Same college, different price!

[Darcy03231]

DD is going to a small, private college this fall.

To give some background, since she spends the majority of her time at her father's house, he filled out the FAFSA. He's disabled and can't work -- his only source of income is SSDI. He also receives public assistance in the form of housing and food stamps. Needless to say his EFC was -0-.

DD is an excellent student. She consistently got straight A's all through high school and graduated high school with a 3.98. Her financial aid award consisted of academic scholarships through the college, private scholarships that she was eligible for and applied for on her own (and which had nothing to do with income), work study, loans, and a grant of $1,500.00 for the year. Other than the grant, the financial aid she received was the same financial aid available to anyone, whether they are low income or not. After everything was applied she owed $749.00 for this semester.

DD knew that finances were going to be tight and that she would need scholarships for school. She worked her tail end off to get and maintain her grades, all while working and doing extra-curricular activities (which is where she picked up some other scholarships). Maybe the person that got the aid did the same thing.

 

[Justsyd2]

Financial aid isn't a reward for saving. If the other parents have been diligently saving for college and working two jobs then there is LESS of a need for financial aid.

And don't assume that all aid is "free". An awful lot of aid is in the form of loans that need to be paid back.

I agree with this!

 

[KKB]

25 years ago 70% of aid was need-based.
Now only 30% is.
That would have helped my frugal middle-class parents so much--they made "too much" for us to qualify for need-based aid & they weren't willing to take out a second mortgage on the equity in their home to send us to pricey schools (fair enough!)
The good news is that more of us CAN qualify for more aid--but in theory there is more competition for it.
I am very very thankful that my inlaws set up 529s for all the grandkids THAT BEING SAID they are expected to get very good grades and "pay their own way" (scholarships or grants) based on their merit, as much as possible.
In fact, our 12 year old got her first scholarship this year! (if she should decide to go to our state school)

 

[A Mickeyfan]

My kids are 1 & 3 yrs. We currently have 529's set up for each of them and deposit enough that they should have ~$65k each by the time they graduate from hs. (Not enough, I know, but it's what we can do for now!) My mom keeps telling me that we are killing our chances for scholarships & financial aid by doing this. Stories like this make me think she's right.

BTW - I went to college on (1) academic & merit-based scholarships (2) savings I had put away while working in college (3) working a PT job while in college and (4) federal grants. While the academic & merit-based scholarships were mostly based on how I had performed, there was always a financial section on those forms, too. It counts EVERYWHERE.

Scholarships are based upon your child's grades, not what you have in the bank.. so you are not killing your chances for a scholarship.

 

[eliza61]

The price of college is the same, the financial aid packages seem to be different. Not all financial aid is based on need either, my DD has more than $4000 in academic based scholarships. So unless you know for sure what type of financial aid packages each student has, you really don't know, what are loans, what are grants, what is need based and what is performance based. The kid with the "small" bill may be academically or athletically gifted, while the student with the "big" bill may be an average student.

The problem is not that people get rewarded for doing nothing (different problem all together), the problem is college tuition is ridiculous.

The kids with the parents who are irresponsible did nothing to deserve those parents, if he/she qualifies for the aide, why shouldn't he get it?

Seems like punishing the kid for the sins of the parents.

 

[sookie]

that is so cool! how did your 12 year old already get a scholarship? give us tips!

 

[LilyWDW]

The problem is not that people get rewarded for doing nothing (different problem all together), the problem is college tuition is ridiculous.

The kids with the parents who are irresponsible did nothing to deserve those parents, if he/she qualifies for the aide, why shouldn't he get it?

Seems like punishing the kid for the sins of the parents.

*nods*

The aid is to assist the child whose parents decided they were not going to do the work to help the child succeed. The child did not get to choose their parents, so why should they be punished for them? They are not "rewarding" the parents for being lazy... they are helping a child overcome their parents being lazy.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

that is so cool! how did your 12 year old already get a scholarship? give us tips!

not sure how that posters child has gotten a scholarship at age 12, but one way is to be a child at risk. When the student is in middle school or first year of high school (either 8th or 9th grade), there is an award (at least here in FL) that one child from each school gets. It is awarded to a child who may be at risk. They make the child sign a contract that they will remain in school & remain crime free. If the child competes the contract, they are awarded a scholarship to a 2 year college. We knew the child who was in my DS's class who got it. He did go onto college too...

