US Applications for 2023

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My ds is looking at uni applications at the moment for the US. It isn't a process we have any experience of. Are any other mumsnet families in the same situation? I was hoping we could share tips and advice on applications and funding. Ds is optimistically applying to Princeton, Harvard, MIT and Caltech. It's a long shot, but he things it's worth a try!

My DD2 is applying to the US for 2023.

We are in Ireland and her state school are not familiar with the process.
I have an older DD already studying in the US so we do have some familiarity with the process.
DD2 did the ACT in summer 2021 to have it out of the way. She has done her common app essays and is working on the supplementals for the various colleges.

DD1s school, Brown, meets 100% of needs for all admitted students by way of bursary so funding is not an issue there. A number of schools do this.
All US colleges do different funding so you need to look for ones that match your need.
Some only give funding to US citizens, some do funding by way of loan . Some do merit based funding rather than needs based ( though none of the top schools do merit funding)

Brown do not cover all admitted students fees. I know people at or who were at Brown. They paid.

Oh. Or maybe you mean they have funds for those who need it. Yes they do. But so do all US colleges.

Some faith based colleges in the US will offer needs blind scholarships to students overseas allied to their patron (Jesuit scholarships to Jesuit schools).

100% needs met for all admitted students by way of grant means that they assess the financial need of every student who gets admitted and give them the full funding they need.
For some that will be nothing because they can afford the full cost for others it will be the full $85k per year.
And yes most US colleges have some funding available but not very many meet the full financial need of all admitted students. That is why many students and graduates have huge loans.

DS is applying for 2023 but is as a recruited athlete will be doing 'Early Decision' so things are a bit different. He's out there on official visits to 3 of the Ivies (H, Y and P) at the moment.

All 3 offer 'needs based' funding. We've already done financial pre-reads to see what the cost might be. He needs to decide by the end of next week which one to commit to. It feels very early but it would be great to get it set up early and enjoy the rest of the year.

Ds did the SAT last year, quite a while ago. It was a complete fiasco, as the centre actually cancelled the exam while on the day he was due to sit it, while he was en route there! College Board wouldn’t accommodate him anywhere else at that sitting because it was past the deadline 🤷‍♀️
He is applying to the UK too and has just about done all his UCAS stuff. So, he’s looking at US essays now. I don’t think he’s got them nailed yet!

@HoneyMobster
How amazing for your DS to have such great options. What did your DS decide on?

DD just finishing up her early application for Brown. Her schools only experience of US applications is my older DD and a handful of students over the year who were already on national teams and went as recruited athletes.

DD has been asked to draft up the school bit about how covid impacted the school and the school will just check it and send it off. So I guess I will be researching all the dates that the regulations changed in Ireland.

DS has a few days I think to finalise his EA for Princeton. He's glad to have his UCAS all submitted now. One of his entry assessments is today, the TMUA. So, I think he will look at finalising his US stuff shortly after this. We also bit the bullet and filled out the CSS profile for funding. Fingers crossed!

@ChimneyPot - thanks for the good wishes. He's going to go for Early Decision at Princeton. He also really liked Harvard but Princeton is coming out quite a bit cheaper for us. He's aiming to get all the paperwork done by 25/10 which hopefully means a 'Likely Letter' in early November.

He's a recruited athlete so the process is very different I think!

Good news! DS has received a 'likely letter' from Princeton 😊 We're absolutely delighted.How is everyone else doing?

Congratulations to your DS, @HoneyMobster
I hope it works out. I know a number of students who have had a wonderful experience at Princeton

Thanks @poetryandwine - this is all very new for us. We've heard such good things about Princeton and DS really liked it when he visited.

That’s great news @HoneyMobster

DD has send in her ED to Brown and has sent in a few others where you have to apply early to be considered for Merit scholarships.
She is working on some other applications on the assumption that she won’t get Brown ED and wants them ready to go.

Congratulations @HoneyMobster! That's wonderful news. Ds has submitted his early action application now and will do the others in due course. I'm not sure of his chances at all, so we will just see.

Sorry to hijack, but DS (ASD and not the world’s clearest communicator) announced this week that Stanford has been in touch and offered a merit based $12k per year. He got 1550 in his SAT but hasn’t actually applied (although Stanford was somewhere he was thinking of applying to previously). Is this a thing or just some kind of scam? We kind of thought he’d be better off doing his undergrad in the UK and then doing postgrad in the US. Is there something I’m missing?

Can you ask to see the email?
US colleges could conceivably contact a student and say something like ‘with your SAT scores you may be eligible for up to $12k in merit scholarships’ - they can get the email addresses from college board - but I think it’s more likely to be a college application prep company.

Thanks - that sounds a lot more plausible. His newfound “informational independence” is doing my head in - will continue trying to get him to share the email.

DS has received loads of unsolicited emails from various colleges offering all sorts of things. I think when you complete the Common App your contact details get released unless you opt out.

Sorry, @Ageneralsenseofproundconcern

An SAT mark of 1550 is something to be rightly proud of. I hope your DC is properly owning their accomplishment. But Stanford, like members of the Ivy League, does not give merit based scholarships.

As @HoneyMobster said, if DC used the Common App and did not opt out, all sorts of firms have their contact details. This message presumably came from one of them

It's Early Action decision day at Princeton today. As DS already has his Likely Letter it should be a formality but I'm still twitchy. Anyone else waiting for decisions this week?

He's in 😊

Great news, @HoneyMobster

Someone who got his PhD at Princeton was just telling me the other day that he thinks amongst all major US research universities, Princeton puts the greatest emphasis on undergraduate education. I hope your DS thrives there.

Thanks @poetryandwine - that was DS thinking. He was fortunate enough to have a choice between H, Y and P and the undergraduate teaching at P was a big plus for him. I hear the campus is stunning as well.

It is!