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My son is a Junior, A student with 4.0 GPA in Texas with SAT/ PSAT scores likely to be in top 1% in the nation with extra curricular activities in Orchestra. He is interested in the Top Ivy Universities. I cannot afford the high fees and do not want him to pass out with high loans either. Recently we were approached by a college preparation/planning agency and attended their session. They claim to have strategies to work on the FAFSA/ EFC and help select the best fit college that offers maximum tuition fees.
Does anyone have any experience working with such agencies? Is it worth paying $$ for the work they do? They charge as good as any SAT preparation classes package.
Do NOT sign up for those companies. They are scams to get your money.
Top grades and top test scores are important. If he wants to go to an Ivy though, he needs more activities then just Orchestra. He needs to sign up now for a couple other things and continue them next year. If he can join one sport, maybe track, for example and get some good, solid volunteer work under his belt, that will increase his chances.
If he does get into an Ivy, they have income based tuition so if your AGI is under $60K (or 75K for some) you pay nothing. If your AGI is $180K or less, you pay 10% of your income. All loans are converted to grants so kids graduate debt free....but you have to get in.
Until you KNOW what his test scores are, it's hard to assume he is going to be in the top 1%. Has he taken the SAT/ACT yet? In our district they have sophomores take those tests to get an idea of where they are sitting. It's helpful. They also had the sophomores take the PSAT last year for practice.
We had a student from our school get accepted to 5 Ivy's and a couple other highly selective colleges around the nation (he is attending Harvard). He had a 3.8 and a 29 ACT but he was also a 3 sport athlete, active in band and choir, active at church and other volunteer work around the area and around the world. He is an amazing kid that is very poised, very well spoken and just an all around great kid. This is how he got into all of these schools, not so much his grades and test scores (which are still good).
My son is a Junior, A student with 4.0 GPA in Texas with SAT/ PSAT scores likely to be in top 1% in the nation with extra curricular activities in Orchestra. He is interested in the Top Ivy Universities. I cannot afford the high fees and do not want him to pass out with high loans either. Recently we were approached by a college preparation/planning agency and attended their session. They claim to have strategies to work on the FAFSA/ EFC and help select the best fit college that offers maximum tuition fees.
Does anyone have any experience working with such agencies? Is it worth paying $$ for the work they do? They charge as good as any SAT preparation classes package.
Ivy leagues for your undergrad are probably the better choice if you want to major in a low demand field (english, math...etc), or if you want to go into investment banking or become an analyst on Wall Street. Other then that-- I can see no reason to attend them over attending UT-Austin.
If he is doing engineering, computer science, or a technology related field-- he would be well advised to go to UT over an Ivy League school because UT offers a an excellent education in these areas at better prices. UT is heavily recruited by all of the top companies in these fields of study.
UT's network of Alumni is about 20x the size of an Ivy League schools and this will definitely give him an advantage if he plans to stay in Texas or the south.
^^ I'm not trying to bash the Ivy Leagues in this post, but I've never understood why a top student in Texas would pass up UT Austin... Although, I have heard it is almost impossible to get a "full ride" to UT. If he can get a "full ride" or most of his tuition paid for by scholarships to an Ivy League, then that would probably be a good option.
For the most part if you are interested in the college search process, all of the information about finding the right college for your student is available for free. Our local library has most of the books that are listed in the sticky at the top of this page and there are numerous websites (also listed at the top sticky) that will help you find the perfect match. I would not recommend paying for this service unless you have zero interest or time and you have money that you don't need.
Filling out the FAFSA is not rocket science - it's just tedious math and there are complete and through instructions on the FAFSA site. As to strategies to maximize your FAFSA, the amount you save would probably be the same amount you would spend for someone to show you how to move your money! Here's some help with that Financial Aid - Paying for College - College Confidential
Most high school guidance offices offer assistance in college searching, filling out the financial aid forms, etc. for free. If your high school doesn't, find one near you that has evening seminars for these things and attend one of those. Our high school has them in conjunction with parent/teacher conferences and offer grade appropriate information for each grade (9-12).
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