<p>Hi all,
In a nutshell, I was accepted under the Early Decision II program and received notification on Tuesday, to be followed shortly by my financial aid decision. The only problem is, Swarthmore offered me no aid of any kind...I'm and upper-middle class Latino student from California. My dad contacted the school to tell them about his economic situation and essentially begged them to reconsider. The financial aid director was very kind, and extended the ED II deposit deadline to Tuesday of next week as opposed to Friday this week. Obviously, this is good, but I still don't feel entirely sure that Swarthmore's financial aid committee is going to turn around and give my family money after basically saying they were sure we could afford to foot the whole bill comfortably. Clearly Swarthmore is my absolute first choice. In fact now I can't imagine myself at any other college that I applied to...(some of which include Bates, Colby, Bowdoin, etc.). The financial aid lady tried explaining to my dad that if Swarthmore wasn't offering me any money; those schools with lesser endowments and lesser financial aid programs were almost sure not to offer me any money either. Please give me some advice in this most aggravating of times. My parents both seem to think that exiting an Early Decision plan is as simple as saying "oh, we can't afford you, bye" and then continuing my applications to other colleges without any ramifications.</p>
<p>the financial aid lady is essentially correct, but, the point is: you’ll never know. A “whiter” college might have put some extra bucks on the table for a Calino/Calina acceptee during regular decision, but, probably not enough to lure you from your first choice – and, you would have run the risk of not getting into Swat during RD. The ability to compare packages is one of the things you give up by applying ED.</p>
<p>what made them think that you can afford the full amount? are your parents’ income very very high?</p>
<p>Parents and students sometimes have unrealistics expectations about how much aid they are likely to receive. Schools such as Swarthmore and Ivies do not give merit scholarships so what is available is financial aid which is largely based on federal formulas.</p>
<p>You say that you are upper middle class and right there is your predicament. It may be difficult for your parents to come up with the tuition, but all schools use similar formulas and although you may receive some aid at other schools, that may be trying to attract students such as you, it is unlikely that you will receive substantial awards at schools in the same category as Swarthmore. </p>
<p>Swarthmore is one of the most generous schools for students who meet financial need critera. If you cannot meet the criteria, you are likely to fare far better at schools that offer merit scholarships.</p>
<p>The decision to give up an opportunity to attend Swarthmore is something that you need to consider carefully because unless you choose to attend a public university or a school that offers merit awards, ultimately you may find yourself paying practically as much at a school that may not give you the opportunities that Swarthmore will offer you.</p>
<p>I am the parent of a sophomore Swattie paying full tuition. We are not wealthy. We are upper middle class professionals who have sacrificed quite a bit to offer our children the opportunity to attend the schools of their choice. We have been hurt by the downturn in the economy but even before the economic woes of the last year, we knew that we would have to postpone retirement and do without extras that our friends with children at our large public universities still manage to enjoy. For example, they drive new cars, ours are 7 to 10 years old. They go away on vacations, we stay close to home. They have housekeepers, I do all my housework after long hours at work. I could go on, but I think It is a matter of choice. For us it was a choice that we made gladly even though both of our kids could have attended our state public universities for free and other private schools that offered them substantial merit awards. It has been a very expensive choice, but one that we do not regret. </p>
<p>I teach at a large public university. If your choice would be to attend a large public university, I will gladly share my perspective, privately, if your parents wish to PM me.</p>
<p>For others contemplating ED, this situation should remind them to use those financial aid calculators and have frank family discussions on whether or not the family can really afford their “Expected Family Contribution,” and to have this discussion before applying ED, especially to schools that only award financial aid based on need.</p>
<p>Very few families can “foot the whole bill comfortably.” $50,000 per year is a lot of money. But many families do decide to make the sacrifice, as Dramatica has mentioned. Approximately 45 -50% of Swarthmore’s students pay full freight, one way or another.</p>
