I'm going to have a nervous breakdown

[Anonymous]

OP, it goes something like this:
Kid loved Johns Hopkins - but opted for Fordham with a ton of merit
Kid loved Boston College - but got a ton of merit from Providence College and Loyola Mary,and
Kid loved Villanova - got tons of merit from Fairfield U

[Anonymous]

Thinking along the lines of Tulane and UMiami, consider TCU. With merit, it would probably be 50k or less.

[Anonymous]

South Carolina?
Clemson?
UGA?
UNC-Willimington?
Alabama?
Tennessee?
Florida State?

Sounds like he has champagne taste, and you have a craft beer budget. $50K should give him lots of options.

[Anonymous]

Many don't even offer it. He loves CA schools especially. Many don't offer merit to OOS, then there are the Claremont Colleges which are too expensive.

Pepperdine generous aid|merit
Santa Clara
Loyola Marymount
Chapman University
Occidental generous aid|merit
Scripps
Pitzer
Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd
University of the Pacific
University of San Diego

San Diego State
OOS: $18,244
Graduation Rate: 79.43%
Retention Rate: 89.45%
Median Earnings: $61,522
At its 1897 founding, San Diego State University was dubbed the San Diego Normal School, but it was renamed officially in 1974. Today, the 288 acre campus sees about 23,000 students each year. In state tuition averages around $7084, and out-of-state tuition sits at $18244. The university offers 96 different bachelor’s, 80 master’s, and 21 doctoral degrees. SDSU students take special interest in fields like aerospace engineering, aviation, finance, journalism and media studies, kinesiology, nursing, real estate, and many others. San Diego State University functions chiefly as a research institution, contributing pioneering research on pressing medical concerns such as autism, heart disease, and cancer. Highly esteemed as one of the nation’s premier entrepreneurial institutions, the university also earns widespread acclaim for its exceptional veterans’ programs. The SDSU campus celebrates diversity, with over half of its student body consisting of people of color. Over 60 Fulbright scholars have come from SDSU (a figure topped only by UC Berkely). According to Niche.com, San Diego State University ranks #9 among California’s Top Public Universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Many don't even offer it. He loves CA schools especially. Many don't offer merit to OOS, then there are the Claremont Colleges which are too expensive.

Pepperdine generous aid|merit
Santa Clara
Loyola Marymount
Chapman University
Occidental generous aid|merit
Scripps
Pitzer
Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd
University of the Pacific
University of San Diego

San Diego State
OOS: $18,244
Graduation Rate: 79.43%
Retention Rate: 89.45%
Median Earnings: $61,522
At its 1897 founding, San Diego State University was dubbed the San Diego Normal School, but it was renamed officially in 1974. Today, the 288 acre campus sees about 23,000 students each year. In state tuition averages around $7084, and out-of-state tuition sits at $18244. The university offers 96 different bachelor’s, 80 master’s, and 21 doctoral degrees. SDSU students take special interest in fields like aerospace engineering, aviation, finance, journalism and media studies, kinesiology, nursing, real estate, and many others. San Diego State University functions chiefly as a research institution, contributing pioneering research on pressing medical concerns such as autism, heart disease, and cancer. Highly esteemed as one of the nation’s premier entrepreneurial institutions, the university also earns widespread acclaim for its exceptional veterans’ programs. The SDSU campus celebrates diversity, with over half of its student body consisting of people of color. Over 60 Fulbright scholars have come from SDSU (a figure topped only by UC Berkely). According to Niche.com, San Diego State University ranks #9 among California’s Top Public Universities.

San Diego state is good (more like 40k with housing) The other ones...I don't think he'd qualify for much merit at all. Unless I am wrong (?) he is not good enough a student to qualify for much.

[Anonymous]

^^PP, I don't know why you are telling OP that SDSU is 18k. SDSU's out of state cost of attendance is 50k. https://sacd.sdsu.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid/eligibility/cost-of-attendance/cost-of-attendance-tables/undergraduate-non-resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

It is really impressive, OP, that you are going back to college now, even though you have a full time job. Why are you doing this? Are you looking to change careers?

What's that?

You say you aren't going to college, but you have a high school student who will be?

Oh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

It is really impressive, OP, that you are going back to college now, even though you have a full time job. Why are you doing this? Are you looking to change careers?

What's that?

You say you aren't going to college, but you have a high school student who will be?

Oh.

Laugh all you want. It's the biggest financial decision one can make after buying a house. It's important!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

Your kid should be doing this, not you.

I'm paying for it so I need to be involved. If I could afford full pay 90k/year I wouldn't be stressing out.

Wait, so if you had lots of money, you would leave this to your kid, and not really care if he or she made a bad choice? But since you "can't pay $90k per year" you are involved so much you are completely overwhelmed?

That makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

Your kid should be doing this, not you.

