<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I haven't gotten my FA package, but I know it's probably going to be bad (since my family income is higher than another poster on this board who didn't get any FA at all).
How would I go about appealing it? Should I call the FA office to set up an appointment? Should I write a letter? Any advice would be really helpful.</p>
<p>TALK TO THEM. </p>
<p>Apparently the worst thing you can do is just ignore them. I would call them and earnestly explain the situation and the fact that without further help, you probably won’t be able to afford it. Explain to them that Williams is a school that you really wish to attend and would LOVE to attend, but that you really need more fin.aid to attend. Make sure you explain ALL of your extenuating circumstances – sibling in college/private school, sudden medical bills, parents lost savings because of economic downturn, no inheritance, high mortgage rates, etc.
And if you have a school that gave you more FA than Williams, ask politely and earnestly if they could possibly match it because Williams is your top choice and you REALLY want to attend it. (which I know you do. )</p>
<p>I’m planning to go talk face-to-face with the finaid offices of Williams and Dmouth during the visitation weekends. :P</p>
<p>My mom is just writing an email to send to all my colleges… lol.</p>
<p>ya, but it is my belief that a more personal approach (phone or interview) will succeed in tugging their heartstrings more. To an e-mail, they can simply say “no thanks” 
but can they do it face-to-face to a student who really really wants to go to said school? :P</p>
<p>limetime: Thank you! I will definitely do that. I might set up an appointment and talk to them at Williams, or just talk to them over the phone if they are willing.</p>
<p>i’ve always wondered why these situations arise, so excuse my curiosity.</p>
<p>If the school denies your application for financial aid, isn’t it because they believe you have the full capacity to pay for tuition? If they have a history of meeting 100% of demonstrated need, why doesn’t this apply to students like you?</p>
<p>Because my family just started earning a good income 2 years ago? And we have absolutely zero savings because of this? I think if I can explain this to colleges, they’ll be more understanding of why I’m going to appeal financial aid… yes, the income looks great on paper, but in reality, we have no assets, no inheritance because we’re immigrants, and no savings because good amounts of money have only been made in the past two years. Before that, the income was probably less than half of what it is now.</p>
<p>Yeah my mom just started working 2 years ago and has <25k income (before taxes, health care, etc.). She has support, but it will be completely gone next year, and since she has never worked before, has no savings or social security. Williams wants her to pay $7.5k. x_x</p>
<p>Williams wants us to pay almost 46k a year lol… but most of what they gave me was “Williams Scholarship”, which is nice, because not a single other school I was accepted to gave me any sort of money, just loans.
Also got some work-study from Williams.
I’ll try to get them to match Cornell’s 35k per year instate deal, but I don’t know if that will work.</p>