From MIT Dreams to Kenyon College: One Dad’s Real Story of Navigating College Admissions and Financial Aid
What happens when your son visits MIT on the path to engineering and comes home wanting to be a writer? For Michael Dodge, a dad from Minnesota and College Aid Pro client, that unexpected pivot set off one of the most educational (and emotional) journeys of his family’s life. In a recent episode of the Ol’ College Try podcast, Michael sat down with host Peg Keough to share exactly what it looks like to navigate college admissions, financial aid forms, and the final decision — from a parent’s perspective.
If you’re a parent starting this process, or somewhere in the middle of it, Michael’s story is packed with real, practical lessons — including one financial move that saved his family $24,443 per year.
The Two Questions That Keep Every Parent Up at Night
Before Tyler’s college search even began, Michael and his wife were wrestling with the same two questions most families face:
- What school will actually be a good fit for Tyler? — not just academically, but personally. Tyler didn’t thrive in big school environments, so finding the right size and culture mattered.
- Can we afford it? — Michael put it plainly: “Most parents they don’t know what’s going on out there. So you kind of want to leave it to professionals.”
💡 Sound familiar? These are the two most common concerns we hear from families. Fit and finances aren’t separate conversations — they have to happen together from the very beginning.
The Plot Twist: From Engineering to Writing
Michael is an industrial engineer who went to Georgia Tech. He’d always assumed Tyler would follow a similar path — calculus, top STEM programs, schools like MIT, Stanford, or Georgia Tech. They even visited MIT together two years before Tyler’s senior year.
Then they visited Brown.
“We just visited MIT. And then a very short period after that, he says, ‘Dad, I want to be a writer. I don’t want to be an engineer.'”
— Michael Dodge, College Aid Pro Client
Michael’s wife jumped on board quickly, she and Tyler are both avid readers. Michael, to his enormous credit, followed. That openness to letting their son lead is one of the most important things a parent can do in this process. As host Peg Keough noted, “They are thinking individuals. They’re getting closer to adulthood.”
How They Built the College List
With a complete change in direction, from engineering to English, the Dodge family had to rethink everything. Working with College Aid Pro’s admissions expert Dan Bisig, they built a tiered list organized around fit, selectivity, and budget:
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Tier 1 — Reach Stretch Schools Brown, Northwestern — highly selective schools Tyler loved but where admission was a long shot regardless of his strong record. |
Tier 2 — Target Likely-Fit Schools Carleton, Macalester, Wake Forest, Amherst — schools where Dan felt Tyler had a strong chance of admission and a genuine fit. |
Tier 3 — Safety For-Sure Schools Schools where Tyler’s profile was a clear match and acceptance was highly likely — providing peace of mind throughout the process. |
They also discovered schools they’d never heard of, including Kenyon College and Grinnell College. Michael’s reaction when Dan first mentioned them? “What? Where is that?”
CAP’s rule of thumb: Just because you haven’t heard of a school doesn’t mean it’s not the right fit. Many of the best-matched schools for your student won’t be household names. That’s exactly why it helps to work with someone who knows the landscape.
The Rejection That Stung — And What Happened Next
Tyler applied Early Decision to Brown — his dream school after that campus visit. Brown’s ED process is a firm yes or no; there’s no deferral to regular decision. The answer was no.
“He went upstairs on his phone, looked it up, came downstairs, and said, ‘No, I didn’t get in.’ It friggin’ hurt. Cause now we’ve got to wait.”
— Michael Dodge
This is one of the hardest parts of the process — and one of the most important to prepare for. As Peg noted, kids who haven’t experienced a “no” before their senior year of high school are actually at a disadvantage emotionally. Rejection at top schools isn’t a reflection of a student’s worth. There are priorities happening behind closed doors that families will never fully understand.
What happened after? Tyler got into a strong group of schools — including Kenyon, Macalester, Carleton, Wake Forest, and Amherst.
Navigating the Financial Aid Process: FAFSA, CSS Profile, and the Award Letters
With the admissions piece largely settled, the financial piece came into focus. Many schools on Tyler’s list required only the FAFSA, but schools like Brown and Carleton also required the CSS Profile — an additional, more detailed form. Each application comes with a fee, and each CSS Profile submission costs money too. That’s part of why keeping your list to a manageable size (ideally no more than 10 schools) matters.
