Usually financial aid depts are happy to answer questions; I haven't contacted them much, because usually the process is pretty cut and dry. Fill out forms and wait (never heard of health insurance and travel costs being covered). I have appealed to two schools with change in circumstances. One gave a few thousand more; one gave nothing. Remember that what they think you need has nothing to do with what you think you need. And understand that each school usually covers a certain percentage of need. Ivies cover 100% of need; others can be 85%-95%. You can find that out online (your BFF - College Confidential). I used to say that if your family make over $150,000 with basic assets, you ain't gettin' nothin. Not sure if that is true anymore. Does anyone use some basic parameters when trying to tell new college parents the reality of the situation? Just curious what others say! Oh and never believe what the FAFSA or a school's NPC churns out for you. They can be off - way off - by thousands and thousands of dollars. My advice is always to cast a wide net if you need financial aid or merit aid. You will be surprised by what you get from some schools and what you don't get from others. I haven't been following your posts, Ruth, so I am not sure if this has all been covered. Be realistic. Understand your bottom line and don't even bother looking at schools that aren't aren't going to meet it. Otherwise, hearts will be broken. Oh one more thing. Many times colleges will not allow you to stack financial aid and merit aid. Am I saying that right, experts out there? That's another factor to consider.

Ah! These are the kinds of strategies we need to know. She is taking practice tests this week. Time will tell.

First, an update! DD will be attending St. John's Summer Academy next week. She is beyond excited! Jane Austen and Shakespeare and croquet? Are you kidding me? Lisa, re: Allegheny. You know how first impressions go a long way? I think I shared my oldest ds's story in a post at one time; Allegheny didn't seem to match his social or intellectual needs. But the tour guide's blue eyes were soooo beautiful, according to him. :) Anyway, it may have been that one tour guide (her lack of intellectual passion, not her beauty), but it was out of the running. It actually may be a good fit for dd, but I do recall it being in the middle of nowhere - seriously in the middle of nowhere - like Juniata. Does American sound like a possible fit for her? Haven't looked at their stats in a long time. WoolySocks, re: St Olaf. I may have read about the culture on College Confidential a while back. I would love to know if I am wrong. Have fun at Macalester. We never visited. It sounds awesome to me. Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Kenyon. She probably couldn't get in, but if she did, she couldn't get merit. Oldest ds was accepted at three of those, but he had higher stats and, still, merit wasn't generous enough.

Thank you for this. It is exactly what I need to know. Lewis and Clark isn't even on the list, knowing she is in bottom of stats and wouldn't get merit. Re: Willamette - does it have something so uniquely perfect for her that it is the worth the travel expenses? Sporty, pre-professional types are abundant at the schools around here. No need to go far for that. And we are avoiding many of those schools.

Yes, I will be sure of it. :) Thanks for catching that. I think we will visit when we visit Goucher again. Okay adding to the list. Any thoughts as to culture, town, academics, travel from Philly would be greatly appreciated. Beloit Wheaton - Norton (maybe; merit not as great) St Lawrence Knox Willamette Hendrix (don't think I could get her to consider Arkansas though) Kalamazoo Lawrence St John's College Still on list: Wooster, Denison, Muhlenberg, Goucher and, of course, Mt Holyoke

I can get a chance to say these things, too! I homeschooled her when she danced full time. Her interviews and essays (which I am betting will be phenomenal) are key. She is also hispanic. But it's not getting her in. It's getting her in with merit! I told her that she should do some interviews at her least favorite schools in the next few weeks. Practice, you know...

Which series is this, regentrude?

I gave my ballpark in my previous post, but I wanted to thank you for pointing these out. I just told her last night that a COA of $10,000 less with a similar merit package is a HUGE difference. She sees herself as a failure by not getting into the selective schools. So many hours and tears have been shed during my gentle yet firm reality checks for her. The sad thing is she could totally fit into a Mt Holyoke. On our visit and discussion with a current student, she was told (after talking a lot about women's issues) that she is the perfect fit. Two things will hinder her success no matter where she goes - her lack of confidence and her lack of translating her "awesomeness" on midterms and final exams. If you all met her, you would NEVER think she was anything but a super-high SAT gal.

Re; Catholic and Christian Schools. I know most college have some affiliation, but many are no longer adherent to those specific teachings. DD is an atheist. St Olaf was originally on the list, until I found out more about the culture. I haven't considered Carleton for her; my memory was that she wouldn't get in and the merit wasn't generous. Canada! She would like that. Her uncle is a professor at McGill. :)

Hmmm...I will consider this. IUP doesn't have a great rep around here, but it would be wise to look at larger universities as well. She is so stuck on reputation. It doesn't help that her (step)brother is off to an Ivy this year. The emotions are difficult sometimes. Re: cost. Her father has saved quite a bit (at least to me!) and plans to contribute a portion of his income. He says $40,000 a year. I know what he has; I would say $30,000 is a better bet, if he wants his second to go to college! He is new to this and hates to disappoint his girls in any way. This is my biggest fear! Now that we are married, he may benefit from having two of my kids in college as well. It depends on what the school uses for financial aid determination. Otherwise, he will be considered full-pay. I narrowed down the list you all gave me last night. I feel so much better with the options. I will check out the new recommendations.

