Unfortunately, you’re not in a position to negotiate. If you can’t afford to go there, and they’re not giving you the financial aid you need, then you really have few choices. You can try to see if financial aid will be willing to give you more, but well…good luck with that. Or you can transfer to a more affordable university. Those are your choices.
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@j_518 Have you been able to talk with anyone at American about your options? Has your dedicated financial aid officer been able to help you?
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Yes, I had a meeting with a financial aid officer. The official appeal process is pretty complex but if I do it she thinks I should be able to get more aid. I’ll be working on that for the last few weeks of summer.
If I get it, I’ll be in a much better position for this semester and I will talk to my head of department as suggested. I believe there are a select few merit opportunities for sophomore/juniors and I will be in the running for those.
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That’s great news. Thanks for the update. I would still reach out to the Dean of Students, as they may have additional institutional-level resources or advice that would be helpful.
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Glad to hear that you’re making progress. This must all be very stressful, and on top of that you’re handling the rather harsh feedback on this thread with a lot of grace.
To MYOS’ point about “trading up,” have you run the NPC for some full-need-met schools like Georgetown and perhaps some other transfer-friendly schools that meet need? (I don’t know what your criteria would be, but suggestions from one “listicle” of transfer-friendly schools include Emory, Cornell, Notre Dame, Tufts, U of Richmond, Vanderbilt, and Wesleyan.) It would be good to know how much better your financial situation at more-elite schools would (or wouldn’t) be. It sounds as if you would have stellar recommendations in addition to your perfect GPA.
It sounds as if you’re going to try to make a go of it at American this fall, and I hope that works out for you. If it’s still a big stretch, though, and your costs at these “reach” schools would be more favorable, it could be worth putting in some applications (both to reach schools and perhaps to your in-state flagship), and then possibly considering taking the spring semester off while you assess your options. It sounds as if you’d qualify as a junior transfer even without completing the full year this year, so continuing at American in the fall does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition in terms of completing the entire year.
Good luck; I hope you keep updating this thread
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That’s good news. If you need help with anything they are asking for, or how to word the request, please post hear again…there are many CC’ers who can help you. Good luck.
ETA: I don’t want to discourage OP from trying to transfer to a meet full needs school. Specifically with Georgetown, they do sometimes use loans beyond the student direct loans in financial aid packages for transfers. To me that is not meeting need, and makes me scream at the walls. Just an FYI, and not a red stop light, but a yellow proceed with caution.
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Thank you, I truly appreciate your advice.
I will be reaching out to my dean sometime this week, currently debating whether I want to schedule a zoom through their calendar or email to schedule so they have more context of what I hope to discuss.
I think I will apply to Georgetown, maybe another as well so I can hopefully expand my options. The only snag is I applied during covid and was quite literally over a hundred miles away from any testing site so I do not have test scores for sat/act. I’ll email and see if they would waiver or have me somehow figure out taking it (?) I actually wanted to apply to Georgetown initially in high school but did not have access to any testing (or test prep for that matter) and they were among the few still requiring.
Either way I will attend fall semester while continuing to evaluate my best financial options.
As for harsh feedback, its interesting how many push me to drop out or join the military and assume there is no nuance to my situation or other alternative. It is disheartening to see a community of adults blame a 17 year old’s (at the time) choices when navigating a system alone that was set up for the success of more privileged students.
I really do appreciate all those who spent time explaining the ways I can continue to advocate for myself.
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I don’t see any harsh feedback. People are listing options which is a good thing abd offering potential lower cost solutions but you never provided necessary info to do so.
We still don’t know (you never answered) what you are paying and where you are from. I would check the Georgetown NPC b4 applying - it’s a different cost than AU and you want to determine what the cost will be.
You might go through this list. It’s the meet needs schools but then look at those of interest for their transfer policies - ie many won’t meet need for transfers. I couldn’t find a list of those schools that meet need for transfers.
Gtown has about a 9% transfer accent rate with an avg gpa of 3.8-9 but requires the SAT/ACT unless out of hs school five years. You might reach out and ask if that can be waived b4 applying or find others.
I have no doubt, unless you’re paying less than $20k a year in tuition, we can find you alternatives.
Good luck. I hope you get enough aid. Ps - no one is blaming a 17 year old. I personally think too many families have a hard time saying no to their kids. I get it. But that’s where this stems. It’s not uncommon. There are just so many affordable options and I’m sure some where you wouldn’t have to work one job, let alone two - just to survive vs it being for a little spending money. That’s all. No 18 year old or their families should have to be under so much financial duress. But it’s the choice some make.
I wish you luck.
In terms of scheduling a meeting, you might want to schedule one on their zoom calendar
and then send an email saying that you have scheduled a meeting on such and such a date and provide the necessary background in the email. (The follow-up email is optional; I’m sure that since most people schedule via the zoom calendar that they are used to “thinking on their feet” and don’t need to have detailed information for the initial meeting.)
I say this because I have found that sometimes it takes a lot longer to set up a meeting via email, and I am thinking that getting the meeting sooner will be better (but of course I could be wrong about this). And if the meeting occurs and the dean needs more time to address your situation, then you are always able to schedule a follow-up meeting.
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Since Covid, Gtown does make an exception for students who were unable to test. They do ask you do explain why.
Info from their website, link below
Test Requirements
Georgetown University requires submission of SAT and/or ACT scores as part of our holistic application review process. Candidates for admission should submit official score reports from the College Board and/or ACT.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect students throughout the United States and across the globe, Georgetown recognizes that some students may not have access to an open testing center. If this is the case, we encourage you to apply to the university without test scores. A form will be provided to you after the application due date (at Early Action and Regular Decision) to explain why you were unable to access a test center.
Additional information regarding our testing policy, and updates for international students, can be found below.
Good luck and keep us updated!
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Click on the relevant sections for college lists and more info.
It makes sense to double check information on each of the actual college websites and run the NPCs if interested.
I hope it all works out for you!
Hi all,
I wanted to update everyone who took time to give me advice on where I am now. I started the school year with two part time jobs and spoke with a professor who connected me to the dean of my school. I received a donor funded scholarship, and there is a high likelihood I can receive more the next year. I also continue to plan on being an RA and have worked with my counselors so I can graduate next year. Because I started planning early enough, I will have the opportunity to do a combined degree program and graduate with my MPA in my would be senior year. The cost would be less then half of the normal grad school rate and I am told to expect merit aid as almost all combined students receive it. While the 4th year for my MPA would mean taking out slightly more loans, this would be my best shot at grad school and definitely cheaper/quicker then any other option for a masters. Of course, should the final cost be astronomical, I can always stick to graduating in three years and moving on.
I appreciate all those who encouraged me to seek out options at my disposal, without all of this combined I would not be able to continue.
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