The 100K per year college?
12 College Application Tips Webinar
Today I read how Vanderbilt University is apparently a few bucks shy of being the first college to cost $100,000 per year, all in (tuition, room and board, fees). Officially.
Unofficially, this happened a few years ago, if you count unofficial expenses, such as Ubers, reasonable travel expenses, beer money, Door Dash etc. that kids spend Ma and Pa's money on (note to my three college kids: there's nothing wrong with peanut butter sandwiches once in a while).
Like the college admissions process, there's no apparent rhyme or reason to a lot of this process. Why should a non-Ivy college in Tennessee run you more out of pocket than an Ivy League school located in insanely high cost of living Manhattan?
I'm sure someone from Vanderbilt could explain that, but they'd be twisting themselves into knots to do so as far as I'm concerned.
Incidentally, it's not just Vandy that's pushing the 100K envelope: it's virtually all competitive, private colleges. Even some of the less-competitive ones. Because they're all within a few bucks of each other, no matter how low their acceptance rate or where they're located geographically.
Gee, I'm sure that's just coincidence!
The silver lining in Vanderbilt's 8% price increase over last year, and similar increases by other colleges, is that they also increase the discounts, or aid, they offer each year. The key is to identify which colleges are generous with these merit aid and financial aid amounts, and -- equally important -- which ones will be generous to YOUR CHILD.
I'm going to spend a little bit of time on those questions in tonight's webinar, 12 College Application Tips. Here's a short list of some of the topics on tap:
- How to get into a decent college, today
- How to construct a strategic and balanced college list
- How to avoid "Admissions Armageddon"
- How to answer one of the new supplemental essays about diversity even if you don't feel or look particularly diverse
- How to earn a 30K per year merit scholarship even if you didn't cure a pandemic or single-handedly build a village in a third world country
- Test-Optional: To Opt or Not to Opt
- The New Digital SAT: right for your kiddo?
- Merit Scholarships: how to get 'em without spending six months on stupid internet sites that offer fake contests or other misleading ways to sell you a student loan instead
- Financial aid: how to get it, even if you think you won't qualify
- More, including Q&A.
Here's where to register:
Please forward this invitation as you see fit. :)
- Andy Lockwood