<p>My guess is this student applied ED to Cornell (those admission decisions/aid offers) began rolling out at the beginning of December. </p>
<p>I think the student will be fine in the end. Yes, it’s not fun having to say no to a college, but the important thing to do is look forward.</p>
<p>What bothers me…this student has already had to say NO to one ED offer because of the finances. He is now applying ED II to another school that, quite frankly, has less deep pockets than Cornell. I’m perplexed as to why this family is signing these ED agreements when the finances clearly are an issue. Applying RD would give the student the option of comparing financial aid offers amongst schools…</p>
<p>The family isn’t exactly naive, since the father is a high school guidance counselor and the family has an older child who will be graduating from college this year. </p>
<p>cortana wrote on 12/14 that the family already knew Cornell wouldn’t give them enough aid, yet he was still allowed to apply ED. This isn’t the case of an ignorant family!</p>
<p>“I and my parents are pretty sure Cornell won’t give us enough aid, despite us not nearly having the capabilities to pay $50,000 a year.” </p>
<p>If this is really the case, the poster will not be seeing need based aid at any schools…unless the sibling is still in school when he is a freshman. BUT the OP needs to take the FOUR year view of the finances because his sibling will not be in college concurrently.</p>
<p>This sounds like a case of “wishful thinking” to think they might be able to accept ANY ED offer…if the family cannot pay just about full freight.</p>
<p>BUT back to the topic…look forward…not backwards. Look at the positive attributes of the schools you CAN afford to attend. They are many.</p>
<p>You applied and took a chance knowing it was a long shot. You have nothing to regret. Be proud you were accepted. You will never have that “what if.” </p>
<p>Allow yourself a short mourning period. Cornell is now dead to you. And after a week, put the black clothes away and look forward to all the great things to come! </p>
<p>The students/families who are willing to take on a load of debt for the likes of Cornell pay the price later. For some it means putting off marriage, house, kids. All that seems very distance to a high school student, but 10 years from now it could be overwhelming</p>
<p>My very hardworking daughter applied to her first choice EA last year, and they gave her a pittance in financial aid. She was devastated. We, as her parents, were also hesitant about spending 240K for undergrad, so of course, we were also devastated for her.</p>
<p>She ended up applying to other schools and receiving various financial aid awards from half of them. Where she ended up is exactly where she wants to be, but it was never her first choice at the time. She has very generous financial aid, she has always planned to go to grad school, and since she has very generous financial aid now, she is free to follow her heart and study what truly interests her.</p>
<p>I hope you find the same happiness. It feels awful right now, but I just about guarantee you, you will be so happy where you land.</p>
<p>@lurk I applied ED and was admitted but withdrawed because the financial aid was not enough, which is perfectly legitimate.</p>
<p>@thumper Where am I applying ED II? All my other applications are RD.</p>
<p>@longhaul, yeah I didn’t have much to lose because my family really doubted we would get any more significant aid if I was admitted regular decision, and even if I get into columbia, which i applied RD, then I most likely won’t get any significant aid there for the same reason (cornell matches aid from other ivy league schools). And yeah, my teachers told me the same thing: graduating without over $100,000 in debt is what you want because you will have to make some very serious decisions to pay that off.</p>
<p>@Grnmtnmom thanks for sharing that experience, I’m happy to know i’m not the only one going/went through the same situation.</p>
<p>@Hanna I applied to Rensselaer, where I received the $15,000 /year Rensselaer Medal, but I think I would choose suny buffalo because of the much cheaper cost (and possible full ride), the more diverse student body, wider selection of academics (my secondary interest is pre med), and I really don’t like Troy NY at all. But I also applied to Carnegie Mellon and I heard from some people including a CMU student that CMU matches the aid from Rensselaer, so if I get accepted to CMU and they match the RPI medal, than CMU could be a realistic choice.</p>
<p>If you want to go to medical school, you might actually be better off at SUNY Buffalo than at Cornell. If your parents are saving the money to help you with medical school costs, you are in a fortunate situation. If you wanted to go to grad school in engineering, the situation would be quite different.</p>
<p>Apologies…confused you with another student who applied ED and had to say no…but now is applying to Vandy ED II…</p>
<p>Good luck in your RD round. You know you have a good choice in Buffalo. At this point, just wait and see how it all washes down when all of the acceptances are in.</p>
<p>Years ago, when I applied to colleges, my parents limited me to state schools because of finances. It was a hard pill to swallow. I ended up at SUNY-Binghamton, as an OOS student. No one from my state had ever heard of Binghamton before, and senior year was no fun when friends were talking about Brown, Tufts, Brandeis, Princeton, etc, and I got blank stares back when I told people where I was going. </p>
<p>The summer after I graduated high school, my mother got a job with Cornell. One of her benefits was that her kids could go tuition-free to Cornell, or get the equivalent $ for another school. She offered to let me transfer to Cornell after my freshman year. I have no doubt I could have gotten in as my grades at Binghamton were excellent. I declined. Why? I loved Binghamton, had friends, was involved in activities and doing well–there was absolutely no reason for me to transfer. I would have been doing it for the name recognition and prestige, and for no other reason. There was nothing at Cornell that I couldn’t get at Binghamton. I stayed put, graduated Binghamton, and had plenty of money for grad school.</p>
<p>You will get past this. Go to a SUNY or another cheaper school, take advantage of all the opportunities there, make friends, and get involved. If you do, you will wonder what the attraction to Cornell was in the first place.</p>
<p>Yes, Bovertine, I was quite flattered for a moment! :D</p>
<p>I fail to understand the rationale for apply to Cornell ED with a family income of $200K and a need for FA which obviously was not going to be forthcoming, but what’s done is done. Good luck with your other choices. You’ve already gotten excellent advice.</p>
<p>OP - I’m sorry that your dream scenario didn’t come to pass. You obviously did a fabulous job getting yourself in a position to be accepted by Cornell. The person you are, your accomplishments, and your positive attributes … none of these is changed by not attending Cornell.</p>
<p>Have you visited UB and done an overnight? I would strongly recommend doing this before making a decision. UB is a whole different world from Cornell in all areas (size, location, student population). Also, it is not too late (although close), to apply to Geneseo and Binghamton if you have not already done so. Both schools are academically top notch - consistently highly ranked and also rank well on the best schools for the value.</p>
<p>I understand your disappointment. Feel sorry for yourself for awhile, then move on. Learn to like the school you will attend. Believe me, you CAN thrive at any school. It is all about you and what you make of it.</p>
<p>Do a web search and read the essay entitled “Welcome to Holland”. It was written many years ago by a mother of a child who has Downs Syndrome, but it applies well to welcome to Buffalo as well.</p>
<p>What are the chances that you’ll be going to graduate school? I would think that with an engineering degree, you’ll be ready to step into the working world with just your BS.</p>
<p>I think that your parents could have gotten cold feet about paying $250K for school. The economy may be tough in their lines of work. </p>
<p>Agree with other posters that you can make your SUNY really work for you! Grieve, then move on. “Make it so, Number 1.” (said Captain Picard)</p>