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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thank you all.  I am taking note of all the advice here.

We are in MD.  UMD (and now also UMBC) is included on my list.   We can easily afford full in-state cost even without merit aid, but if it is OOS then we do have a budget. Our income is donut hole, but we also have other obligations (relatives) that we contribute towards so it is not that we can afford any school without taking out loans. Thank you for the reality check.

Location will also matter in terms of the airfare and travel costs for our child and also for us. If he stays in-state, he can also continue with his medical providers. So the OOS college really has to offer  advantages to him that are superior to what UMD (or UMBC) can offer in terms of career and education.  I am happy that the state schools are setting an impressive high bar. At least that is my perspective.

I understand now what other PPs said about letting him drive the process, because, I am more interested in his education, career, safety and convenience.  I hope in his list  he will put more emphasis on where he will feel more happy and content.

[/quote]

Ideas:

- Make it clear what you think you can spend and whether there’s any uncertainty about that.

- If necessary, actually help your son apply to the University of Maryland and maybe one other state school that’s an emergency backup school safety, like UMBC. Keep track of financial aid deadlines for those schools yourself.

- Make it clear that your son has to do just about everything else, or ask you for specific help that you can handle, or must handle (such as: paying miscellaneous fees, or putting your financial information in financial aid forms), for any other schools. The University of Maryland is a great, affordable option, and there’s no reason you should have to do the legwork for other schools. If, for example, your son is ready to stretch his wings and go to the University of Illinois, or MIT, then he should be able to figure out how to apply for those schools on his own.

- If your son is an EU national or a national of some other place with good universities, look into the options available there. Even if your son just speaks English, maybe he can find a good English-language bachelor’s program there. That might turn out to be an affordable, fun alternative to the University of Maryland. Consider getting involved a little bit just to help figure out whether schools in your home country would be suitable.

- Try not to discourage applications to any schools based solely on worries about cost. Many schools that you might think would be expensive, like Princeton, can be very cheap for donut hole families. They’ll take your caregiving costs seriously. [/quote]

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