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Scholarship advice for high schoolers?


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#1 SammyBirdland

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 10:48 AM

My daughter graduates from high school this year.   She is currently ranked first in her class, locked in a close battle with two other classmates for valedictorian.  

 

She has been accepted at Penn State, Pitt, and Elizabethtown (a small local private college).  Yale had been contacting her via email and encouraging her to apply, so she has a pending application there.  Should hear back on that one by March.

 

Yesterday she received a letter from Elizabethtown -- presidential scholarship offer, $25,000 per year.   Unfortunately she wants to major in nursing or med, and the closest they offer is biology.

 

Her first choice is Penn State.   Can I, as a parent, do anything to get the scholarship ball rolling?   Should I call the schools and ask for info, or leave it all in the hands of her guidance counselors?   Can we use this scholarship offer she has in hand as leverage at other schools to try to get them to match?

 

Grateful for any advice.


¡Hasta la vista, pelota!

#2 KWebz

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 11:17 AM

Okay, I used to be a scholarship committee chairperson so here's my advice:

 

You can def use the already offered scholarship as leverage. I've done this before and it has worked both times I tried it.

 

Your daughter should be in the guidance counselor's office as often as she can. I was in my HS guidance counselor's office just about everyday from Feb-April applying for anything that came across her desk. I even one a $500 scholarship for writing an essay for something called "the Smile Award". Seriously, scholarships are offered for just about everything. If you, or someone in her immediate family are members of the Elks, Rotary Club, American Legion, etc, she may qualify for Legacy Scholarships. Check the internet vigilantly and look for anything that she may qualify for. 

 

In terms of Elizabethtown only offering biology, as an 18 year old who wants to be a nurse (RN) or go into med school, there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a bachelors degree in biology and then getting the specialized degree for her masters and it could ultimately save you a lot of money. I only offer this advice because nursing and pre-med or pretty different for one, and a 21-22 year old has a better grasp on the type of specialization she would want to advance her medical career. If she wants to be a para or something that doesn't require an advanced degree, disregard the whole paragraph. Last bit on this though, nearly all undergraduate schools offer a similar experience and a similar academic rigor. Their price tag, however, can vary quite a bit. In no way is paying more money a guarantee that she will get a better education. Since the cost of college is so high, this is something to consider greatly and what your daughter does at college and the experiences she creates for herself will matter much more than the physical school she attends.

 

I hope this helps!


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#3 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 11:30 AM

She should probably really think about Elizabethtown vs Penn State, and which she would prefer.  I would think the student experience would be very different at a small, private school compared to a giant public university.  She might want to visit both schools again, and think about logistical things like housing, dining, parking, distance to classes, etc.  Some people really like the energy of a big place, and others prefer to have everything on a smaller scale, so it's probably worth giving some thought to that kind of stuff.


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#4 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 11:39 AM

My unprofessional advice.

 

If you can go to Yale, go.

 

You can pretty much get any job you want with a degree from there.


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#5 McNulty

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 11:55 AM

My advice for everyone is to go to college where you cannot drive home very easily.  Breaking the bond and becoming an independent adult is just as important as the degree IMO. 

 

I'd take the scholarship and run with it.  She'll change her mind a few times, most likely.  Asking an 18 year old what they want to do is a recipe for disaster.  This is assuming Yale doesn't work out.  As Cerrano will tell you, not having debt after college is HUGE.


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#6 Dupin

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 01:39 PM

I'd agree with Pedro about 75% of the time. The name and connections you form there open doors that you just can't at state schools. But if she's doing nursing she'll be fine either way, so take the least amount of debt on. But that's coming from someone who did settle on where I got a full ride.
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#7 JeremyStrain

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 01:56 PM

I agree with parts of what everyone has said. Pedro is right, there's a certain hype that comes with the Ivy League name on your degree that is a real thing, fair or not. There's also something to be said for small private school versus large state school, that really depends on the individual. I really didn't mind the obnoxiously large school where you are just a number, but my wife never would have survived there, and she thrived at Salisbury.

 

Also, it's perfectly OK to get your Bach. in Biology and then your Master's in Nursing from a more specialized school. My little cousin (also Uber Smart) went to MD for his Bach. in Biology I think, so that he could do his focus at a more specialized school (he also got into some Ivys) with his Masters. Saved a ton of money on in state tuition versus Ivy League all the way through.

