If money was no object, what would you do?

[Anonymous]

It's been a few years, but one of our kids with an artsy vibe ended up applying to Wesleyan, Carleton, Grinnell, a couple other lesser LACs, and William & Mary in state. They strongly considered Haverford as well, as it is easily a peer to these schools, but in the end didn't apply.

They ended up getting into Carleton, Grinnell -- with a very nice merit aid package -- and William & Mary. Money wasn't an object in the sense that we could have afforded any of the schools, but we were practical and so was our kid. In the end they went with Grinnell, and it really wasn't a tough decision. With the aid package (which, at the time, was about 1/2 tuition) it wasn't much more expensive that William & Mary in state but and only half the cost of Carleton.

Grinnell has gotten more competitive in recent years, and boy is it a great school (really underrated on DCUM). In retrospect, such a smart decision.

OP, I'd never take out loans to pay for any of the LACs who have on your kid's list over William & Mary. Never. None of the schools is worth going into debt for if you end up having that in state option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had this exact issue because my daughter would have loved Vassar but they don’t give any merit aid. Would the name value of a school like Vassar (or other schools that don’t give merit aid like Tufts or Wash U) be worth the extra money over a “lesser” school she’d like?

My DD almost had the stats to try for “top” schools but we couldn’t afford them so we tried our best not to let her fall in love with any of them. I felt really guilty.

This was our exact situation! Kid focused her energy on Pitt and PSU (in-state) and then LACs offering merit scholarships. She also applied to some other LACs that don't offer merit aid like Vassar and Carleton (just to see) but didn't apply to many top schools or Ivies since our budget was tighter and she didn't want to get her hopes up. Between the LACs she was admitted to, she didn't really see much of a significant difference between Vassar (and even Carleton) and places like Kenyon and Bryn Mawr that was worth an extra 30k a year. She ended up at Oberlin and is really enjoying it so far.

That’s great and makes sense! Oberlin has good name recognition though. I’ve been surprised to find that I get tired of hearing from people “I’ve never heard of that!” when I mention schools my daughter is applying to. I know it shouldn’t matter….

I grew up an hour from Wake Forest, which I ultimately attended. And had people I grew up with look puzzled and say “Lake Forest? Isn’t that somewhere cold?” When I told them where I was applying. Which is puzzling since Wake is ACC school and plays Duke and UNC. So??? If nothing else, they had spent countless weekends watching Wake play sports. I also applied to Davidson, and again, no one had ever heard of it even though it was also an hour away. And yet, everyone I knew who attended did amazing things with their lives.

I guess it’s nice to have people look impressed at your car magnet. But, not nearly as nice as talking to a health, happy 20 year old on a good life path that excites them— and might even make them financially self sufficient. I’d be careful about letting everyone who attends your cocktail party weigh in on your kid’s college decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's been a few years, but one of our kids with an artsy vibe ended up applying to Wesleyan, Carleton, Grinnell, a couple other lesser LACs, and William & Mary in state. They strongly considered Haverford as well, as it is easily a peer to these schools, but in the end didn't apply.

They ended up getting into Carleton, Grinnell -- with a very nice merit aid package -- and William & Mary. Money wasn't an object in the sense that we could have afforded any of the schools, but we were practical and so was our kid. In the end they went with Grinnell, and it really wasn't a tough decision. With the aid package (which, at the time, was about 1/2 tuition) it wasn't much more expensive that William & Mary in state but and only half the cost of Carleton.

Grinnell has gotten more competitive in recent years, and boy is it a great school (really underrated on DCUM). In retrospect, such a smart decision.

OP, I'd never take out loans to pay for any of the LACs who have on your kid's list over William & Mary. Never. None of the schools is worth going into debt for if you end up having that in state option.

NP here. My DS was recently accepted ED to Grinnell and looked at all of the schools you mention. I’m really happy he chose Grinnell. His second favorite was W&M and that would’ve actually been more expensive for us as we are not in VA.

[Anonymous]

I think that the experience at the more selective, higher ranked SLACs is just different/better. That is my impression from having looked at many liberal arts colleges over the last year. It was apparent in so many ways. My DS is completely oblivious to rankings and different colleges and was open to seeing lots of LACs. But from visiting he had a strong preference for the “better” schools.

