<p>Well…if the BIG money was from Stanford, for being a recruited athlete, this puts a very different spin on the aid, doesn’t it. This sports aid to a D-1 school like Stanford, has NOTHING to do with the family’s income/assets or anything else.</p>
<p>So…OP …what is it? An athletic scholarship to play D1 at Stanford? Is that where the big money came from?</p>
<p>The Ivies do NOT give scholarships for being a recruited athlete. They give need based money only.</p>
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<p>Son turned down Stanford (and the Div I $$) and is going to an Ivy, where Op states he got financial aid this year.</p>
<p>I would hope that OP reports back and lets us know how the need based FA is working out year 2, 3, and 4 when they are earning the full $250k/year</p>
<p>I would hope the OP posts back and explains how he got an acceptance to a “dream Ivy” early AND an early acceptance to Stanford which clearly does not allow for applications EARLY to more than one school.</p>
<p>Also, wondering if the early financial aid package was based on estimates, that perhaps underestimated the annual income from 2011.</p>
<p>Is it possible there would have been negotiations for year 2, 3 and 4? I’ve never heard of it.</p>
<p>I do want to say congratulations to this student. He sounds like a mighty talented kid.</p>
<p>The acceptance and financial aid story as posted here don’t make sense, but that doesn’t diminish the student’s accomplishments.</p>
<p>I do hope that everything was done on the “up and up”. Colleges frown on dishonesty at any level.</p>
<p>“Princeton University will reinstate an early admission program, beginning next year with the class that will enter Princeton in September 2012. The single-choice early action program will require applicants to apply early only to Princeton, but will not require them to decide whether to accept Princeton’s offer until the end of the regular admission process.”</p>
<p>It is mid-January, and the OP’s son has offers from numerous high reach schools, including at least two with SCEA. Financial aid matters but he has already turned down a “full scholarship” to attend a dream school. I do hope you “write your own book” to explain to others how you accomplished all that.</p>
<p>Given that the OP’s son “is ranked #1 in the world for his sport” whatever advice he has to give will probably be utterly useless for the other 99.9999999% of the student population. </p>
<p>And yes, I find it perfectly believable that this parent shopped his child around to the top institutions in the nation and managed to work out a four-year package. This is absolutely not a normal situation. The rules that apply to the rest of us aren’t even in the same space-time continuum.</p>
<p>well…I guess what you posted may be true and may help a family that has a kid who is #1 in the world in a sport. Don’t you think your kid’s situation is a little unique?</p>
<p>edit- happymom beat me to it</p>
<p>Do you think you received aid because you demonstrated need or your son is #1 in his sport? There is a myth running around that Ivy’s don’t give “athletic” scholarships. This is true, literally, if you compare the wording of the offer to those given by Duke, Stanford, etc… It is also false because Ivy’s have many non-athletic scholarships, ala the Joe Smith scholarship for kids who run real fast, that are offered to athletic recruits.</p>
<p>After many months of navigating the Ivy league financial aid process it pains me to say that the advice and opinions I have received on this site are absolutely false, unhelpful and dangerous. I am disappointed in this site as it clearly provides little good guidance for middle class folks who make a good salary but are squeezed by the economy and who make more than the advertised limits of the Ivies.</p>
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<p>Sorry, but I must disagree vehemently with the above. You were told that you wouldn’t get aid at your income level (which, by the way, is hardly “middle” anything) … that debt is not taken into account … but also that you should go ahead and see what happens. If what you say about the ivies is correct, you are extraordinarily fortunate, and it probably has to do with the fact that they wanted your son more than just about any kid who reads/whose parents read this forum is wanted. </p>
<p>I just started working full time a few years ago. No college gave a rip about that - I make the money now, so they expect payment. Others here have had business problems in the past - colleges don’t care if the business if fine now. Spend too much on your fancy home’s mortgage? Colleges don’t care about that, either. </p>
<p>What colleges DO care about is that very, very once-in-a-blue-moon kid they don’t want to let get away. It’s not that we lied … it’s that your kid is obviously one of the most-sought after kids in the U.S. Someone has to be!</p>
<p>kmrcollege, it’s called “preferred packaging”, FA officers can use professional judgement, and if a school wants a student, they can and do use FA as leverage.</p>
<p>Kelsmom…I agree…and for the OP to come back and insult everyone here who tried to help is in very poor taste.</p>
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<p>Thanks for providing the correct terminology. I just wanted to make clear that the Ivy’s do provide FA to those who don’t need it. I am guessing the OP’s son is one of those individuals due to his athletic ranking.</p>
<p>“Sorry, but I must disagree vehemently with the above. You were told that you wouldn’t get aid at your income level (which, by the way, is hardly “middle” anything) … that debt is not taken into account … but also that you should go ahead and see what happens.”</p>
<p>I also agree with kelsmom. Not many have a number one ranking athlete as leverage when negotiating. That’s what made the difference in OP’s experience.</p>
<p>kmr,
I absolutely agree. I thought that I saw some preferred packaging going on with my D1, not an athlete, but had other desirable traits. All calculators told me that I was far from qualifying for any FA, but some of the most generous schools came through with modest amounts.</p>
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<p>Anyone who can honestly state this in mid-Jan is in no way a TYPICAL applicant.</p>
<p>It is a shame we can not see the actual offers. That way we can pick them apart. lol</p>
<p>This is really quite interesting. Whatever folks are saying now, this situation is significantly different from what I’ve been reading here on CC. I’d like to know more.</p>
<p>It seems that there are always exceptions to every rule, although sometimes you have to go far up the decision-making chain to garner one. AND, the most important thing is, you have to be the person for whom the institution thinks it makes sense to make an exception.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear things worked out for this young man. A world-class athlete, top scholar, and an African-American young man, to boot–it seemed incredible to me that a school couldn’t look past the fact that his previously-bankrupt family had secured gainful employment very recently. I’m glad to hear that schools did.</p>
<p>There are a lot of excellent schools that might likely give an athletic scholarship.</p>
<p>My stepdaughter was heavily recruited. Have there been any scouts interested in your son? She didn’t have to seek out athletic scholarships - they came knocking on her door.</p>
<p>to Hammerman123, If the info you provided is completely true and correct then Congratulations. I’m still not sure how your son was accepted to multiple SCEA schools, this is not legal. Second, the parents here have provided the experiences that they personally experienced, just like you experienced something different and you posted it. but, please dont bash or talk down to the other posters here who have tried to provide good, honest and truthful information as it applied to them with their experiences. </p>
<p>You are not the only one who has tried to negotiate with fin. aid offices at schools. It just happened to work for you THIS time. This doesnt mean that others haven’t tried.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you and remember that this thread has provided valuable and useful information to many</p>