<p>I find this whole discussion confusing -- esp the tuition exchange stuff and the 1 in and 1 out deal -- . OP, dear friend, Bucknell would tell anyone to apply -- they want lots of applications -- . </p>
<p>Seems to me that you have two choices -- take on the debt or go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Talk to the FA folks and if they can't accommodate you, make a decision that you can live with and move on. But get anything they tell you in writing!</p>
<p>Finally, what is it you like about Bucknell?</p>
<p>I chose Bucknell because it was a small LAC with an engineering program somewhere far from home. I'm just going to call and see if they are open this week and talk about things, and talk with them as soon as possible if they aren't open.</p>
<p>I don't know if this was mentioned in the middle of the thread because I only read the 1st and last page but...
My counselor told me that if I applied ED to a school that didn't give me enough money and I had applied elsewhere and gotten any form of aid, to fax the aid letter to the school that didn't give me enough. <I'm sure that's a run on.
In essence saying to the school "Look what I'd be willing to give up to go to your school, if I could just have ________ more."
I know you would need to have some serious confidence to do that but it might work.
Just another option.
And what's the worse they could do? Say no? You weren't going to go there unless they gave you enough money anyway. Right?</p>
<p>In support of Midwest Dad, I agree - where are your parents in this? Did they not think and plan that they would need to cough up at least $25,000/year?</p>
<p>Colleges cost money. Tuition does not magically rain from the sky. With that Kind of EFC your parents are pulling in a good income. They may have some stashed away - talk to them about it.</p>
<p>If the down turn reduced the value of your college savings, borrow now and pay it back in 3 to 5 years when the market turns around and it makes more sense to sell.</p>
<p>If your family blew through all that income on toys and houses and vacations, don't clog this site with whining. </p>
<p>College costs money. It is not an entitlement.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>My counselor told me that if I applied ED to a school that didn't give me enough money and I had applied elsewhere and gotten any form of aid, to fax the aid letter to the school that didn't give me enough.>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Just curious...if you applied ED...you can only do so to ONE school ED. You can apply EA and rolling but in most cases you will NOT have received a financial aid award yet.</p>
<p>How would you have a competitive award to show another ED school?</p>
<p>toadstool: I don't think the OP is whining; he/she is a 17 year old who is overwhelmed with a financial issue and trying to work through it.</p>
<p>You can apply to schools that have rolling decisions. In my case, I applied to Clemson and they gave me a OOS tuition waiver (14,000 annually, 56,000 total) and Alabama gave me full tuition (18,000 annually, 72,000 total) automatically based off GPA and SAT score. So you could fax them the letters totaling $128,000 in scholarship offerings.
My counselor's suggestion would probably only work in special circumstances, but I wanted to put it out there anyway.</p>
<p>I have to say....I seriously doubt that a financial aid award from a public university is going to be considered by Bucknell. Some schools don't look at other offers AT ALL...but those that do tend to do so with what they view as "competing schools". Full tuition at most private schools is much more costly than even out of state tuition at a public funded school.</p>
<p>The other issue in this case is that the OP DID get a significant tuition break via tuition exchange...about $26,000 reduction in tuition costs (70% or so of the total...it's an expensive school). I seriously doubt that Bucknell offers many scholarships annually in that amount. </p>
<p>I do hope that things work out for this OP. You never know what they may or may not say when you talk to the school...until you try.</p>
<p>Hey, I called this morning. It was really uneventful.</p>
<p>My parents told them the award given wouldn't make attendance possible, there wasn't anymore ED money left to give out, and the financial aid woman said that was alright.</p>
<p>The woman wasn't angry and Bucknell was very gracious about it. I will send my applications in to other schools (and don't worry I've already been accepted in UTK and sent in my OU app) so I'm doing alright with backup schools and safety schools.</p>
<p>Someone else who really wants to go to Bucknell and has the money gets to, and I get to go to college for much, much less debt, if any.</p>
<p>Thanks for you suggestions. This didn't turn out to be as big a deal as I thought it would though.</p>
