Anonymous wrote:DD got an ED merit aid offer from a very good but not TOP LACs. (A coach wants her for a team there hence the ED merit estimate. Coach has told her he does not require ED for her to be able to join the team.) This school is her #2 choice overall and she really likes it. We’d need a little bit more than the amt of merit they offered already to make it work but not tons more.

But her #1 choice is another LAC she will RD at - higher ranked and viewed as more prestigious for her major for sure (not WASP). The #1 school does give some merit although much less than the #2 school. If they give her merit $ anywhere within spitting distance of what’s possible for us (maybe also with a small amt of loans too) she will go there.

Any advice on how to navigate this so we keep #2 as an option but give it time for She’s replied already that she had not planned on ED’ing anywhere and asked if the offer would extend to RD.

Sounds like you need to be very practical about money here. If the top choice school gives limited merit aid, and your kid won't get any need-based aid based on the NPC, you should not encourage her to get her heart set on it. It's not fair to her.

You need to weigh whether any/enough merit aid at her top choice is anything but a fantasy. From the way you describe it here, I read that it's not at all reasonable to forego a great opportunity at #2 for what is likely to be a disappointment (if she even gets accepted).

OP, the reason your kid is getting offered merit aid at #2 is that they want her for athletics.

You've said #1 is a harder admit and they are not recruiting your kid for sports. So you have to factor that into the LIKELIHOOD of merit at #1. (Most people here would put that likelihood at much, much less than what you're getting at #2, especially with an EFC of $0. #1 is probably making merit aid offers right now to kids they want for athletics...)

Can you research online the merit ranges at both schools? It’s usually fairly standard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford #1 with no merit? You aren’t going to get more money from a high ranked school that is a reach for her.

No. They do offer some merit though so the hope was to see what it was. If she got in there with even less merit than #2 is offering but still sizable then she would probably bridge the gap with some loans.
- OP

Seems like she might not get any merit at #1. I really wouldn’t take loans in this environment. The rational answer is to take #2.

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford #1 with no merit? You aren’t going to get more money from a high ranked school that is a reach for her.

No. They do offer some merit though so the hope was to see what it was. If she got in there with even less merit than #2 is offering but still sizable then she would probably bridge the gap with some loans.
- OP

Can you afford #1 with no merit? You aren’t going to get more money from a high ranked school that is a reach for her.

DS is in the midst of D3 recruiting. He has merit numbers for a few of the schools. Use the net price calculator if you don’t know. We have been told by those experienced in recruiting to thank a coach for the offer and ask when they need a response. Most coaches will not hold an offer for months. Weeks is more likely. Saying you don’t need to apply ED doesn’t mean they will wait. You need to evaluate each offer as they come. You can’t wait for them all to come in. Turning down option 2 for a possible option 1 is risky since option 1 might not happen. But if you know for a fact that option 2 is a poor fit, say no. You can ask option 1 their timeline for making offers. The question is how likely does option 1 seem. Have they seen her play, had multiple calls, had her visit campus and remained in touch?

DS started out with only schools that we thought we could afford. He chose schools that were known for generous merit aid. Even so, we are now at the point where schools are a bit more than we expected due to tuition increases - merit awards are stable even as tuition increases. He is now reevaluating if it’s worth the expense.

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Anonymous wrote:Why isn't she applying ED to her top choice?

It seems because she wants to be able to compare aid, and the numbers right now are not working out. Which is why I’m saying you need to have frank discussions with them now about aid. If they can’t commit to something workable now, and they want your athlete, I don’t see why you think they would make a better offer later.

Thx. Helpful guidance. I wasn’t sure if merit is normally low balled in ED vs RD.
- OP

Some schools yes. They tend to be non-SLACs in my experience. But given they really want your daughter for the sport, they have no reason not to give you their best offer now.

Is there a feasible way to get #2 to increase the offer but NOT make her do ED? (Yes, she’d like her cake and eat it too ) She really likes them but it’s tough to decide on them without getting a no from #1
- OP

There is no reason for the school to do this.

What are the chances of getting merit at #1 if it’s a reach and she isn’t being recruited for her sport? If she got into #1 with no merit, would she be able to go?

If the answer is no, she may want to focus on #2.

If $33,000 from #2 isn’t enough, she may want to broaden her list to give herself more options from a financial standpoint.

Good luck!

