For those with kids in college, give me the real scoop on the “perks”
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Anonymous
Yes, they are generally free at those schools that have large endowments. |
Anonymous
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My daughter's friends are at Ivies and on social media they're always taking random trips they say are with class. How does an Ivy fly a group on students somewhere on a weekend? Like I don't get how everyone would purchase tickets? Is that common?
I think two other big perks are career resources & you can get funding for any little pet project you want to do. Like a few grand to start a club or community effort, no problem. Is that true? |
Anonymous
| That's true for some of the Ivies not all. Depends on their priorities. Some spend more in the classroom to get sizes down, others on funding ECs. |
Anonymous
| DC got paid internships/fellowships with excellent mentoring and the chance to do her own research after both first and second year of college. So that’s been real IME. Study abroad looked expensive, but DC wasn’t interested in doing it (not a great fit for STEM kids at her U — too many courses are sequential, so missing one can set you back a year). |
Anonymous
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Some of the opportunities that they play up are not available to every student, but rather students have the opportunity to compete for them -- so there's no way of knowing if your student would actually get the paid internship, the funds for a project, study abroad, a chance to work with a professor. Therefore it's worth asking how many of these slots there are, and what the criteria are for selection.
In some instances, however, if your child gets a named scholarship, it might come with specific perks -- like funds for a summer internship, etc. Don't assume that just because a school has a program that your child will be able to afford it or that they will be selected for it. Here again if your kid is barely in range for the school or in the mid-fifty percent, they might be less likely to win if there's a competition for the internship, etc. But if your student is kind of overqualified for the school looking at test scores, etc. then this might be a perk that would choose your child to pick this school over another -- particularly if they are offered a merit scholarship which guarantees access to a particular program that interests them. |
Anonymous
Yes. This is true. |
Anonymous
OP - I think tney are valid but they do cost money. DD is going to study at Oxford this summer but we pay flights and tuition. However, course credit and grades are transferred back to home school. We do not get any financial aid. There are three things to watch for: 1) A lot of colleges and universities have realized that the semester or year abroad is a moneymaker for the institutiton. They do charge college regular tuition but work out a cheap exchange program int he foreign country. School pockets the difference. SLACS and LACS in financial trouble do this a lot. 2) Next problem: Your child returns from say, third year abroad, and finds they cannot get the necessary classes to finish their major in 4 years. They have to take a fifith or sixth year. School wins again because you are paying for tuititon and room and board. This happens more at the Universities. Students taking more than four years to graduate is not uncommon and can be a real jolt to your family's budget. 3) Schools have learned that if they can send 1/4 of their population away for a year aboard program, they can run more students through the school. Watch for this in SLACs where room and board on campus is required for as many as three years. That tells you the school is trying to maximize the amouont of money it can out of parents. Moving off campus is forbidden. Dorms that were meant to be doubles are not tripled up and as many students as possible are sent on semester or year abroad programs. So, in other words, study abroad is a huge money-makers for colleges. You need to ask a lot of questions - particularly about quality of program your student will be attending and oversight. |
Anonymous
GREAT advice! I would add that some of the study abroad programs allow for lots of partying/drinking. Your DC may loose traction when they return to their home school. |
Anonymous
| 1. My DD has a ton of money in the bank from all her internships, and I mean some serious cash. 2. No one at my DD’s school lives on campus after freshman year. 3. Any program that lets you go abroad will cost you something in time and money but that’s the trade off for experience. It’s basically a safe way to travel in a controlled environment. There are no classes abroad that are not offered at your home institution, that’s not why you do these trips. 4. College is about building a skill set that helps you successfully navigate the rest of your life. It doesn’t have to be on a four year plan. These are opportunities, you can select whichever ones you feel are helpful. 5. The only problem is making them available to those who don’t have the means. The ones who would most benefit from these programs are the least likely to be able to make that financial decision. |
Anonymous
| Most of us are struggling to afford 4 years of college tuition for multiple children. No 5 year plans for us! You rich people really are different . .. |
Anonymous
Some schools dedicate $3,000 per student so kids can accept unpaid internships and still have their expenses (living & travel usually) covered. We all know that must be embedded in the tuition somehow. But I still considered it a desirable perk (of course my kid picked a school that did NOT offer this 
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Anonymous
| You will pay your own airfare when studying abroad. Usually, the students travel while abroad so that costs some $$. Also, be aware that kids don't always take a full load of credits while studying abroad. |
Anonymous
| At Georgia Tech, out of state students pay instate tuition and fees for study abroad programs so it is a good deal. The credits are transferable - example GT has a campus in France. Also programs at Oxford, Ireland, Tokyo, Australia etc. |
Anonymous
A lot of this really depends on the school. Study abroad in particular. Programs that are run by the college tend to be more affordable/sometimes even the same cost as a regular semester of tuition than ones run by other schools. Your child's drive and initiative are going to be the biggest factor in internships and research opportunities and the like - a school can give access but your kid is going to have to go out there and get them. |
Anonymous
When I was in college there were some seminars that involved travel, like a research trip to a geological or archaeological site. The school booked and paid for all the tickets and lodging. But the classes were competitive and you had to apply and be selected. |