Recommends SLACs for my son

[Anonymous]

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.

Dickinson alum here. Outstanding education, bucolic campus with stunning new science and academic facilities and listed in Loren Pope's "colleges that change lives". Very strong poli sci and humanities departments with a great language problem and study abroad options. It was a bit fratty when I was there ten years ago but I hear thats changed and there are many theme houses, clubs and intellectual activities to engage in.

Its become much more popular and selective over the past decade but acceptance rate is still only in the high 30s. As good as it is it still seems to be a backup to kids applying to Middlebury, Colgate etc. I remember they had $10-15k merit aid scholarships for the very best students too based on GPA and SAT.

Would he be a good candidate for merit aid there?

Quite possibly. The SAT was different then but I recall admissions taking leadership and personal interests into account too when awarding the money. You didn't have to fill out a separate app either: the committee would review each app for scholarship consideration during the normal screening process.

Assuming you're in the DC area its a great small gem worth looking into only 2-2.5 hours away from the beltway area. Having done some grad work already I felt like the school prepared me well and most students were competitive with themselves. Not cutthroat and borderline vicious like Cornell, Penn, Hopkins and some of the very top LACs.

Also, language program, not problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

[Anonymous]

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Most of them do, yes. Many of them cannot afford to be 100% need blind because of the side of their endowments, so sometimes if a candidate is on the bubble they will go for the full pay candidate over the one who needs financial aid. But in general, the top tier LACs give financial aid to those admitted as per the FAFSA and CSS profile--i.e. demonstrated need.

The tricky thing is that the "expected family contribution" as is calculated by FAFSA does not necessarily align with what an upper middle class family feels they can realistically and afford while being fiscally responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, and several other of the best SLACs are need blind, meet 100% of financial need, and are committed to reducing or even eliminating loans entirely. I'm not aware of any "free tuition" option for people in a certain bracket, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, and several other of the best SLACs are need blind, meet 100% of financial need, and are committed to reducing or even eliminating loans entirely. I'm not aware of any "free tuition" option for people in a certain bracket, however.

OP will not qualify for financial aid.

OP cannot afford the $59K/year EFC that FAFSA tells her she can pay.

Therefore the Ivies and elite SLACs are out of the question for OP's son, unless he is willing to take on substantial debt.

This is the reality for upper middle class families. They cannot pay sticker price, but will not qualify for financial aid. So unless they are willing to take on substantial student loan debt, their options are limited to state schools or schools that will give their children merit aid.

The elite schools are therefore populated by the very wealthy and by people who qualify for merit aid.

[Anonymous]

^^^by people who qualify for need-based *financial* aid. Not merit aid, *financial* aid.

[Anonymous]

Does St. John's offer merit aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, and several other of the best SLACs are need blind, meet 100% of financial need, and are committed to reducing or even eliminating loans entirely. I'm not aware of any "free tuition" option for people in a certain bracket, however.

OP will not qualify for financial aid.

OP cannot afford the $59K/year EFC that FAFSA tells her she can pay.

Therefore the Ivies and elite SLACs are out of the question for OP's son, unless he is willing to take on substantial debt.

This is the reality for upper middle class families. They cannot pay sticker price, but will not qualify for financial aid. So unless they are willing to take on substantial student loan debt, their options are limited to state schools or schools that will give their children merit aid.

The elite schools are therefore populated by the very wealthy and by people who qualify for merit aid.

Upper middle class families should (absent any additional major, and obligatory, financial burden like supporting a sick parent) be able to save in advance for private college - they shouldn't now get a big chunk of financial aid because they opted to buy a big house in a wealthy area, send the kids to private high schools, etc. Niot saying this is the case with op, but responding to the pp's point about umc families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, and several other of the best SLACs are need blind, meet 100% of financial need, and are committed to reducing or even eliminating loans entirely. I'm not aware of any "free tuition" option for people in a certain bracket, however.

OP will not qualify for financial aid.

OP cannot afford the $59K/year EFC that FAFSA tells her she can pay.

Therefore the Ivies and elite SLACs are out of the question for OP's son, unless he is willing to take on substantial debt.

This is the reality for upper middle class families. They cannot pay sticker price, but will not qualify for financial aid. So unless they are willing to take on substantial student loan debt, their options are limited to state schools or schools that will give their children merit aid.

The elite schools are therefore populated by the very wealthy and by people who qualify for merit aid.

Upper middle class families should (absent any additional major, and obligatory, financial burden like supporting a sick parent) be able to save in advance for private college - they shouldn't now get a big chunk of financial aid because they opted to buy a big house in a wealthy area, send the kids to private high schools, etc. Niot saying this is the case with op, but responding to the pp's point about umc families.

OP here. We have saved diligently for college and can pay up to $45k/ year/kid and not more, unless we jeopardize retirement.

We live in eastern MoCo, send our kids to public school, and take one modest beach vacation per year.

There is nothing we could have done differently to afford $65k/yr/kid (and more every year). Nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed
Swarthmore if he can get in
Carleton
Kenyon

Swarthmore and Carleton will NOT OFFER MERIT AID. The most competitive, prestigious SLACs do not offer merit aid because they do not need to in order to attract the best applicants.

+1. I know some of the Ivies and their peers offer free tuition if you're in a certain income bracket. Does anyone know if the wealthier SLACs do this?

Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, and several other of the best SLACs are need blind, meet 100% of financial need, and are committed to reducing or even eliminating loans entirely. I'm not aware of any "free tuition" option for people in a certain bracket, however.

OP will not qualify for financial aid.

OP cannot afford the $59K/year EFC that FAFSA tells her she can pay.

Therefore the Ivies and elite SLACs are out of the question for OP's son, unless he is willing to take on substantial debt.

This is the reality for upper middle class families. They cannot pay sticker price, but will not qualify for financial aid. So unless they are willing to take on substantial student loan debt, their options are limited to state schools or schools that will give their children merit aid.

The elite schools are therefore populated by the very wealthy and by people who qualify for merit aid.

Upper middle class families should (absent any additional major, and obligatory, financial burden like supporting a sick parent) be able to save in advance for private college - they shouldn't now get a big chunk of financial aid because they opted to buy a big house in a wealthy area, send the kids to private high schools, etc. Niot saying this is the case with op, but responding to the pp's point about umc families.

Define UMC. People in OP's income bracket cannot pull this off.

OP is not suggesting she should get financial aid. She is only saying she can't pay the full price iof private schools. Most people can't.

[Anonymous]

Check out College Confidential School that give Merit Aid thread.

Lots of smart folks over there that have walked this walk.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

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.

Dickinson alum here. Outstanding education, bucolic campus with stunning new science and academic facilities and listed in Loren Pope's "colleges that change lives". Very strong poli sci and humanities departments with a great language problem and study abroad options. It was a bit fratty when I was there ten years ago but I hear thats changed and there are many theme houses, clubs and intellectual activities to engage in.

Its become much more popular and selective over the past decade but acceptance rate is still only in the high 30s. As good as it is it still seems to be a backup to kids applying to Middlebury, Colgate etc. I remember they had $10-15k merit aid scholarships for the very best students too based on GPA and SAT.

Clark University in Massachusetts, which is also listed in "Colleges That Change Lives" (http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/clarku), will very likely give this student merit aid. It doesn't have frats, and it has a very diverse student population.