cost of college

[Norm]

It could be worse, my kid could be Asian. My son's two friends are both Asian, ranked at the top of the class with great grades and are waitlisted/deferred everywhere except Rutgers. My son has 7 acceptance letters with lower grades, though he was not forced to shoot for Ivy league.

Haha, popcorn thingy here...

 

[qclabrat]

It could be worse, my kid could be Asian. My son's two friends are both Asian, ranked at the top of the class with great grades and are waitlisted/deferred everywhere except Rutgers. My son has 7 acceptance letters with lower grades, though he was not forced to shoot for Ivy league.

Unfortunately I am, but fortunately my older is not Ivy material. I've tasked my wife to manage the aid stuff and I'm focusing on admissions. Currently trying to compile data on schools and majors where a Asian female would have the best shot. If you are an Asian male, you're seriously screwed for admissions. My daughter is responsible for picking some majors, schools and maintain her GPA, which is a challenge at the moment. I'm not in the camp that we need to spend oodles to get her SATs to higher than 1500 or a lot of coaching to write essays. She's going to Foley Prep, which is very reasonable, and already upper her practice SATs by 150, another 50-100 and she'll be ready for the March test.

 

[Bike N Gear]

I've tasked my wife to manage the aid stuff and I'm focusing on admissions.

My son's guidance counselor specifically told us that this should really all be the child's problems. If they can't figure out getting into college, they are really not ready to go. Wife had a hard time with this.

Of course now that he is in, it's our problem again. Since we are middle class, he get's shit $$$ because of us.

 

[GSTim]

Unfortunately I am, but fortunately my older is not Ivy material. I've tasked my wife to manage the aid stuff and I'm focusing on admissions. Currently trying to compile data on schools and majors where a Asian female would have the best shot. If you are an Asian male, you're seriously screwed for admissions. My daughter is responsible for picking some majors, schools and maintain her GPA, which is a challenge at the moment. I'm not in the camp that we need to spend oodles to get her SATs to higher than 1500 or a lot of coaching to write essays. She's going to Foley Prep, which is very reasonable, and already upper her practice SATs by 150, another 50-100 and she'll be ready for the March test.

Also look at taking the ACTs. My daughter did much better on the ACT vs the SAT. It just fit her test taking and knowledge base better. She wound up only re-taking the ACT to boost her English scores and not using the SAT score on any applications.

 

[Robson]

Rutgers will cost you around 80-100K. My son is graduating this May. Luckily he is smart and he is already working.

 

[Bike N Gear]

Also look at taking the ACTs. My daughter did much better on the ACT vs the SAT. It just fit her test taking and knowledge base better. She wound up only re-taking the ACT to boost her English scores and not using the SAT score on any applications.

Same here. He took an SAT prep course but did much better on ACT's.

 

[qclabrat]

My son's guidance counselor specifically told us that this should really all be the child's problems. If they can't figure out getting into college, they are really not ready to go. Wife had a hard time with this.

Our school told us to worry about the finances and have the kid pick their majors without our interference.

Do you know what factors lead to a student to test better at the ACTs?

 

[GSTim]

Googled:

https://blog.prepscholar.com/q-a-will-i-do-better-on-the-sat-or-the-act

 

[Magic]

So parents now fill out applications for their kids? Damn millennials.

 

[qclabrat]

So parents now fill out applications for their kids? Damn millennials.

no, we now pay someone thousands to do it for us. Get with the new

 

[Bike N Gear]

no, we now pay someone thousands to do it for us. Get with the new

F that. My son filled out every app and hated every minute of it.

I only filled out the Fafsa and CSS. And I hated every minute of that.

 

[The Kalmyk]

no, we now pay someone thousands to do it for us. Get with the new

Weren’t you shopping private high schools awhile back?

Are you really worried about the cost of college or is this just a good topic for the board?

 

[qclabrat]

Weren’t you shopping private high schools awhile back?

Are you really worried about the cost of college or is this just a good topic for the board?

older went to public (couldn't get into Pingry or one of the better prep schools) and younger got into a science academy.
Just looking for tips from those you have been there or support for those going there soon. Our schools didn't really do much to prepare parents and it seems a heck of a lot more complicated that before. Guess that's why there's business around this now. I remember a fairly simple process which I did it all on my own, we didn't need aid since I went to a NY state school where tuition was just $625 the first semester. I was joking about the above, my kid will fill out as much as possible and help to figure out the aid and payment plan.

 

[soundz]

Fire yourself and find a low paying job a few years before your child graduates.

 

[Bike N Gear]

Fire yourself and find a low paying job a few years before your child graduates.

I own a bike shop. I already have a low paying job. Problem is they look at your savings and investments too.

 

[Fire Lord Jim]

I own a bike shop. I already have a low paying job. Problem is they look at your savings and investments too.

But they do not look at home equity nor retirement savings. Put your savings and investments in those categories when your student is a junior.

 

[Bike N Gear]

But they do not look at home equity nor retirement savings. Put your savings and investments in those categories when your student is a junior.

I think you need to get it done by sophomore year now. CSS form goes back two years. There is also only so much you can move if you wait that long.

 

[Bike N Gear]

Oh, and CSS does look at home equity. But they don’t look at personal property. So buy a bunch of collectors cars that you are confident will not devalue. Then sell them once Jr. graduates. Too late for me now.

Fafsa doesn’t look at a lot of this. Mostly “need” and they don’t think my son needs anything.

 

[jShort]

older went to public (couldn't get into Pingry or one of the better prep schools)

How many times a day do you remind them about that?

 

[Bike N Gear]

How many times a day do you remind them about that?

That’s ok. I remind my wife regularly that it was her who let my son roll off the changing table onto the floor when he was a baby. If it weren’t for that he’d be getting a full ride to the Ivy League school of his choice.