A personal message

29 Comments

1. 

   BooMan on February 16, 2013 at 10:07 am

   That’s awesome, Steve.  Please tell her that I send my congratulations!!  

   Perhaps you should start planning the first cookbook for Ramen noodles.  It could be a big seller on campuses all across the country.  Maybe it could be based on Pho recipes.  

   • 

     IL JimP on February 16, 2013 at 10:08 am

     I 2nd that, congratulation to her!

     Good luck

2. 

   seabe on February 16, 2013 at 10:14 am

   Congratulations to her; I hope it’s the right choice given the high expense. I’m not sure of your own financial situation, but here’s my experience when it comes to financial aid (having graduated in 2011):

   1. Everyone is given Federal Stafford Loans regardless of income. These loans are typically 6.8% fixed interest, and begin collecting while you’re in school. If you have lower income, she might qualify for subsidized loans which cover  your interest while in school, and only start collecting once you enter repayment; they’re around 3.4% atm, but are scheduled to go back up due to legislation expiring.
   2. You should apply ASAP — right after you file your taxes, Steven. The later you wait, the less chance you have at possibly getting grants. Those are need-based, but they’re also first-come-first serve.
   3. There’s a limit to how much you can borrow from the feds, and it’s lower than her entire first year of school. So you’re going to have to take out loans with the ParentPLUS, or go private. I hope you have good credit, because without a co-signer you’re looking at 9% interest loans (not fixed).
   4. Scholarships are touted among people who haven’t been to college in 20-30 years. Scholarships, barring the school’s own endowment, are rare unless you fit a nice niche community. The best time to get them is when you’re a senior in HS. I competed with the valedictorian for my own local scholarship, and beat him for the $1,000 — kinda shocked, tbh. Either way, that was the only scholarship I received despite spending a good 5 hours a week applying.

   Anyway, good luck to you and your family. I hope she comes out with some nice chunk of change from the college; usually they’ll offer merit-based to anyone in order to entice people to go. The school I wanted to go to (Embry-Riddle) offered enough to bring tuition/expenses down to $25,000 a year, which was still double my final choice (VA Tech).

   • 

     seabe on February 16, 2013 at 10:24 am

     Also, don’t let the cost bog you down too much, as Worcester graduates make decent enough money to recoup the expense:

     http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/bs_collegeROI_0621.html

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 10:58 am

     Thanks

     We’ve already filled out all the financial aid forms and are awaiting the results.  My son graduated two years ago so we’ve been through this rodeo once before.  🙂

     • 

       seabe on February 16, 2013 at 11:01 am

       Oh good. I thought your son was younger than your daughter for some reason and this was your first time.

       I didn’t have anyone to help me through my own process, whether it be scholarships or loans or what have you, so whenever someone needs help navigating it I try to give them some insight into the process. Seems you didn’t need it 🙂

       • 

         Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 11:17 am

         Hey, I appreciate the concern.  Besides, others may see your comment and find it helpful.

3. 

   joe from Lowell on February 16, 2013 at 10:14 am

   Excellent call on WPI.  A really first-rate science and engineering school.

4. 

   Philo Vaihinger on February 16, 2013 at 10:18 am

   That’s “Worcester.”

   I was born there.

   • 

     joe from Lowell on February 16, 2013 at 10:23 am

     And it rhymes with Twister.

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 10:58 am

     Mea culpa.

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 11:18 am

     Fixed

5. 

   DerFarm on February 16, 2013 at 10:22 am

   WPI is what MIT wanted to be.

   Boo, if you want to stay outside a hotel when you come up here, let me know.  I live in sterling and have friends about 6 blocks from WPI.

   • 

     BooMan on February 16, 2013 at 10:50 am

     This is Steve’s daughter.  I have a son and stepsons.  

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 10:59 am

     Thanks.  May take you up on that.

6. 

   ask on February 16, 2013 at 10:56 am

   Congrats to you and your daughter!

7. 

   DerFarm on February 16, 2013 at 11:45 am

   Ok, STEVE then.

   If you’re going to come here for a visit, consider staying with me in Sterling.

8. 

   TarheelDem on February 16, 2013 at 11:51 am

   Congratulation, Steven D.  The young lady deserves a hug from her parents.

   But kale and brown rice are a better regimen than ramen noodles about the same price.:)

   Whoppee.  Whoopee Tech.

   Celebrate today.

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 11:56 am

     Sadly she hates brown rice, and I can’t eat it (or white rice for than matter) because of my illness.

     The ramen thing was sort of an inside joke for my family btw.  My son would run out of money for food at college at the end of each moth and just eat ramen for a week.  Or cereal.

9. 

   clearskies on February 16, 2013 at 11:55 am

   Congrats Steve, or given the cost, perhaps condolences are more in order.
   Our daughter is waiting to hear from her first choices too, which are also spectacularly expensive. I joke with my younger son that after my daughter gets through with us, he may need to drop out and join the army.
   Costs of college are really obscene these days. Even the publics are getting nutty with the costs. I know the UC system, where I work, is well beyond the reach of many folks. Back in the day, I could work a summer job that paid for my tuition and lodging. Another example of the breakdown of a progressive view of society that we once all shared. Thanks, republican A-holes.

   • 

     Steven D on February 16, 2013 at 11:58 am

     I know they are, aren’t they.  I told a friend in Canada what school costs here and she was dumbfounded because they are so much cheaper there, even for the top notch schools.  Perhaps I should have had my daughter look for a school in Canada.

     • 

       mainsailset on February 16, 2013 at 1:08 pm

       I went to college in both the US and Canada. Of course it depends on the individual University but the Canadian school was head and shoulders above the US. Trouble is that as an American you have a doozey of a time getting a green card to work.

       This is very exciting news for your family, and it goes without saying that she’s already demonstrated a strong work ethic just to get to this point!

       When my best friend had both of her twin boys accepted to Stanford I remember the sheer joy and simultaneous panic that set it. But there are ways to get where you want to go and you’ve already got caluses from the first round, eh?

       • 

         The Voice In The Wilderness on February 16, 2013 at 5:28 pm

         Medill used to have a great reputation in Computer Science FWIW.

10. 

    boran2 on February 16, 2013 at 1:22 pm

    Congratulations, Steven!  Wonderful news!

11. 

    Indianadem on February 16, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    That’s great news, Steven! Good luck with the funding rigamarole.

12. 

    The Voice In The Wilderness on February 16, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    The best way to pay for college is, unfortunately, to risk your life in the Armed Forces.

13. 

    rikyrah on February 16, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    Enjoy this day with her. Be proud of her.

14. 

    Errol on February 17, 2013 at 12:45 am

    Congratulations! exciting news.

15. 

    keepinon on February 19, 2013 at 9:48 am

    Belated congrats to your daughter Steven!