FA Questions. PLEASE HELP ME BECAUSE YOU WANT ME TO GO TO CORNELL NEXT YEAR!!!!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
21

<p>asianjewel, did you apply ED?</p>

<p>If you apply to other private schools and state schools, you would likely end up being expected to pay about the same amount as at Cornell, with 2 exceptions I can think of. </p>

<p>1) If there are some circumstances in your family finances that make schools which only require the FAFSA (and not the CSS) to provide you with more aid. The FAFSA asks different questions than CSS. Most of the top private and even top state schools require the CSS, but some state schools only require the FAFSA, and it might work out favorably for you.</p>

<p>2) You get merit awards. With the kind of stats needed to get admitted to Cornell, you would likely receive significant merit awards from schools like Ohio Wesleyan and Case Western. There is a thread on CC listing schools with merit awards. But you would have to also look into application deadline dates now.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=52133%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=52133&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>As was suggested, your alternatives are searching for outside scholarships, getting a job, and trying to negotiate better FA from Cornell. When they find out you are considering breaking the ED agreement, maybe they'll help.</p>

22

<p>You have been provided with enough aid as it is. Take out a loan and stop being so rude and disrespectful -- its obvious you came from a disadvantaged family. Personally, if I was a Cornell admissions officer, I would not even admit you because you requested aid. Your parents said that they could meet $5000 so they need to meet it, as far as I am concerned.</p>

23

<p>Yeah...why would your father say he could contribute $5,000 if he knew he couldn't?</p>

24

<p>Thank you for your support, Spanks. I have forwarded this thread to the admissions department at Cornell; so hopefully they can identify you and rescind your acceptance.</p>

<p>b.t.w. I don't want you to go to Cornell (I disagree with the thread title).</p>

25

<p>that's obnoxious.</p>

26

<p>
[quote]
Thank you for your support, Spanks. I have forwarded this thread to the admissions department at Cornell; so hopefully they can identify you and rescind your acceptance.</p>

<p>b.t.w. I don't want you to go to Cornell (I disagree with the thread title).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Um...what the balz. I'm ashamed for you. I don't want YOU at Cornell.</p>

27

<p>Yikes guys calm down. If this is making his parents fight and ruining the stability of his family he is AT LEAST allowed to vent on this forum. You can be critical or give advice, but just try to be respectful...no matter how easy the situation is its obviously hard for this person. (and I think I remember them posting a lot of threads about how they really wanted to go b4 the acceptances went out).</p>

28

<p>wait...awaiting-college? How am I being disrespectful? I came here asking some questions because I was confused about the FA situation.</p>

<p>Also, why would I not be accepted just because I requested FA? Are you saying acceptance should be soley given to those who are rich???? </p>

<p>Are you joking about that forwarding to Cornell thing? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME? Because if this jeopardizes my spot at Cornell, I will be crushed.</p>

<p>But all in all, even if you did forward this thread to Cornell, I really don't see how I'm being disrespectful to anybody at all. This is just a difficult situation for my family, and I'm asking assistance from other people who might have more information. The people on this thread who are like "idc if you get to attend or not" are being disrespectful to me.</p>

29

<p>Also, to answer your question Spanks. My dad is one of those prideful people who are like "OH, I CAN DO THIS!!" when he really can't....that's why my mom is so mad right now, because he did not discuss this with my mom before he filled out the CSS.
Additionally, with my dad's estimate from last year's tax forms, we could afford the $5000 only because we didn't buy medical insurance. However, this year, we are buying insurance. Thus, our budget is now $7000 less than last year.......</p>

30

<p>Cornell is not know for generous financial aid packages, but I think asianjewel's case is an exception to that rule. Still, if your family has nothing, $5000 can look like an enormous sum. I know.</p>

<p>Cornell's tuition is a just a little more than $30,000 which means they gave you almost all of your tuition in a grant. The rest of your expenses come from room, board, textbooks, travel expenses, personal spending, etc. The $45,000 number they give you is just an approximation, and most people don't actually spend that much. So here's what you can do to cut down those expenses:</p>

<p>This summer:
- get another job, or several part time jobs. You can make at least a thou with that.</p>

<p>Freshmen year:
-request a triple
-get the lowest meal plan
-borrow textbooks, purchase used, shop online, etc. to get the lowest prices
-don't go home to often (save on travel expenses) and don't spend money unnecessarily
-get a job. If you work 10hrs a week, you can easy make $2000-3000 per year, which is more than the expected contribution</p>

<p>Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years:
- move off campus. housing is much much cheaper if you don't mind living further away, which you shouldn't if money is so tight.
-get off the meal plan. freshmen year you had to be on it. but it's a lot cheaper to get grocerices and cook for yourself.</p>

<p>Sophomore and Junior year Summers:
-Get internships that pay alot. The average is around $3000 a summer. If you're lucky, that can run up to $5000. </p>