 

[Teacher03]

It isn't until you are applying for college that you find out how "rich" the government thinks you are.

 

[JoiseyMom]

The problem is not that people get rewarded for doing nothing (different problem all together), the problem is college tuition is ridiculous.

The kids with the parents who are irresponsible did nothing to deserve those parents, if he/she qualifies for the aide, why shouldn't he get it?

Seems like punishing the kid for the sins of the parents.

ITA...Rutgers, a State school, tuition will be 12559 for the 2010 school year. And that is not including dorm if you want to live on campus. I can only imagine what it will be in 4 years for DD.

 

[brerrabbit]

My income has dictated that neither of our kids get any help for college. We through the FASFA process and were told that we could afford to contribute $65,000 a year for each of them to go to college. We got my son through without any loans and our daughter is halfway there without any loans so we think we will make it. Part of the problem is that the cost of college has gone up so much. In the fall of 1977 my freshman year of college I took 12 hours, with fees, a parking pass, a yearbook, and a ticketbook to all the football games and my cost was $235. I attended University of Houston. I had a scholarship that paid $5,000 or $625 a semester and worked all the way through school while living at home. I graduated with $10,000 in the bank and a paid off car. I wanted to afford my kids the same start, a college education with no debt upon graduation and so far so good.

 

[MomToOne]

Scholarships are based upon your child's grades, not what you have in the bank.. so you are not killing your chances for a scholarship.

That's not true. True MERIT scholarships are based only on grades/activities/etc. However, there are many NEED-based scholarships as well.

 

[stichy]

When I was in college Mom (and Dad but Dad had no idea how much they were paying.) paid what ever was left over after aid and loans. One year things were really tight so I had to go to the financial aid office and see if they could give me more aid. They did. I found out later that bio dad and step mom made my little brother go to the aid office every semester and beg for more money.

 

[QVCshopper]

Try not to think of this from the parent's perspective but from the students. I was an A student in high school and went to a private college. My father was out of work for years; my mom is basically an invalid. I got a few merit-based scholarships and many grants, as well as loans totalling less than $20K for all of the years combined. I also had to graduate a semester early to save money. My DH went to the same college and his dad (a dentist) paid for the entire balance, minus my DH's stipend for being an RA. My DH did not graduate with any loans.

I worked my butt off to pay off every tuition bill in college. I paid for my bus ride home, paid for my food, etc. Was it my fault that my dad had been out of work so long and my mom was too sick to work? Is it this student's fault that his parents did not save for him? No! But, believe you me, the student will have to work HARD (and I mean HARD) to make it work without parents' financial support.

For that reason, I save a lot for my kid's college education. They are 4 and 5; but darn it if they have to go through what I went through. I once went an entire Easter weekend with Doritos and Ramen noodles for food b/c I couldn't get anywhere for food, couldn't go home, etc.

 

[cmjaffe]

DS is a rising HS Senior. When he was in 6th grade our family came into an inheritance. That "blood money" has put him through private school (unf. extremely expensive since he's a day student at a prep-boarding school, not totally our choosing since it's the next town over and public school failed him since he was extremely bright). So for the last 5 years we're paying tuition which is (unf.) prepare us for the "bite" will have when he enrolls to college in 2011. DH's job has been in jeopardy for the last 3 years (2 take overs-- probably closing down in 11/2011 -- too late for aid) and we've live very frugally aside from paying for DS tuition. Trips are spent using FF miles and hotel points. Since DS has done "extremely well" on all standardized tests he will be eligible for Merit Scholarship (a big $2K - book money) and his SAT, SATII scores plus GPA puts him in reach of any school of his choice. All of which we'll be paying through the nose on since they all have aid based on NEED. Wish we fixed up the house, bought new furniture (have hand-me-downs), maybe a vacation home etc. and then he would have gotten a full ride. Even partial would a nice break from what we're paying now. I was sick this past year (hospitalized for almost a month from a botched surgery). Luckily DH has great insurance and we didn't have to pay the $200K hospital bill (not including MDs etc). Now at this point when we need to get away and celebrate my recovery we can't because we've got his last tuition for high school ($35k) and probably looking at high private school tuition. I'll probably have some health issues looming in the next 8 years which will need the "blood money" and DD will also have college (though she's not in the stratesphere as DS) but the savings will have been depleted by then. The one school that might give him a full ride for merit probably won't accept him since he might be "too qualified" and they'll think he is applying there as a safety school. All the high caliber ones don't have merit money, which makes it very difficult.
OH well, end of rant.