Working with CAP’s financial aid expert Kevin, the Dodge family had already run projections using MyCap — College Aid Pro’s college financial planning software. Kevin had given them estimated net costs for each school. When the real award letters arrived, Michael was stunned by the accuracy.
“As an engineer, I’m like, how can he be that good? He was almost spot on. Out of a $95,000 school, he got it down to $35,000. I was amazed.”
— Michael Dodge
The Move That Saved $24,443 Per Year: The Financial Aid Appeal
Here’s where the story gets really good.
Tyler had decided on Kenyon — one of the top four writing programs in the country alongside Brown, Iowa, and Northwestern. The financial package was solid. He had scholarships and grant money. The family’s projected out-of-pocket cost was around $35,000 per year. Tyler was happy. Michael was ready to call it done.
Kevin said no. Wait.
Step 1
Collect all financial aid award letters before responding
Don’t rush to respond the moment one arrives. Get all your offers together so you can compare and use competing offers as leverage.
Step 2
Decide which school you want — then appeal
A financial aid appeal is a formal request to the school for more money. It’s a normal, expected part of the process. Schools do not rescind scholarships for appealing — they can only say no to additional aid.
Step 3
Use competing offers from similar schools as leverage
Kenyon, Macalester, and Carleton are comparable schools. Competing offers from peer institutions are among the strongest tools in an appeal. Schools want to win students they’ve admitted.
The result of the Dodges’ appeal?
“I told Kevin my fear — I thought they’d take the scholarship away. He said no, appeal. Unfreaking believable: $24,443 less. Per year.”
— Michael Dodge
Key Lessons for Parents Starting the Process
When asked what advice he’d give himself if starting over, Michael had two clear answers:
- Don’t let the Common App fool you. Yes, you can technically submit to 30 schools — but every school requires unique essays and short answers. More schools means more stress on your student and more application fees, CSS Profile costs, and test score sends. “Do the planning. Get the help.”
- Always appeal. Michael’s biggest takeaway was that appealing isn’t aggressive or ungrateful — it’s expected. “Appeal, appeal, appeal. I feel like an attorney.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a financial aid appeal?
A financial aid appeal is a formal written request to a college asking for more grant or scholarship money. Families typically appeal when they’ve received a better offer from a comparable school, or when their financial circumstances have changed. Colleges cannot rescind existing scholarship awards because a family appeals.
How many colleges should my student apply to?
Most college planning professionals recommend a list of 8–12 schools, divided among reach, target, and likely schools. Going over 15 significantly increases essay burden, application fees, CSS Profile costs, and stress — without meaningfully improving outcomes. Make sure your student is genuinely excited about every school on the list, including the safeties.
What’s the difference between FAFSA and CSS Profile?
The FAFSA is the federal financial aid application required by all schools that offer federal aid. The CSS Profile is an additional, more detailed form required by roughly 200 private colleges and universities. It collects more financial data and costs money to submit to each school. Schools using the CSS Profile are often the ones with the largest institutional grant budgets.
Should my student apply Early Decision?
Early Decision (ED) is a binding agreement — if accepted, your student commits to attend. It can increase admission odds at some schools but limits your ability to compare financial aid offers. If cost is a factor (and for most families it is), applying ED to a school before seeing financial aid packages is a significant risk. Talk through this carefully before committing.
What is MyCap and how does it help?
MyCap is College Aid Pro’s college financial planning software at mycap.collegeaidpro.com. It projects your family’s estimated net cost at any school based on your financial profile — before you even apply. You can set up a free account and model up to three schools at no cost. It’s the same tool Kevin used to get within dollars of Tyler’s actual financial aid offer.
What happened to Tyler?
Tyler Dodge is headed to Kenyon College — ranked among the top four writing programs in the country. He was rejected from Brown early decision, accepted at multiple strong schools, and ultimately found his perfect fit at a school his family had never heard of 18 months earlier.
Know What College Will Actually Cost — Before You Apply
Set up your free MyCap account and project your net cost at any school in minutes. No guesswork. No surprises on award letter day.
Click here to listen to the full episode
This post is based on a real client’s experience shared on The Old College Try podcast. Individual financial aid results vary. College Aid Pro does not guarantee specific aid outcomes. Financial aid estimates are projections based on available data and are subject to change. This information is current as of 2025.
