<p>Kid with great scores, grades, references, etc -- but high FA need. Got on the FA waitlist for two wonderful schools (still waiting to hear at one other and wl at the fourth), and I'm wondering what I can do to try to get her in to one of these schools. I've been thinking of things like a second job, changing to a different living situation, borrowing from my retirement savings, etc. We don't have real estate or any vehicles except for an old car that I need for work. There is no way that we could do it without aid at all but I might be able to meet them part way. Is that too insane? Would it actually help to get her off the financial aid waitlist? Should I contact them and ask if that would help or is that too pathetic? I would love to hear from anyone who has insight into this FA situation. Thanks.</p>
<p>It is a very important and personal decision. I did if fact borrow against my (rather pathetic) retirement and borrowed against my (very modest) car more than once. It also impacted my retirement further because instead of maximizing my contributions I was paying for BS.</p>
<p>My s had pretty good FA but it was not 100% and we had high transportation costs. Part of his FA was loans which he eventually helped pay off. Plus now he gives me money to make up some of my lost retirement and subsidized (in a big way) a family trip abroad. It was a life-changing experience for him and I don’t regret anything about it.</p>
<p>You might talk with the school. Just keep in mind that whatever level of FA you end up with this year will probably be the same for remaining years.</p>
<p>The more you can come up with, the less aid the school needs to come up with, and the less aid the school needs to come up with, the quicker it can find enough aid to move your son off of that wait list.</p>
<p>I would communicate your updated actual needs with the schools and stay in touch with them about where you’re trying to find funds and how much you believe you can pay each year.</p>
<p>All of this, of course, assumes you’re going in with open eyes about the realities that alooknac spelled out so well and that you’re making an informed decision about making these kinds of sacrifices now, with college on the horizon. That’s something you’ll have to sort out and make peace with…but if you’re going for this, then keep those lines of communication open, especially as you have news that tells them they need to deliver less aid than expected. But do watch out about one-time sources because, as alooknac said, you may need to repeat that for the remaining years unless you get some kind of assurance to the contrary from the financial aid office.</p>
<p>Speaking of college, Simon’s Rock/ Bard college may be an option vs. the final 2 yrs of high school. It’s something to check out for those who have been denied and WL a few times. It’s an interesting program that was our safety net in case things didn’t work out at BS.</p>