<p>pmurray:</p>
<p>I understand why you are concerned, but take a deep breath and let the process play out. Financial aid offices are dealing with a lot of families with changing economic situations. If they say they are reviewing your financial aid package, they are reviewing it. All you can do is wait 'til you hear back.</p>
<p>As far as getting out of your EDII commitment. Yes, it’s pretty straightforward if you say you can’t afford it and if you are, indeed, going to a significantly lower cost school. If Amherst offers you the same money as Swarthmore, Swarthmore is going to expect you to honor your EDII committment. If, however, you get accepted to a school that is half the net price of Swarthmore, they’ll release you.</p>
<p>pmurray:</p>
<p>The college tuition Financial Comfort Equation is at least as complicated as the mathematical one used to calculate aid dollars, with family-specific terms weighted by many factors, not only those related to concrete amount of money available. Family values, past educational and life experiences, the list goes on and on. It’s not only about being willing to drive an old car (although putting 2 kids through Swat at full freight has meant, among other things, that our car is 13 yrs old and counting! LOL!) 30 years ago, I was accepted at a private university on the West Coast, but could not attend because I was offered no aid and the financial burden was too much for my parents to absorb. So I went instead to a public state university and then to grad shcool at the same private univ, with full tuition paid by an NIH research grant. There’s more than one way… Whatever you and your family decide,your success will be determined by who you are, not by where you went for undergrad. Swarthmore is a great school, even unique in some ways, but it is not perfect. There are many other great fits for you, and you will be happy and successful at those schools too, if Swat doesn’t work out. </p>
<p>Good luck with your search. Try not to sweat it.</p>
<p>people like the op amaze me. they want the benefits ed provides yet can’t afford to pay for it. it’s like eating at a fine dining establishment then being surprised when the bill arrives. if you couldn’t afford full freight, don’t apply ed. if you do apply ed, don’t you start off with the assumption that you will get no aid? that’s what rd is for. i, for one, hope you don’t come. who needs people like this around here?</p>
<p>Goodness, Duh. No need to be nasty. Here’s a kid who loved Swat enough to apply ED and you’re mad that he/she had the gall to hope he/she got enough FA to make it work? Seriously, what’s the crime? Lots of kids are going to be faced with tough decisions about college over the next several weeks. Lighten up.</p>
<p>Duhvinci - I applied EDII and was accepted with a generous aid package. We used several EFC calculators beforehand and actually expected slightly less aid than was granted (based on Amherst’s calculator).</p>
<p>OP - If you turn down Swat, be prepared to also turn down Bates, Colby, Bowdoin, etc. All of those schools also operate solely on need-based aid.</p>
<p>mrscollege: lets examine this a little bit. here’s a kid who loved swat enough to apply ed “II,” which leaves me with the impression that this kid loved swat more when ed from another place turned him/her down. so no sympathy here (not that any was requested.) why does swat have ed II anyway? do we really need the rejects from other schools? isn’t that already the reason haverford exists? when i was applying for college, i was told that if i couldn’t afford full freight, don’t apply ed, go regular (ok, full disclosure, i wasn’t told that, but classmates of mine were told that) and see which school gives the best package of aid. this whiner, took advantage of the system, got into a better school than he deserved because the admit rates are better ed and now is crying that his upper middle class parents may not be all that upper middle class. so what’s the crime, you ask? no crime, but why should i lighten up on this loser? sure lots of kids are going to be faced with tough decisions, the op’s was “will i get into swat regular decision or will i have a better shot with ed?” it’s obvious which one he chose and is now whining that no aid is forthcoming. in fact, the whiner is complaining that his upper middle class father called the school to reconsider (i assume he meant the aid decision) and was rebuffed? do you think the rebuff was because they are UPPER MIDDLE CLASS latino’s? so, i’m guessing that swat feels they have enough to pay, but op’s parents don’t want to sacrifice the new benz or the boat or the cottage in aspen to bankroll the old college education. what am i getting at? i’m not sure, it’s late, i’ve had a crap week, an exam on monday and i should be high now instead of sober and studying.</p>
