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

[Anonymous]

My kid is a B student at a rigorous DC area high school. They have interesting ECs that really tell a story of who they are outside of class, but are not first gen, URM, recruited athlete, etc.

I created profiles on several of the college finder sites (Niche, College Vine, etc.) and indicated DC was open to being contacted. That’s all it took for the flood gates to open.

PP was right that connecting with colleges is as much a negotiation as much as it is an application. DC has received offers to waive application fees, offers of admission pending transcript verification of their self-reported grades, and offers of significant merit aid. All from schools that are recognizable, stable, functional entities that produce classes of accomplished graduates each May. They are not HYP or Williams/CMU/Berkeley, but DC is not gunning for those. To be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and have the bandwidth to take on an internship or professor project, will suit them just fine.

[Anonymous]

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).

What do you mean by option 2? If it is not financially prudent, then they shouldn't be doing it. No one is forcing someone to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

NYU is particularly bad here - heartbreakingly so - but doesn't fit OP's "5th tier LAC" narrative, so it will not be posted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

UVA total cost of attendance:
https://sfs.virginia.edu/financial-aid-new-applicants/financial-aid-basics/estimated-undergraduate-cost-attendance-2023-2024

College of A&S: 1st year 37,858; 2nd year 38588, 3&4th year:41502
Rounds out close to 40k.
Goes only up for other colleges.

[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.

Kid not good enough, huh? Sorry. So many benefits to college sports, playing at the next level, being a part of something and seeing it through. Don’t worry about these kids, they will go to great grad programs and have a sport community for a lifetime.

[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.

So what? Who are you?

[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 don’t know what you’re talking about.

[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.

Kid not good enough, huh? Sorry. So many benefits to college sports, playing at the next level, being a part of something and seeing it through. Don’t worry about these kids, they will go to great grad programs and have a sport community for a lifetime.

Actually, my kid is good enough. But she doesn't want to go to a school no one has ever heard of. Also, wants the time to participate in activities other than sports. I'm sure there are benefits to playing team sports in college, but there is a cost on the back end if you go to a no-name college. You probably don't want to admit it because your mediocre athlete picked one of them.

[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.

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

What is incorrect, exactly?

[Anonymous]

I knew enough to go to a small LAC, because I was too sheltered by my parents to go to a larger college with name recognition. My sibling flunked out because they were completely unprepared, even while making good grades in high school.

I really needed that four years to mature in a smaller place and go to a name recognition university for grad school.

Not all teenagers need the same thing OP.

[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.

You probably don’t understand following a passion.

And that employers like athletes because they know how to pick themselves up after a loss and back in the game.

[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.

Kid not good enough, huh? Sorry. So many benefits to college sports, playing at the next level, being a part of something and seeing it through. Don’t worry about these kids, they will go to great grad programs and have a sport community for a lifetime.

so, they have to spend even more money to get a good paying job? Even more bamboozling.

[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.

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.

See my earlier post on why employers like athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You probably don’t understand following a passion.

And that employers like athletes because they know how to pick themselves up after a loss and back in the game.

My kid is not an athlete, but they also know how to do that. This type of thing can be learned in various ways, not just through sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

What is incorrect, exactly?

That they would get a better education at the same price.