<p>brown was my dream school.
and getting accepted was a dream come true.</p>
<p>i’d never dreamt of getting an unsuitable financial aid package though. its scary. </p>
<p>i was thinking of writing to brown and asking them to reconsider the award. is this a good idea ? any suggestions for what i can mention, what i should/should not explain ? </p>
<p>this financial aid package really means a lot to me. do you think theyd understand ?</p>
<p>Absolutely! Brown will match any better Financial Aid offer from another Ivy if you bring it to their attention. Don't let money influence your decision.</p>
<p>hey i cant see my financial aid stuff, whether they are offering me scholarship or not, or how much they are giving and etc.
where can see it? can you please help/instruct to me to that page?
thanks</p>
<p>im international. even then ?</p>
<p>ok i figured thanks..
i wish they could have done something better but it is quite nice too :)
good luck to everyone</p>
<p>How did you find your package?</p>
<p>Yes, even then! I know a Briton who showed Brown his finaid package from Harvard and Brown matched it.</p>
<p>What if it's a finaid package from another school not as prestigeous, say Brandeis? Is it still worth trying?</p>
<p>Depends on how good you can sell your story, but you won't know unless you try.</p>
<p>It's worth trying, but whereas they will almost definitely match another Ivy they're not going to be inclined to match Brandeis as quick. Also worth noting, they don't care nor will consider any merit based scholarship, only direct financial aid.</p>
<p>what about sending a fin aid letter from vanderbilt? i only received a 5k scholarship, but they awarded me over 20k in grants! with brown, i only had 14k in funds. i think the main difference was b/c vandy didn't count my veteran's education benefits in the bill although i did report the amount to them. brown held them against me...</p>
<p>Talk to them, like I said, all I know is that with the Ivy League they'll be quick to look for and in many cases find a way to match packages. What they consider a peer and what they will consider I can't say more htan that you should call/stop in the office and see what can be done.</p>
<p>Definately talk to them!!</p>
<p>My package is also heartbreaking. I'm gonna go there and tell them how I feel and why.</p>
<p>Our FA package is OK (not terrific though...) and my question is, does anyone know whether the package will remain fairly consistent (agreed there will be some fluctuation each year) for the next three years? I know some schools entice freshmen with a good starter package, but then once they are committed, the offer goes down in subsequent years. Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>We are so happy to become part of the Brown Family!</p>
<p>Without drastic changes in Financial situation, the FA should remain relatively the same and is often increased through the 4 years. Brown calculates all four years at once, even though they only report to you award amounts yearly after receiving updates. For instance though I received almost no aid my first year, when I went to financial aid, I was informed that the next year I would likely receive at least the subsidized loans and the following two years I'd like get half off since my sister is going into college and all of the money saved for college in my name will be long gone (which significantly lowers my EFC).</p>
<p>Your best bet is to talk with them but it's highly unlikely the package will be reduced unless there is a reason (scholarship award, inheritance, etc).</p>
<p>Sorry guys, it doesn't matter how you "feel"</p>
<p>The FA package is based on your EFC aka your financial need. Period.</p>
<p>Yup, like Rachel said-- it sucks, but they calculate how much you need to make it so your debt is as near to the average "acceptable" debt possible. It's not what you think is acceptable either, which in all classes is certainly far less than the government thinks.</p>
<p>The FA package is based on your EFC aka your financial need. Period.</p>
<p>Well, not really. Our EFC was about $6,000 less than the Family Contribution Brown is asking us to pay. That's why I am asking...</p>
<p>You can definitely talk to them about why there is a difference there and if anything can be done to help because you don't feel like they're reaching your need.</p>