 

For me, it's the numbers. $25k to Elizabethtown is awesome by the way, I know some people that went there and loved it, but again the small vs. large school thing, BUT $25k could still leave $15k a year to pay, whereas in-state tuition at even Penn St. could end up being the same or cheaper. Gotta do all of the final math so you can compare apples to apples and see final costs versus size, shape, location etc.

 

PS - Congrats on having an Uber smart kid that is a) even up to get in to some of these schools, and B) is getting money to do it.


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#8 SammyBirdland

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:10 PM

I agree with parts of what everyone has said. Pedro is right, there's a certain hype that comes with the Ivy League name on your degree that is a real thing, fair or not. There's also something to be said for small private school versus large state school, that really depends on the individual. I really didn't mind the obnoxiously large school where you are just a number, but my wife never would have survived there, and she thrived at Salisbury.

 

Also, it's perfectly OK to get your Bach. in Biology and then your Master's in Nursing from a more specialized school. My little cousin (also Uber Smart) went to MD for his Bach. in Biology I think, so that he could do his focus at a more specialized school (he also got into some Ivys) with his Masters. Saved a ton of money on in state tuition versus Ivy League all the way through.

 

For me, it's the numbers. $25k to Elizabethtown is awesome by the way, I know some people that went there and loved it, but again the small vs. large school thing, BUT $25k could still leave $15k a year to pay, whereas in-state tuition at even Penn St. could end up being the same or cheaper. Gotta do all of the final math so you can compare apples to apples and see final costs versus size, shape, location etc.

 

PS - Congrats on having an Uber smart kid that is a) even up to get in to some of these schools, and B) is getting money to do it.


You're right.   Etown tuition + room + board is about $50k a semester.   Penn State is about $30k.  So, assuming she didn't get any offers from Penn State, they cost about the same for her at this point.


¡Hasta la vista, pelota!

#9 You Play to Win the Game

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:17 PM

Kinda off topic, but this thread makes me feel bad for legitimately good people (like your daughter is, I'm sure), who either attend or are thinking of attending PSU given how bad I know I hate that university, and probably many others on the outside do as well.


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#10 JeremyStrain

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:29 PM


You're right.   Etown tuition + room + board is about $50k a semester.   Penn State is about $30k.  So, assuming she didn't get any offers from Penn State, they cost about the same for her at this point.

 

Yeah that's what I figured, some friends are having the same battle with Mt. St. Marys around here versus some other options. Private schools are no joke when it comes to tuition/board.

 

I'd just make a sheet and compare all the options total prices so you get what the actual cost would be (and then you can always subtract any more schollys that come in) so that it's a little bit easier of a picture to see.

 

There's also something to be said for distance from home like McNulty said, if it's TOO easy to come home, while that safety net is nice, they end up missing something, or not facing things they should because they have an easy out. Not that it's a big deal for everyone, sometimes that's never an issue and the proximity is just a bonus.


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#11 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:30 PM

I guess my perspective is mostly based on law school. 


Basically, if you have a degree from Yale or Harvard or any top 10 school, you can graduate last in your class and still get a top paying job anywhere in the country.

 

I have no idea how that would work for nursing, but I guess if you'd rather be a nurse or in medicine at a top hospital it would be better to have a degree from a more prestigious school?

 

As for tuition, I'm sure your daughter can get plenty of scholarships to help pay for it (which is the point of this thread, right?)


There is baseball, and occasionally there are other things of note

"Now OPS sucks.  Got it."

"Making his own olive brine is peak Mackus."

"I'm too hungover to watch a loss." - McNulty

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#12 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:31 PM

As for the drive home, I felt like College Park was perfect.  Close enough that I could go home if I had to and far enough away that I wasn't really obligated to all that often.

 

Then I went to Buffalo and that was like moving to another planet.


There is baseball, and occasionally there are other things of note

"Now OPS sucks.  Got it."

"Making his own olive brine is peak Mackus."

"I'm too hungover to watch a loss." - McNulty

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#13 JeremyStrain

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:36 PM

I guess my perspective is mostly based on law school. 


Basically, if you have a degree from Yale or Harvard or any top 10 school, you can graduate last in your class and still get a top paying job anywhere in the country.

 

I have no idea how that would work for nursing, but I guess if you'd rather be a nurse or in medicine at a top hospital it would be better to have a degree from a more prestigious school?

 

As for tuition, I'm sure your daughter can get plenty of scholarships to help pay for it (which is the point of this thread, right?)