I'm paying for it so I need to be involved. If I could afford full pay 90k/year I wouldn't be stressing out.

Wait, so if you had lots of money, you would leave this to your kid, and not really care if he or she made a bad choice? But since you "can't pay $90k per year" you are involved so much you are completely overwhelmed?

That makes no sense.

I don't think any choices would be bad aside from money, correct. He's looking at colleges that are all top 150 and I am sure all of them are fine, as in places he can get a good education. They need to be fine for him, and for me financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SDSU

great location but not worth $50K+.

CSU grad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

It is really impressive, OP, that you are going back to college now, even though you have a full time job. Why are you doing this? Are you looking to change careers?

What's that?

You say you aren't going to college, but you have a high school student who will be?

Oh.

Why are you such a jerk? It’s easy to
be superior when you’ve got money to burn on the best “fit” for your precious snowflake. Some of us live in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

Your kid should be doing this, not you.

I'm paying for it so I need to be involved. If I could afford full pay 90k/year I wouldn't be stressing out.

So stop looking at T25 schools (you won't get merit there). Search in the 30-100 range (if you have a good student, go lower if needed). Basically find a good list of schools that give merit, then find ones where your kid is at/above 75-90% for scores/gpa and the acceptance rates are 25%+. Find some that are also 50-60%+. that is where you will find merit. It exists for all kids.
My 1200/3.5UW/No AP kid got 35% of tuition at 3 schools in the $65K range (6 years ago). they were around 50% at each school. Got 80% of tuition at a 65K school ranked near120---my kid was 85%+ for that school. We were not even searching for merit, but it comes easily at most private schools ranked 50+, if your kid is 50%+

So that kid had 3 schools costing around $40K/year and 1 school costing ~$25K/year. Oh and 2 in-state schools (not the flagship, but good schools) that with merit was only $18-20K/year.
That kid is a good student, but not "great student"---they were not competitive for T50 schools.

My great student (3.98UW, 10 AP, 1520, excellent ECs) got 50% of total costs at a T50 school, bringing cost to $43K. And 50% of tuition at T65 school, so freshman costs would have been ~$48K. We did all of this without even searching for merit---they are attending a T40 school for full pay at $90K+. But had we been searching, they could have found many places for under $20-25K, and gone in-state for about $15K.

Any chance you can name the T50 and the T65 schools? I'm looking for ideas for a similar kid.

[Anonymous]

Most colleges are not worth $70K+. T10 maybe, but below that, I'm not so sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people do all this? I have been researching so many colleges in between work tasks and it is too complicated and overwhelming. I feel like I am not equipped for this, that a wrong decision could have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally...

Your kid should be doing this, not you.

I'm paying for it so I need to be involved. If I could afford full pay 90k/year I wouldn't be stressing out.

So stop looking at T25 schools (you won't get merit there). Search in the 30-100 range (if you have a good student, go lower if needed). Basically find a good list of schools that give merit, then find ones where your kid is at/above 75-90% for scores/gpa and the acceptance rates are 25%+. Find some that are also 50-60%+. that is where you will find merit. It exists for all kids.
My 1200/3.5UW/No AP kid got 35% of tuition at 3 schools in the $65K range (6 years ago). they were around 50% at each school. Got 80% of tuition at a 65K school ranked near120---my kid was 85%+ for that school. We were not even searching for merit, but it comes easily at most private schools ranked 50+, if your kid is 50%+

So that kid had 3 schools costing around $40K/year and 1 school costing ~$25K/year. Oh and 2 in-state schools (not the flagship, but good schools) that with merit was only $18-20K/year.
That kid is a good student, but not "great student"---they were not competitive for T50 schools.

My great student (3.98UW, 10 AP, 1520, excellent ECs) got 50% of total costs at a T50 school, bringing cost to $43K. And 50% of tuition at T65 school, so freshman costs would have been ~$48K. We did all of this without even searching for merit---they are attending a T40 school for full pay at $90K+. But had we been searching, they could have found many places for under $20-25K, and gone in-state for about $15K.

I am having trouble identifying these schools. It is VERY overwhelming to me. I'm open to any level school at all, I really don't care. I just do not want to pay 90k, and I also want him to really like where he goes. Right now we do not have a good list for this.

DP. OK, OP, many are here to help. Please tell us:
Grades and scores?
Annual budget?
Possible majors?
Geographic preferences? I see California. Anything else?
Size preference, small/medium/large?

What schools does he love, what are his top choices? That might also help point to alternatives. There is no perfect college, but surely there will be good alternatives of some kind.

3.9 something unweighted, 1390 SAT, undecided, prefers CA, would like to swim (club), outgoing kid who loves sports of all kinds, also likes Tulane and UMiami which are a no due to cost, UNC but he would not get in. I would like to stay under 50k
(Have another child as well in 10th)

Try USF. A friend has a kid there and enjoys club swim.