<p>A couple of questions:</p>
<p>1) What is this scholar thing for columbia college admitted students?
2) How are the dorms in columbia? Are they close to classes? Do you need to commute? Is it quiet (for NYC)?</p>
<p>Is it segregated between the wealthy people like on Gossip Girl and the regular students?</p>
<p>Lol. Like on Gossip Girl. </p>
<p>Wish I could answer your question, though. Will you be attending this fall?</p>
<p>Don’t know. It will cost a third of my family’s income. </p>
<p>Liars. They don’t meet 100% of demonstrated need.</p>
<p>Did you get a better financial aid offer (without scholarships) from another school? I think they might review your package again to see if your package should be changed. But I think it might be too late. Don’t you have like one day left now?</p>
<p>Columbia does meet demonstrated need. If your parents don’t want to pay for it, you can’t blame Columbia.</p>
<p>What Juhuatai said. Demonstrated need doesn’t mean, “I need Columbia to pay for all of my tuition because I don’t want to pay for any of it.” It means what you and your family can pay. And if the cost of Columbia is 1/3 of your parents’ income, then almost by definition, you can afford it.</p>
<p>pwoods and Juhuatai,</p>
<p>If the facts are as OP stated, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Depending on where OP lives, there is a fair chance that taxes (federal, state, property, etc.) take up 40% of income, leaving 60%. If Columbia is 33%, that leaves 27%. Even assuming that there are no other children, that 27% needs to cover living expenses and retirement savings, which isn’t a whole lot.</p>
<p>FWIW, we have well-funded 529 plans and would be happy to pay full freight at Columbia (or wherever our kids apply, are accepted, and select), but I would find it daunting to spend a third of our income on one child’s tuition.</p>