<p>I'm currently in the process of appealing for financial aid, and I was asked to give the Appeal Committee a dollar amount of how much additional aid I will need to afford WashU. To be completely honest, I will be needing a lot more aid (almost 20k more) if I want to be able to afford it without excessive loans; however, I'm afraid if I ask for this much, they will think I'm being unreasonable and possibly offer me less aid than if I had been more reasonable. So I was wondering what I should do? Should I ask for 20k or less? My family's EFC is only $3,600, but with my dad's (non-custodial parent) income, my annual contribution was somehow calculated to be over $30,000 even though his income really isn't that high. </p>
<p>Also, for anyone who has done this before, should I prepare documents and copies of bills to send to them? They haven’t asked for any but I want to get them ready if they will be needed.</p>
<p>First, find out which FA advisor will be handling your case, write down his or her name and direct line, and explain your situation to her, the bit about your father and your EFC and anything else that’s relevant. Tell her you’re appealing on your own, without much parental help, so you really need her help. And build that relationship with her. She will tell you what she needs from you. Ask her to put most or all of her requests together so that you can do fewer and quicker mailings. You should be prepared to copy the records and deliver them expeditiously. If it’s appropriate to enlist your guidance counselor or a teacher who knows your situation, find out if that person would be willing to talk to the financial aid advisor. You can do this. Adults do this all the time.</p>