accepted by private middle school but no financial aid

[luvthemouse71]

Really, the population of a school can vary greatly due to the population. The local catholic school is far more diverse than the public school, because the doctors, and profs send their kids to it.

I do agree, however, that scholarships are usually given for extraordinary students, or for financial need.

I've also been asked many times about my graduate institution, because different schools have different styles and focus. I received several job interviews due to my undergrad non ivy league school, too. I guess it depends.

. I live in a diverse state anyway, so our schools tend to be a pretty good mix.

And the OP still may able to get financial aid in the form of loans. Usually when people use the term "financial aid", they are talking about loans.

 

[GinnyEmma]

lol, i did wonder at the "needs" comment, also. the op owes no one anything.

 

[GinnyEmma]

. I live in a diverse state anyway, so our schools tend to be a pretty good mix.

And the OP still may able to get financial aid in the form of loans. Usually when people use the term "financial aid", they are talking about loans.

lol, and I live in a very waspyish area. broadbrush statements really are worthless, imo.

 

[Dsny4fun]

According the OP, she was looking for scholarship money (i.e., money that does not need to be repaid) not once did she say I am looking for a loan.

Her daughter has every right to attend the free public school, but private school costs $$$, why should she get a free private education? What makes her daughter special and deserving of others footing the private education bill? Does her daughter bring some exceptional talent, such as being a star performer of a varsity team? Was she the top student in her public school and hence will bring stellar academic accolades to this private academy? Will she offer racial diversity to the typical WASPy student body?

FREE public school ????? Last time I checked I pay over $6000 a year to my FEEE public school and for the record...scholarships at private schools are usually paid by endowments..not by tax payers so you can get rid of the HUGE chip on your shoulder. Who the hell are you to decide if she's deserving..that's up to the school. Why do you feel you need to know her special talents...you sure the hell aren't the one paying for it.

 

[prncess674]

She doesnt need to provide information to you, or to anyone else here. Im confused as to why you think she has to prove anything to you. That's my main point.

You are correct, the OP doesn't owe anyone information, but the OP did come here with an indignant attitude, of "hey my DD applied to X private school, and I can't believe they didn't offer to foot the bill too." Private school is a choice. If the parents choose the private school route, they should be prepared to pay. Schools offer scholarships based on a set of parameters and it appears this child didn't qualify for any "free" money. She met the minimum requirements for entrance, not the requirements for merit based scholarhip.

Private school love to put on heirs about being super selective, but the main requirements for admittance are passing a very basic exam and parents willing to foot the bill for a private school education. Of course being able to exclude low performers is helpful, but no where do most private schools state that they are only admitting the really exceptional students.

As for your WASPY comment, that just proves that you are coming from a place of resentment.

Oh phull-eeze, I am a product of a supposed super selective WASPy school and yes I too am ridiculously WASPy, the majority of minorities were granted scholarship admission based on superior academic performance or athletics. The average Wonder Bread white kid with no superior academics or sporting ability was never offered free tuition, the most they were offered was a payment plan for the year.

 

[dakcp2001]

. Who the hell are you to decide if she's deserving..that's up to the school. Why do you feel you need to know her special talents...you sure the hell aren't the one paying for it.

Sounds from the OP that the school has decided she did NOT deserve it.

OP sounds like they determined others may have more financial need than you. If you have savings and are able to work, than you do have a way to make the school work if need be. Otherwise can she start at public for a few years and go to private later on if it isn't working out or if your finances change?

 

[Abbeys_mom]

no offense to anyone who wants to send their kids to private k-12, but unless you're sending your child to choate/andover/exeter/top school, i really don't see the point in shelling out tons of money. college is a different story, as that degree will follow them for the rest of their lives. middle school and high school don't really matter.

OP, if your child is happy with the public school and you think she/he can do well there also, then i would really focus on saving for college.

And I have been accused of being judgmental on this board? Geesh!

Yes, it does matter from an early age that we develop the whole child to have an honest love of learning and exploring, not just the child to fill in bubbles on a test sheet. Why wait until college for the quality education to begin? Middle and high school don't matter?! What about those that don't go beyond high school? Let's just forget about them and not teach them employable skill sets? Next you are probably going to suggest cutting auto shop and vocational training at that level.

Parents send their kids to various private schools for so many reasons, how can you possibly suggest I am wasting my money and should just wait until college? I send my child to a Montessori school because I believe in the Montessori Method and have the means to pay for it - and sacrifice to ensure that she continues to attend her school. AND I pay taxes so that there is "FREE" education available to other kids. A number of Montessorians have done quite well for themselves (as have a number of public school kids, touche). Check out this list: http://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/04/22/famous-people-influenced-by-montessori/

The US public education system is failing our kids - look at any number of studies to see how far behind we are compared to the rest of the industrialized world. Getting into to so called dream schools and getting scholarships is getting harder and harder. With all of the cuts to the arts, sports, and ever expanding class sizes, how can you fault a parent for looking for alternatives? Perhaps it aligns with her personal value system. Whatever the reason, I can certainly understand her disappointment in not getting aid, especially given that she is not working.

