<p>I'm just curious as to how common it is to appeal your fin. aid package and/or awards. Is this tantamount to looking a gift horse in the mouth? I've been told to leverage one package vs. another and hope you catch a break. Are colleges receptive to this sort of thing or do they get offended and standoffish. DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIANCE DOING THIS? If so were you successful? Is it possible, if they take another look at what your S or D are getting they could increase the COA by changing grants back to loans or something of that sort? What is the best strategy? Also, what percentage of accepted students (in your experience) would you say actually appeal?</p>
<p>It's going to depend on how valuable the school sees you. I would suggest honesty as your policy. There is nothing dishonest is telling school A "I really want to attend here, but school B has this offer on the table and it wouldn't be fair to my folks.." . </p>
<p>If you have something to compare, be honest about it. If you don't, let it go. We did this with schools, we were honest about things and in turn they were good about doing all they could to make it work.</p>
<p>We are awaiting the results of an appeal. We have no expectations, but since it was D's first choice, we felt obligated to give it "the old college try." (so to speak.) We didn't send any direct comparisons - only pointed out that it was the most expensive school on her list now, and the only school that didn't offer merit. (They did give her a music scholarship - 3 of the schools gave her both, and one gave her only merit. They are all comparable schools.)</p>
<p>They have promised to let us know before May 1, but I think D is tired of being in limbo, and has already adjusted to the idea of her second choice.</p>
<p>May 1 is awful late to get back to you on an appeal. I mean aren't the housing deposit due by then? Are all colleges that slow?</p>
<p>A year ago, DD took her finaid packages with her to accepted student days. One school was great...added work study and a Perkins loan (yes, a loan...but it was something). The second school would NOT discuss their finaid award...period. They would not even talk about DD's award...period. In fact, we both thought they were actually a bit abrupt. DD enrolled at school #1 even though the overall finaid award was less. There's something to be said about kind treatment too.</p>
<p>Usually they can tell you if they're going to do it within a few hours. The longer the wait, the less likely the outcome. I know, I know, some will say it's because they are trying so hard... not to be the bearer of bad news..</p>
<p>In our situation, we had an answer within a couple hours say from 10am requested to around 1:30 that afternoon. If they can swing it, they let you know pretty quickly especially when they know the other schools who want your kid. </p>
<p>I would give them the names of the other offers, withholding the name may mean a bluff is going on. However, if school A is told school B is offerring x more and you are willing to show it, alot of times, they jump to match or up the ante. At least they did in our case. Because they can show the decision maker an actual competitor for the student, not a poker bluff.</p>
<p>Actually, in our situation, I do believe it will take time. Our taxes are over 50 pages long. They made their decision based on FAFSA, and we appealed because FAFSA income includes things like 50K Euros of taxes to Germany that the company reimbursed us for, so we weren't having to pay taxes to two countries - but that reimbursement gets credited as taxable income. Our moving expenses, daughter's language tutor, plane flights, and so on all show up as income. So the school asked for our taxes, and statements from the company detailing which items were not really income. It's going to take them awhile to understand it. (The only thing harder to understand than IRS forms are IRS forms with abbreviations.)</p>
<p>But we aren't expecting anything other than perhaps a loan offer, which isn't going to be enough.</p>
<p>I know you may as well not even attempt it with some schools. As a buddy of mine was told while working on the Williams College package as compared to Holy Cross, "Well, we're Williams" His D is happy at Holy Cross and he didn't have to cancel cable T.V. to send her there. Outstanding helmeted athletes or NM Scholars with 1500 SAT's might get the time of day.</p>
<p>Got results of our appeal from Furman today. They added a $7,550 grant, changed the Federal Unsubsidized loan to subsidized, added a Perkins and a work study.</p>
<p>Since the grant is probably only 1 year (next year we'll only have one in school, so EFC will rise), that brings the total four year cost for us to about $110k. Throw in a potential 3 week free trip to China (they interviewed D via phone last night.)</p>
<p>Miami, meanwhile, sent their final numbers, and both tuition and housing are higher than previous numbers they've given. So their four year cost of attendance will be $64,500. Still a $55k difference!</p>
<p>The schools are different in many ways - public vs. private, far vs. near, large vs. small. Trying to decide which is the better fit, and how much that fit is worth, is the next question.</p>
<p>Binx, I there time for another visit?</p>
<p>I'd love to fit in another visit to Miami. Especially because we're having difficulty getting anybody there (except the violin teacher) to answer email questions. Don't know if it will happen. D's life has been pretty stressful lately, and she might crack if I ask her to do anything else.</p>
<p>I had some success getting a modest but gratefully received adjustment on FinAid by walking through some of the gray areas of the Schedule C's on my tax return...a little like Binx's but different. Also, if your S/D has a better FinAid offer from what the school under consideration thinks of as a natural rival, say Wellesley vs. Smith, that may help with a bit of grease. </p>
<p>Binx, a tough bit of grist for the mill: that unresponsiveness from Miami may play out in other ways over the next four years. We bit the bullet for the private LAC but it's had a number of significant compensations along the way, including responsiveness.</p>
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Also, if your S/D has a better FinAid offer from what the school under consideration thinks of as a natural rival, say Wellesley vs. Smith, that may help with a bit of grease.
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<p>This was exactly our situation as D's first choice was Dartmouth but Williams gave the better package. Overall the Williams package was not the best offer D received, but we knew it was a head to head peer school (and a 50/50 split when it came to choosing one school over the other). We wrote a very nice letter explaining our situation, told them that Dartmouth was D's first choice but Williams was the more financially feasible option for our family and 2 days later Dartmouth met the Williams offer and has given a comprable offer each additional year (waiting to see what senior year will bring).</p>
<p>Wait, aren't both UMiami and Furman private?</p>
<p>You cannot get what you don't ask for.</p>
<p>UMiami in Florida is private. Miami University in Ohio is public. I believe binx was talking about the one in Ohio when she mentioned "Miami."</p>
<p>Sorry, I'm usually more careful than that. Miami U of Ohio is what we're looking at. I usually write Miami-Ohio, but we've been talking about it so much lately, I just shorthanded it.</p>
<p>I figured nothing ventured nothing gained, and since we were offered NOTHING, anything we get will be great!</p>
<p>Oh, sorry Binx. Actually, that makes much more sense...U/Miami seemed, ah, a little out of character from what I've read intermittently.</p>
<p>Well, the message is still relevant, imo: administrative responsiveness isn't a reason to choose a college but lack of it should give one a bit of a pause.</p>
<p>I haven't ever appealed my kids FA packages, since the Univ. met need using FAFSA figures (for DD), and just a bit above for DS. I'm probably being silly, but I know I would feel uncomfortable doing so. Now, if we had any self-employment or business deductions, etc. that would be different; but we don't. We are employed by big organizations and get standard W-2's, so nothing fancy there. I guess we might have been able to request reconsideration and more financial aid, but I didn't feel like we had any grounds to do so... so I'll just scrape up that money somehow!!!! :eek:</p>