My DC is at Davidson receiving FA and is also working 8 hours a week. The job has been great for adding structure to DC's routine and the money has also been helpful. DC earns about $200 a month which has been more than enough to cover extras that arise. Davidson also has Lula Bell's, a great resource for all students; but extra support is available for those who need it most.

https://www.davidson.edu/offices-and-services/civic-engagement/lula-bells-resource-center

Davidson definitely has some full-pay students, but according to their website, "about 51 percent of our students receive need-based aid, and 70 percent receive aid from some source."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has she been to either Macalester or Bates in the winter? Has she ever been anywhere cold in the winter? I grew up middle class (not poor) in the Houston area, and I did not see snow until I came to DC for school. I would be very worried about culture shock and the fact she may really HATE the winter. Just throw those out and stick with Davidson vs. UT.

You are going to need to factor in travel costs for these far away SLACS. She is not going to get to come home much, so, before you encourage her to attend a far away school make sure she is prepared to be so far from family.

I think these are all important considerations for someone who probably hasn’t traveled much. Austin being culturally familiar will not be an insignificant factor. How close she is to her family will come into play.

Generally, I’d say go for the cheapest, but it doesn’t matter if she is feels miserable and out of place. As someone who didn’t have money and went to a private college and UT, I found UT to be a much better place to be poor. It can be isolating at a smaller school when everyone has more money than you do for outside activities, clothes, etc. At UT, pretty much everyone I knew was as broke as I was. There are going to be more kids like her at UT (both due to just sheer numbers and the overall makeup of the student body). FWIW, I graduated with about $60,000 in loans, and I didn’t find that to be that much of a burden when I was starting out (and that would be more than that now, adjusted for inflation).

It does depend in her personality. Some kids can leave home and go to a strange place and never look back, and others feel completely lost.

Good luck to her!

This. I attended a T5 SLAC and even with my modest MC background, I was shocked by the number of students who had unlimited budgets when it came to travel, gadgets, entertainment, etc, (some kids never did laundry - just purchased new clothes regularly). I definitely felt more at ease at a big research institution for grad school. UT will have the resources to support students who are coming to campus with fewer resources than the majority of students (guidance about how to afford campus and school-related expenses, mentoring, and a a supportive community of students who have BTDT).

PP here. It is a tough call for the student, because it’s likely that a kid raised in those circumstances can’t really imagine how different the lifestyle of wealthy kids can be (although maybe Instagram has changed that). On the one hand, it’s great to be exposed to that and know it’s out there as a goal. On the other hand, it can be super alienating if you’re not a part of it.

Agree there are things to look for. We were touring Vanderbilt and the tour guide mentioned that the dining plan allowed students to use a certain amount of money at local restaurants. That really hit home with me, as a former student who couldn’t afford to eat out with friends. As about things like that, including assistance with travel expenses, both at home and for travel abroad programs, to see if the school really cares about supporting lower income students. None of that was available when I was in cool, and it’s so nice to see that at least some schools are putting some thought into it.

Anonymous wrote:As an “economically diverse” kid I would NOT go to bates. It’s feels full of preppy full pay white kids and is a pain to get to, flight to Boston then bus to Lewiston? Your child will likely find more students with common interests and background at UT.

This is important. I went to a school like Bates and I loved it but I know that some of my friends from lesser means felt really out of place socially not having spending money or being able to even travel home for breaks.

UT or Davidson

My son applied and was accepted to both UT and Davidson as different as those schools were. He visited UT only after he was admitted and found the campus to be just immense and felt he'd get lost in the crowd. This from a kid who grew up around Virginia Tech. He is at Davidson studying economics and so grateful he made that choice.

However, the computer science dept is pretty small there and certainly not in the same league as UT. If your child is certain she wants to study data analytics/cs, then maybe UT Austin would be the right choice. If she isn't sure what she wants to do post college, then hands down Davidson. Davidson is located less than 30 min from downtown Charlotte which outside of NY is a one of the major banking hubs on the east coast. Several of my son's upperclassmen friends are getting high paying job offers in consulting and investment banking in part due to the Davidson alumni network. Also, work study jobs are very easy to come by, and Davidson is giving the kids raises starting next year. So earning $2k in work study is easily doable working 8-10 hrs a week. My son's best friend does his work study at the Baker sports center front desk and does his homework while there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.

Davidson seems to be assuming work-study, so the school will give her a job. That's what "work-study" means.

topping out at $10.50 an hour as a senior if she can get a coveted job. As a freshman, it can be as low as $7.50 an hour

https://www.davidson.edu/offices-and-services/human-resources/student-employment/getting-paid

If you need the money, that's not doable

All good schools. Go for what the cheapest is (after ALL expenses are accounted/estimated - including travel)

also, those cities will have more paid internship opportunities during the school year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.

If work study is part of the financial aid package, it generally means working campus jobs. Here's what it says at Davidson: "If financially eligible, you may be awarded a part-time job (typically 8 to 11 hours work per week). Placement may be on campus or with nonprofit community agencies"

It's not necessarily a bad thing to have a part-time job on campus (or nearby).

As someone who did work study, it's not enough hours or pay. Austin or St Paul will have better opportunities for part time work.

I had to make a similar decision. Full tuition paid at University of Washington but had to cover room and board or most tuition paid at small LAC. I wanted to move out of state so went to LAC. Overall, loans would have been about the same and I wish I went to UW for the reputation, access to a bigger city and large network. If I could do it again, I’d do large state school over LAC. BTW, I came from low income and didn’t get family help but worked part-time on and off campus (definitely doable - instead of heavy partying like my peers who had financial support, I worked but still had time for fun).

Davidson provides a really EXCELLENT education, almost curated. I think it will change her life to go to that type of school vs a big (albeit well regarded) state U.

That assumes that she can afford the travel back and forth. She has earned herself an amazing opportunity. Very impressive.

Anonymous wrote:Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.

Davidson seems to be assuming work-study, so the school will give her a job. That's what "work-study" means.

Anonymous wrote:Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.

If work study is part of the financial aid package, it generally means working campus jobs. Here's what it says at Davidson: "If financially eligible, you may be awarded a part-time job (typically 8 to 11 hours work per week). Placement may be on campus or with nonprofit community agencies"

It's not necessarily a bad thing to have a part-time job on campus (or nearby).

Anonymous wrote:Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.

Online tutoring? Work over summers?

Even if school is free, will the kid need to work part time? Davidson is rural, so there may not be any good opportunities.