[Anonymous]

A tale of 2 kids, OP. Both very bright, interesting kids. But also, different personalities and different interests. We saved, grandparents saved and each ended up with $250,000 “to start your adult lives”. And when admissions offers came in, we looked at the bottom line with them, and what would be left over as well as other pros and cons. But did not try to put our thumb on the scale.

Kid 1 chose to attend a Kenyon/Haverford peer school— private SLAC, with some merit. He’ll get out with no debt— but also not a lot of money left over.

Kid 2 chose WM and will come out with about 100k left.

Kid 1 got into WM and kid 2 got into Kid 1’s school. They just made different choices. And I am 100% certain that each kid made the right choice for them.

I would say, having done SLAC admissions x2– be careful with not visiting. Many SLACs, and certainly WM, place a lot of emphasis on demonstrated interest. My kids got into colleges I considered high matches where they visited, interviewed, did the “optional” essays, etc. The only schools they were rejected by were lower ranked schools where they didn’t demonstrate interest. Be aware of how much demonstrated interest matters to a given school and that some school yield protect. Not so much for big state Us. Quite a bit for SLACs that want “fit”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP, I'd never take out loans to pay for any of the LACs who have on your kid's list over William & Mary. Never. None of the schools is worth going into debt for if you end up having that in state option.

Thanks for this advice. Hopefully they get into W&M. Fingers crossed. At 40k instate a year, it's still going to be pricey but we will figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had this exact issue because my daughter would have loved Vassar but they don’t give any merit aid. Would the name value of a school like Vassar (or other schools that don’t give merit aid like Tufts or Wash U) be worth the extra money over a “lesser” school she’d like?

My DD almost had the stats to try for “top” schools but we couldn’t afford them so we tried our best not to let her fall in love with any of them. I felt really guilty.

She ended up at Oberlin and is really enjoying it so far.

Did you find Oberlin comparable in terms of price to your state schools?!! I am surprised to hear this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A tale of 2 kids, OP. Both very bright, interesting kids. But also, different personalities and different interests. We saved, grandparents saved and each ended up with $250,000 “to start your adult lives”. And when admissions offers came in, we looked at the bottom line with them, and what would be left over as well as other pros and cons. But did not try to put our thumb on the scale.

Kid 1 chose to attend a Kenyon/Haverford peer school— private SLAC, with some merit. He’ll get out with no debt— but also not a lot of money left over.

Kid 2 chose WM and will come out with about 100k left.

Kid 1 got into WM and kid 2 got into Kid 1’s school. They just made different choices. And I am 100% certain that each kid made the right choice for them.

I would say, having done SLAC admissions x2– be careful with not visiting. Many SLACs, and certainly WM, place a lot of emphasis on demonstrated interest. My kids got into colleges I considered high matches where they visited, interviewed, did the “optional” essays, etc. The only schools they were rejected by were lower ranked schools where they didn’t demonstrate interest. Be aware of how much demonstrated interest matters to a given school and that some school yield protect. Not so much for big state Us. Quite a bit for SLACs that want “fit”.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Once they get admission (fingers crossed), we will definitely visit. They just didn't want to get their heart set on something and then it not work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A tale of 2 kids, OP. Both very bright, interesting kids. But also, different personalities and different interests. We saved, grandparents saved and each ended up with $250,000 “to start your adult lives”. And when admissions offers came in, we looked at the bottom line with them, and what would be left over as well as other pros and cons. But did not try to put our thumb on the scale.

Kid 1 chose to attend a Kenyon/Haverford peer school— private SLAC, with some merit. He’ll get out with no debt— but also not a lot of money left over.

Kid 2 chose WM and will come out with about 100k left.

Kid 1 got into WM and kid 2 got into Kid 1’s school. They just made different choices. And I am 100% certain that each kid made the right choice for them.

