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!

@HoneyMobster DS has also received an Early Action letter from Princeton. He's delighted. Still trying to work out fees and awaiting his UK options too before weighing up everything. But a great achievement none the less and Princeton is most definitely his preference at this stage - especially once the welcome pack arrived!

We got the pack today as well! A serious amount of information! DS has accepted his place today 😊

I should have said 'congratulations' @daddyanxious ! Have you applied for Financial Aid?

@HoneyMobster Thanks and likewise! We have applied for FA now. Waiting to hear back from P. How about you?

We had a financial pre-read very early on in the process to see if it was worth even feasible. Submitted final figures a few weeks back and have our 'final' offer in already. Hence DS has already committed.

Re. Brown. As PP’s have said, don’t be fooled about the funding, it’s all based on your income and assets. We’ve completed the FAFASA ( think that’s only for Americans) and CSS and DD’s just been admitted to a prestigious college.

And we haven’t been given a penny. It’s our own fault as we’ve been saving up for her university fees since she was a baby so they saw that lump sum and thought she’s OK. But we don’t have anything like enough to cover the five-year course she’s been admitted to. She’s applying for various scholarships and quite frankly, I’m going to beg the Financial aid office. 😂

How is everyone doing? Anyone waiting for Ivy Day next week?

Have completed sone initial admin for DS's US visa and bought him some new (second-hand) luggage. Starting to think about booking flights.

Firstly - Congratulations to your DS.

I have just read your posts and is really useful. My DS is very keen to study in US as a student athlete. We went to a school information meeting recently - He is YR10 now so GCSE next year.

Can I ask about your ds grades? I assumed his application was initially with GCSE and then predicted A levels? My ds plays for club and school at his sport.

The subject he wants to study is not common so that might restrict our options

We would be applying for FA .

Any advice would be appreciated - TIA

@Newbeetry - DS has 9 x 9 GCSE and 1 x 8. He was predicted 3 x A star and 1 x A at A Level.

He's a GB athlete - represented GB as a Lower Sixth.

We have a good FA offer - year 1 will be less than the cost of a UK university. Scholarships (up to 100%) were an option but we encouraged him to choose a more well-regarded school (Princeton).

DD had been waiting anxiously for Ivy Day but Barnard (women’s college in Colombia) was her joint first choice.
They released RD last night and she was accepted.
She is totally thrilled. Barnard it will really suit her.

She is not an athlete. She has good school grades but not perfect.

@ChimneyPot many congratulations to your DD, I know several highly qualified applicants who did not get Barnard so she should be extremely proud of herself.
My DS is at private, very selective high school in the US, there is huge anxiety today as they await Ivy decisions, I suspect very little work is getting done in the Senior classes today!

Congratulations @ChimneyPot - that's wonderful news. Such a relief.

I'd picked up that it was 'Ivy Day' today / tonight. It must be like Oxbridge offer days in the UK with even more anxiety @BackToWhereItAllBegan

@HoneyMobster I think even more anxiety than Oxbridge day if that's possible (I'm going through both this year!). There's no back up option such as clearing so if you get rejected by everyone then your options are extremely limited.

Sympathy. When DD and DS1 got their Oxford offers it was a stressful day but DS1 already had a Durham offer by then so was less stressed.

We had exactly the same a.month ago. Awful experience. Ours were cancelled the night before and even though we called, then turned up at a different centre 2 hours away that had places the sat board said.no because they couldn't accommodate centre changes. Absolutely ridiculous

Only a select few US universities and liberal arts colleges offer financial aid to international students.

They are a separate category to domestic students, but even so, there are only 66 universities and liberal arts colleges offering to meet the full demonstrated financial need of admitted students who are US citizens or green card holders.

You need to redo the FAFSA every year, and the CSS Profile too. Universities understand that a family's financial can change from year to year - loss of job, illness, death, natural disaster, etc, can all cause dramatic changes.

Well done, @ChimneyPot's DD.

Barnard is a fantastic opportunity, and Morningside Heights is a lovely part of NY.

Make sure your DD does the bartending class if they still offer it .

@Travelban I'm really sorry to hear that. I remember it being a complete nightmare at the time. We had made loads of travel and overnight arrangements for him to get to the test centre (on his own). Will you manage to book for the next sitting? Ds ended up only doing it once, but I'm not sure he would have done it more than once anyway, it would have fitted in better timing wise though with his other commitments if the original slot had gone ahead.

Omg what a nightmare...he was offered another slot 2 weeks later and he sat it then...still don't have the result but definitely not keen to do that again!!!!

@Travelban 2 weeks later is not too bad. That's what they do as standard. But, the centre ds was booked in had never been a test centre before. On the day they had a staff member off (due to a bereavement) and they just cancelled the bookings, rather than reschedule them. There was then nothing we or College Board could do, so no way of getting a reschedule two weeks later. He had to wait till the next term if I remember. Fairly frustrating at the time. A couple of parents were on the phone to the States, but there was no option to do anything at all. Thank goodness he had another term to sit it, if we'd left it until the last minute, he wouldn't have had! Good luck to your ds.

@mathanxiety Thanks.
DD was disappointed not to get Brown on Ivy Day after being deferred ED.
It would have been a more comfortable choice for her because her older sister is there. But obviously any of the extremely selective US colleges are a reach for anyone.

Moving across the Atlantic to live in Manhattan will be a bit scary for her and part of me is still hoping that she will consider some of her U.K. and Ireland options but I think it unlikely.
Her twin is moving to London to drama school so they will be having quite different experiences.

It is all a bit scary. I've just seen a Tornado warning from Princeton yesterday 😮

Sorry to hear about Brown @ChimneyPot

Resurrecting this thread in case anyone is still US headed. DS2 flys out on 22 August for International Orientation...