<p>Anyone else in a similar situation? It seems a little unfair..</p>
<p>I have a 0 EFC. Apparantly those under 60K should graduate debt free...I'm far below that and will be graduating with over $12,000 in debt. How?</p>
<p>1 - Student contribution: They expect me to pay over $2,000 a year for my own tuition. Did it ever occur to them that if a student is really poor, their family NEEDS that money to live? I mean, sure they don't take anything from my parents...but how exactly does a kid with such low income come upon $2,000? If there were jobs in my area, I'd certainly have one. If I had one - the money would go toward saving our home and paying bills so our utilities aren't cut off? I can't just send it to Cornell...so I just have to take out a loan for it.</p>
<p>2 - Health Insurance: If a student is really poor, doesn't it make sense they wouldn't have health insurance? Yet Cornell forces me to buy it - another $1,500 (though 500 overlaps with the student contribution)</p>
<p>Total: $3,000 per year
After 4 years: $12,000 in loans</p>
<p>How is that fair? Do other top schools do this? Almost seems like false advertising...</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You can negotiate the student contribution...I did it one year.</p></li>
<li><p>God forbid anything happens to you while in school and you rack up medical debt b/c you didn't have any health insurance. Although...I do agree the $1,500 premium is a bit high...my employer-required health insurance costs me around $840 for the year and the coverage is good.</p></li>
<li><p>I know that you might feel victim to false advertising...but, education isn't free...you should be required to contribute toward the cost of your education and there are always hidden fees that we often forget to consider. Thank your lucky stars you'll leave with $12,000 of debt for a world class education...it won't take long to pay it back. Many of us who graduated before the new FA policies aren't so lucky.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>I made an appeal (i think thats what you call it) and it got my parent contribution down by 1500</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell actually pays for my health insurance if your EFC is 0. The only thing it doesn't cover is prescription medications. However, this is only in certain programs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Your income status is already reflected in your 0 EFC. My parents make more than your parents and so my parents are expected to contribute more to my education. Fair enough.</p>
<p>But, why do you feel that you don't deserve any loans? If you're a bio major and I'm a bio major, we'll likely have the same jobs and make the same salaries post-graduation. You only have to pay back $12,000 in loans. I have to pay back $30,000 in loans on probably the same salary.</p>
<p>In other words, EFC is the responsibility of your family while loans are the responsibility of the students. The discrepancy in post-grad salaries is much less than the discrepancy in family incomes so while all of these FA policies have focused on lowering loans, my personal view is that Cornell should lower EFC's and raise loans for poor kids.</p>
<p>If you were not going to Cornell, hanging out in your own town, there would be no prospect of a job (according to you), therefore you wouldn't be contributing to your family's income anyway. By going to Cornell, you could easily work 10-20 hours/week, that is 400-800/month. As a Cornell student, you could stay in Ithaca in the summer cheaply to work, or get an internship in other cities to make 4000-8000. If you weren't going to Cornell you would still need to pay for health insurance. Just because you are poor, it doesn't give you entitlement. Step up and do your part.</p>
<p>I don't think it's much different at other universities. I am in a similar situation, minus the health insurance (I get government aid). However, I started out before Cornell's financial aid initiative, so I already accumulated $15,000 in debt during my first year. </p>
<p>I initially had worries about my summer earnings having to be absorbed for paying off my family's bills as well. I just went to the financial aid office, and they adjusted my student contribution. After the no-loan policy came into effect, they still let me benefit from low-rate federal loans to help pay for my contribution. </p>
<p>If you can document your financial difficulties well, you could go to the FA office and submit an appeal. Doing this after my parents lost their jobs worked wonders. There is still a lot you can do. </p>
<p>Quite frankly, I think you should be happy that Cornell is at least barely affordable for you. Cornell has no obligation to help you, or anyone, graduate debt-free, but is extending you a hand to provide you with a world-class education. Does it amount to false advertising? Technically, Cornell only promises financial aid packages free of loans. I would agree that this may be misleading.</p>
<p>Unfair, try graduating with 35k+ in debt and then see what unfair feels like. Im lucky my parents are even willing to pay, if it weren't for my loaded grandpa, I'd be attending BigstateU next year instead of cornell. I think cornell should cap total debt at graduation to 25k and then see how they can help kids in the 125-200k income bracket because any way you cut it, 50k/year is a lot of cash.</p>
<p>You should not be complaining. 12k debt is NOT that bad. Personally, I'd LOVE to attend a top school and have 12k debt. You should contribute to your education; the school is doing you all the favors, do something for them.</p>
