<p>This coworker of mine claimed the hockey fees for his sons were treated the same way private school tuition might be treated and that the FA officers have some latitude in deciding such things at "profile" schools. As I said he chronicled all his expenses and explained he would have to remove his daughter from the school if there were cost increases beyond what he was already paying. I think he is being honest and maybe the finaid type took pity on him.</p>
<p>I second Garland's post. I say this not to be snotty, but as food for thought: If my family income was $150,000 I would not NEED financial aid. Yeah, I know ... if I had made it all along, I would have been spending accordingly. But that's the point. And I am not clueless ... I know plenty of people who would be thrilled to have my family income & would say the same. Unless we are living in cardboard boxes, most of us tend to forget how good we really do have it.</p>
<p>It's just hard to remember that when the tuition bill comes ...</p>
<p>calmom -Thanks for such a complete answer. It seems if you're cordial and your S or D is sincere and acts, at least in part, as his or her own spokesperson there would be no harm in asking. I am curious to know if admissions flags certain admits for the finaid office to act a bit more generously toward on appeal.. maybe a numbering system or something. Although my D is not one I gotta believe a NMF has got some wiggle room on appeal.. same with the all-conference QB... which my D isn't either. Looks like tough sledding... so be it.</p>
<p>If you have a real reason to appeal & can articulate it, I think it's worth respectfully asking. I actually appealed an award this year, and my D received a larger merit award in response. I did cite the fact that another, similar school would be x amount less expensive, which was important for certain reasons that I did list. I was sincere, respectful, and honest. Above all, it really was true that my D would be unable to attend otherwise ... I quite honestly told them that she would choose a different school, but would prefer to attend this school. It was not a threat, and I was careful to make sure that it could not be construed as such. I was fully prepared for a no, and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.</p>
<p>"and my D received a larger merit award in response"
Kelsmom, don't you mean financial aid award?</p>
<p>No. The merit part was actually increased, while the grant was not reduced. That was a bonus.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>the hockey fees for his sons were treated the same way private school tuition might be treated>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Unbelievable...that's all I can say about this.</p>
<p>Maybe the college has an amazing hockey program & hoped the parents would send the son(s) their way down the road :)!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am curious to know if admissions flags certain admits for the finaid office to act a bit more generously toward on appeal.. maybe a numbering system or something.
[/quote]
Yes, they do, at colleges that leverage their aid and use it for enrollment management. NYU is one -- they have different categories of students and set their grants based on their desirability level rather than actual need -- the top 5% of their students get very generous awards, then another "tier" gets awards similar to what my d. had, and the lowest tier might not get any grant aid at all. </p>
<p>Most colleges that leverage their aid are NOT 100% need schools -- they can afford to be very generous with aid dollars to the most desirable students at the expense of the ones who are considered borderline in their applicant pool.</p>
<p>Some colleges are very willing to negotiate aid -- for example, my daughter received notice of a $10K merit scholarship from Northeastern's Dean of "enrollment management" rather than the admissions or "financial aid" department -- and Northeastern is reputed to be very willing to negotiate an aid package. Printing "enrollment management" on the letterhead is a strong signal that their goal is to figure out how much $ they need to offer to entice a given student to attend... if they underestimate that figure by a few thousand, then they WANT to hear and fix it -- as they have a clear band or range in mind that might be willing to pay for a given student. (We didn't appeal the Northeastern award as it was a safety or backup school for my d. -- in her case NYU and Barnard were the only 2 contenders at the end).
[quote]
It seems if you're cordial and your S or D is sincere and acts, at least in part, as his or her own spokesperson there would be no harm in asking.
[/quote]
I had my d. take care of the appeal process with NYU, but I have handled all contacts with Barnard, simply because the issues are different. Since Barnard only gives need-based aid, and also purports to meet full need, the issue to be discussed with them is finances, and realistically it is my finances they are interested in, not my daughter's, so it makes more sense for me to have the conversation.</p>
<p>"If my family income was $150,000 I would not NEED financial aid." </p>
<p>kelsmom- If you do, or will make $150,000, (I don't) and your S or D is admitted into Harvard you may be the only person turning down the finaid given to folks in that income group and higher.. as high as $180,000, I've heard. Just let them know you don't NEED it. As for me, I'll keep all that is generously offered.</p>
<p>Its for your kid, not for you. He/She earned it. ;)</p>
<p>Just reading over the thread it seems folks who have a good shot at an appeal may have merit offers from competing schools, folks who own thier own businesses, NMF's, or anyone .. say in the top 10% of a schools candidate pool has a shot, not to mention those with tragic circumstances or suffering a decline in income the college may be unaware of.</p>
<p>Here's one.. what do you think? My nieghbor is a fireman. He has submitted the PROFILE to schools his son is interested in. At work they have advised him the overtime budget has been cut by 80%. This means he will probably make 10k less this year as he had worked mucho overtime before a lot of new hires came aboard. Is this worth bringing up as he was not aware of it at the time his wife filled out the PROFILE?</p>
<p>Yes, especially if he has that statement in writing from his dept. Though it may not effect the the award until next year, as FA is usually based on last year's income.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I agree that it is essential to behave respectfully and graciously throughout.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Couldn't agree more. When my H called to inquire, he found a FA director fresh back from burying his own father. There's always a human being on the other end of the phone.</p>
<p>In all the stories you've ever heard about adjusted FA packages, have you EVER heard one where being belligerent, appalled at their puny first offer, or self-pitying paid off?
It's an education, not a horse auction. The thin line between sounding practical vs. crass is something to consider before dialing.</p>
<p>Oh, Nightingale, me, too!!!! I was being tongue in cheek about not "needing" the aid. It's just the side of the fence you are on when looking out at the field. For those of us who think $150k would be a windfall, it seems like we would be all set if we made that kind of money. Of course, if we DID earn that as a matter of course (not just "all of a sudden"), it wouldn't look like so much. That's the way it works for me, anyway. </p>
<p>I just told my son (HS sophomore) about Harvard's new policy this morning, as a matter of fact. He laughed & told me it's too bad he has no interest in Harvard. Dang.</p>
<p>Does it make sense to address the fact that D is going into the school of Education to get a teaching degree and that she doesn't want to be burdened with high debt and lots of loans while going into a 35K a year job? Would this make a difference in a school's offered financial aid package? What if this was mentioned on the initial school FA form? Would this help? She is planning on attending our state school, UMA state (where this wouldn't make much difference), but she has RD applications in with 50K BU and Northeastern, where, without good financial support, she could never attend.</p>
<p>Some schools have money earmarked for particular programs. UMich has a lot of money for nursing these days, for example. So it might help to mention the intended field of study, just in case it makes a difference. I think I might avoid mention of the fact that it's a "low paying" field, though. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that there are great programs like Teach for America that can help your D pay off those loans in the future.</p>
<p>Beniben, I could be wrong but I thought I saw programs for loan forgiveness if the student goes into teaching afteer college. Check Dept Ed website maybe.</p>
<p>beniben,
No the Universities do not factor the future career aspirations into their awards. (There are, however, scholarships and grants - university and independent - for certain professions.) But those career aspirations should, IMO, be factored into the choices our students make w/regard to debt.</p>