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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This thread is interesting to me as a parent of a junior because we are trying to get some of these things ironed out up front but I'm seeing that it can't always be as clear as you might want it to be.  For instance my DD is planning to apply to a group of public schools where we think she will be eligible for merit money.  These are somewhat a tier down from where she could get in, think Denison or Dickinson for example.  She is also applying to places where she might get in but they have no merit or she may not get it - Bates, Kenyon, Georgetown.  I guess I could see a scenario where she gets into Georgetown and also Dickinson but doesn't get much or any merit for Dickinson.  We can make it work with no merit but it would be tighter (no loans though) but I honestly might try to sway her to take the Georgetown offer in that scenario because she will have more opportunities coming out of a school like that - and it will end up costing us the same.  Is anyone going through that?  In the end I would never force her to do something she doesn't want but I might try to make a strong case if I am investing a lot of money.  [/quote]

I don't follow you.  Denison and Dickinson give merit aid.  Kenyon does too (not much, but it does).

Georgetown and Bates give zero merit aid.

I disagree that a name-brand school afford more opportunities than e.g. Denison or College of Wooster, but I guess you and others disagree, and are therefore willing to pony up so much money for that name.[/quote]

This is a good post on the topic.

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/is-a-trophy-school-worth-the-price/

I agree that Georgetown with no merit money versus Dickinson with $25K per year is a no-brainer. Take the money!! We're not talking about Harvard here!! Georgetown is not much more prestigious than Dickinson. Your child won't get many more opportunities at Georgetown, certainly not $100K worth of opportunities. [/quote][/quote]

Thanks for the link.  I'm the PP who is looking at options for my junior and I tend to agree that Dickinson with $25K vs Georgetown with nothing might be an easy decision.  It gets harder when the merit is lower and the disparity in what one offers for her major is greater than the other.  DD's number one choice, as encouraged by us, is to get into UMCP Honors.  We live in MD so even with no merit that option is pretty hard to turn down.  I am a Bates alum so having her there would be great too but I'm not sure it's $65K a year great if another similar place offered good money.  Like I said, we are still somewhat early on and it will depend on where her scores and grades end up.  She seems a good bet for all of these and good bet for merit to the ones who give it - but you never know.

I suspect that in a year's time we will be weighing her options and I hope we're lucky enough to be considering one that has good merit money.[/quote]

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