College costs: Test scores make a difference!

[Singuy]

DisneySteve, if you think about that only 58% of college students get their degree after 6 years, I wouldn't be surprised that majority of students falling under 3.0 (2.0 is required for a degree right?)

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Don't forget to consider how scholarships and other means of remuneration affect taxes, either yours or your student's, or both. My son has been dealing with the ins and outs for 11 years now (!), so he's pretty adept, but while he was still a dependent, and also had his own return to do there were some tax things we needed to figure out.

It did not always follow my intuition. For example, there were some monies cut by check to my son that the granting institution did not have to report to IRS, but were nonetheless taxable, so he had to report them. There were other monies that were non taxable, but still had to be reported. Can't remember if there was any money that flat out did not have to be reported-- possibly scholarship that went straight from one agency of the state to another agency of the state (it was a state univ.)

I just found this IRS link in an old email. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch01.html

[TexasHusker]

DisneySteve, if you think about that only 58% of college students get their degree after 6 years, I wouldn't be surprised that majority of students falling under 3.0 (2.0 is required for a degree right?)

That's what was required for mine, and I cleared that hurdle by .05.

[creditcardfree]

University of Nebraska is $34K but after scholarships he could get it down to around $23K. That's a 10 hour drive though so I'm not real hip on that one.

Our daughter attends UNL. It's a 20 hour drive, so we only see her twice a year. She did get the George Beadle Scholarship worth $56K over four years. An honors scholarship for four years. There were also two other scholarships worth $5,000 the first year.

The one thing to consider is how they bill. I have discovered that UNL charges by credit hour, where a state school in Iowa will charge a flat fee for 12+ hours. So the cost is the same regardless of hours above 12. That makes a difference!

[disneysteve]

The one thing to consider is how they bill. I have discovered that UNL charges by credit hour, where a state school in Iowa will charge a flat fee for 12+ hours. So the cost is the same regardless of hours above 12.

12 hours is typically the minimum for full time. I think the most common arrangement is for the base tuition to cover 12-18 credits. Less than 12 and you're part time. More than 18 and you pay extra.

[TexasHusker]

Our daughter attends UNL. It's a 20 hour drive, so we only see her twice a year. She did get the George Beadle Scholarship worth $56K over four years. An honors scholarship for four years. There were also two other scholarships worth $5,000 the first year.

The one thing to consider is how they bill. I have discovered that UNL charges by credit hour, where a state school in Iowa will charge a flat fee for 12+ hours. So the cost is the same regardless of hours above 12. That makes a difference!

And how does she enjoy UNL?

[creditcardfree]

12 hours is typically the minimum for full time. I think the most common arrangement is for the base tuition to cover 12-18 credits. Less than 12 and you're part time. More than 18 and you pay extra.

Well, they charge you by the credit hour at my daughter's school. They quote tuition on their website based on 15 credit hours, but charge you per credit hour. Yes, 12 is full time. My point is it is important to look at the details and know how they figure the tuition for billing purposes. The tuition bill will be different at 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 hours at my daughter's school.

[creditcardfree]

And how does she enjoy UNL?

She loves it! It is a big school so it is helpful to find a smaller group to be involved in. For her, that is marching band.

[disneysteve]

I don't know that that is good for him.

This is such an important statement that far too many parents disregard. I think this is what is really behind a lot of the stats about kids not finishing in 4 years, losing scholarships, etc. So much of that can probably be traced back to a poor choice of schools.

You can't choose a school because it's close to home or convenient.
You can't choose a school because the tuition is low.
Obviously location and cost are important, but you need to choose a school that is a good fit for your child, and every kid is different.

When we were doing college tours, we all knew very quickly if a school was a good fit. One open house we left at the lunch break and didn't return for the afternoon session. One open house we left after the welcome speech. We didn't even stay for the tour. We were on campus for under an hour. That was plenty long enough to know that it was not the right place for her.

The other mistake is sending your kid to the school that you like the best. I would not have chosen the school that my daughter is attending. There were 2 other schools we visited that I would have ranked higher if I was the one going. They would have been better fits for me - but it wasn't about me; it was about her.

