<p>It is possibly me, but I seem to be confused as to what the real question is. What it appears to me is that the OP is saying</p>
<p>1) Outside scholarships should go directly to the student and not be factored into the aid package from the school. However it appears that Harvard has taken that into consideration in the aid package and reduced their aid correspondingly.
2) Work study etc is not real aid as the student has to work for it and again should not considered as a part of the aid package.
3) As a result of the college policy, OP may have to make some payments to the school, for which he/she will not get the money back till later. Hence OP wants to know how much he/she needs to come up with before joining?</p>
<p>Is my understanding of this thread correct? Or am I totally off base?</p>