I grew up without much money, and had marching orders from my parents to “find a way to pay for those fancy colleges you’re so enamored with. We don’t want to see you sign up for a zillion dollars in student loans.” But most colleges in 1999 did not publicize their merit aid grids, if they even had them at all. If you shared your academic stats with a college and asked if you might qualify for scholarship dollars, they would just reply, “You never know…just apply!”
So, I hedged my bets—I spent too much time applying for scholarships for which there was a miniscule chance of winning, given the number of applicants. I had no other recourse when colleges had minimal transparency with potential merit aid.
I’m a hypocrite.
I have often joked with students that if I were ever the Secretary of Education, my first project would be to abolish the Common App: it causes teenagers immense stress. Students can apply to 20 schools with just a few clicks, leading to massive uncertainty, waitlist mania, and racked-up application fees. And while I am against students applying to so many schools, I’m a hypocrite: back in 1999, I applied to 19 colleges. I did so because we didn’t have the beautiful transparency around merit aid that many schools have today. I knew I would be accepted to most schools I applied to, but I didn’t expect to receive wildly different merit aid amounts that ranged from $0 to full tuition at institutions that were ostensibly “peers.” It made zero sense.
Thus, MeritAidGrids was born.
My wife Silvia and I are grateful for the scholarships that our alma mater Washington University in St. Louis offered us, and it’s time for us to pay it forward. We have created a website that hopes to function as a clearinghouse of merit aid grids from across the country: a living, breathing site where families can view, compare, and even contribute any college merit aid grids we may have missed!
If you have any questions about how to help your student achieve their maximum GPA and SAT/ACT potential, need to take free diagnostic mock SAT or ACT tests, or need tutoring help for the SAT/ACT, feel free to call/text anytime at 404-333-8573 or [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help! We also conduct free virtual parent info sessions with great college counseling advice.
– Brian Eufinger
Co-founder, Edison Prep