I would say, having done SLAC admissions x2– be careful with not visiting. Many SLACs, and certainly WM, place a lot of emphasis on demonstrated interest. My kids got into colleges I considered high matches where they visited, interviewed, did the “optional” essays, etc. The only schools they were rejected by were lower ranked schools where they didn’t demonstrate interest. Be aware of how much demonstrated interest matters to a given school and that some school yield protect. Not so much for big state Us. Quite a bit for SLACs that want “fit”.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Once they get admission (fingers crossed), we will definitely visit. They just didn't want to get their heart set on something and then it not work out.

The problem with demonstrated interest is that a kid is much more likely to get into a SLAC or WM if they… demonstrate interest. I get the urge to self protect. But the message it sends to schools is your kid doesn’t care enough about the school to learn about it or take the time to visit or interview. And therefore it’s a last choice/ filler and your kid is unlikely to attend. These schools care about yield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had this exact issue because my daughter would have loved Vassar but they don’t give any merit aid. Would the name value of a school like Vassar (or other schools that don’t give merit aid like Tufts or Wash U) be worth the extra money over a “lesser” school she’d like?

My DD almost had the stats to try for “top” schools but we couldn’t afford them so we tried our best not to let her fall in love with any of them. I felt really guilty.

She ended up at Oberlin and is really enjoying it so far.

but maybe not as big as you n

Did you find Oberlin comparable in terms of price to your state schools?!! I am surprised to hear this!

NP. I have a kid at Oberlin. Merit aid only. Dining in a co-op, which cuts the Board price. $48k all in. $52k last year when co-OP’s weren’t functioning. WM, which is the instate school she would have chosen, is $40k. So, it’s a difference. But, maybe not as big as you might think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A tale of 2 kids, OP. Both very bright, interesting kids. But also, different personalities and different interests. We saved, grandparents saved and each ended up with $250,000 “to start your adult lives”. And when admissions offers came in, we looked at the bottom line with them, and what would be left over as well as other pros and cons. But did not try to put our thumb on the scale.

Kid 1 chose to attend a Kenyon/Haverford peer school— private SLAC, with some merit. He’ll get out with no debt— but also not a lot of money left over.

Kid 2 chose WM and will come out with about 100k left.

Kid 1 got into WM and kid 2 got into Kid 1’s school. They just made different choices. And I am 100% certain that each kid made the right choice for them.

I would say, having done SLAC admissions x2– be careful with not visiting. Many SLACs, and certainly WM, place a lot of emphasis on demonstrated interest. My kids got into colleges I considered high matches where they visited, interviewed, did the “optional” essays, etc. The only schools they were rejected by were lower ranked schools where they didn’t demonstrate interest. Be aware of how much demonstrated interest matters to a given school and that some school yield protect. Not so much for big state Us. Quite a bit for SLACs that want “fit”.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Once they get admission (fingers crossed), we will definitely visit. They just didn't want to get their heart set on something and then it not work out.

The problem with demonstrated interest is that a kid is much more likely to get into a SLAC or WM if they… demonstrate interest. I get the urge to self protect. But the message it sends to schools is your kid doesn’t care enough about the school to learn about it or take the time to visit or interview. And therefore it’s a last choice/ filler and your kid is unlikely to attend. These schools care about yield.

I see. Maybe too late now, but perhaps we can go for a tour in January or try to schedule one to demonstrate interest. 😬

[Anonymous]

NP. I have a kid at Oberlin. Merit aid only. Dining in a co-op, which cuts the Board price. $48k all in. $52k last year when co-OP’s weren’t functioning. WM, which is the instate school she would have chosen, is $40k. So, it’s a difference. But, maybe not as big as you might think.

That's pretty awesome! Great job to your kid for securing such great merit!

[Anonymous]

Child not willing to tour, but okay with writing essays and spending the application fee? Skewed thinking.

[Anonymous]

At least have DC sign up for and attend the virtual tours and similar types of things. No substitute for an in-person visit but esp w/omicron, in-person visits are likely to be difficult or some time in the future. Most schools do virtual programming all the time, and they can give your kid some idea of what the environment is like as well as provide a bit of demonstrated interest. Maybe also request interviews for the same reason?

[Anonymous]

We toured a lot of schools and my DC did a ton of virtual visits. The two schools that were VERY frank about wanting demonstrated interest were WM and Lehigh.