Does anyone have time to spare to help us with college strategy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people suggesting not to go out of state? I don't know California at all, but there are plenty of schools that would give full financial aid if he can be admitted. And a paren't guess at HS GPA for a current 8th grader are nonsense. Make sure he hits the books and get his GPA up!

Because he currently is not a competitive applicant. And some of the in state colleges (Cal States) are not competitive either, but lean towards a CA applicant above an OOS one. It's common sense.

[Anonymous]

8th grade is too early for college planning beyond work hard, earn top grades, and get involved in an activity or two about which the student is passionate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a free lunch kid. Your child should qualify for full financial aid at any decent private college. The MC/UMC are the ones who get squeezed with tuition. Your child should be able to get need based aid.

I didn’t mention it in the OP but we may be limited to FAFSA only schools. His dad earns a decent salary, he just doesn’t pay beyond minimal child support and isn’t in the picture much

FAFSA only schools = either public or lower tier private. Neither of those will meet full need, so a full (or close to full) ride is not possible.

People here are telling me that a UC or CS would meet need if he gets in. I am now confused.

UC and Cal State should meet full tuition. No tuition for UC students with family income <$80,000. For divorce parents, UC considers only custodial mom's income.

Full tuition aid at UC and Cal State. Not sure about room and board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a free lunch kid. Your child should qualify for full financial aid at any decent private college. The MC/UMC are the ones who get squeezed with tuition. Your child should be able to get need based aid.

I didn’t mention it in the OP but we may be limited to FAFSA only schools. His dad earns a decent salary, he just doesn’t pay beyond minimal child support and isn’t in the picture much

FAFSA only schools = either public or lower tier private. Neither of those will meet full need, so a full (or close to full) ride is not possible.

People here are telling me that a UC or CS would meet need if he gets in. I am now confused.

You live in California, correct? Use the college Net Price Calculators to see what you would get. There is no need to guess.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to do your research. You need to research grants/scholarships at each UC/CSU. My guess is that it would be tuition-free, but you will likely need to pay room & board. Which is expensive! Are you near any campuses?

To give you an idea, this is what SDSU offers:
https://sacd.sdsu.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid/types-of-aid/grants/state-grants

Here is what UCSB offers:
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/grants

If you can’t afford room & board, then doing CC for two years helps. Or going to a Cal state near your home, if possible, to reduce costs. There are options!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Divorced mom of an 8th grade DS here. We are in CA. High school is competitive and highly ranked, with many well off and well educated families, but also some student population from low income,
mostly URM and first Gen families.

We are not URM, but low income (below $25k per year). I am an immigrant but the child was born here. His first language wasn’t English but now it’s his native language.
I have a degree from abroad so first Gen definition varies I guess.

I consider DS an average student; his GPA fluctuates between 3.25 and 3.75.
The goal is to have a close to full ride at any decent school really. Money is the greatest consideration.

I would appreciate any advice on HS strategy for him. Namely:
- does it make sense to take honors classes if they don’t provide a GPA boost in the UC system? (Some AP classes do but not all). He is bright and might appreciate the content and the classmates but it might lower his GPA
- DS likes to draw but other than that he isn’t too great or passionate about any extracurriculars. Would it be a good idea to develop a profile where he gets a part time job early on to help his family, rather than trying to excel at some extracurricular activity?
- he is free lunch kid (his whole school gets free food but he also is one by application). Will he be automatically identified as a low income kid in HS and maybe get some extra support for college admissions?
- one of the counselors from his school also works as a private college counselor. Does it make sense to reach out to her for paid consultations? Or will she have a conflict of interest?

To add, I am aware of programs like Questbridge but I am not sure how competitive DS is for them, and they don’t start until later anyway.

Grateful for any and all advice from knowledgeable people here!

Your child would not be a first gen college student if you have a degree from abroad. Pretending that he is would be unethical. He'll still get a boost from being a student from a low income. You can ask for a waiver for your application fee which is how he'd be identified as a FA student. You'ld also apply for FA and he can write about that in one of his essays or short answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it be a good idea to develop a profile where he gets a part time job early on to help his family, rather than trying to excel at some extracurricular activity?

It pains me that you're trying to game the system by playing up his poverty when you seem to have the time and room in your budget to afford to support him in extracurriculars. You need to get his grades up and you need to nurture his interests and make sure he's interested in something. A passion for drawing is wonderful if he continues with that.

[Anonymous]

I grew up lower/middle income eons ago in CA. Here's my advice:

1. get a PT job. It will not only help financially but it will show that he has commitment and is responsible.
2. He should also do something with his art. Enter competitions, submit drawings for school events
3. if he is unsure about what to major in, have him go the community college route. Figure out what he wants to study, then transfer to a good UC/CSU school that is good for that major
3. He can also live at home and commute to school. I did this. I would not advocate for him to go too far out of state if you are low income. Even if he gets a scholarship/aid, it won't cover extras like travel. That will be quite a burden on you both.

He will get financial aid, pell grant, cal grant (if that is still available). He should also apply for scholarships. The low income, single parent status is a "hook".

FWIW, I went the CSU route because it was cheaper. The CSU I went to was good for my major. My sibling went the community college route and then transferred to UCLA. We both ended up with good jobs.

GL to you guys. College admissions is a tough game. We just went through it last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would just remember full financial aid means loans for your DS at most schools.

Do not ever do loans. Worst thing you can do.

[Anonymous]

OP I don't know if you're still reading the thread (I was searching Oregon and happened on it)...but you should reach out to private college counselors to see if they'll take your son on. Many offer scholarships and they'll help guide him through class selection and offer guidance through all 4 years. GL!