Girlie AGDee's College Search Thread

[ADqtPiMel]

YESSSSS. Awesome news!

[AGDee]

Oh goodness. I really shouldn't post from my phone because I couldn't even tell that loans came out as loams..lol.

I also shouldn't trust a kid to read the financial aid information accurately. Yes, we'd need a bit more in loans that she thought from reading it. She neglected to look at the total cost. HOWEVER, it is no worse than anywhere else. It seems every school is expecting about the same contribution from us. And, it IS Barnard

Now she is saying she needs to make a pros and cons list for Michigan and Barnard. *eye roll* I think she's primarily concerned about the $$ and our financial aid package from Michigan is messed up because they had her listed as a non-resident. I believe the expected family contribution will be the same as it is for Barnard in the end.


ETA: How fun is New York, New York for a graduation party theme???

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Oh goodness. I really shouldn't post from my phone because I couldn't even tell that loans came out as loams..lol.

I also shouldn't trust a kid to read the financial aid information accurately. Yes, we'd need a bit more in loans that she thought from reading it. She neglected to look at the total cost. HOWEVER, it is no worse than anywhere else. It seems every school is expecting about the same contribution from us. And, it IS Barnard

Now she is saying she needs to make a pros and cons list for Michigan and Barnard. *eye roll* I think she's primarily concerned about the $$ and our financial aid package from Michigan is messed up because they had her listed as a non-resident. I believe the expected family contribution will be the same as it is for Barnard in the end.


ETA: How fun is New York, New York for a graduation party theme???

If the EFC is the same for Barnard as it is for Michigan, that is fan-freaking-tastic!

So, tomorrow is the end of this saga, huh?

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Now she is saying she needs to make a pros and cons list for Michigan and Barnard. *eye roll* I think she's primarily concerned about the $$ and our financial aid package from Michigan is messed up because they had her listed as a non-resident. I believe the expected family contribution will be the same as it is for Barnard in the end.


ETA: How fun is New York, New York for a graduation party theme???

I love how she's dragging it out for all it's worth! I'm so glad she has great choices so far...that makes it a lot more fun. So, DePaul is definitely out of contention?

I think the NY, NY party theme idea is great! I have NO ideas for Providence....

[WCsweet<3]

I really do feel like this is like recruitment. It's down to pref night with two chapters she loves and one she likes. Now she has to figure out which one is her "home".

Congrats on Barnard!

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

If the EFC is the same for Barnard as it is for Michigan, that is fan-freaking-tastic!

So, tomorrow is the end of this saga, huh?

Tomorrow is it, with Brown and Columbia posting after 5 PM. I think after the rejections to NU and Wash U, and the waitlist to Wellesley, she was afraid to still hope for Brown. She know has faith that someone looked past her weak SAT scores and saw her passion and I think she's hoping Brown will see that too.

I think the EFC is going to be the same for Michigan whether she was in state or out state, honestly. And, that makes me kind of ill, to be truthful, since my taxes have been paying for that school my whole life. If the EFC is the same either way, then there is no advantage to being an instate student at a state university? I think that's shady. But, we'll know for sure after it is adjusted. It's just that the EFC seems to be the same with every school, although some have a lot more in loans than others. Barnard gave her a HUGE grant.

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

I love how she's dragging it out for all it's worth! I'm so glad she has great choices so far...that makes it a lot more fun. So, DePaul is definitely out of contention?

I think the NY, NY party theme idea is great! I have NO ideas for Providence....

She is dragging this out for all it is worth. I think she's relieved that she has options. I think she was terrified that she wouldn't have options. Now that she does, she's talking about Michigan more *eye roll* She said tonight "So you think I should go Barnard even if Michigan will be a lot cheaper?" and I said "Is it your dream?" She said "I need to make a pros and cons list".

DePaul is out of contention, I think. Although I thought American was out too. They are having an online chat for accepted families tonight and I asked her "So it's safe to skip that chat?" and she said "No, I think you should do it because what if there is something really awesome?"

Originally Posted by WCsweet<3

I really do feel like this is like recruitment. It's down to pref night with two chapters she loves and one she likes. Now she has to figure out which one is her "home".

Congrats on Barnard!

One more possible bid (still pretty sure Columbia won't happen and she likes Barnard better) as the Ivies release admission decisions tomorrow after 5 pm. Actually, Brown sent emails assigning times to log in and check so their servers wouldn't crash like Northwestern's did!

The pressure is off. She was in tears when she called me to tell me about Barnard so I wasn't sure which way it went at first! She choked out "I'm accepted" and I started crying too and said "Accepted?" and she said "Yes!" (I could hear the exclamation point) I started saying the words to "New York, New York" and said I'd sing it but I was at work... lol. After we hung up, I called my dad and he said "You're calling me in the middle of the day, that never happens" and I choked out "Hypo was accepted to Barnard and I wanted you to know before it went on Facebook" LOL

You know, when you have a baby, you wonder what they're going to be like, how they will turn out, if they will make a difference in the world somehow. You dream about what they might do someday. And today, yes, today, I have never been more sure that this young lady is going to make a difference because she is so passionate about her beliefs. I think Barnard or Brown would foster that passion more than any of the other schools where she applied. My goal as a parent was to foster independent thinking, self confident children and I believe I succeeded. Yes, it's one college acceptance, but it signifies a lot to me. My mom would be so proud

[Tulip86]

Originally Posted by AGDee

You know, when you have a baby, you wonder what they're going to be like, how they will turn out, if they will make a difference in the world somehow. You dream about what they might do someday. And today, yes, today, I have never been more sure that this young lady is going to make a difference because she is so passionate about her beliefs. I think Barnard or Brown would foster that passion more than any of the other schools where she applied. My goal as a parent was to foster independent thinking, self confident children and I believe I succeeded. Yes, it's one college acceptance, but it signifies a lot to me. My mom would be so proud

Aww, just got all teary-eyed, that's beautiful.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Congrats to hypo!

