Sometimes what you hear and read about a school is far from accurate, and if you’re not paying attention, you can miss out on great opportunities.
A mom in our Paying for College 101 Facebook Group recently shared her experience with her three triplet daughters who were all applying to college at the same time. With that much experience under her belt (imagine going through this process for not one, but three, children — and at the same time), her main message is simple: Expect the unexpected and don’t believe everything you read or hear until you find out for yourself.
If you’re just getting started on the college journey, this advice can prove extremely valuable. Here’s her story:
“After growing up going to football games with me, my triplet daughters said they would never want to go to my alma mater, Pennsylvania State University (PSU). They said it was too big — then one fell in love on the tour and is going to PSU. It was an unexpected but wonderful surprise!
Another one of our daughters had us checking out schools from New Hampshire to Washington, D.C. and everywhere in between. She searched with a good understanding of her needs, which included a small to mid-sized school that’s known for giving generous merit where she could see herself getting accepted. She got into every school she applied to with generous merit from many and is pursuing a five-year masters program at Fairfield University.
My last daughter applied to a lot of reaches and after deferrals and waitlists from Case University, the University of Richmond, and Villanova University, she received amazing merit from Catholic University, Gettysburg College, St Joseph’s University, Dickinson College, and Lehigh University. She chose Lehigh. Even though we were told that they do not give good merit by many and we do not qualify for need-based aid, she applied anyway. Had she not, she would have missed a very large merit award. She has to keep a 3.0 for it, but she is confident she can do that.
The moral of our story is to take everything as information not facts. Spread your reach across many schools, including those that you know you can get into, as having a lot of choices can be helpful.
In the end, everyone is exactly where they belong. We never would have picked these schools had we not started the process with an open mind and took our time to visit schools, weighing the merit awards and other features that each school could offer.
For those who are wondering, my triplet daughters attend a highly regarded public school and are in about 5 AP classes each and the top 15 percent of their class (no rank). However, they were not involved in a million activities (just one sport each) and did not send SATs to ANY school they applied to.”
Join our Paying for College Facebook Group for free and you’ll have advice from parents just like you at your fingertips anytime you need it.
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Use R2C Insights to help find merit aid and schools that fit the criteria most important to your student. You’ll not only save precious time, but your student will avoid the heartache of applying to schools they aren’t likely to get into or can’t afford to attend.
Other Articles You Might Like:
“What Exactly Is ‘Good Merit’ and How Do I Keep It Once I’ve Got It?”
“We Went from $0 to $24,000 in Merit Aid Just for Asking”
The Truth About Your College Acceptance Odds: What Every Student Should Know Before Stressing Out
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