 

[Leajess99]

But there are professions where you need a college degree- that is, unless you want your kid to work at Walmart their whole life.

Okay so no one at Walmart has a college degree?? Funny how there are people working fast food that have college degrees from some of the best universities but could not find work in their field.

All I can say is, rude much??

 

[Leajess99]

Careful with the big words and crazy ideas!! Resume? Who needs a resume? You wacky people with their fancy edumacations and snooty ideas. The manager at KFC ain't going to ask for no stinkin' resume!

Again, rude much??

It is one thing for a conversation but to continue to slam certain jobs is ridiculous.

 

[GinnyEmma]

FREE public school ????? Last time I checked I pay over $6000 a year to my FEEE public school and for the record...scholarships at private schools are usually paid by endowments..not by tax payers so you can get rid of the HUGE chip on your shoulder. Who the hell are you to decide if she's deserving..that's up to the school. Why do you feel you need to know her special talents...you sure the hell aren't the one paying for it.

If you are talking property tax, only a portion goes to the school system.

No one deserves a scholarship. And most schools don't give them just because someone wants one, in my experience.

There isn't any reason to get so angry over the opinion of a stranger. i wouldn't ever assume that someone was going to gift my child an education, but that is just me.

 

[GinnyEmma]

And I have been accused of being judgmental on this board? Geesh!

Yes, it does matter from an early age that we develop the whole child to have an honest love of learning and exploring, not just the child to fill in bubbles on a test sheet. Why wait until college for the quality education to begin? Middle and high school don't matter?! What about those that don't go beyond high school? Let's just forget about them and not teach them employable skill sets? Next you are probably going to suggest cutting auto shop and vocational training at that level.

Parents send their kids to various private schools for so many reasons, how can you possibly suggest I am wasting my money and should just wait until college? I send my child to a Montessori school because I believe in the Montessori Method and have the means to pay for it - and sacrifice to ensure that she continues to attend her school. AND I pay taxes so that there is "FREE" education available to other kids. A number of Montessorians have done quite well for themselves (as have a number of public school kids, touche). Check out this list: http://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/04/22/famous-people-influenced-by-montessori/

The US public education system is failing our kids - look at any number of studies to see how far behind we are compared to the rest of the industrialized world. Getting into to so called dream schools and getting scholarships is getting harder and harder. With all of the cuts to the arts, sports, and ever expanding class sizes, how can you fault a parent for looking for alternatives? Perhaps it aligns with her personal value system. Whatever the reason, I can certainly understand her disappointment in not getting aid, especially given that she is not working.

It isn't up to a school to foster a love of learning in my opinion. That is a family's way of life. I am not knocking your choices, and you choose to pay for it,which is a great. But that is different than assuming that someone else should foot the bill.

The op can expand on whatever education her child receives. Schools are as interested in outside interests/passions and how they play out in the community as they are with art classes taken. And a bright child is going to achieve in the basic courses as well as a bright child in any other international system. Your stats are not in line with this situation.

 

[Kathi OD]

Wouldn't that be because most people already have it listed on their resume.

You would be surprised at how many interviewers have not read the resume themselves.

DH had 4 interviews with a company before someone realized that he didn't have experience in the area they needed. He knew it before the 1st interview was over, but those doing the interviewing didn't. All they needed to do was read his resume.

 

[GinnyEmma]

You would be surprised at how many interviewers have not read the resume themselves.

DH had 4 interviews with a company before someone realized that he didn't have experience in the area they needed. He knew it before the 1st interview was over, but those doing the interviewing didn't. All they needed to do was read his resume.

Alright, this is just admitted curiosity. Why did he continue the interview process if he knew he wasn't qualified? I hate interviewing!!!! On both sides of the table.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

luvthemouse71, you do realize your comments about WalMart and KFC are coming off as very right?

If you have such a great education, I'd expect you'd be far better able to present your points without such a harsh put down of people.

You are also very naive if you think that people working in places such as those you mentioned don't necessarily have degrees.

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time.

Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really
tidy, clean-shaven, sharp minded and a real credit to the company and
obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies. One day the boss called him into the office for a talk.

"Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job, but your being late so often is quite bothersome."

"Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."

''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say if you came in late there?"

''They said, "Good morning Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir?

(Go ahead and Snopes it - can't attest that it's true, but I imagine it's true SOMEWHERE. You get the drift.)

 

[JoiseyMom]

Ding Ding Ding! I have never gone into an interview where anyone asked where my degree came from. If they ask about it at all, they ask what I studied. More than anything, once you have the degree, employers want work experience. Unless you're doing something with a specific licensing requirement (i.e. Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher) a college degree is just a piece of paper that says "Yes I played the game".