<p>keilexandra: i’m not really sure what you’re getting at, but i’m thinking you agree with me and did all your research before applying ed II by using the amherst calculator to get a good handle on what your aid may be before applying. maybe someone else should have done that before applying ed II, you think?</p>
<p>ok, more disclosure, i didn’t get any aid either and i did whine about it in one of my earliest postings (back when i was young,) but my folks knew the ramifications of ed and didn’t go hat in hand to the fa lady begging for a handout.</p>
<p>pmurray:</p>
<p>The other 2399 (or whatever) staff, faculty, and students at Swarthmore would be glad to welcome you with open arms if it all works out and will wish the best for you if it doesn’t. I am appalled that Duhvinci is being so nasty to someone who has just been accepted to Swarthmore (yippee) and is wrestling with the finances to make it happen (aaarghhhh).</p>
<p>Second-semester senior stress at Swat (or any other school) can get a little out of hand sometimes, but using a high school student as a target is kind of sad. </p>
<p>Good luck, pmurray.</p>
<p>
What you/your classmates were told is FALSE. I feel the need to reiterate this. To avoid heartbreak, it’s best to know one’s approximate EFC beforehand–however, if you need financial aid, you can apply Early Decision, especially to a no-loans full-need school like Swarthmore.</p>
<p>OP–what was your family’s EFC according to FAFSA?</p>
<p>Someone correct me if I am wrong:
If you apply ED (or EDII) you have signed a contract that says you agree to attend if you are accepted?</p>
<p>Also, my understanding was that most good schools have as part of the application process an agreement that if you are accepted ED by another school you are supposed to withdraw your application from them. Further, I was told that a decision to accept you by a school can be withdrawn if they find out you were accepted elsewhere ED. Is that not the case for the other schools the OP mentions?</p>
<p>In fairness to future applicants, if the ED contracts are not adhered to by both the students and not respected by other colleges, then the process looses credibility. My heart goes out to the OP, but the other schools he/she mentions, even if they are more generous, might still not be a huge savings. Also, based on the number of ED applicants turned down it hardly seems fair to other applicants.</p>
<p>Really, i wish the ED process was dropped altogether. It really is not fair to anyone, and benefits very few. The original poster could be 1000 other kids that just got their FA decisions from ED’s and realized that mom and dad dont have the money to back up the contract they agreed to.</p>
<p>PS: no dog in this fight, just happened to be reading the boards.</p>
<p>Lack of an acceptable financial aid package is the only way out of an ED contract as I understand it.</p>
<p>dadwonders - I copy below the full text of the Common Application Early Decision Agreement, to which Swarthmore and many other colleges subscribe.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The wording specifically places the burden of determining affordability upon the FAMILY–“an award that makes attendance possible.” If the family says that an award makes attendance impossible, the college can’t disagree.</p>
<p>General protocol dictates that an ED candidate withdraw all other applicants once they commit to their ED school–obviously, if the ED acceptance is turned down for financial reasons, the applicant does not need to withdraw other applications. (However, colleges do share lists of admitted students, and I think it would be rare for the OP to gain admission to, i.e. Bowdoin, once Bowdoin discovers that the OP has turned down Swarthmore ED.) The few people every year who decline an ED acceptance usually end up going to their local state flagship.</p>
<p>
I used to feel this way, too; a year ago, I could never have imagined that I would apply anywhere Early Decision. But most colleges will never drop ED because it is so important in managing class composition, financial aid, yield. Since it’s not going away en masse any time soon, I believe strongly in encouraging FA applicants to apply ED to a clear first-choice school with a track record of generous financial aid IF AND ONLY IF their financial situation is not overly complicated and thus various EFC calculators can be relied upon.</p>
<p>@KeilExandra</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. Glad you looked it up. So it would seem that if the student does not send in the non refundable deposit next week, they lose the ED spot at Swarth? Possibly not get the chance again?</p>
<p>^Yes. If you decline the ED acceptance, you will not be considered in the RD pool. That is standard procedure and I haven’t heard of Swat being any different.</p>