No one can answer the question you are asking. If you ask for more merit aid at her second choice, you need to be prepared to accept the athletic offer. If she doesn't actually want to play her sport in college, then apply ED to her top choice, but know that she might not get in. I don't understand the coach saying she doesn't need to apply ED at #2 choice (because most recruited athletes do apply ED unless they are recruited after ED), but if they are willing to wait, there is really no way to ask for more money without committing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't she applying ED to her top choice?

It seems because she wants to be able to compare aid, and the numbers right now are not working out. Which is why I’m saying you need to have frank discussions with them now about aid. If they can’t commit to something workable now, and they want your athlete, I don’t see why you think they would make a better offer later.

Also, as the mom of an athlete at a D3 in the 40-60-ranked range, I can say that a lot of these schools are not going to give more than $40K, if that. So if you’re looking to get the number down below $50K a year at a school in that range in New England, that’s going to be very unlikely. It just doesn’t work for them financially; they need to be able to get $X from each student to meet their budget.

Maybe it’s more likely at LACs in PA or the Midwest or south, or lower-ranked schools.

#2 is a very good LAC in the Midwest. I’d be happy if we got to $40K in merit. They offered $33K so far.
- OP

Most schools will not go up to $40k. It is fairly likely that $33K is their best offer for someone with her stats.

Ok, then if you would give up No. 1 if No. 2 comes up with the right money, then I would try to pursue that. Also, if it seems very unlikely that No. 1 will work out money-wise, it probably makes sense to go all in on No. 2. But otherwise, I think you just have to apply RD to both, as well as others, and see what works out.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't she applying ED to her top choice?

It seems because she wants to be able to compare aid, and the numbers right now are not working out. Which is why I’m saying you need to have frank discussions with them now about aid. If they can’t commit to something workable now, and they want your athlete, I don’t see why you think they would make a better offer later.

Thx. Helpful guidance. I wasn’t sure if merit is normally low balled in ED vs RD.
- OP

Some schools yes. They tend to be non-SLACs in my experience. But given they really want your daughter for the sport, they have no reason not to give you their best offer now.

Is there a feasible way to get #2 to increase the offer but NOT make her do ED? (Yes, she’d like her cake and eat it too ) She really likes them but it’s tough to decide on them without getting a no from #1
- OP

Is #1 not recruiting her? She would just apply without coach support? If they are recruiting her, then I think my first project would be to nail them down on what aid they would offer. Then if that doesn’t work for you, move on and try to get #2’s best offer. But if you truly want to weigh the offers against each other, then you may have to risk not having the coaches’ support for your RD applications.

#1 is not recruiting her. Doing her sport in college is a plus factor for her but not a have to have.
- OP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't she applying ED to her top choice?

It seems because she wants to be able to compare aid, and the numbers right now are not working out. Which is why I’m saying you need to have frank discussions with them now about aid. If they can’t commit to something workable now, and they want your athlete, I don’t see why you think they would make a better offer later.

Thx. Helpful guidance. I wasn’t sure if merit is normally low balled in ED vs RD.
- OP

Some schools yes. They tend to be non-SLACs in my experience. But given they really want your daughter for the sport, they have no reason not to give you their best offer now.

Is there a feasible way to get #2 to increase the offer but NOT make her do ED? (Yes, she’d like her cake and eat it too ) She really likes them but it’s tough to decide on them without getting a no from #1
- OP

Is #1 not recruiting her? She would just apply without coach support? If they are recruiting her, then I think my first project would be to nail them down on what aid they would offer. Then if that doesn’t work for you, move on and try to get #2’s best offer. But if you truly want to weigh the offers against each other, then you may have to risk not having the coaches’ support for your RD applications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't she applying ED to her top choice?

It seems because she wants to be able to compare aid, and the numbers right now are not working out. Which is why I’m saying you need to have frank discussions with them now about aid. If they can’t commit to something workable now, and they want your athlete, I don’t see why you think they would make a better offer later.

Thx. Helpful guidance. I wasn’t sure if merit is normally low balled in ED vs RD.
- OP

Some schools yes. They tend to be non-SLACs in my experience. But given they really want your daughter for the sport, they have no reason not to give you their best offer now.

Is there a feasible way to get #2 to increase the offer but NOT make her do ED? (Yes, she’d like her cake and eat it too ) She really likes them but it’s tough to decide on them without getting a no from #1
- OP