 

[branv]

The problem is not that people get rewarded for doing nothing (different problem all together), the problem is college tuition is ridiculous.

The kids with the parents who are irresponsible did nothing to deserve those parents, if he/she qualifies for the aide, why shouldn't he get it?

Seems like punishing the kid for the sins of the parents.

*nods*

The aid is to assist the child whose parents decided they were not going to do the work to help the child succeed. The child did not get to choose their parents, so why should they be punished for them? They are not "rewarding" the parents for being lazy... they are helping a child overcome their parents being lazy.

ITA.

I was a person who qualified for Pell Grants and loans due to real financial need, but I don't think I deserved it any more than the kid whose parents lived high off the hog and then couldn't fund their child's college. In fact, I always felt pretty badly for those kids whose parents had plenty of money but wouldn't pay for their tuition. Mind you, not because they didn't get a free ride (never have thought it was such a terrible thing to make a child pay for their own college), but because despite not getting ANY funding from their parents, the government used the parents financials to determine what aid the child gets. Things may have changed, but back when I was going to school you had to be independent for an entire year before they would let you not count your parents income. So right off the bat, not only no aid, or need-based scholarships, but no loans either. Regardless what our parents made, we were coming from the same amount of zero.

I suggest people try to move on. We all can get irked when we see someone getting what we perceive as an "undeserved" free ride, but some people just really really let it eat at them. Sometimes it's because secretly they're upset that they didn't get to skate by too, but I know for most it's a matter of fairness. But instead of focusing on that, why not take that chance to thank our lucky stars that we are who we are, and take pride in that? Whether you are strong, compassionate, ethical, your blessings aren't just what you get, but who you are and what you do. Maybe you were raised better, maybe you had better life lessons, maybe you're just smarter, or maybe your brain just developed the right kind of chemicals...who knows. But you're already way ahead if you "get it". Give yourself a pat on the back and keep moving on.

 

[LoveKermit]

Without reading every post.....

I went to a private school. My parents saved and did not qualify for FAFSA. I got a small scholarship for my test scores. My parents, though, were convinced no two kids at my school paid the same amount--due to schols, aid, loans, etc. I think they were right.

On the other hand, I owed nothing upon graduation. Debt-free was a nice way to start adult life.

That's why these schools have such huge endowments.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

That's not true. True MERIT scholarships are based only on grades/activities/etc. However, there are many NEED-based scholarships as well.

How can it not be true if the Merit is based only on grades.. poster isn't throwing away a scholarship chance...
poster felt he was blowing chances of their child getting a scholarship by saving money.. they aren't if their child gets and maintains good grades. You said it yourself, the Merit is based only on grades... so it is true.. to what I stated, they are not killing their child's chances...

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Here is a link to the scholarship that I spoke of before that is awarded in the earlier grades...

http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/foundation/programs/takestock.cfm
it is called Take Stock in Children

 

[A Mickeyfan]

As far as getting financial aid, you can qualify for one child and not the other.. so same family, same school and one has to put more out of pocket money than the other. My sister's DD gets the full pell grant & her DS gets nothing, he works part time and has an income, the DD didn't work.. and that was the difference.
When my DS & DD were in together, DS had an academic scholarship (75% tuition) but also qualified for $700 in aid, my DD, with no scholarship, did not qualify for any due to her part time job income...

2 examples of same family, same college.. one gets aid, one doesn't...