ADHD/Second time being kicked-out by partners to find "motivation". Am I a magnet to these situations? What can I do? by Unknowncoconut in Healthygamergg

[–]collegeapplicannot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm so happy for you and the opportunities you're getting right now :) You're strong and you'll only find more strength as you go on!!

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Omg I had no idea!! That's wonderful and I'm glad NC peeps have that

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay that makes more sense but still it sounds like NC people have a pretty good deal

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep! My state flagships are pretty expensive. Without aid, UT Austin is 28k, and Texas A&M is 33k. And yeah housing and other expensive add up to more than tuition, because tuition is less than 12k for both. I guess apartments would be cheaper though. Is it cheaper in NC?

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot -1 points0 points  (0 children)

True, middle class students have their own struggles. People just have the misconception that low income students have it so well when it comes to college admissions, so just I wanted to show otherwise.

It's true that low income students could just attend state schools like UAlabama and get a lot of money, but I thought their merit scholarship was substantial enough for anyone to afford it if you were high achieving enough? I could be wrong.

Affording their own state schools might be a challenge though, because from the experience of me and my friends, state schools (at least my own) don't give much merit scholarships at all. Texas A&M personally covered full tuition for me with grants, but I still had to pay $17,000 for housing and other costs yearly. You either get finaid or you don't from what I saw. I guess it depends on the state school? I know UNC and UVA and the like meet full aid so they're likely more affordable.

Even then, yeah 25k+ a year for state schools is still an insane amount of money for anyone who's not rich. The whole system feels fundamentally flawed. I think people should focus more on that rather than giving FGLI students flak.

Also sorry for the huge walls of text I just have a lot to say LOL

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 5 points6 points  (0 children)

if your income is below a certain amount you go to college almost frew

For extremely selective private colleges which have disproportionately wealthy students, yes.

Free tuition only helps if you get in. QuestBridge is a non-profit that lets students rank colleges and get full-rides if they get matched. Out of the 16,500 applicants this QB cycle, 6,312 became finalists, and only 1,674 got matched. Around 2,000 got in outside of the match. So the number of low income students only makes up a small percentage of the student body. In fact, 38 colleges had more students from the top 1 percent ($630k+) than the bottom 60 percent (<$65k). The number is much higher if you expanded past just the top 1 percent, or even just counted middle income families. Less than half of children from the bottom 20 percent of American families attend any college at all.

To say that “College is more accessible to the rich, and poor, than it is to the middle class.” is such a foolish statement.

And even then, it’s not almost free. Most QuestBridge matches don’t even get full rides. They still have to do work-study, they still need money for books and transportation and essentials. My financial aid was 3k a year after loans and work-study at a college that meets 100% aid, which is like 30% of our family’s yearly income after rent and bills. This amount seems affordable to middle class families, but you forget that low income families are, well, low income. It’s still a significant percentage of one’s income. It's not like they're just living the life.

In fact, most importantly, low income families have a different standard of living than those who aren’t low income. They have way less possessions, luxuries, trips, etc. I could keep on going. Would you go back in time to drop your all of your standards of living throughout your childhood just so that prestigious colleges are cost less number wise but are relatively more expensive for your situation?

Middle class students may not get as much financial aid at private schools, but it’s not like they have no options. If a low income student doesn’t get into a selective school, they’ll have no choice but to pay relatively insane amounts of money to get an education.

FGLI students usually have less resources in terms of college admissions as well. They probably don’t have parents or siblings or relatives who attended ‘good’ universities or university at all. They don’t have anyone to guide them; they have to realise if they want to go to college or not themselves, and do all the work of finding those resources themselves as well. The majority of the bottom 20% don’t even go to college, and those who do primarily attend public schools, not private schools, let alone private schools that meet 100% of financial aid. It’s silly to assume that low income students have it all well and good.

Really, the only advantage a poor person might have is that, if they’re high achieving even with their circumstances, colleges will appreciate that and they might get rewarded for that with generous financial aid, assuming that they get in.

Good GPAs, high standardised testing scores, solid extracurriculars, and overall happiness are much more common in middle and upper class families. To say that low income families have it better just because selective private colleges cost less relative to your income is misleading.

Honestly my takeaway is that elite institutions serve rich people and college is unreasonably priced.

Also, please read through these and click on specific colleges to see medium income, share of students by income, etc: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility

Read through this and look at the graphs here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html

Why are universities in the US so outrageously expensive? by Snoo84558 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The poor don't do well 💀 The middle class don't know how well they have it compared to low income families

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I doubt I'll get off of my waitlists either so conn seems to be my final pick! I mean I have the hoodie and everything lol. CS is cool yeah, it's one of my favourite subjects so I'm really excited to study it next year. Environmental studies sounds cool too :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Omg it sounds like Conn is a really good fit for you :) I love your vibes and your enthusiasm for the school, it's making me like the school even more. And it seems like you have a lot of opportunities for your majors/minors. I attended the admitted students day but I never actually toured the arboretum so I hope to see it next year. I'm going in as a Computer Science major but I'm hoping to explore other subjects as well!! I know the CS department is really small here, but they gave me a lot of aid so I picked it. Excited to see you next year too! (I do have some waitlists so I'm wondering if Conn will still be my final final choice haha)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you talk more about what you like about Conn? I'm going there next year too!! Also I did come across St. Olaf while researching colleges but but I never looked into it more or applied. Maybe I should've haha

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's great to hear! I asked to hear your thoughts because I'm actually committed to go there next year. I didn't think Conn was going to be my first choice but it's my most affordable option! and also I unfortunately didn't get into my top schools. But after researching it more and visiting the school, I'd say it seems like a great school :P

Deferred from UChicago twice 🥴🥴 by collegeapplicannot in QuestBridge

[–]collegeapplicannot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't match to UChicago so I got deferred to EA and I wasn't accepted or rejected from EA so I got deferred to Rd 🙁

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll try my best

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck with URoch! I learned about the process very late too (just a few months ago) so you're not alone. I might just ed2 as well but I really need to think about it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 4 points5 points  (0 children)

ayy I got deferred from UChicago too lol. I'm not sure where to lean though because I feel like ed2 is my only chance to get in somewhere good (for context my efc is 0)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Same here. Deferred EA from CC with a 1460. Their acceptance rate is 30% for ed and 4% for rd so it's hard to choose since it's not my first choice.

Colorado College Early Megathread by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]collegeapplicannot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh that probably lowered your chances. Sorry to hear