And a huge thanks to you for all the information you gave me about Barnard last year

[txAOII_15]

congratulations to your daughter on barnard!

[IrishLake]

Awesome news! Congrats to hypo!!!!

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by AGDee

And a huge thanks to you for all the information you gave me about Barnard last year

I'm glad it was of help to the two of you.

[VandalSquirrel]

She's a smart girl (obviously!) but one factor she may want to include in her decision is cost of living. Entertainment, food, personal items, and so on could possibly be much higher in the vicinity of Barnard than Ann Arbor, as well as the cost of travel. She also may be able to move off campus in Ann Arbor, which could be a lot harder in New York. I have no idea on the costs of Providence, but I bet Munchkin does.

At least all three of those schools make having a car a non-factor since there is barely anywhere to park and if there is it is super expensive. if she doesn't have a bicycle it may be worth looking into for each campus as she can definitely ride around campus and save public transportation for off campus jaunts.

Since her father is still unemployed and the situation with your house value has changed over time, it may not be worth your time to go over the information that was used to determine your EFC, especially since you are in college and have another kid headed towards college then will have two attending at once.

[AGDee]

My college tuition doesn't matter to FAFSA. They only count her generation, which I find kind of frustrating.

She has a bike but wouldn't really need one at any of the three. The bus system at Michigan is great because there are lots of free buses for students and for liberal arts kids, the classes are all in one area. Brown and Barnard are both pretty small and there are stores nearby. Although the cost of living is higher in NYC, jobs pay more too and she's more likely to find a paid internship there too. We've definitely been considering all those factors! It is also much cheaper to fly to NYC than to Providence. However, we don't know that Providence is an option yet and still suspect it won't be.

[DubaiSis]

What a lovely conundrum to have to solve. Big 10 school (with all that entails - football, basketball, friendly rivalries...) with an excellent reputation and the Greek system that I"m sure you'd love to see her be part of or the prestige and excitement of going to college in New York. The good news is she can't make a wrong choice.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Tomorrow is it, with Brown and Columbia posting after 5 PM. I think after the rejections to NU and Wash U, and the waitlist to Wellesley, she was afraid to still hope for Brown. She know has faith that someone looked past her weak SAT scores and saw her passion and I think she's hoping Brown will see that too.

I think the EFC is going to be the same for Michigan whether she was in state or out state, honestly. And, that makes me kind of ill, to be truthful, since my taxes have been paying for that school my whole life. If the EFC is the same either way, then there is no advantage to being an instate student at a state university? I think that's shady. But, we'll know for sure after it is adjusted. It's just that the EFC seems to be the same with every school, although some have a lot more in loans than others. Barnard gave her a HUGE grant.



She is dragging this out for all it is worth. I think she's relieved that she has options. I think she was terrified that she wouldn't have options. Now that she does, she's talking about Michigan more *eye roll* She said tonight "So you think I should go Barnard even if Michigan will be a lot cheaper?" and I said "Is it your dream?" She said "I need to make a pros and cons list".

DePaul is out of contention, I think. Although I thought American was out too. They are having an online chat for accepted families tonight and I asked her "So it's safe to skip that chat?" and she said "No, I think you should do it because what if there is something really awesome?"



One more possible bid (still pretty sure Columbia won't happen and she likes Barnard better) as the Ivies release admission decisions tomorrow after 5 pm. Actually, Brown sent emails assigning times to log in and check so their servers wouldn't crash like Northwestern's did!

The pressure is off. She was in tears when she called me to tell me about Barnard so I wasn't sure which way it went at first! She choked out "I'm accepted" and I started crying too and said "Accepted?" and she said "Yes!" (I could hear the exclamation point) I started saying the words to "New York, New York" and said I'd sing it but I was at work... lol. After we hung up, I called my dad and he said "You're calling me in the middle of the day, that never happens" and I choked out "Hypo was accepted to Barnard and I wanted you to know before it went on Facebook" LOL

You know, when you have a baby, you wonder what they're going to be like, how they will turn out, if they will make a difference in the world somehow. You dream about what they might do someday. And today, yes, today, I have never been more sure that this young lady is going to make a difference because she is so passionate about her beliefs. I think Barnard or Brown would foster that passion more than any of the other schools where she applied. My goal as a parent was to foster independent thinking, self confident children and I believe I succeeded. Yes, it's one college acceptance, but it signifies a lot to me. My mom would be so proud

Quit it. You're making me tear up at my desk.

(And I feel your pain re. in-state tuition. U of Illinois is our state's flagship school and it's expensive. There are very good out-of-state schools that will be cheaper than in-state tuition at UIUC.)