<p>I have read many controversial opinions on the issue. Does applying for FA hurt? Or does it depend on the school? My child is applying for Hotchkiss, St Paul, The Taft, Milton and NHM. And the FA submit dead line is fast approaching. Should I apply or not?
Please give me some advise.</p>
<p>As far as I know, Andover and SAS (St. Andrew’s School, Delaware) are the only schools that have a truly “need blind” admissions policy. All the other schools place FA applicants in a more selective pool — meaning acceptance rate for FA applicants is LOWER than it is for non-FA applicants.</p>
<p>However, if I were you, I would not refrain from applying to any of the schools you mention based on the perception that applying as an FA candidate would dramatically lessen your daughter’s chances.</p>
<p>I agree,</p>
<p>What are the alternatives? Can you be a full pay? If not - the question is moot. The best you can hope for is that a school will find your child to be a good fit and a compelling case. There’s no way to know what the schools will do in advance. Just hope for the best.</p>
<p>It’s easier to get in when one is FP, for sure. But a significant number of kids who need FA do get accepted to all of those school. As Exie points out, you won’t know until you try. Worked for us!</p>
<p>If you’re on the fence and think you might be able to swing it without FA, but it might be tough, why don’t you see what SSS determines and go from there. Do not list any of the schools on your SSS report, just list one school to which you are not applying and make sure to do whatever they require to have a report sent to you. At least then you will know if the potential savings are worth the lower admit rate. Remember to have the reports sent if you decide to try, and do this ASAP. For us, it wasn’t a question. Without FA, he wasn’t going to be able to go.</p>
<p>It’s a considerable difference when it comes to admission prospects.</p>
<p>Someone else here said it best but it bears repeating: even schools that are need-blind are still full-pay-aware. If the Dean of Admission is also in charge of Financial Aid, it’s quite likely that there’s some awareness. I think we can agree that they are open about distinguishing between development prospects and the rest of the pool. So they’re not money-blind, right? We can agree on that much: need-blind is not money-blind.</p>
<p>As for the exact income level where they draw the line and cover up their eyes, that’s more debatable. But that point – if it even exists – makes for a big difference in admission outcomes, particularly if you’re not bringing in some other non-monetary hook that justifies their doling out that aid money to Junior.</p>
<p>If you’re debating whether to file for Financial Aid and are concerned that it could tip the balance, then I think your question begs the answer as to what you need to do. If you’re that doubtful and worried about the admission result, then there’s a darn good chance that your kid isn’t bringing in something that makes it worth providing aid. So, you’re setting yourself up for one of two very likely outcomes: (1) a rejection, which completely obviates the need for aid; or (2) an acceptance with basically $0 in support…and a complete waste of your time and effort putting together those materials. Yes, it’s possible that Junior will get accepted and get a nice bounty for your efforts. But the important point here is that it’s doubtful.</p>
<p>In the end, if you have the luxury of choosing whether to seek financial aid, then you have to roll the dice. Just understand that the FA resources are limited and admissions officers are going to put those dollars to their best and highest use – which in almost every case is NOT to yield yet another typically excellent unhooked white upper-middle-class mathlete for which there are already over a dozen who are full-pay.</p>
<p>And yet, I know, right off the top of my head, of three typically excellent, unhooked, white, middle class (okay, not upper-miiddle, but is OP?), decently but not stupendously athletic males who DID get FA at Exeter. Just sayin’…</p>
<p>To me, the bottom line test is this: does my kid need something different? Is he/she in some important way, a square peg in a round hole, and does boarding school seem like the square hole where he/she might fit? If so, apply, and don’t worry about what might limit your chances.</p>
<p>You need to answer a question as honestly as you can: Can you afford it? Someone might say well if I sell my house and move to an apartment and no vacation starting from now on then I might be able to afford it. OK but would you do it? </p>
<p>If your answer is no, then I guess the only way for this great thing to happen is apply for FA, unless you have other ways to finance it. </p>
<p>If your answer is a big YES, then you probably shouldn’t apply for FA. You don’t want to take that unnecessary risk in a competition this fierce. Your ability to pay may very well be a big advantage for your kid’s application. As for the need-blind schools, I don’t quite understand the comments about “need-blind” and “money-blind” above, but I’ve heard that some students have been accepted by need-blind schools without being offered FA even though they have applied. Need-blind means the school will meet one’s financial need but only if they determine there is a need.</p>
