<p>Helicopterfather…the MAJORITY of college students do not have significant savings for college. You are not alone by any measure or means. The difference is, most of these students also do not have a very high level of current income.</p>
<p>You guys have completely missed the point. Your hatred/jealousy of anyone with a sliver more wealth than you blinds you all. You see what you want to see.</p>
<p>You’re imaging things. No one’s reacting to your posts because you have “a sliver more wealth.” They’re reacting because you have a sliver more wealth and you’re complaining about it. Go back and read what you’ve written in this thread. And then read it again. Maybe you’ll see.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. And thank you for your service to our country. But telling others about your problems with having money (“when you have more money you tend to pay more… for everything. Everyone’s got their hand in your pocket big time. From the government to the local service people”) is a sure-fire way to make people take an instant dislike to you. It’s just bad form. Hopefully you can understand this.</p>
<p>
Sikorsky:
Although some of the colleges might refer to this as ‘merit aid’ (and I agree with you that some do), I don’t consider that situation to be true merit money but rather, deciding which people who stay below some ceiling of financial ability will get the financial aid - based somewhat on merit metrics. In other words - first decide who needs financial aid based on income/etc. and then decide among those how it s/b doled out based of the relative merit of the people in that category.</p>
<p>There are some colleges that give merit aid without requesting any financial info - it’s based strictly on merit. That’s true merit aid IMO.</p>
<p>I guess there are really at least 3 forms -
- Aid based on the financial situation only
- Money based on merit only
- Aid based on a combo of financial situation and relative merit within that group</p>
<p>This doesn’t diminish the merit achievements of those who also have to meet some financial component (and hence the FAFSA) but it’s something to consider for those who are fairly certain their income/assets will push them out of the running for that subset of ‘merit aid’.</p>
<p>But at the end of the day I think we’re all making some guesses here and different colleges handle this subject in different ways. The OP will just need to decide whether to keep the financials close to the vest and not have a shot at those places that require it or go ahead and give it out on the probably low chance there’ll be any aid given.</p>
<p>Some scholarships have stipulations by the donor that they are to be awarded to needy students based on merit. They need applicants to fill out financial aid forms to figure out which of their merit aid candidates are eligible for those particular scholarships.</p>
<p>Of course, if you are positive you would not meet the definition of needy, there seems little point in filling out the forms. But some schools do require it.</p>
<p>Gladgraddad…my son received a music performance award from Boston University. it was solely based on his audition…merit only. Our EFC exceeded the cost of attendance. He was required to submit the FAFSA and Profile to receive this (generous) merit award. It was their policy so we filed.</p>
<p>Maikai, you have problems.</p>
<p>And nobody cares that you were in some army.</p>
<p>*Maikai, you have problems.</p>
<p>And nobody cares that you were in some army.*</p>
<p>Hold on a minute. He wasn’t in just “some army,” he was in <em>your</em> army (assuming you are a U.S. citizen), and that we should all care about, even you. I’ve seen plenty of posers in my time, but my MO is to take people at their word until they prove otherwise.</p>
<p>maikai may have his faults, but you should <em>not</em> make light of his status as a veteran of the U.S. military. 'Nuff said.</p>
<p>I don’t like it when people bring up their military service in some irrelevant context</p>
<p>And that’s a big assumption</p>
<p>I really think there is little point in filing if you are quite certain your child won’t get aid. We did fill it out because people scared me into thinking about that stupid “what about the merit awards that require filing” – I think that is a small minority of schools, and if your child is applying to reach schools, it is not a situation you will likely encounter. It is a waste of time to fill out the forms, especially CSS, and a waste of our information going out in the world. And can’t you file after the fact if it is the case like thumper1? I guess that is the piece I am not 100% certain about.</p>
<p>
Thumper:
I’m wondering why they required it. It makes no sense if they’re not going to use the financial situation in the equation. I’d be interested to know a logical reason why a college would require this if they’re not really going to use it in the equation. I suspect most of them that request it do use it somehow.</p>
<p>Congrats to your S - that’s quite an accomplishment.</p>
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</p>
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<p>I did double check with the Us on S’s list and they all confirmed that he would be considered for merit without us filing any financial data. I did not believe we would get any FAid so chose not to share any financials.</p>
