Congrats OP on saving enough for 4 years of in-state. If it were me, I’d have him pick 3-4 instate schools to apply to and 3-4 out of state public and private that will provide top aid based on the net price calculators. You may even be able to get fee waivers. Explain to DS that the out of state and private schools will only be possible with $x in aid and loans aren’t an option. It sounds like he’s a great candidate for both merit and financial aid. In the case where he gets significant aid, put part of his college savings into retirement for you (depending on how it’s been saved of course) and the other part aside for grad school or a down payment for DS,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is dad around? Does he have a 4-year degree. If neither of you have a 4-year degree, kid is first gen at almost all schools.

1) Pick a dream private school for him that you think is out of the question for him.

2) google the name of that school and net price calculator (npc)

3) fill it out honestly.

4) it will tell you how much aid you will get. They are very accurate.

5) private schools give way more aid than public. Often a private is cheaper than in-state public if you get a lot of financial aid.

6) you owe it to you and your son to see how much aid you can get.

7) do this and let us know what the number is. We will help you make a great list. Sounds like a great kid.

No she doesn’t. She owes it to her son to tell him what she already has. You all are making this far more complicated than it needs to be. Quit with the guilt trips. They live in VA. They have excellent in state options.

Has it occurred to you that she does not need to limit his school options at all if kid is going to get significant financial aid, which might make it the same cost (sometimes even less) than in-state options? Yes, she owes it to her son to see if what she can pay is consistent with financial aid; she might even paying less than she is already prepared to pay. So she owes that to herself as well.

Anonymous wrote:Is dad around? Does he have a 4-year degree. If neither of you have a 4-year degree, kid is first gen at almost all schools.

1) Pick a dream private school for him that you think is out of the question for him.

2) google the name of that school and net price calculator (npc)

3) fill it out honestly.

4) it will tell you how much aid you will get. They are very accurate.

5) private schools give way more aid than public. Often a private is cheaper than in-state public if you get a lot of financial aid.

6) you owe it to you and your son to see how much aid you can get.

7) do this and let us know what the number is. We will help you make a great list. Sounds like a great kid.

No she doesn’t. She owes it to her son to tell him what she already has. You all are making this far more complicated than it needs to be. Quit with the guilt trips. They live in VA. They have excellent in state options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

One things my posts are not is wrong. And you know it.

They actually are also wrong. And mean.

Look, here is one example. It could not be more obvious that the student’s interest is a large public schools with top engineering programs, and yet we have posters advising him to apply to small Midwestern liberal art colleges that offer merit. It’s just ridiculous. People are thinking about what they would want for their own kid, rather than what this particular kid wants. I’m tired of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are his stats? If you are a single parent, did you go to college? Is he FGLI?

If his stats are truly competitive (give us more info on profile and HS), he might qualify for 100% financial aid at many top private schools:

https://www.road2college.com/free-tuition-colleges/

His current weighted GPA is 4.5 and his SAT is 1530. I went to college and I have an Associates Degree. What is FGLI?

Take a look at some of these results:

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1jwrefe/1530_sat_3843_gpa/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1kx8ilp/was_i_just_lucky/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/mo1p7s/first_gen_asian_gets_into_dream_school_mit/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/n4jm1s/firstgen_broke_urm_student_goes_101/

Is dad around? Does he have a 4-year degree. If neither of you have a 4-year degree, kid is first gen at almost all schools.

1) Pick a dream private school for him that you think is out of the question for him.

2) google the name of that school and net price calculator (npc)

3) fill it out honestly.

4) it will tell you how much aid you will get. They are very accurate.

5) private schools give way more aid than public. Often a private is cheaper than in-state public if you get a lot of financial aid.

6) you owe it to you and your son to see how much aid you can get.

7) do this and let us know what the number is. We will help you make a great list. Sounds like a great kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

One things my posts are not is wrong. And you know it.

They actually are also wrong. And mean.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

One things my posts are not is wrong. And you know it.

Wrong and irrelevant are two different things. If you think your screaming and tantrum-throwing is actually influencing people, think again.

Let him figure it out. Baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

One things my posts are not is wrong. And you know it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Who died and made you a moderator? We don't care about how tired you are. Or how lousy you think other ppl advice is.
Maybe get off the board.
Touch grass. You seem lonely. Sad. Pathetic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

Who died and made you a moderator? We don't care about how tired you are. Or how lousy you think other ppl advice is.
Maybe get off the board.
Touch grass. You seem lonely. Sad. Pathetic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Your posts are so recognizable and full of ad hominem attacks that they are irrelevant and everything you say should be disregarded.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all just so damned stupid and clueless.

The kid wants Illinois and Purdue. Clearly he’s interested in top engineering schools. So why are you pushing a bunch of schools that don’t come close to fitting the bill?

The answer is Virginia Tech.

I know this board is brutal, but dang, you are mean for the sake of being mean. Obviously (to some) he’s looking at engineering schools. But why don’t you put a little less ugliness out into the world.

Well, if posters would think before they respond, I wouldn’t have to be mean. I’m tired of all the know nothings and their lousy advice.

Anonymous wrote:Tell them how much you can afford. If they can get aid or scholarships that make the other schools workable then fine. If not, they go to a state school. Lots of people have this same discussion every year.

This is what my parents did. I so desperately wanted out of my home state that I secured all sorts of scholarships, including some renewable types that don't exist anymore. The point is, I was driven to get out. If he is equally driven, he will find what he can to afford OOS. Otherwise, he needs to learn to be grateful for what you CAN offer. Many kids in his position don't even get what you have been gracious enough to save up for him.