First off, I’m an international student, so Dartmouth would be “need aware” when they review my application.
I applied RD without FA and got accepted.
When I was applying, I wanted to apply FA because though my father’s income isn’t poor, with my sister’s full college tuition (also at a US college) and business getting slower for him, I knew it was tight even though my parents refused to give me details on our financial status. My parents promised me they would make it work somehow, and that they didn’t want me to worry about money or have that become a factor in choosing my college. They were adamant, and FA papers aren’t things I can do alone, so I had to go with it.
Now a few months later, in April, they’re telling me money is a problem. We already excluded NYU Stern, one of my acceptances, due to the tuition, and now we’re between Northwestern and Dartmouth. I really, really want to go to Dartmouth and in my heart I’m already committed, but my parents want me to go to Northwestern because my sister goes there, and they think travel expenses (since Hanover is more difficult to reach and I could live with my sister instead of returning home during breaks if I went to Northwestern) and living costs would be decreased. I understand that that’s convenient…but I really, really want to go to Dartmouth.
I’m not sure what I should do now. Dartmouth is known for being generous to their students, but I’m an international student and already way past the deadline to apply for FA. I know what I’m going to look like-- a cheater that lied about FA to get in and am giving the school a hard time now. The website does say to contact the FA office if there’s a problem, but I’m just worried.
Can they rescind my acceptance because I can no longer afford to go without FA?
Is there a possibility I’ll be able to get some sort of aid as an international student past the deadline? Any at all? I think that even a relatively small amount would be enough to convince my parents.
Dartmouth has a policy that international students must apply for aid and demonstrate financial need at the time of the application.
There is a strong possibility as an international student you are not going to receive aid after the fact.
If you did not apply for financial aid anywhere it may even be hard for you to get financial aid at Northwestern.
You could very well be without any affordable options
You don’t have to return home for break when school is not in session, you can just stay with your sister.
Dartmouth lives and dies by their honor code. If they feel that you misrepresented yourself in the admissions, financial aid process, they can rescind your admission.
@sybbie719 : Your final comment seems unduly harsh in my opinion. I see nothing in OP’s post that suggests a misrepresentation rather than a change of circumstances or a change mind by his parents. The other portions of your post were very useful.
OP : Your chances of getting aid at this point are slim to nil, but you have nothing to lose by asking. I see no reason that Dartmouth would rescind you for saying that circumstances have changed and that you would like to consider a modicum of financial aid.
As far as your parents’ issues are concerned, the Dartmouth Coach is not that expensive, and that’s the only difference between Dartmouth and Northwestern – unless flights to Boston are more expensive for you that flights to Chicago for some reason. And how are they expecting you to get from O’Hare to Evanston? Yes, you can take the CTA train and switch to the El and walk from the station – which will only add a couple of hours to the e3nd of your international flight. Many (most?) international students stay at the College during breaks, so I don’t see being able to stay with your sister at Northwestern as a big deal. Your parents seem to be operating on the basis of a lot of assumptions, and I thnk you need to give them some facts, but reaching out to Dartmouth to ask about financial aid is a good first step.
I think you should call Dartmouth and explain the situation. I believe that they do have options for students to stay on campus during the shorter breaks, if necessary.
I think the additional travel and expenses could be minimized for Dartmouth. Fly to Chicago for the long Nov/Dec break and stay with your sister. The bus from Boston Logan to Hanover costs about $80 each way (there are also friends with cars.)
Call Dartmouth and see if there is anything they can do. Also find out if you can apply for aid for next year or if you took a gap year. Then work out a budget for both schools, including travel and whatever other costs you can anticipate.
If you defer your admission, you can take a gap year, work and save the money to make up the difference.
Op was the one who raised the issue as to how it would look if she asked for aid after stating that she did not need aid when she applied for a need aware process.
Op even stated
I am not being harsh, I am just stating what Dartmouth stated. Since Dartmouth uses prior, prior, aid is based on the family’s income and assets of 2015.
If there was an inkling that OP’s family would have a problem funding 4 years in Hanover perhaps they would have been in a better position to apply for aid and Have Dartmouth say that they were not eligible this year, leaving the door open in the future.
However, OP’s family stated that they were not applying for aid at all, which suggests that they have the cost of attendance for 4 years at Dartmouth even though the family would also be paying for sis to attend Northwestern. This assumes that the family would have the resources to pay approx. 140K if sis is also full pay (even though OP said she knew that her family’s financial situation was tight).
There is nothing to appeal because Op was never offered an award. Now, Op will have to apply for aid and ask for consideration. The family has now determined that now they cannot pay for all 4 years, how much can they pay for? Can they pay for three years, two years, one ear or will they need funding for all 4 years?
@sybbie719 : Saying “I knew it was tight” is not a misrepresentation or a violation of the honor code. I still think your comment was unnecessarily harsh. The other points you made previously were, as I noted, very useful – as are your comments above. Yes. OP and her parents may have screwed up. That’s not unknown. D got her acceptance to Harvard some years back with the indication that aid had not been requested. What? said I. She had screwed up. I called; they looked at her file; aid awarded. No suggestion that we had misled anyone or misrepresented anything. I see no difference.
I never said she misrepresented herself. I just let her know Dartmouth’s policy about misrepresentation.
The difference between your situation and Op’s situation, as a US permanent resident, the process is need blind to you and your ability to pay will have no bearing on whether or not to admit your D. With Harvard’s 32B endowment and their commitment to giving giving aid to families making $200k with normal assets, as long as your were eligible for aid, they had the money to meet your need.
Even if you had done it at Dartmouth, as a US citizen, they would have told you to submit your paperwork and they would have packaged you. You can file the FAFSA up until June 30 for school year 2016-2917 and get what ever federal aid that you are eligible to receive.
The difference is that in OP’s situation is Dartmouth is no longer need blind to international students, so the ability to pay is a factor in admissions.
Her not requesting aid did place her at an advantage in the international pool as there are probably equally qualified students who were not admitted because Dartmouth now has a limited budget for international students.
But she applied stating she did not need aid. Now that she has admitted her, she now states she needs aid. Perhaps depending on how much the school determines that she needed, she may not have been accepted. The school admitted her with what is now incomplete information regarding OP’s family’s finances.
Even if student had submitted her application for financial aid, if admitted, Dartmouth would have met her need (the school could have still said that she had no financial need).
Very good points, @sybbie719, and you are obviously far more knowledgeable about financial aid for international applicants than I am. I continue to see no need for you to have brought up an honor code issue. Sorry, but I think that was not needed. The end.
OP, I think you need to find some other way to contribute to the costs than asking D for FA after the fact. I understand that it was not your fault, but the fact is that not applying for FA in the first place likely bumped you in front of other candidates, and it is dirty pool, as they say, to ask for it now, having benefited from your full-pay status. (I think the situation would be different if, after you were there for a year or two, your family’s financial situation drastically changed.) If they have another international student on the WL, I think they would be perfectly justified in rescinding you and taking them off the WL.
That is, if the potential COA difference even favors NU, and if this change of heart is not the result of your parents feeling more comfortable have their two children in the same place. Honestly, it is very difficult to imagine that there is any significant difference in travel cost. And, if your sister is living in a dorm, is it even possible for you to stay with her over the winter break?
Your parents, although well-meaning I am sure, have not performed well in this situation. People should not make promises they cannot keep. Unfortunately, you are stuck with the consequences.
Either show them that the imagined extra costs do not exist, or find a way to help meet them, or go to Northwestern. It’s a fine school.