[moneybags]

You can't choose a school because it's close to home or convenient.
You can't choose a school because the tuition is low.
Obviously location and cost are important, but you need to choose a school that is a good fit for your child, and every kid is different.

When we were doing college tours, we all knew very quickly if a school was a good fit. One open house we left at the lunch break and didn't return for the afternoon session. One open house we left after the welcome speech. We didn't even stay for the tour. We were on campus for under an hour. That was plenty long enough to know that it was not the right place for her.

I'm a huge proponent of finding the right fit. DD went to school 20 hours away; DS is only 3 hours away. When I went to college, I chose my school because it was close to home and the cheapest school. I got it done, but wish I had a different college experience.

[Thrif-t]

Most of the scholarships we are looking at require that you keep a 3.0. That is a B average. He knows if he can't manage that, it's move-back-home time and attend locally.

Averaging a B at a university can't be that difficult.

Ha! It depends on your major. Luckily my engineering major is in her senior year and just scraped by in keeping the required gpa. I tell ya there were quite a few years that it was heart attack city worrying about if she was going to keep that scholarship.

Other DD is a nursing major taking a ton of science classes, she just squeaked by to keep her scholarship her first year. It is a lot of pressure for the kids and us parents.

I was a business major so ya 3.0 was eazy peazy to maintain, so I was unprepared for my DD's to have such a hard time maintaining 3.0's. They both had high gpa's in high school, took all honors and AP classes, it was a shock. But I think DD2 has it down now, her first year away was an adjustment as well as getting used to the rigor of college. But don't assume keeping up the GPA won't be a problem.

Oh and the quality of instructors factors in to all this too. My engineering D has a lot of foreign profs that she sometimes has difficulty understanding.

[Singuy]

Distraction is what kills most college students. My best friend couldn't even get an A in one of those gpa padders like running...and he's very athletic.

[TexasHusker]

No question engineeering and nursing are tough majors. They generally weed out a bunch early in those.

[disneysteve]

Distraction is what kills most college students.

I think that's somewhat dismissive.

Going to college is hard. It is entirely different than high school, far more so if you go away and live on campus. It's a huge adjustment.

I was an excellent student in high school, top 10% of my class (820 students in my senior class), science magnet program, gifted program, leadership roles in school activities and community activities, etc. Still, I kind of crashed when I got to college. Moving away almost entirely removed my support system. I didn't have my friends. I didn't have my family. I didn't have any transportation. I was in a strange place with strange people sharing a tiny room with someone I had just met. Academically, it was hard even though I had come out of a rigorous high school program. College is different.

It really wasn't until sophomore year that I settled in, found an activity that clicked for me and helped me build a circle of friends, and got a car so that I didn't feel trapped on campus anymore. But freshman year my grades clearly reflected the difficulty I had adjusting. I boosted my GPA considerably beginning 2nd year making Dean's List but that first year was rough.

It wasn't "distraction" that caused the trouble.

[Singuy]

I think that's somewhat dismissive.

Going to college is hard. It is entirely different than high school, far more so if you go away and live on campus. It's a huge adjustment.

I was an excellent student in high school, top 10% of my class (820 students in my senior class), science magnet program, gifted program, leadership roles in school activities and community activities, etc. Still, I kind of crashed when I got to college. Moving away almost entirely removed my support system. I didn't have my friends. I didn't have my family. I didn't have any transportation. I was in a strange place with strange people sharing a tiny room with someone I had just met. Academically, it was hard even though I had come out of a rigorous high school program. College is different.

It really wasn't until sophomore year that I settled in, found an activity that clicked for me and helped me build a circle of friends, and got a car so that I didn't feel trapped on campus anymore. But freshman year my grades clearly reflected the difficulty I had adjusting. I boosted my GPA considerably beginning 2nd year making Dean's List but that first year was rough.

It wasn't "distraction" that caused the trouble.

What you explained are a type of distraction. A distraction is just something that causes you to lose focus...doesn't always have to be partying all night and getting drunk. You feeling uncomfortable by being away from your support system is a distraction. It caused you to lose focus and enhanced your awareness of other things that are no longer school related. Wanting to fit in, trying to find new clicks, or just trying to be comfortable again distracted you from normal going to class and acing tests.