<p>Ever since I began researching colleges, I’ve heard that Barnard tends to have two classes of students…those that are able to pay the full prices for tuition, and then those who have a very difficult financial situation and thus receive sufficient financial aid from the college. The package I received from Barnard yesterday used an EFC that was even beyond the institutional methodology calculation from the CSS profile, if I chose to dorm. I know, of course, that such an education is priceless…but if its impossible for my family, I guess I would just have to accept that…</p>
<p>How did other admits find the finaid package? Are you satisfied, suprised, dissapointed, etc? I am not really looking for specifics here…I think that would be inappropriate to post online…but I was just wondering how you felt about Barnards “generosity.”</p>
<p>want2b: Sorry you were disappointed and may not be able to attend. That's sad. Our FA from Barnard has always been very generous so I am surprised. D was accepted to six schools and Barnard's package was #2, and it differed from #1 by only $1,000.</p>
<p>My finaid was really really bad. My EFC from FAFSA is incredibly low (about 2000 dollars), but my family still has to pay full tuition. Though, there is nothing I can really do about it, other than complain, since I got in ED.</p>
<p>Can't you back out of ED if it's way too taxing on your family?</p>
<p>My own family didn't get much at all; this is probably because we have a lot of liquid assets/savings, but the problem is that we have a huge mortgage to pay off for my dad's business, but it can't be paid off until next year, so that money is reserved for the business, not for college tuition.</p>
<p>Question: Does anybody know if spending all the money in the bank to pay off that debt will change my FA significantly for next year?</p>
<p>For those of you who have issues/problems with financial aid:
Get all your paperwork together, including copies of your FAFSA SAR, tax returns, & CSS Profile.
CALL the financial aid department and ask to talk to someone. Ask them to explain what went into the formula, piece by piece.
If you have a FAFSA EFC of $X and your expected contribution is X+Y -- ask them where that Y difference comes from.</p>
<p>Do NOT argue, beg, whine. ASK. ASK nicely. Say that you don't understand and simply want to go over everything to see how it is all calculated. But if there are special circumstances that you feel should be considered, make a list of them before you call and make sure you ask about each. </p>
<p>The Barnard finaid people tend to be pretty good about answering questions and they are very formulaic -- so if they find a mistake in calculations (something they didn't consider but which they can) -- they will tell you what you have to do to get an increase in aid.</p>
<p>D isn't getting any financial aid. EFC too high, but income/ savings too low to say we can easily afford it. Must decide between Barnard and schools that have awarded merit aid:</p>
<p>So far:
$22M from American
$15M from Brandeis
$19M from Muhlenberg
?? from NYU
?? from GW</p>
<p>I don't know your circumstances so I don't know how much of a hardship paying for college would be. From your above list I would choose American unless NYU and/or GW come through with good packages. It will be reasonable and have an urban vibe which your list leads me to believe your daughter is interested in.</p>
<p>The people I know at American are very happy.</p>
<p>It's a shame that such wonderful news of acceptance has to be "bittersweet"! I have a question regarding outside scholarships...if I receive aid from an outside source, will this be deducted from the Barnard grant...or can I use it as part of my family's contribution? The finaid package said all scholarship money should be reported, so I assume they may adjust their assistance to reflect outside grants? </p>
<p>Btw, I also have some friends that attend American, and they couldn't be more satisfied with their decision.</p>
<p>uskoolfish, if you chose 3 adjectives to describe your daughter, what would they be? </p>
<p>If you chose 3 things that you think are the most important things you want your daughter to get out of her college experience, what would they be?</p>
<p>If you and your daughter value academics or academic opportunity above all else, then you will get your money's worth at Barnard. I've asked the above questions simply to get a sense of "match" and "fit".</p>
<p>want2bivy, the money from outside scholarships will reduce your self-help aid (work study & loans) first, then it will come from Barnard grants. It is possible that you can get outside scholarships and still qualify for subsidized loans, so in that sense you end up better off -- that is, you have:</p>
<p>$20,000 Barnard grant
$3500 Stafford Loan
$1500 work study ($25K total aid package)</p>
<p>You get a $5000 private scholarship, so Barnard wipes out the "required" Stafford loan and work study, but if your Barnard EFC was higher than the FAFSA EFC, you would still qualify for subsidized loans and you could take the $3500 Stafford loan anyway. So Barnard thinks you have $20K Barnard grant + $5K outside scholarship ($25K), but you actually have $25K grants & scholarships + $3500 loan ($28.5K).</p>
<p>Also, don't worry about losing work study. You can get a better hourly rate and make a lot more money working for the agencies -- Barnard Babysitting or Barnard Bartending or tutoring. So I'd recommend going for any small scholarships you may qualify for.</p>
<p>Good to know...yes, I was thinking about work study on campus, and how it might actually be more beneficial to apply for a job elsewhere, if I were in need of money. I know work study jobs are more understanding of one's academic responsibilities, but it might be better to work in a doctors office or something like that, if I were commuting.</p>
<p>Our FA was 3x our EFC ($5000), which for my parents isn't doable at all. . .aagh the FA was even worse than Wesleyan's :[
I love Barnard so much, though.</p>