WTH didn't even know there was a college search and prep industry. That seems like a scam pick some schools you like with majors you like and apply.
College Search & Announcements
- Thread starter cyclone13
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WTH didn't even know there was a college search and prep industry. That seems like a scam pick some schools you like with majors you like and apply.
I was curious about why these U kids came to ISU, so did a little quick googling. U of M said resident COA is 31,348. ISU out of state is 39,956. I looked at the legacy scholarship, I believe it used to be 2500 and see it is now 1500/year. So if you graduated from ISU it would be about a 7K/year difference before scholarships and other aid/ grants. ISU also had a loyal sons, forever, true scholarship that I know they have cut a little. If they had good grades and scores on tests, it was up to 5k/year, I do know they have restricted some of this one due to state budget cuts (they say). FAFSA for ISU is due 1/10/23 for new students. I would get that hammered out if you have not already since many scholarships will use that same date also for the first wave. Doesn't hurt to just get it done, then if you need to send it to another school it may just be a few bucks to add another down the road (don't quote me on that though).
Lol I didn’t really know it either. Thinking of starting one lol.
My friend ended up paying for probably 10k and his son went to Drake
Weird hearing another school referred to U of M. I would strongly encourage him to go to ND although Madison would be a close second. The networking and national appeal of ND will serve him very well wherever he chooses to go. If he plans on staying in the Midwest his whole life that could change things but ND’s alumni connections are top tier.
That’s what I believe DO make a difference with those top tier schools: jobs will be looking for you, not vice versa. Of course you have to do your own homework when you are at school.
Yep the actual education you get and how much you learn is entirely dependent on the student. The doors that open up post graduation and the networking provided is massively effected by the institution. Considering the industries he is currently looking at ND will open alot of those doors nationwide
Oldest son had no clue on a career until doing wiring in a shop class. Had good grades, visited trade school, scored on scholarships and worked. Now is an electrician with minimal dept.
Daughter wanted to teach. Had good grades, scored scholarships and worked. Attended junior college then UNI. Teaching now with manageable dept.
Next son decided he liked plumbing/HVAC. Had good grades, scored scholarships, worked and will graduate in May debt free.
Next son doesn't know either but brothers are trying to talk him into construction - lol
Daughter wanted to teach. Had good grades, scored scholarships and worked. Attended junior college then UNI. Teaching now with manageable dept.
Next son decided he liked plumbing/HVAC. Had good grades, scored scholarships, worked and will graduate in May debt free.
Next son doesn't know either but brothers are trying to talk him into construction - lol
Drake is a nice school but a long way from exclusive I believe.
If they get him convinced that will be a fine company they can have together if they all get along well.
Agree, there a bunch of small privates up in Mn also many in Iowa, I think once you start looking at privates they are all priced higher than publics so it probably doesn't matter much. My niece attended Simpson (Indianola Iowa) with all of her different scholarships it was the same price as going to ISU.
I applied to 13, got into 12, and visited 11. Picked Iowa State. Though I would've won more football games and probably paid less tuition going to Ohio State.
No regrets
No regrets
Yeah all the privates load up on scholarships, kinda wonder why they even advertise the original cost. Had one of my friends go to a small private school in Michigan, he is insanely successful at Amazon but really wishes he just went to Michigan.
And you can do it yourself- it’s not that they have a magic potion or something. They basically keep you on track with the timeframe and maybe push a little bit on certain things (son’s friend was suggested to found a non-profit and blog his political views as he wants to be economic major at U of Chicago with final goal of being involved in public policy). Some of the suggestions were quite comical because a lot of kids ended up fabricating stuffs.
We did our own research, visited some or attended online presentations. We looked at the locations, grades, etc. he knows the deadlines etc.
Yeah you really only need that kind of help if you’re trying to go to an ivy or a school like Stanford or Chicago. Using a service like that for anything else is a waste.
Pricing can be screwy also. A lot of the Iowa privates mention one price but if you basically have any GPA you get something like 10k in academic scholarships. A few state schools do that also. My son considered SW MN state for football and they were cheaper than ISU by a tiny fraction for Ag Bus. He also looked at NW Mizzou St since a local guy told me he went there and was cheaper than ISU even though it was out of state. We checked and it was going to be about a wash since they have that upfront scholarship thing like privates do here also.
I can't stress the placement office more, it is huge. It will land them the first job and then their work will land them from there. That first job though does get landed by internships, and that is what to hammer the placement office about.
Yeah my niece wanted a small school experience no interest in larger schools at all. She got that and ended up with good friends, a good job afterwards and met her husband there, so all in all it worked out well for her.
Interesting to hear everyone's perspectives.
I'm certainly sensitive to everyone's own economic situation and the insanely expensive choices as it relates to schools. I think that's obviously the number 1 factor, even if your kid is a genius and has several options.
Recently, I've found the big10 to have an excellent "business model" - make it more difficult for in-state students to get in so you get more out of state tuition. The Wisconsin kids go to Indiana, the Indiana kids go to Illinois, the Illinois kids go to Iowa etc (I believe Minnesota and Wisconsin have reciprocity, so those are both good options for anyone from those states).
But if I could go back in time, the most important thing to figure out (career-wise) is where you'd like to live. (The problem is that you likely have no idea when you're 18). The regional connections of so many schools are outstanding, so if you want to live in Des Moines, you don't need to go to Stanford. But if you want to live in NYC and go to wall street, a top notch school on the east coast makes that much more realistic. Same with grad schools, etc.
And the second most important thing is "fit." Do you want to go away from home? Do you want a small campus? Do you want to party 5 nights a week? Do you want to be in a small town or a big city? All depends on the kid.
Yes, the cost of college is insane, and going higher every year. But I certainly wouldn't have had the life I've had without the benefits of a variety of educational institutions and the people, connections, and opportunities that result from it.
I'm certainly sensitive to everyone's own economic situation and the insanely expensive choices as it relates to schools. I think that's obviously the number 1 factor, even if your kid is a genius and has several options.
Recently, I've found the big10 to have an excellent "business model" - make it more difficult for in-state students to get in so you get more out of state tuition. The Wisconsin kids go to Indiana, the Indiana kids go to Illinois, the Illinois kids go to Iowa etc (I believe Minnesota and Wisconsin have reciprocity, so those are both good options for anyone from those states).
But if I could go back in time, the most important thing to figure out (career-wise) is where you'd like to live. (The problem is that you likely have no idea when you're 18). The regional connections of so many schools are outstanding, so if you want to live in Des Moines, you don't need to go to Stanford. But if you want to live in NYC and go to wall street, a top notch school on the east coast makes that much more realistic. Same with grad schools, etc.
And the second most important thing is "fit." Do you want to go away from home? Do you want a small campus? Do you want to party 5 nights a week? Do you want to be in a small town or a big city? All depends on the kid.
Yes, the cost of college is insane, and going higher every year. But I certainly wouldn't have had the life I've had without the benefits of a variety of educational institutions and the people, connections, and opportunities that result from it.
Even with that help, there is only so much they can do because essays are subjective. EC and volunteering also also subjective.
Plus how you apply matters. You get a higher chance with ED vs EA and regular. I told my son the facts that he got in ND doesn’t mean he is better than the others who don’t. The fact that he is deferred at Case Western doesn’t mean he is worse. And there are lots of factors (funny that ND is ranked 19 and Case is ranked 40 something per US News)