Do you think it it worthwhile to send an email to the Dir. of FA explaining our family financial situation. Or is it better for the FA application to just speak on its own. I have heard mixed things.
Thanks!
Or do both.
Should parents applying for first time also send an email to Dir. of FA besides application?
Hmm, I don’t think so. MIght appear to be too push, IMHO.
I think it depends on the school. Some Directors of Financial Aid are directly involved in admissions, others aren’t. Some schools take financial aid into consideration more than others. If your family situation warrants a special explanation and you think you can explain it in a tone that helps rather than hurts, then it may be ok. Think about what you hope to achieve by doing it. If it is to help the school, that is one thing. Id it is just to give your kid some kind of edge, that doesn’t play as well. Keep it focused and simple if you do it.
Agree with the above, mostly likely leave it alone. We were in a situation where we needed significant aid (plus acceptance of course) to make it possible but that is common for probably half the applicants. There was no story of note outside it was a true need. I found the aid application allowed enough detail to be shared. Fortunately it worked out. I sent a note in after as a Thank You.
I think there is a place on the form to add comments about any unexplained or unusual aspects of your situation.
@twinsmama is correct. Add any necessary explanations on the form itself.
AFTER you are admitted and see the financial aid offer, you can provide more information and context if you find the offer insufficient.
Thank you all. The websites reiterate ‘reach out if any questions’ for FA. but as CateCAParent said, some of these directors are involved in admissions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJNtZvULbE#action=share suggests reaching out to FA’s and letting them know. building a rapport and face to the application & FA needs ? from what I read of the responses, it appears that isnt the case.
Any thoughts?
It really depends on the situation and the school. It is impossible to advise you without specifics - and I don’t think even then you will find anyone advising you to do it, out of fear that your kid won’t get admitted. There would be the nagging worry it was because the advice someone gave you (a total stranger) was wrong.
If in doubt, don’t do it - just report it in the application itself.
The classic dilemma is that you can’t afford bs, but if you had to, you could tap resources you don’t want to. And therefore you don’t want the FA app to impact your kid’s chances. Do you apply for FA or not? That is a tough call. There are threads on that, and it depends on the school and your resources. But it is a reality that FP v FA makes a difference in admissions. Up to you to figure out how willing you are to take the risk vs tap your resources. If you ask the schools, they won’t answer because it depends so much on the specifics, and it is a transparent sideways way of asking if your kid is going to get in. They can’t tell you if it makes a difference unless they would admit your kid as full pay. They won’t know that yet anyway. I don’t think there is positive rapport to be made here. Just a big risk of a bad impression.
Resist the urge.
Thanks CateCAParent. agreed on the classic dilemma. Couldnt locate any threads with specific schools. Is there a link you can fwd? I also sent a PM if you can chime on that… thanks much