Middle class family being bamboozled with large "scholarships" from tier 5 LACs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is scholarships in scare quotes? Are these families being offered money or not?

Is it that these are schools that offer scholarship money to get kids to come, and then make it hard to keep the scholarships so families wind up having to switch schools or bother to stay?

Or are you just talking about schools that offer a lot of merit aid to kids with good stats in order to induce them to come to the school and boost their numbers? I do not feel middle class families get "bamboozled" by this because generally if a kid has good stats, the family is with it enough to be able to evaluate options, since the kid will have some with high numbers, including in state options.

In any case, of all the things about higher education to be worried about right now, this seems far down the list unless you are talking about actual fraud.

I wondered that as well.

A scholarship is $ you don’t have to pay back or do work to receive. Whether $500 or $50,000, it’s a scholarship.

It can still come with a lot of strings, for example very high 1st Year GPA requirement that may be very difficult to attain in certain majors (STEM). Or the scholarship is only guaranteed for the first year and then subject to the whims of the university.

I went to NYU and they used 1st year scholarships to lure in middle class families. When the kid missed the high GPA requirement because they were studying engineering or a typical pre-med major, they then lost their scholarship and the family was on the hook to make up the difference in short order. I knew a bunch of kids who left NYU because of these strings from the Bursars office. The school gave out the scholarships with the expectation that a certain % would lose their scholarship and then still pay full freight because the family didn't want the stigma of "dropping out" or leaving behind friends they had made.

Really closely scrutinize the fine print on these scholarships, ask lots of pointed questions of the FinAid reps and Bursar's office. Don't just leave it to your kid to work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which schools do you mean? I'm not familiar with this and am curious if tier 5 LACs are names we'd know

Non-selective, middle of nowhere, mediocre graduation rates, around 2,000 students

Examples?

Delaware Valley University?

Albright College?

Carlow University?

Susquehanna University?

Haven't heard of any of those.

Albright is a school that my kid somehow for some reason got on their email/mailing list. Never showed any interest, never was remotely physically near the campus (it is in Reading, PA).

The school started emailing in September...apply ED (really?)....ED deadline passes...don't worry, we extended it just for you. Ignore. Apply EA now...deadline passes...we extended it just for you. Ignore. Same process happens during normal RA, then another March RA. Ignore. The most comical...in mid-August...we still have slots available for you to start in...1 week.

He found these emails so comical, that he just kept having them come to see when they would end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop commenting until someone posts an actual web page.

BTW, all "scholarships" are a lie. It's just marketing BS for "price negotiation". Meaningful conversation is about the price, not the "scholarship" "markdown" from a made up price. Did you get a "scholarship" at Best Buy on Black Friday?

Exactly! But I don't know how to tell them this without sounding rude.

Why do you think you need to?

[Anonymous]

I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of those mailers apparently do work on some families. Is there a polite way to underscore this is the non-selective liberal arts college business model and they are not actually getting an amazing deal? Going to lead to a lot of student and parent loans for abysmal career resources and a degree which confers zero brand recognition.

Are you the one who wrote about your relatives not asking for your guidance ’?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leave it alone, if their kids want to go to Rollins or Randolph-macon, let them.

I actually think those colleges have a lot to offer.

Is Rollins that bad? The campus is lit.

If you ask me … no.

If you ask OP … yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

You probably don’t understand following a passion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

Few options:
They did it in hope of getting seen and then transferring.

They wanted the “prestige” of being recruited - which is technically not possible for D3, but kids make it seems like it is.

- Or they truly love the sport and they want it to be part of their life - that is noble, but agree it will not help you get a job easily unless you want to be a coach or PE teacher.

[Anonymous]

The kids I knew that went to these schools usually were pretty involved in some way and all graduated. The kids I knew that went to the "better ROI" local commuting option were 50/50 on dropping out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

You get an education from yourself. The "better" schools have more capable students, not better teaching.
Usually they have worse teaching because the teachers are academic researcher first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

The best HS/Travel coaches giving advice will always say "it's a 40-year decision not a 4-year decision".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it so interesting that so many kids from my DC's public MCPS high school go to these no name D3 colleges to play a sport. It's not like they are getting a full scholarship. Just seems so short sighted to pick a school with low return on investment for the privilege of playing in a mediocre league for 4 years. Some of these kids could clearly get better educations for the same price.

The best HS/Travel coaches giving advice will always say "it's a 40-year decision not a 4-year decision".

Exactly! 18 year old brains sometimes don't make the wisest decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP:

Two reasons it might make sense:

1. Scholarship brings the cost down equivalent to in-state public options.

2. If the kid needs a really small environment and lots of hand-holding. Think: a kid with ADHD, mildly ASD, executive functioning issues, or has some mental health issues. Such a kid will fall through the cracks in a large public college or university and can probably cope a bit more easily in a small LAC setting.

I understand but how does Option 2 in this example look like a "deal" to any family? We are not talking about Williams or Amherst.

Option 1: Globally-recognized UVA or UMD are $30K before any scholarships, merit or means-based aid.

Option 2: No-name LAC is $60K minus $30K "scholarship" makes it $30K out of pocket (read student and parent loans, refi house, sell assets).

UVA is 40k.

not its not if you are in the College, which most are. Its $30K. I know because I am making the payments. Its right around $20K plus housing/room & board.

[Anonymous]

caveat emptor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop commenting until someone posts an actual web page.

BTW, all "scholarships" are a lie. It's just marketing BS for "price negotiation". Meaningful conversation is about the price, not the "scholarship" "markdown" from a made up price. Did you get a "scholarship" at Best Buy on Black Friday?

So how does one proceed here?