<p>Also, make sure you major in something practical. You probably don't have the luxury to major in Religious Studies or Art History or something.</p>

<p>And let your parents know how much you appreciate their support. I know of friends whose parents can't pay a single dime for their tuition and so they've worked all through high school and college to pay their tuition. Though it's hard, it's still doable.</p>

<p>I hope this helps, asianjewel.</p>

31

<p>Thanks Aloe for all the help.
And sorry for sounding desperate before, I really had no realistic number about how much Cornell gave to other students beforehand. I had no idea I was actually comparatively fortunate. =) I guess I was just a little too focused on my loans and family contributions without thinking much about how much other people must've had to pay.
I'll definitely be getting a full time job this summer though, so I'm hoping that'll help me out.</p>

32

<p>sorry if it sounded disrespectful to you, but the financial aid was a hefty sum compared to what a lot of other people are getting, and yes cornell is the stingiest in giving out financial aids so you probably have the highest or at least one of the highest financial aid awards right now.
since your dad said you could only pay 5000, it might seem you're trying to be greedy when after such a large amount, you continue to ask for EVEN MORE. obvioulsy this is not your fault, but your dad's for saying you were able to contribute.</p>

33

<p>you my friend, are an obnoxious little girl who, from regarding this conversation, does not deserve to attend cornell university in the slightest.</p>

34

<p>I really don't understand why the people on this forum think I'm being obnoxious? It's not like I was intentionally trying to be greedy...
I guess I just wasn't aware of how much the FA usually is. Plus with the hecticness at home...I felt like it was imperative I ask around for help...
I'm sorry if I offend some people, but honestly, all I created this forum for was to ask some questions...
Regardless though, thanks everybody who helped me out. And I just sent out the $400 deposit to Cornell today, so I'm going either way...because as some of you guys said-- it's worth it.</p>

35

<p>I didn't sense any obnoxiousness; maybe just an extra desire to bargain, which some people might find a little inappropriate. An analogy would be a man who wants to sell his house at X dollars, finds a prospective buyer that is willing to pay X dollars, but then backs off and tells the buyer that now he wants X+ dollars because his wife hasn't agreed to sell the house at X dollars.</p>

36

<p>ohhhhhhhhhhh ok! sorry if I gave off that air. But yeah, thanks for clarifying goldtx, because I honestly had no idea what I did to make people mad at me...T_T
Sorry everyone! But I really didn't have that intention to sound unappreciative. Now that I find out I'm actually more fortunate than most people, I'm content. =) </p>

<p>I guess if my dad can't fork over that $5000/yr, I'll just have to find a job and get it taken care of myself or just take a loan for it...no other choices, cos I'm going to Cornell regardless. haha.</p>

37

<p>I didn't sense any obnoxiousness either. The people saying that are probably the rich kids that have had their parents pay for everything, so they can't understand how raising $7000 a year could be a problem for anyone. And there's no reason for people to be bitter about how much aid the OP got because all the aid is need-based, so he/she clearly had more need than they did. </p>

<p>Aloe made a great point though. You already have enough money to cover the tuition, and the rest is just a (high) estimate of the cost of books, food, housing, and living expenses. So that's another thing to consider; i certainly don't plan to need the whole $45,000 plus a year.</p>

38

<p>I was calling the person above me obnoxious, not you (if you are referring at all to my post). </p>

<p>Cornell negotiated on my financial aid package the first year, so maybe you can talk to them.</p>

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<p>Hey asianjewel I totally understand your situation, and I am quite worried myself (and I am nowhere near getting my financial aid decision anytime soon, cause things messed up). But personally I would be happy with the amount you've got here. If I get a 30k grant, then I am just going to loan maybe 15k. So after four years I would have 60k loans. Then I can work during all the summers to get 3.5k*4 = 14k. So 45k remaining. I would probably borrow some money from my parents to pay like half of them. Then yea I would be left with 20k ish so don't think I need to pay a significant amount of interest. So 20k debt isn't totally that bad when you can make at least 50k a year when you start working (or more after a master's). But I am assuming a 30k grant for my case :(, hopefully i can get it.. But even if things dont work out this nicely, you've been through at least 6 years of instense work in academics. Just maybe continue work equally hard in the next three or four years in your job, then things will work out. And all the best with your negotiation.</p>

40

<p>asianjewels not obnoxious, some of these other ppl are. so what if she got great aid, its like u needing 20 dollars to buy something, somone generously gives u 19...but its worthless if u dont have another dollar. some ppl here need to stop being jealous.<br>
now to the actual help part... i think you should just get like a regular parttime job where u get more hours... if u work from now through july with like 25-30 hours of work a week u could totally earn 5000 bux. ( or at least thats about how much i earned this last half year... at like around the min wage , but in in ct so the wage is like 7.50 , where u are might be less) good luck with this ... hopefully i'll be going to cornell next year too...</p>