I was originally concerned about the pace of the ACT - she just doesn't do well on any kind of test. She is so slow. Her AP Lang score was a 3 because she didn't get to 21 problems. But...with that said, I told her this morning to do the September ACT; I'd hate for her to have regrets. She is doing a practice exam now to get a feel for it. I'll have to find the best practice resources. Thanks for the suggestion. Jackie, it was your mention of math only being 25% that made me reconsider. :) She has taken the SAT twice. First was 1200; second was 1140. Superscored 1210. Math was only 500 this time around! Yikes.

This is my go-to source. It was very accurate when looking with my oldest. Of the more selective schools he applied to, he received good merit from Oberlin, Kenyon, Macalester and Denison.

That's how I went about the process with three of them. Just cross those off in beginning, so no hearts are broken. If you are counting on merit, but are considered full-pay, they would love to accept your kid. They need a certain amount of full-pay students!

I just wrote out the list of recommended schools. Wow! So many!

I have more time to spend on this now. Sorry if I was brief in my previous responses. To be more specific. Merit matters. Not $5,000, but $25,000 (of course, it depends on price of school). She leans hipster and liberal. Social justice should matter greatly to the student culture. Preppy, greek life is not a good match. Mainstream is fine. Our road trip included Oberlin, which she had always revered because of my oldest attending and working there. Once she got there, she decided it might be a bit much for her - to give you an idea of how hipster and liberal she is willing to go. She is a quiet, serious girl. She is appalled by most kids' behavior with drinking etc, but she is not sheltered at all from pop culture. She is insecure, but really has the ability to bloom into a leader. She needs a place that will allow her to grow. She is a talented creative writer and loves the idea of a liberal arts school to help find her passion. She loves the idea of the seven sisters schools. Her fave on our road trip was Mt Holyoke (and Bryn Mawr). But her fave realistic school was Wooster - she had her first interview there - was terrified - but did fabulously, weaving in global warning and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal (I wasn't there, but the counselor told me she was amazing when I joined them in the interview). Earlham seemed...I don't know...somber? Denison was okay for her - a little too preppy/athletic but she liked other things about it. Muhlenberg was okay. I thought she'd like it more. Clark was in too rough of a neighborhood for her. I also had on my list - Beloit, Lawrence and Kalamazoo. Thoughts? My oldest had the stats for schools mentioned here - and he received good merit. I just don't think she would - Grinnell, Macalester, Kenyon, Denison. He liked the same culture. I am about to write a list of your schools and do some looking. I cannot thank you all enough. She was upset earlier this morning; she is constantly disappointed in herself and it's difficult to watch. I told her we should do an interview at Goucher as practice. Any thoughts on St. John's in MD?

Thanks - I will check out Wheaton and Siena. Allegheny and Juniata may end up on the list. I have been to both - they are definitely in the middle of nowhere. More than many LACs. Franklin and Marshall, Lafayette and Gettysburg are local to us and won't offer enough merit. Ursinus is only a half hour away. Won't seem like a college experience. I will check the others. Way too conservative for her! But thanks. Never heard of it. I'll check it out. Our road trip was in the midwest. Agree on the location and culture of the school for this dd. I don't think she'd get in, though, at some of those. Small size, undecided, location doesn't matter. Very liberal, hipster, intellectual Dickinson didn't even give my older son - with much higher stats - any merit. Sigh.

Awesome! I will reach out to you soon!

Is this fundafunda schedule their online US History class or a specific AP schedule? I guess I don't understand how fundafunda works.

I will certainly check into Chatham. We are in PA; don't know anyone who has attended. Antioch is super tiny, isn't it? That won't work for her. I'll double check. Thank you!

Wow. Tcb, thank you so much for updating us!!!

Before the redesigned SAT, most would say a student does better on one than the other. Is that still true? DSD got a lower SAT score the second time (1140). I have hesitated about the ACT because of the fast pace. She never finishes her exams. On her AP Lang exam, she didn't have time for 21 problems and got a 3!!!!

Poor DSD. In person, she is highly articulate, highly passionate, highly informed. She is well read, currently reading Handmaid's Tale and Emma on her own. If you recall, she was homeschooled to dance ballet full time and returned to PS in January. She is a rising senior. Her test scores aren't great. 1210 SAT. One AP score of a 3. Not sure of GPA; can't seem to access it. Probably 3.5. She wants a highly intellectual school filled with people who take academics and world issues seriously. But it is difficult to find with those scores. Her reach school is Mt Holyoke. She was fine with Wooster. In the spring, we did a whirlwind road trip and also saw Earlham, Denison, Clark, Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Oberlin (to see my oldest), U of Rochester, Muhlenberg. She just returned from Susquehanna University's Writer's Workshop. She is a talented writer. Right now, I am looking for names of additional schools; I can research the financial aspect and determine whether or not it is worth applying. Is St. John's worth a look?

Ha. DS18 will be majoring in math and computer science; I guess I should know that! FWIW, he used all of AoPS.

- age/grade of student. DD14. Rising 9th - math program Currently in second half of DO Algebra. Spent same amount of time with AoPS and Jacobs. - time spent daily on math 1 1/2 to 2 hours - attitude about math Sometimes, she thinks it is "so much fun" and wants to do math for hours.Sometimes, meh. Directly linked to how successful she is with the topic. - age/grade of student. 11th grade DS; graduated early - math program University of Penn classes - time spent daily on math Hours - attitude about math LOVES! Will be a math major. :-)

Thinking of you and S, Rose! :grouphug: