Posted on 10/02/2007 7:01:37 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Heard of Grove City College? They need a good look from anyone sending a child off to college.
You’ll see that I agree with your assertion about Federal Aid.
ping
That's why I'm pushing mine to keep in the top 10%. Right now with colleges pandering to illegals that law is the only thing that will guarantee there's a desk available for my child. It's to the point, I just want the desk and I'll worry about the $$$ later. I know there won't be scholorships that amount to anything because she's not a minority or has some sob story to tell them about life in the mother country. I just want her admitted. Look at most any US college web site and you'll see they cater to illegals. While scouting out universities for my child who happens to be a white AP honor student and #4 in the class, I'm seeing lots of preferential admittance for those from lower socio-economic areas, underserved regions with particular emphasis on southern Texas, bilingual, educationally disadvantaged (excuse me, this from the medical field?), race/ethnicity, success in overcoming adverse family experiences, and they almost come out and state they will turn a blind eye to residence status.
#3, and our only daughter got a 3/4 scholarship to a small, private, Catholic university and loves the place. #4 and youngest son is in his Senior year, and mulling over the options. He's thinking, to save money, he'll live at home for the first couple of years, attending a local state college. He can use that time to figure out a major, without racking up huge loans. Then, he can either finish at that school, or transfer to another for his upper level work.
I realized a long time ago, watching fellow students, that those who paid for their own education were MUCH more serious about it than those whose Daddies were footing the bill. We also told our kids that we'd paid for twelve years of Catholic school, so now it was their responsibility to invest in their own futures. Besides, we wanted some money on which to retire!
#2 wants to be a nurse. She took much of the prerequisites at the local CC, has her EMT, was a member of a volunteer fire dept when we lived in MD. Its an informed choice.
To get into nursing school is a real problem these days. Waiting for several years with a lottery for admittance seems to be the norm. We took a different path...expensive private school. We looked at the time to required to get in, the costs to house her while she waits, lost income, etc vice a 2.5 year straight run. I decided to write large checks for the next few years. It makes sense from an area under the curve perspective.
Its not a choice everyone can make, but it works for us. She is living with family to minimize costs, and we do not require an outside job (her job is to get good grades).
As a Nursing student the military will give her a scholarship upon request in exchange for 4 years service, which may be an option for others.
Nursing is a special case, but at least in our case, the right answer was to bite the bullet.
ping
Yes, mine is/will be taking AP and dual credit classes so should have at least enough hours to be classified a sophomore by the end of high school. However, here you must pay for the AP test and there is a couple hundred dollar fee for the dual credit class so it’s not all free.
What’s this state merit scholarship? The National Merit Scholarship is only $2500.
and don’t forget the Pell Grants - they have done more to help kids from financially strapped families than any program in history. And - they must keep their grades up - unlike Mom and Dad who keep shelling it out regardless of what their poor grade, partying, spring break orgy young’uns do.
Qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship is a sliding scale as well. If you are a student in, say, Maryland, your PSAT score needs to be significantly higher than if you are a student in West Virginia.
I have two younger ones in private school
My oldest daughter will be at Lipscomb College in January, the younger at Belmont.
Both not far from where I am typing.
I hope to get at least 50% reduction from non-income dependent grants and maybe student loans beyond that some.
I would rather help them pay off the loans than just peel off all that cash now but we’ll see.
When I went to Ole Miss in 1976, tuition was 500/semester and dorms/meal ticket were another 150 bucks
Education costs have outpaced inflation by multiples.
Crazy....too many kids going to college.
Here in TN, we have lottery grants, it’s a racket for many minority kids and their white trash homeys...they go to community school, wreak havoc on the classes and defer, defer , defer and then get the check and quit.
What a waste.
Plus...i had never heard of a college class where the teacher could not keep order till my girls took some filler classes at Nashville State
“Also, because of the way financial aid works, it can sometimes be cheaper to go to a private school than an public one.”
I found this to be true, sort of. Depends on the student, I guess. But for the two I have in college right now, the cost of private and state schools was very comparable, when the full aid package was on the table.
In Florida it’s called Bright Futures, in Georgia it’s called The Hope Scholarship. It pays tuition to a state college (for instance UF, FSU, etc. in Florida; GaTech or U of GA in Georgia, and all other state 4 year public colleges) for up to 21 hours per term, for four years, as long as the student maintains a certain grade average. The student/parents must be residents and it is earned primarily through SAT/ACT score, GPA, etc. It also includes a small stipend for books ($300 which covers the cost of books for a couple classes, at least.)
http://www.gsfc.org/hope/
http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/
This comment must be at least partially autobiographical. Who but an old-line (pre-deconstructionist) English major would know how to say "forgo" in the past tense?
And who but a refugee-from-the-liberal-arts-turned-computer-geek would then dare to point out that you misspelled it?
Try not to worry too much about your honor student child who is #4 in her class. She is doing exceptionally well in high school and will do the same when she gets to college and later out in the world of work.
Hands down the best students I’ve dealt with are those who needed to work while they were in school. Some of them even had to take a leave of absence for financial reasons. While away they would take courses at the local community college (at a very low cost) and transfer those courses to their more expensive university. That way they were able to graduate with their class but save A LOT of money at the same time.
NYS does not have a merit-based program like yours, sadly. We used to have the Regents Scholarships, which paid for my tuition years and years ago, but our lovely state got rid of the funding. Oh, kids still get Regents diplomas, but that’s it.
I always thought the military academies were the best school for the price of tution.
Remember to help her look at the schloarships available from VA, military and semi military sources(Officer Wives Club, AAFEES, etc) due to your past military experience. This is a source I bet your daughter wouldn’t think to check.
My dad was in his 60s collecting SS when I was in college. Didn’t realize that i was able to get some money from Social Security. I was still considered the same as a family member under 18 since I was at college.
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