<p>The tricky situation arises when families truely feel they are on the borderline. This is when you need to look carefully what your child can bring to the school community - talents, diversity or something else that is unique, which would make a big diference. One thing for sure is that at schools like Exeter and Andover, where 45-50% of students are on some level of financial aid, students receiving aid can’t all be from poor inner city or rurual families. They are supporting many middle class families as well. The question is can you be one of those they want to be part of their community.</p>
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<p>Not true. “Need-blind” means – at least in theory – that the admissions outcome is not impacted by an applicant’s request for financial assistance.</p>
<p>You described what is meant when schools claim to meet 100% of a student’s need or “full need” – in which they meet 100% of what they determine to be the student’s need.</p>
<p>They’re two different concepts.</p>
<p>In the context of boarding schools, only two of them declared “need-blind” admission policies. With Andover:
</p>
<p>I am looking for the definition of St. Andrew’s “need-blind”.</p>
<p>St. Andrews need-blind language (from school site):</p>
<p>"Since our founding, one of the hallmarks of St. Andrew’s School has been our deep commitment to providing an exemplary educational opportunity to students regardless of their financial means. At a time when many boarding schools have become accessible only to the affluent in America, St. Andrew’s commitment to need-blind admissions and socioeconomic diversity within the School enables us to develop a truly distinctive student body and School culture.</p>
<p>St. Andrew’s is affordable for and accessible to qualified students of all backgrounds. Parents unsure about their ability to pay the full tuition should apply for financial aid."</p>
<p>^^Is it another way to say that the school will meet 100% of its admitted students’ financial need, or no?</p>
<p>@DA: I don’t know, actually. I didn’t even realize that SAS was need-blind until it was mentioned on another thread, and I went through their site to find where this is stated.</p>
<p>According to SAs language, it is committed to a need blind admissions process. If Student A is full pay and Student B requires 50% FA, Student A does not have an advantage over Student B in the admissions process, all other factors being equal. However, there is nothing in this statement that indicates that they will meet the entire 50% of costs that Student B requires to attend the school. In other words, they leave the door open to “gap” the family. (I don’t know if this is an actual practice at SA so fans, please don’t flame me! I’m only analyzing the language).</p>
<p>Andover, on the other hand, is also committed to a need-blind admissions process so the admissions procedure for Students A and B mirrors that of SA. However, unlike SA, Andover commits to meeting (or exceeding; this does happen occasionally, depending upon how badly a school wants a student) 100% percent of demonstrated financial need. If Student B were admitted, they would get the entire 50% needed to attend. </p>
<p>Dyer’s last statement clarifies these policies. These are widely held institutional practices, not only for BS but also for colleges admissionsl. The language, while subtle, can have a very material impact on a family’s expenses. These are two great questions for parents to ask during interviews (assuming interviews are still scheduled at this late date).</p>
<p>I stand corrected. “need-blind” in itself indeed is not that rare at all. Many state universities and some private colleges that don’t care much about their yield are “need-blind”, accepting students without considering their financial conditions. Only a small number of colleges and one BS promise to meet the full need of their admitted students.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to follow up with SAS to see what their policy means in practice. I know that the school was founded to offer an affordable alternative to other boarding schools.</p>
<p>From a recent chapel talk by SAS headmaster Tad Roach, quoting a historical document on the founding days of the school:</p>
<p>“…the consulted Headmasters (from St. Mark’s, Kent, Episcopal High School, St. James, St. Albans and Christ Church School) agreed that ‘there was little value in the establishment of another high-priced Church school, the tuition of which would be beyond the reach of boys belonging to families of modest means, but there was unlimited opportunity for one where tuition could be kept at a moderate price.’”</p>
<p>Found it on St. Andrew’s website!
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<p>Very brilliant speculations on FA for BS. Thanks. Dilemma lies between my child’s giftedness that needs boarding environment and the huge amount of tuition that’s involved. We should happily pay the good amount of money when it is the best thing available,indeed If we can’t, we should have our fingers crossed. I am sure BS education is worth every pennies.</p>
<p>@DA: Given SAS’ description, would you say they have a “Need Blind”/Meet the needs of admitted students policy equal to that of Andover? (I do NOT ask this facetiously, btw.)</p>
<p>Yes I think they are the same</p>