<p>As another consideration, many colleges with EA make their EA decisions well before FAFSA’s can be submitted.</p>
<p>So… let me understand this.</p>
<p>The context of this thread is a family making about $300K annually didn’t file for financial aid. Someone essentially said “thank you” because so many wealthy families “game” the system.</p>
<p>I speak up and say “hold on there” that’s prejudice along class lines, then illustrate how the so-called “wealthy” pay a premium for nearly everything by using some personal examples.</p>
<p>The response I get back is livid! I’m told I SHOULD pay more for anything associated with a Summer home. It doesn’t matter that the job could be the exact same job as one done in Levittown. If it’s done on my Summer home in East Hampton, screw me, pay up jack a-s! It was my decision to have a Summer home, I should pay all those fine craftsmen trying to charge me several times what the job is actually worth.</p>
<p>Then I’m accused, in some illogical, erratic and significant change of context that I’m probably insensitive to the poor. :-/ ***?!</p>
<p>When I explain my own poor background (son of immigrants from the Eastern Bloc), how I had no money for school and explained I even joined the Army to take classes while in the service and accumulate matching funds for school, that’s taken as me bringing up my service randomly. No, it wasn’t random. I was painting a picture of the effort it takes to bring yourself from poverty to wealth. BTW, I believe the poor enter the military in far greater numbers than any other segment. At least is seemed that way to me. And I still believe it offers a significant leg up out of poverty to the poor… an unmatched opportunity, IMHO. It was for me.</p>
<p>The only thing you guys are demonstrating are an acute hatred for anyone with what you would consider wealth. That’s why my comment about paying more for things done to a summer home have you so riled. I might have more than you… so I deserve whatever I get. Isn’t that right. I DESERVE inflated bills. I DESERVE to pay more. Just because I have more than you.</p>
<p>And there you are, typing away, completely oblivious to you own predudice… just thinking I’m some total a-hole. Laughable.</p>
<p>Funny… the same mentality is afoot in the middle east. Some of those people look across the pond at us and hate us for what we have. Despise us and want to kill us simply for have more then them. You see… it’s all a matter of context. Thanks to all of you for another lesson in the uglier side of human nature.</p>
<p>But Maikai - and I say this with respect and gratitude for your service - doesn’t the basic capitalist economic principal of “what the market will bear” apply here? If you want to pay Levittown rates, then your summer home should be in Levittown. Sure, things cost more in East Hampton, but that’s not some gratuitous premium, and no one is “screwing” you because you’ve got enough money to have a home there. That’s what it costs to have a home there.</p>
<p>maikai… you seem really insecure with yourself. You are inventing things out of whole cloth. Again… it’s not about your wealth. It’s about your attitude. Period.</p>
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</p>
<p>I’m not thumper, but we were asked to file FAFSA as well, in order to collect merit. We were told that the school wants to make sure you don’t qualify for any other money first. Apparently, the merit money pot is the “pot of last resort”. That said, we were offered the merit money with the acceptance letter. Later we were told that we needed to file a FAFSA.</p>
<p>My other two kids were awarded smaller amounts of money and their schools didn’t require FAFSA.</p>
<p>OP here: LBowie, thank you for responding to my original post! </p>
<p>You hit the nail on the head: Our child will be applying to expensive “reach” schools. I’m not counting on merit aid because quite honestly the places that will award her merit are probably going to be her safeties. We would rather see her get into a reach school and pay full freight than go to a lower-tier school just because of merit aid. We have saved diligently so she will have these kinds of choices. </p>
<p>My spouse says, “But why pay more for anything if we don’t have to?” I agree in principle, because he works killer hours for his salary, but my gut feeling is that colleges will look more favorably on our child’s application if we state clearly, “WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR ANY AID. PERIOD.” If we did apply for aid, with our $290K income and six-figure 529 savings, they might not be so quick to admit our child because they might assume that we would not be willing to pay full freight. Why offer a spot to a borderline candidate whose parents will just nix the choice based on cost?</p>
<p>
Only because you let them put it there by having expensive things in the first place. And why shouldn’t you have to pay for services the poor get for free such as nursing home care? IMHO we all have to take care of ourselves the best way we can and the so-called wealthy have more resources with which to do it, and in such a way that legally protects their assets.</p>