I think it depends on many factors. I got my Degree from a CUNY school, Brooklyn College. I was a CIS major. On an interview for a job, the manager who was interviewing (and I who was supposed to give me my tech interview), said that I see you went to BC, I said like yes. He then asked me about my professors and which classes I took. He was interested in one specific class, and asked me what my grade was. Once I told him he asked me more general interview questions, but never bothered to ask me 1 single technical question. Once he knew I had a specific prof and got a certain grade in that class, he knew he didn't have to tech me out.

 

[NotUrsula]

Oh phull-eeze, I am a product of a supposed super selective WASPy school and yes I too am ridiculously WASPy, the majority of minorities were granted scholarship admission based on superior academic performance or athletics. The average Wonder Bread white kid with no superior academics or sporting ability was never offered free tuition, the most they were offered was a payment plan for the year.

But wasn't that what the poster who pointed out that it is easier for minorities to get aid was trying to say? Yes, the schools are wasp-y; because those who can afford that kind of tuition for grade school in most parts of the US just happen to tend to be WASPs. However, every non-denominational "elite" private school that I've ever seen has been more than willing to buy bright minority students with scholarships so that they can claim to be more diverse.

In my area the very toniest private schools tend to give diversity scholarships only to African-American students, because the teaching hospitals in my city happen to have quite a number of other minority physicians on staff who can afford the tuition without any kind of hardship.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I am not reallly getting involved

However, I have two friends whose kids applied to the same Ivy League this year.

Kid one went to a good public high school, has good, but not "top of the class grades" and participated a lot in sports etc.

Kid two went to a top rated private school in the area, has about the same grades and not much else. (Long commute to private school, not many funds left after private school meant not a lot of "activiities") Kids two's parents REALLY believed that private school would stand out better and get kid two into the "best" colleges.

Kid one got the Ivy League. Kid two is going to a good school, but not the one Mom/Dad/Kid had thier hearts set on.

The biggest rub.... The Ivy League has a better finanical aide package, but the first set of parents won't get much... they have been putting away funds for years. Kid two's parents were counting on that package and will now have to fund a LOT more of the education cost since they didn't put much away assuming "since we are spending all this money on a great education now" (Trust me I heard Mom tell me how it was going to pay for itself every time she complained about the costs... which was often LOL! She's been wandering around the office for years "complaining" about this....martydom becomes her!)

I have seen this a lot as my friends kids move to the college age... it seems to me it's the "extras" your child bring that are often the deciding factor. (Sports, theatre, music, leadership etc...)

 

[collegejunkie]

And I have been accused of being judgmental on this board? Geesh!

i'm not being judgmental. i was sharing my opinion, which i made clear. also, the OP says that there is nothing wrong with the public school in her area. she just does not want to send her child there, which is a choice she is making on her own. you have to pay for the things you want, including private school. all my post suggested was that perhaps it's a better idea to save for college, because, like i said, that degree will follow you around and no one is ever going to care where you went to middle school or high school. i went to public school; i'm doing more than fine. the OP has a school that's available to her and her child, and she thinks she deserves a free ride to a private school for really no reason at all. it is, of course, important to foster learning and provide your kid with a good foundation for later in life, but that's also doable in a public school and within the family. you don't need a private middle school education for that. when you have the money, then hey, yeah, go for it. but no one is entitled to a private school education just because they stomp their feet and say they want it.

you mention that you send your kids to a montessori school. i think that's great, actually. i very much believe in that. however, you also said that you pay for it. this is where the difference is between you and the OP. you are aware of the cost and willingly pay for it. the OP wants the benefits of the private school without paying.

 

[allison443]

i'm not being judgmental. i was sharing my opinion, which i made clear. also, the OP says that there is nothing wrong with the public school in her area. she just does not want to send her child there, which is a choice she is making on her own. you have to pay for the things you want, including private school. all my post suggested was that perhaps it's a better idea to save for college, because, like i said, that degree will follow you around and no one is ever going to care where you went to middle school or high school. i went to public school; i'm doing more than fine. the OP has a school that's available to her and her child, and she thinks she deserves a free ride to a private school for really no reason at all. it is, of course, important to foster learning and provide your kid with a good foundation for later in life, but that's also doable in a public school and within the family. you don't need a private middle school education for that. when you have the money, then hey, yeah, go for it. but no one is entitled to a private school education just because they stomp their feet and say they want it.you mention that you send your kids to a montessori school. i think that's great, actually. i very much believe in that. however, you also said that you pay for it. this is where the difference is between you and the OP. you are aware of the cost and willingly pay for it. the OP wants the benefits of the private school without paying.

Well, based on your comments I assume you (or your parents ) are paying the full costs out of pocket for your college education.

So how do you feel about your many classmates at college who receive financial aid? Do you feel they should go someplace they can afford to pay for themselves?

 

[GinnyEmma]

Eh, no one gets college financial aid for stomping their feet either. You either qualify or not.