<p>Dear Irish, I know there must be some disappointment for you, but you do sound like you are moving on and things will certainly play out well for you. Please do check in here and let us know the happy ending to your college search and selection process. It sounds like you have some terrific options ahead of you.</p>
<p>I did have a question about application deadlines;</p>
<p>Is the deadline just for the application, or also for recommendations and transcripts? I'm sending in some applications that are due before I get back from Christmas break, but I won't have my recs done in time or my transcript sent (I did send my SAT scores early though). </p>
<p>If this is a big deal, then no worries, since they aren't my first choice schools I don't think, but it would be nice to know if I'm still eligible to apply.</p>
<p>Usually the deadlines are for the student application portion (all of it including any supplements). Supporting materials can follow (but you should request them ASAP). I'm not sure if this is uniformly true, but I know it was true for my kids' colleges.</p>
<p>Alright cool. Thanks.</p>
<p>Too late for IrishThund3r, but for other students reading this... if you're hoping for merit aid, don't apply ED. Merit aid is a fancy name for tuition discounting, discounts colleges give students to entice them to attend. But why would they discount tuition for students who applied ED? Those students have already signed contracts saying they'll attend if they are accepted! No need to entice students who are contractually obligated to attend anyway.</p>
<p>I don't know why everyone is being so hard on Irish; sounds like she and her parents were up front with Bucknell; there was no deception. Sound like an "admit-deny"; they plainly didn't want her enough to get off some more money. "No more ED $?" C'mon! If they wanted to they would; maybe they're hard hit with the economic crisis and our wanting no FA kids. If the school says it is OK to withdraw under those circumstances, what is the problem?</p>
<p>My D applied ED needing aid also. She didn't have anywhere else that was close to first choice since her second choice did not offer ED or EA. So she wasn't giving anything up, but the school had a good rep for FA (meets full need and no loans) but there were no guarantees. Her counselor thought it was to her advantage to apply ED so we did. </p>
<p>If only well off people who don't need FA apply ED then it is just as bad as they say it is; a tool for the wealthy to get an advantage in college admissions. Different college calculators say different things and, in the end, it is the school that determines your EFC. Our situation worked out well but regardless it was the right decision.</p>
<p>I also want to commend Irish for calling the school and trying to figure all this out. My D wouldn't really have a clue about the whole thing. I think you made the right decision. Coming out saddled with enormous debt is no way to start your adult life!</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good wishes. I've already applied to University of Tulsa, University of Oklahoma, University of Tennessee, and as of today Tulane (mostly because they keep sending me letters and there isn't an app fee). I'm leaning most toward OU or Tulsa, but I'm also applying to Lafayette soon, so I'll just have to see what happens.</p>
<p>I'm also a "he" for future reference.</p>
<p>Take out loans.</p>
<p>Irish, I am very impressed with your maturity. I am willing to bet you will find a college you like very much, you will graduate with little or no debt, and you will live happily ever after. Another testament to the fact that there is no "one best school."</p>
<p>maybe you can negotiate with the AO and tell them your situation. If they really want you, they will give you more FA or you can still reject because they don't meet your full need. So did you previously apply for full Aid? I know somebody in the same condition as yours and he finally get a full FA by talking to the AO.
But this year is somewhat different. It is the financial crisis. So good luck!
hey! what about Grinnell and Oberlin. Heard they are rich...</p>
<p>Oberlin and Grinnell have $$ but they are used more to help first generation/low income students. Grinnell offers more merit aid than Oberlin. D was accepted by both schools and attends Grinnell. The combination of merit and grant money still left us with more to pay for than what the OP would be left with for Bucknell. The Oberlin and Grinnell packages were almost identical with Grinnell slightly better. Our experience has been that the top private LACs stick pretty close to FAFSA guidelines. D was accepted to five top LACs and the aid packages were very similar. D's stats were better than the OP so I don't think there is much negotiating $$ for the OP here based on our experience. I'd go for a lower tier school who would be willing to pay more for the OP. The OP is just one of many very bright, capable students that schools like Oberlin and Grinnell see (no offense intended to OP intended here). BTW Oberlin's big merit monies are in the music conservatory.</p>