Recommends SLACs for my son

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I suggest Dickinson, Dennison, Kenyon, Oberlin, The College of Wooster, St. Olaf's, Knox College, Kalamazoo College, Earlham, Antioch, Ursinus, Eckerd, Hampshire, Goucher, Clark, Allegheny, Tulane, Roanoke, Goucher, Drew, Hollins, Washington (MD), Muhlenberg, Bennington, Gettysburg, Davidson, University of Richmond, among others.

These are good suggestions given that kid has a 3.38 and requires merit aid.

Would add Washington & Jefferson College (Pittsburgh) to this list. I know you don't want to say the sport, but if it is something unique (squash, water polo etc.) that could be an advantage and you might want to approach the coach at schools you are interested in.

I don't think being on JV sports is recruitable. Most varsity athletes aren't recruitable. And obscure sports aren't JV/varsity sports in MCPS.

I agree with Dickinson, Denison, etc. You won't find merit aid (or possibly even admission) at the top 10 SLACs.

It's not about being "recruitable" in the traditional sense, it's about trying to make a connection with the institution and "prove" that you will be a good addition to the student body for whatever reason, athletics is just one. This is critical for merit aid.

I'd be surprised if that would work. DC was recruited for a sport at several SLACs and coaches were either very interested or brushed him off. They tend not to waste their time or their chits on kids who don't fill a specific need on their team. A kid who's played JV is not likely to be of interest to a coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not "apply down" just for the sake of attending a LAC.

So you would "apply down" to attend a large university?

[Anonymous]

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not "apply down" just for the sake of attending a LAC.

So you would "apply down" to attend a large university?

As far as I understand, there were several large unis on the list that he liked and was a match for without the need to apply down. Maybe he can look at Case Western, if he likes smaller school feel now? He might be able to get merit there.

[Anonymous]

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

The whole reason why people were recommending SLACs a notch lower than a "match" was because OP said that their family cannot pay in full. Although OP's DS could probably get admitted to places like, say, Haverford, it is unlikely that he would get merit aid at those places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

The whole reason why people were recommending SLACs a notch lower than a "match" was because OP said that their family cannot pay in full. Although OP's DS could probably get admitted to places like, say, Haverford, it is unlikely that he would get merit aid at those places.

Exactly. I wish people would educate themselves before spouting off on these threads. Yes, OP's DS might be able to get into a top 20 school. But with one child in college, one at home, and a HHI of $200k+, this family will get NO financial aid. If they feel they can't afford to be full pay, there is simply NO POINT in applying to, say, Haverford or Williams, which offer only financial aid. The goal is to find schools that offer merit aid to a student of this caliber. It turns out there are a lot of them, but almost none of them are top 20 schools. Which is fine, because a fine education can still be had at many of them.

For families like this, a "reach" is not a school where admission is hit or miss for a student like this boy. Rather, a reach is a school that might offer merit aid to a student like this. That almost certainly means a school where admission for the student is pretty likely. Schools offer merit aid only to the students they are trying to lure to campus.

[Anonymous]

For the uninitiated:

Financial aid = aid that is offered to students with an expected family contribution (EFC) < the school's cost of attendance.

Merit aid = aid that is offered regardless of EFC based on the strength of the student's application/GPA/scores/etc.

Most of the top schools offer ONLY financial aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

The whole reason why people were recommending SLACs a notch lower than a "match" was because OP said that their family cannot pay in full. Although OP's DS could probably get admitted to places like, say, Haverford, it is unlikely that he would get merit aid at those places.

Exactly. I wish people would educate themselves before spouting off on these threads. Yes, OP's DS might be able to get into a top 20 school. But with one child in college, one at home, and a HHI of $200k+, this family will get NO financial aid. If they feel they can't afford to be full pay, there is simply NO POINT in applying to, say, Haverford or Williams, which offer only financial aid. The goal is to find schools that offer merit aid to a student of this caliber. It turns out there are a lot of them, but almost none of them are top 20 schools. Which is fine, because a fine education can still be had at many of them.

For families like this, a "reach" is not a school where admission is hit or miss for a student like this boy. Rather, a reach is a school that might offer merit aid to a student like this. That almost certainly means a school where admission for the student is pretty likely. Schools offer merit aid only to the students they are trying to lure to campus.

I would not assume no financial aid. I know many people with HH incomes around 170K who qualified for aid.

