<p>That the mom does not work is not an issue. I don’t know any schools that take that into consideration. The problem is that this mom does work, and her sweat equity has given her a true dollar reward. Whether she continues to work is not the issue; a school is looking at her 2010 income and assets to come up with what they feel the family should pay for the following school year. Next year, even if she is continuing to volunteer for the school, if she isn’t getting a monetary equivalence award for it, the colleges are not going to attribute a salary for it. The fact is that for this last year, she did get a monetary benefit for the work. I’m not sure how the school entered into this arrangement with her off the books or how any of this even came up with GT, but it is on the table. </p>
<p>Perhaps the other schools will look at her need differently. Perhaps she can reach some agreement with GT. Perhaps, she can see where her need is being inflated and change things for next year, and have her D take a gap year while she does that. GT is amenable to gap years. I hope the OP is able to come up with some workable solution.</p>
<p>I agree with AGenda rb 100%. My heart goes out to this family and I cannot even imagine the grief which my own family would feel at such a loss.</p>
<p>That said, sadly, taking some of the emotions out of the equation, I strongly feel that this woman needs to seek employment(as well as a less expensive college education-GT or elsewhere) very soon after her trip to Europe, even if she is already in her late 50s.</p>
<p>I am in my late 40s, fresh off a harsh winter commute (and more snow is in tonight’s forecast) to a job I don’t love. Yesterday i had lunch with a colleague who turned 82 last week (she works just 8-10 hrs/wk) All of my wages go to college funds for my children. Even then, we have already had to tell my DD last week she cannot attend the latest college she was accepted to with a COA over $50k. My husband is a gainfully employed hardworking mid-level executive. We have saved so that d will comfortably be able to avoid one of two top choices she is already accepted to with COA under $35k.</p>
<p>This is just the reality for many working families – and from reading these boards I actually realize we are better off than many. I read in another thread that OP had to give up her spring gardening hobby to go to Italy for 10 days. I wish I had to make such a choice.</p>
<p>I probably sound harsh, but like agenda above, I think OP’s dreams of an inexpensive education from Georgetown or the like just may not be realistic.</p>
<p>titled “anyone else get really terrible fa” everyone posting is getting 0 or 1,000 dollars at the most. OP is not alone in realizing GU might not work out…seems a lot of people are surprised; Wasn’t GU highlighted as the most expensive school in the US this year, or in an article last year? </p>
<p>I feel badly for the OP for her loss, as we all do, but as I said early on, and others have also said, GU is looking at the 300,000 and the “sweat equity” job at her daughter’s private high school as income. CSS profile schools look at things so very differently than FAFSA…it is too bad that she didn’t follow advice given two years ago, here on cc. </p>
<p>We all make financial choices, including whether or not to work/volunteer and these choices can have an impact on how we fund our childrens’ education. I would assume there is no school worth our children incurring heavy debt or putting our retirement in jeopardy.</p>
<p>“Why did everyone go after that guy but this time people are on her side?”</p>
<p>Notaclue,
I think most people tried to respond to the facts on each thread. That particular poster angered many because he went way out of his way to try to game the system even to the point of wanting to manipulate his FAFSA. (Didn’t he call NYU before filing the paperwork to try and see how they would rule so he could figure out what would be to his advantage?) This lady doesn’t seem to be purposely trying to swindle any school; it just seems she didn’t know how the system worked. </p>
<p>In both cases, the advice is that Profile schools or schools with their own forms will use ALL the information and their own formulas to come up with numbers.</p>
<p>We don’t know this. We have no idea how GU is evaluating the $300K assets and if they are imputing income from barter. For all we know, there’s a decimal place wrong somewhere and it can be corrected. A difference in the OP’s original FAFSA EFC of $3000, GU’s quoted $9000 EFC, and GU’s final mid 5-figure expected family contribution is very significant and must have an explanation. Until the OP gives us more details, let’s not make assumptions about GU’s formula and how GU came up with this family’s expected contribution.</p>
<p>^^^I agree there is something off regarding what she was originally told. My (and others) assumptions might not be correct, but they do seem logical. I don’t think it is a simple decimal error and that is why I posted the other thread…to point out how tight GU is with FA. OP is not the only family soon to make a tough decision regarding GU.</p>
<p>I feel for the OP and her daughter, especially after they had such high hopes regarding this college. I am in the process of trying to decide “how much is too much” in regards to college expenses. Not an easy answer for anyone, I don’t think. I do need to add a comment, though. There may be some people who are less than sympathetic to the OP due to the fact that a) she doesn’t feel the strong need to work for payment in $$ b) she seems to be less than willing to do the immediate, hard work of sorting this out with the university right away c) she is off touring Italy while the rest of us anxiously await the outcome of this situation :)</p>
<p>I know several people who are divorced and say only one parents (the one who makes the least amount) contributes to the child. People who took all the money their child had in the bank and hid it. People who retired and purposedly did not start geting their retirement income so they could say they make $0. Also know a family where the dad makes lower salary, despite being a science phD and mother does not work and child goes to free to one of best university that meets all financial need.<br>
I do feel sorry for the OP. I think she should look in to the U of Alabama someone suggested. Even if she works something out for this year at Georgetown, she should not plan on the same option being available the other three years when it will be a harder blow to tell her daughter she needs to go to a cheaper school and leave GT.</p>
<p>Not a clue-- I started reading this thread when it first started and after a few pages, I, too, was reminded of Steve123 and his NYU dispute LOL! Although as other posters have noted this OP isn’t gaming the system like he was (is).</p>
<p>It does seem ridiculous though that the OP doesn’t seem to think she should work and essentially let others pay for her Ds education. The college is seeing that $300,000 asset and doesn’t care what she has intentions of doing with it (retirement). All they are seeing is potentially liquid money and part of it belongs to them!</p>
I believe that was George Washington U, not Georgetown. (GWU has some unusual tuition policies that impact the rate they charge, so they tend to have one of the highest sticker prices of all US colleges).</p>
<p>George Washington also fixes the tuition at the same rate for all four years. GW also offers (generous?) merit scholarships but does meets full need for all students.</p>
<p>I don’t get this reasoning that the OP has to work. No parent is asked to work as part of the financial aid process. Not a one. Why should she? If she doesn’t want to work, so be it. Less she’ll have to pay, and maybe next year without her affiliation with a school giving her benefits , she will get a generous package since she will only have investment income. </p>
<p>The issue is that it appears that the benefit she received from her work is being counted as income. GT is not asking her to work or expecting her to work. They are saying that she did work and got paid for in the value of her daughter’s free ride at the private school. If she had not had that situation and her D had gone to private school, there would be no issue about her work. There is the question of how GT 's aid formula works with her investment income and assets including home equity, but no school is expecting her or any parent to get a job. In fact they take a big chunk of your pay if you do get a job and financial aid is reduced accordingly. Had a friend who went through that.</p>
<p>Re post #273 – I think you meant to write that GWU does “not” meet full need. (Again, different university & different policies from Georgetown U.)</p>
<p>Somebody mentioned George Washington U. Actually, it is relevant. The OP’s posts in another thread implied her D applied George Washington U, U of American, and possibly Brown. I do not know GWU and U of American. I hope they hear good news from Brown. Below is the link of her posts:</p>
<p>GWU doesn’t offer “early action” - just binding ED - so it looks like GT is the school with the weak aid offer. But if the d. has applied to GWU & American – both colleges offer merit money to some students – if she is strong enough to be admitted to the GT SFS, then she very likely is a strong candidate for merit money at both GWU and American. Merit money may be the answer to this family’s problems, depending on the size of the award. So hopefully the d. will receive some good news on that front as well.</p>