<p>Stop complaining I'm going to graduate with a minimum of 50k in debt because my parents are contributing almost nothing to my education. I also have had several good jobs and banked over 5k last year at only 17 years old. I worked damn hard for my money holding 2 part time jobs and my own ebay biz. Stop griping about getting a job freeloader and take on some loans.</p>
<p>yea you shouldn't be complaining, 12k is nothing.. and im broke. the insurance is helpful! once i did 2 xrays without knowing that my insurance (not cornell) doesn't cover, and it cost me 400$ -_-.</p>
<p>So your family is not well to do. Do you know how many kids out there don't even get a chance at high school, what more a shot at college? You have it easy that's why you're complaining about such a petty issue.</p>
<p>You don't want to pay for your education, but at the same time, you want to earn a decent wage after you graduate? I would kindly pay that $12,000 for you if you agree to work for me when you graduate, for just room and board, no salary. How does that sound?</p>
<p>If you don't find fit to invest a mere $12,000 for a 4-year degree at Cornell, go to a Community College near where you live. Simple.</p>
<p>Wake up, this is reality. Nothing is free. Learn to sacrifice and take responsibility for your life. As much as I want to show compassion for your situation, it would just be wrong on my end.</p>
<p>I'm confused about why everyone is flaming? It's like you guys get angry because you have to take out more loans and I don't, which I don't get. I'm simply asking why they would advertise DEBT FREE and not actually allow me to graduate debt free. Simple question of false advertisement. Did I say I wouldn't do it? Nope, I still think it's quite a bargain, but I simply would like to know why they say debt free.</p>
<p>Trust me, I'd much rather be in a higher income bracket and be taking on extra loans or asking my parents to write a big fat check. As it is, I worry if my family back home will even be able to eat or pay the mortgage on our house this month. I am sickened by the hateful, jealous comments from people who have no idea what it's like to be in poverty. </p>
<p>As for the person who said stay in Ithaca and find a job - not an option. For one, finding full-time work here is next to impossible (yes, I've tried), and two, with living expenses I'd simply end up breaking even. I don't even have a car to make it to work.</p>
<p>kill the entitled scumbag they call "soccer_guy472"</p>
<p>The waters of Lake Cayuga shall be forever stained with your blood</p>
<p>On a more serious note, paying for college is difficult for everyone. Seriously, when you get a job, you will realize that 3k/year is pretty easy to make while working 10hr/week and summers. I've been pulling down that much cash since I was 16, just be innovative and work hard.</p>
<p>You are not expected to take out 3k in loans per year, you are expected to find a job and make 3k/year. If you are worth your weight as a student, you will get internships over the summers too and you should be able to pull down at least 2k/summer (saved in the bank, not spent on living expenses).</p>
<p>Tboone, I would but I'm actually needed at home in the summers, so going off to an internship would be fairly hard - again, another caveat of poverty no one seems to think about, we can't just go wherever and do what we choose. There's certainly no internships where I live, I'd be surprised if people in my hometown even know what the word means. It's a depressed area with no college graduates, and all the entry level jobs are filled by high school drop outs. Hence I can't find summer employment.</p>
<p>And dewdrop, I didn't find your comments offensive, so mine weren't directed at you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm confused about why everyone is flaming? It's like you guys get angry because you have to take out more loans and I don't, which I don't get. I'm simply asking why they would advertise DEBT FREE and not actually allow me to graduate debt free. Simple question of false advertisement. Did I say I wouldn't do it? Nope, I still think it's quite a bargain, but I simply would like to know why they say debt free.</p>
<p>Trust me, I'd much rather be in a higher income bracket and be taking on extra loans or asking my parents to write a big fat check. As it is, I worry if my family back home will even be able to eat or pay the mortgage on our house this month. I am sickened by the hateful, jealous comments from people who have no idea what it's like to be in poverty.</p>
<p>As for the person who said stay in Ithaca and find a job - not an option. For one, finding full-time work here is next to impossible (yes, I've tried), and two, with living expenses I'd simply end up breaking even. I don't even have a car to make it to work.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>oh please</p>
<p>My family lived for years on a $9,000/yr salary. Currently, my parents live in a one-bedroom apartment. They don't use heating in the winters. And we've never had cable TV, ever.</p>
<p>The idea is that schools have to make certain assumptions in their FA policies namely that once you graduate you will be using your salary to start a family and you won't need to send money to your parents. That's a safe assumption considering your parents were able to support you for 18 years and now they have 1 less person to support so their finances should be better after graduation. So, essentially your capacity to pay off loans is the same as any other Cornell graduate. We'll all be making in the $30,000-$50,000 range. So, why do you feel that you should have no loans?</p>
<p>Stop with this pleading of poverty. Well over half of american families make under 60k so stop your complaining, they seem to get by just fine. What do you mean by you'll need to be back home during summers? Stay at home and watch the kids of w/e during the day and work nights, its not that tough.</p>