[Anonymous]

+1 on the Haverford recommendation. He'll fit right in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

The whole reason why people were recommending SLACs a notch lower than a "match" was because OP said that their family cannot pay in full. Although OP's DS could probably get admitted to places like, say, Haverford, it is unlikely that he would get merit aid at those places.

Exactly. I wish people would educate themselves before spouting off on these threads. Yes, OP's DS might be able to get into a top 20 school. But with one child in college, one at home, and a HHI of $200k+, this family will get NO financial aid. If they feel they can't afford to be full pay, there is simply NO POINT in applying to, say, Haverford or Williams, which offer only financial aid. The goal is to find schools that offer merit aid to a student of this caliber. It turns out there are a lot of them, but almost none of them are top 20 schools. Which is fine, because a fine education can still be had at many of them.

For families like this, a "reach" is not a school where admission is hit or miss for a student like this boy. Rather, a reach is a school that might offer merit aid to a student like this. That almost certainly means a school where admission for the student is pretty likely. Schools offer merit aid only to the students they are trying to lure to campus.

I would not assume no financial aid. I know many people with HH incomes around 170K who qualified for aid.

OMG PEOPLE.

OP has said clearly that (a) her HHI is $230k (which is $50k more than $170k, or, guess what, almost the cost of a year at a private college; what do you think colleges think that additional income should be spent on?) and (b) that her family's EFC is $59k--or about the cost of a year at private.

THIS FAMILY IS NOT GETTING FINANCIAL AID. What part of that do you people not understand?

[Anonymous]

Dickinson has been hugely popular among the 12th graders I know who are visiting colleges this year. I think it's also going to be important to visit a bunch of in-state publics and find a couple that he feels good about, just in case the money doesn't work out at the SLACs. You definitely don't want to be in a situation where he falls in love with a school, gets in, and you can't afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP's son has 2330 SATs - I think he can aim higher than a lot of the colleges mentioned on here. OP, I think your son needs to (and stat!) decide if he wants to focus on applying to the colleges where he originally intended, or to a bunch of SLACs, because if he really wants to focus on SLACs, he should devote most of his applications to those colleges so he can apply to some reaches, some targets, some safeties and then see how financial aid works out at each place. St Mary's is a great in-state public choice and based on naviance at my child's high school, that should be a safety to target with your son's profile so be can really devote the rest of his app's to a range of SLACs.

The whole reason why people were recommending SLACs a notch lower than a "match" was because OP said that their family cannot pay in full. Although OP's DS could probably get admitted to places like, say, Haverford, it is unlikely that he would get merit aid at those places.

Exactly. I wish people would educate themselves before spouting off on these threads. Yes, OP's DS might be able to get into a top 20 school. But with one child in college, one at home, and a HHI of $200k+, this family will get NO financial aid. If they feel they can't afford to be full pay, there is simply NO POINT in applying to, say, Haverford or Williams, which offer only financial aid. The goal is to find schools that offer merit aid to a student of this caliber. It turns out there are a lot of them, but almost none of them are top 20 schools. Which is fine, because a fine education can still be had at many of them.

For families like this, a "reach" is not a school where admission is hit or miss for a student like this boy. Rather, a reach is a school that might offer merit aid to a student like this. That almost certainly means a school where admission for the student is pretty likely. Schools offer merit aid only to the students they are trying to lure to campus.

I would not assume no financial aid. I know many people with HH incomes around 170K who qualified for aid.

OMG PEOPLE.

OP has said clearly that (a) her HHI is $230k (which is $50k more than $170k, or, guess what, almost the cost of a year at a private college; what do you think colleges think that additional income should be spent on?) and (b) that her family's EFC is $59k--or about the cost of a year at private.

THIS FAMILY IS NOT GETTING FINANCIAL AID. What part of that do you people not understand?

That's why she's looking for MERIT aid. It's not based on HHI.

[Anonymous]

Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

[Anonymous]

At least these parents have told their child what they can afford. I know kids who get into top schools only to find out their familiies, cannot afford the 65K tuition and the kids then take out 6 figure loans. That's insane. I agree with PP that this family needs to look at schools that will want the DC and offer merit aid. Most likely, those schools will not be in the perceived top 20, but you can get a very fine education at many schools.

[Anonymous]

It's not cold by any stretch (it's in Texas) but its near Austin and may offer a ton of merit aid especially to non-Texas candidates and is a great education -

Southwestern University - Colleges that Change Lives

http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/southwestern