 

Yeah I guess that's kind of what I was getting at too. When it comes to your specialization, (Master's PhD, Law, Med School) that's where the name and rep of the school is REALLY important, when it comes to your undergrad, it doesn't really matter much. They don't care where your Bach. came from if you are a lawyer, it's all about your law school.


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#14 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:37 PM

Yup, because the big firms like to show to potential clients how many lawyers they have from Harvard. 


There is baseball, and occasionally there are other things of note

"Now OPS sucks.  Got it."

"Making his own olive brine is peak Mackus."

"I'm too hungover to watch a loss." - McNulty

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#15 McNulty

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:56 PM

This is completely off topic, but does anyone else find it disheartening that we almost always discuss going to college in terms of what job we can get afterwards?  Instead of, you know, going to learn?

 

Its part of the reason I walked away from UMCP and came to the job I have now, is that it felt like an internship that I was paying (a lot) to do, and I had no clue at all if I even wanted the career path I randomly chose for myself.

 

I guess if I had to do it over, I'd try harder (or at all) to figure out what was important to me, and go after it that way.  Instead of picking a job first.

 

Sammy, has your daughter done any volunteering as a student nurse, to see if that's something she is really passionate about?


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#16 Pedro Cerrano

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 02:58 PM

You goddamn hippie.


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There is baseball, and occasionally there are other things of note

"Now OPS sucks.  Got it."

"Making his own olive brine is peak Mackus."

"I'm too hungover to watch a loss." - McNulty

@bopper33


#17 McNulty

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 03:02 PM

You goddamn hippie.

 

You capitalist pig.


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#18 Dupin

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 03:22 PM

This is completely off topic, but does anyone else find it disheartening that we almost always discuss going to college in terms of what job we can get afterwards? Instead of, you know, going to learn?

Its part of the reason I walked away from UMCP and came to the job I have now, is that it felt like an internship that I was paying (a lot) to do, and I had no clue at all if I even wanted the career path I randomly chose for myself.

I guess if I had to do it over, I'd try harder (or at all) to figure out what was important to me, and go after it that way. Instead of picking a job first.

Sammy, has your daughter done any volunteering as a student nurse, to see if that's something she is really passionate about?


Yes but that's the reality of how our entire education system is set up, not just higher education. It's all about the grade and we produce stressed out people who learn nothing because they don't care to and none of the information is retained. I've had a better time learning stuff on my own for fun than I had throughout 18ish years of schooling combined.

And even then you're not guaranteed a job in that field. What I do can barely be put under the umbrella of my degree, and I've faced the harsh reality that a lot of getting kids to do certain majors is marketing, and connections are more valuable than intelligence.

#19 SammyBirdland

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 03:29 PM

Sammy, has your daughter done any volunteering as a student nurse, to see if that's something she is really passionate about?

 

Good question.   She's working with my wife (an RN) to do some shadowing.


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¡Hasta la vista, pelota!

#20 RShack

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Posted 23 January 2015 - 11:57 PM

Lots of sound advice already offered...

 

Things I would emphasize that have already been said...

 

1.  She should see the guidance counselor every day... the point being to (a) show how serious she is, and (b ) make the counselor think of her first without the counselor even realizing he/she is doing it.

 

2.  A degree from Yale or Harvard carries a lot more weight than it should.  25 years from now, it could make the diff between her getting the job she wants vs. somebody else.  It might not, but also it well might.  This is completely crazy and unfair, but it's still true anyway.  It also can provide a people-you-know network, plus a people-you-don't-know-that-can-help-you-anyway-just-based-on-the-school network, that can connect her with opportunities in the future. It's the equivalent of semper-fi for people from the same brand-name school...

 

3.  You should complete ignore how much money any school is giving her, and focus *only* on how much it actually costs in the end.  In general, the way financial aid works (unless they've changed something) is that the net out-of-pocket cost to the family will be the same, regardless if it's a megabucks private school vs. Anytown State College.  Which leaves the diff in student loans.  Sometimes, the cost to the family will be the same but the student is loaded down with crazy loans that make graduating like having a mortgage without the house.  But sometimes it's not all shifted to loans, sometimes they lower the cost a ton, based on the family's income.  I know Stanford does this routinely, the only kids they hose are from families who can afford it.  But I don't know beans about what Yale does.

 

4.  Most kids wind up doing stuff different than they think when they first enter college.  Lots of kids don't change their minds, but most do.  If she wants to go to the biology place, well, there's nothing wrong with having a biology degree, it can be a door opener to lots of different things.  Any real science can be.  And by "real science", I mean a science that doesn't have the word "science" in it's name.


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