Revealed: State Colleges Giving Wealthy Kids More Financial Aid Than Poor Kids

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/revealed-state-colleges-giving-wealthy-kids-more-financial-aid-poor-kids



Shauniqua Epps was the sort of student that so many colleges say they want.

She was a high achiever, graduating from high school with a 3.8 GPA and ranking among the top students in her class. She served as secretary, then president, of the student government. She played varsity basketball and softball. Her high-school guidance counselor, in a letter of recommendation, wrote that Epps was “an unusual young lady” with “both drive and determination.”

Epps, 19, was also needy.

Her family lives in subsidized housing in South Philadelphia, and her father died when she was in third grade. Her mother is on Social Security disability, which provides the family $698 a month, records show. Neither of her parents finished high school.

Epps, who is African-American, made it her goal to be the first in her family to attend college.

[exboyfil]

1. A huge percentage of merit aid at my daughter's

target state university is in the form of the National Merit (one test). I am hoping she gets some merit aid, but I am not planning on it. It could very well turn out that a college like Harvard would be cheaper than our state school even when the state package is factored in.

I am offended that loans are always included in the package sent to students. It appears in many cases that this is not clear. Both of my daughters will have about 1 1/2 to 2 years of their undergraduate done before they exit High School (part paid for by me and part by the school district).