either the CSS or FAFSA but you must submit one or the other. Colleges are not going to offer any financial aid consideration without it,

I think what PP was suggesting is that they don't ONLY use the FAFSA. Princeton has their own version of extra FA form in lieu of CSS. Williams uses CSS. It's like FAFSA+

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP is off in Lala-Land while his first child is sweating bullets this close to Decision Day.

Not cool, OP. Your cold feet are hurting your kids. Typical of a certain type of bean-counter.

You should have been upfront with your kids about you finances before they applied anywhere.

You're literally making this up. Why I have no idea. We called schools to ask for clarity on what happens next year when she got the acceptances. I'm sorry I didn't alert DC Urban Moms and Dads then, I guess? A lot of kids are still weighing decisions rn. Accepted students day at Princeton as last week ffs. For my child-of-bean-counters, decision-making includes how to allocate a big chunk of money set aside for college. Do she want to keep some powder dry for grad school? Do she want to do a gap year and get more FA next year (suggested by two schools - who also want the best for these kids)? She's a smart kid making smart decisions. I'm super proud.

You guys are talking about this with one week to go? I can understand a teen not having a great sense of timing, but you, the adult? You're cutting it a bit close to be still talking about a gap year in April of senior year!
The allocation of money was something you were supposed to do for the past 18 years, my friend. Calling around frantically now isn't going to change much.

DP. Last year with 1 week to go, my kid was meeting with various dept chairs and waiting for results of FA appeals at 3 T15 schools. "Calling around frantically " saved us 8k. Per year.

What iswrong here that you need to chastise?

People like this poster are honestly a problem. You went all "Karen" frantically appealing FA results sucking up more of the budget while the people who probably really need the money don't end up with it (you didn't mention any actually flawed FA data). I'm guessing you're a homeowner with a fair amount of equity there and in your retirement account they can't touch and would call yourself UMC to a non-FA officer?

What a rush to judgment. We are not UMC. We appealed based on lower income in '21 than '20. The other contacting was to see if the colleges that were more expensive were worth the additional cost so DD was talking to various faculty. So, because we made less money and realized that would be important for the unis to know, that makes me a "Karen?" You sure bandy that term around loosely. And, actually, "Karen" refers to someone who pre-judges others based on their own entitlements, so look in the mirror, babe.

Honestly, why do people feel the need to denigrate others when it's so unnecessary? Our EFC is not high. We need the FA. The week spent comparing schools and talking to FA office was fruitful. You stink.

I would agree that pushing back at the last minute also isn't an amazing thing to do when it isn't based on any merit. When you say "saved us 8k," it also didn't sound like you were not going to be able to afford it otherwise. It looked more like a pat on the back for saving yourself the money at the last minute. The point is that the money had to come from somewhere FA budget wise and maybe your family that goes through multiple appeal processes and escalates isn't the one that needs it most. But you could actually be fairly poor and if that is the case then the strategy was a true positive though trying to do things earlier would have been ideal.
I am also interested if you are a homeowner with decent retirement accounts though. Would you mind answering that bit? A lot of the FA stories on DCUM feel a bit fringe in terms of true need. The same parents trying to game admissions too often turn their attempts to the FA office too.

Firstly, why would you read so much into someone's experience appealing their FA when you know none of the details? We gave the 2 schools dd was down to info on our current income which had decreased from the previous year. That is NOT gaming the system. Not sure how we would have addressed it earlier as she had only just visited the last school. She contacted that school in person while on the visit, and theit FA officer advised her to submit updated income info. But, getting in the current info put us into the last week. We had only gotten the admissions and FA a couple weeks before. I don't know why you keep assuming someone else should get this FA. If the school thought that, they wouldn't have granted our D's appeal. Our efc is in the 30k range. We have some retirement, not a ton because I don't have benefits, but schools don't consider retirement accounts anyway.

I posted to try to help and encourage OP. Not sure why the need to pounce with assumptions and judgments.

A certain school might add a little, but the big engine in all of this is your FAFSA, which peculiarly you don't mention.

"Assets in retirement plans don't count..." --Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2014/02/14/how-assets-hurt-college-aid-eligibility-on-fafsa-and-css-profile/?sh=2ec2a4f923ec

[Anonymous]

Schools require fafsa for federal loans but Williams requires the CSS too and Princeton has their own PFAA form.

[Anonymous]

One day I'd like to see a list ranking schools by name recognition, perhaps regionally. So Harvard would have 100%, but Williams? I wonder. Higher in the northeast for sure.

I think people here (and everywhere, but especially here) overestimate how known their regional private/public schools are. I grew up in NYC, for example, and knew all the good regional schools but also Grinnell and Williams and Carleton and Mac - our specialized high school sent kids to all those. Kids also went to places like UT Austin and UCLA too. But Washington and Lee, GMU, JMU? 100% off our radar.

[Anonymous]

Understandable how one could prefer Williams College over Princeton University from a comfort standpoint, but not from an investment perspective.

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking is based on outcomes; Williams College was #23 if I recall correctly, Princeton University was ranked #8.

[Anonymous]

is that out of like 4000 colleges? so they both have super high outcomes.