ED and FA

Colleges & Universities A-Z Boston University
1

<p>Hey guys, I’m currently a junior in high school, and my college application process is coming ever so closer…</p>

<p>I like BU’s biomedical engineering program and I’m very interested in BME. However, after searching through these forums, I realize that Boston University’s financial aid is really crappy for many people (note I say many, not all). Also, BU’s BME program is highly regarded and I’m thinking that it is extremely competitive</p>

<p>Well, here are my stats:</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT I: 1380 / 2080, 640 CR, 740 M, 700 W (Will retake)
SAT II: Chem - 700, Bio - 670 (Will be taking 3 more this June - Physics, Math II, undecided)
ACT: N/A
APs: World History (4); European History (3); 3 more this May; 6 more APs in Senior Year for a total of 11 APs; rest all honors
GPA: 94 W</p>

<p>Subjective:
ECs: President of Orchestra, Vice-President of Music Honors Society, Improvisation Group w/ Columbia Professor, Volunteer @ Rehabilitation Center (100 hrs), Advanced Research Student, Will do an engineering internship of 300+ hours over summer, NHS, National Spanish Honors Society
Hooks: None</p>

<p>Location/Person:
State: New York,
School: Large, Public, sends a huge amount of kids to Ivy Schools, (many like 9-10 to UPenn, a couple to Columbia, 1 to Harvard, a handful to Cornell, etc.), won this reward in Science/Math (not specifying the contest to preserve anonymity) for best public school in NY
Ethnicity: Asian, Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: **140K
**</p>

<p>Should I do ED?
Also, how does doing ED affect Financial Aid? Will BU’s office give more aid to ensure that the student is going due to the binding agreement?</p>

2

<p>First, you leap to a conclusion without thinking it through. On this forum, you’re going to hear complaints and questions more than “Oh, I’m so happy with the amount they’ve given me.” To extrapolate from a biased sample is logically dangerous. </p>

<p>Another example is that many people fear ED reduces awards because they don’t have to attract you.</p>

<p>So, I would assume - unless someone has direct knowledge otherwise - that the award will be the same.</p>

3

<p>[Boston</a> University - Office of Financial Assistance - Applying for Financial Aid](<a href=“Undergraduate Students | Financial Assistance”>Undergraduate Students | Financial Assistance)</p>

<p>Sorry for not posting this earlier, I assumed that I wouldn’t get bashed for jumping to conclusions this quickly… -.-</p>

<p>But according to the link I just posted provided by BU, it doesn’t seem they give much aid at all, and I was wondering how much do I qualify for and if ED helps… I’m sorry Lergmom, not everyone is as smart as you are and able to deduce as properly.</p>

<p>Also, I posted on this forum for advice. I’m assuming people who surfs this forum are mature enough to notice this. Now, I didn’t post this to ask for assumptions or to be criticized for “not thinking it through.” Trust me, I have searched through countless threads and now I’m asking a question that I haven’t seen yet.</p>

<p>The question of ED and FA is very perplexing for me. I hope someone can shed light on this matter, and how a student like me can maximize the amount of aid he/she can receive from a school like BU which appears “stingy” for the most part on FA.</p>

4

<p>“Boston University makes every effort to assist students with calculated financial need and high academic achievement, measured against the credentials of other accepted students. However, the University does not have sufficient funds to offer scholarship and grant awards to every admitted student who has calculated need.”</p>

<p>the chart on the link you provided also seems to be a very good indicator that BU will give a certain amount in aid if you meet those criteria. And if they don’t, you can always appeal to them or call the office if, first, you get accepted and, second, are not happy with the aid you’re offered. to be honest, your stats look pretty good so you might get some merit scholarship, but you’re also in the $140,000 bracket. unless you have 2 siblings in college with you or something of that nature, you probably won’t get much aid. they tend to reserve it for people who do very well in school and have a huge calculated need. i posted in a previous thread that bu gave me a merit scholarship but said i had no need which was infuriating for me. but then again, after coming here and seeing all my friends, the ones that had much more need than i got much more in aid which makes me feel better. my income bracket for my family is nowhere near yours and they said i had no financial need so might as well apply early and not worry about it if you really wanna go here.</p>

5

<p>Calm down, NoLuck. Believe me, the last thing I was trying to do was put you down. Boards are full of complaints and worries because that’s what boards are for. As in, can I appeal my award? I didn’t get into my first choice and now I have to choose between x and y? Should I go to CGS? Does BU grade hard? That’s what you mostly hear. </p>

<p>BU gives aid, more than many schools with more endowment. As an example, they provide full scholarships for a number of kids from the Boston public schools. The problem, as Ali notes, is your expectations about what schools give for aid may need adjustment because you won’t qualify for need-based aid from ANY school if your family doesn’t have factors that balance out a six figure income - like multiple kids in college, an unfortunate tragedy, etc. </p>

<p>Most kids who post here are worrying how they’ll afford school with a family income of $36k. They’re asking if they should take out $120k in loans to go to one school versus another. Sometimes BU offers them more, sometimes less and sometimes BU is their first choice - but they can’t afford it - and sometimes BU is not their first choice but BU is more generous. </p>

<p>You should be looking at what schools offer in merit scholarships. These can vary from full tuition - generally not room & board except for a few - to some stipend. BU, for example, offers a University level scholarship, which is half tuition, and a President’s level, which is $10k. Those are the main ones but there are others. These are not affected by ED.</p>