<p>i only recieved loans in my FA package, and its basically not going to be enough. my entire college fund was in the stock market and now its pretty much been less than cut in half. would this count as a special circumstance? rochester is beyond my first choice school and i dont need much more to make it economically feasible, and if i called and explained how much i love rochester and everything, do you think they'd consider upping it? or even just changing it to a grant? anyone have any experience bargaining with U Roch?</p>
<p>also, anyone heard about renaissance? i dont think theres much of a chance of me getting it, but being flown up to rochester would be WONDERFUL!</p>
<p>^^^same situation…same questions</p>
<p>Yep same here. I would definitely like to barter with Rochester but I highly doubt that they let that sort of thing happen.</p>
<p>try to squeeze enough money for the first year and try to get a scholarship or a part-time job in the 2nd</p>
<p>only try to bargain if you are confident about your persuasion. better start doing than talking</p>
<p>If you want bargaining, you need to have your parents write in a letter explaining your “special” situation. If you live closer by, it would be helpful to actually go into the financial aid office during their walk-in hours or schedule an appointment. This needs to be done with your parents.</p>
<p>In either case, it is unlikely that you will get much more money. In these situations, they tend to add a work-study option to you package worth a few grand. Sometimes, they give you a more interest-free loans if you are in the lower income bracket. </p>
<p>However, it all depends on how much your parents are making now. The fact that you lost money in the stock market is sad, but there are tons of kids here whose parents make really meager wages, let alone having money invested for their education. Most of the need-based money is reserved for this pool of students.</p>
<p>yeah i know. im from alabama, so going in person is sorta not gonna happen. just having a few grand in work study would actually probably do the trick. it would probably be easier if i hadnt been given full tuition to schools my parents think are better, but which really arent, in my opinion. im considering calling those schools and asking them to send me a rejection letter =)</p>
<p>jocool26—I know what you mean!! I was offered a full ride to michigan state and now I feel obligated to go there! It’s like a sentencing! I’d rather go to UR but unless money falls from the sky, it looks like I’m going to be a spartan :(</p>
<p>awww but michigan states pretty cool. mines between richmond & rhodes & rochester =( rhodes is cool, but a girl i HATE is going there, and i literally cannot deal with 4 more years of her, if it was a bigger school it wouldnt be a proble, but because rhodes is so small, it probably wont work. richmonds just kinda… white. hehe. im thinking about just taking the scholarship and getting a job when im up there and just putting that toward tuition. ahhh i hope it works!</p>
<p>cinn9274, did you win an ADS? </p>
<p>MSU is not a bad place. I was there as an undergrad a century ago. :)</p>
<p>My own d won an ADS but passed it up for no ride at UofC. </p>
<p>But MSU treats ADSers very well, and has some real gems within a rather large chaotic place. A key is to be in the right dorm, and the residential colleges are some of the best if the academic fit is right. You might want to beg your way into one of those if you can. BTW, I was in the first class out of Lyman Briggs.</p>
<p>No, I’m a UDS winner. I do realize that MSU isn’t that bad but I had other ideas on how I wanted to spend my college years. However, thanks to the economy and the massive guilt I’d feel if I made my parents pay thousands when they could have paid nothing, I most likely will end up at MSU and in Lyman Briggs :)</p>
<p>in some ways Briggs will give you the best of all worlds - the intimacy of a smaller college with the resources of a major university. And the food is good.</p>
<p>@jocool26: You are notified about whether you are being considered for Renaissance within the first acceptance letter you receive. Otherwise, about a week later, you hear back about what merit award award you received along with financial aid.</p>
<p>cinn9274, I’m in a similar situation. I just received a full ride from University of Cincinnati, but absolutely loved Rochester! I am going for the Dual-Degree program (1 degree at Eastman School of Music, one in the College) and have already been accepted to Eastman but have not heard from the U yet. Getting worried, and also feeling MASSIVE guilt. I feel like a kid guzzling cookies before dinner, and my parents don’t even want to discuss me going to Eastman / U of R, since it will be so much more expensive no matter how much aid I receive. So I definitely understand where you’re coming from!! It’s not a fun place to be in at all! Money talks… :(</p>