<p>I’ll second just about everything that Tsar wrote.</p>
<p>Awards came in. I knew it was going to be expensive but alas it is too much for me to afford even with my wonderful endowment which I am so grateful for. Good luck to those waiting to hear back and best wishes to those heading to NYC! Maybe in another life! It was fun while the dream lasted. Cheers friends, enjoy a froyo for me…</p>
<p>Nat - I’m also PTK. If you don’t mind me asking what did they offer you? And this is in addition to scholarship money from the university? Just submitted my application tonight after rewriting that statement about a hundred times… ugh.</p>
<p>They estimate the cost for one year to be $65,800. Not sure what I was thinking when I applied! Hahaha!</p>
<p>Ndikuseka, I’m sorry to hear that you are not going to attend 
Have you explored all the options? I have met with a graduating GS student, and he assured me (and the financial aid officer confirmed it) that fin. aid increases as you progress through your studies at GS and establish a GPA. Are you a transfer? Or have you never attended college before? I felt really despondent too when I got my award, realizing that taking out private loans will be unavoidable. In perspective, however, investing in this kind of education will pay off. So I decided to accept the offer. Also, these days so many people double major, choosing one of their concentrations to be economics or accounting etc. so they can find a job later that will help them pay off the loans quicker. Also, what school would you attend if you have to reject GS’s offer?</p>
<p>Ndikuseka, it sounds like you got more aid than me! Have you met with a financial aid counselor yet? What they estimate to be your need is VERY exaggerated. If you make an appointment with the fin. aid, they can calculate it based on what you yourself estimate to be your rent, income (if any), misc. expenses etc. Don’t forget, you can also attend part time which can make it easier financially.</p>
<p>Hey there, I am not sure what other options to explore as far as money goes. Schloarships have been unsuccessful because I fall into that weird space where my income looks better than it really is (I have two kids in college). Private loans sound a bit too daunting at my age… Will go for the UC’s in California probably. I got a really nice endowment from Columbia which I hesitate to give up…ack!! Wish the answer would fall into my lap…so tired of the roller coaster ride!</p>
<p>I really should call financial aid counselor…is it too personal to ask what you got? If so, my apologies.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the endowment that you have received. The only institutional aid I was awarded is the $8,500 PTK scholarship. The rest is fed. aid, which isn’t much and is mostly loans. But yes, do make an appointment with a fin. aid counselor.</p>
<p>Congratulations! I got $12,000 from the scholarship, work study approval and approved federal loans. The rest will have to be private loans…yikes…</p>
<p>This is a good time to talk to a financial aid person but it’s also a good time to talk to GSers who have graduated in the past few years. It will be possible to attend - if there isn’t a way, it’s seems that most GSers make one. But, you should also have a clear understanding of what it looks like to slowly pay down your debts every month and how that might affect your life for 10 to 25 years.</p>
<p>Rught Row seems like most people who interview get there decision in less thank a week…this aint looking good…But on the plus side i’m already in at Brooklyn College so i’m down to get froyo w/ you crazy kids. Has anyone gotten a rejection or acceptance letter this week???</p>
<p>I got my acceptance a few weeks ago. Their office called, said they were impressed with my application and that I was accepted. Got FedEx the next day, and that was that. I sent in the deposit, so it’s Columbia for me unless life takes an unexpected turn.</p>
<p>[Who</a> Benefits From College And Why | The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR](<a href=“Diane Rehm”>Who Benefits From College And Why - Diane Rehm)</p>
<p>Today’s show - really fabulously interesting Diane Rehm show regarding benefits of college/financial challenges etc…</p>
<p>[College</a> Education Value Rankings - PayScale 2013 College ROI Report](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-education-value-2013]College”>College Education Value Rankings - PayScale 2013 College ROI Report)</p>
<p>a website mentioned on the show above. Fascinating!</p>
<p>Hey everyone! I’m also on the same boat questioning whether or not I will be able to attend this fall. I was also offered $8500, and even though that is very generous, it doesn’t make a dent in the overall cost. I’m not a US citizen and I’m part of this gray area from the government in which I can pay taxes, but cannot benefit from Federal Aid or Loans. After spending a whole day trying to find private loans, I was pre-approved from one from DISCOVER, but they too require a US Citizen co-signer. How do you approach someone and say “Hey, do you want to co-sign my $50,000 loan? The first of many!”</p>
<p>With that said, I think some of you should check out this page [url=<a href=“http://www.pave.com/]Pave[/url”>http://www.pave.com/]Pave[/url</a>]
It’s a new concept that they find people to back up your financing, and they serve as mentors as well. You don’t have to pay them back, I believe the whole idea is to keep paying it forward. Also, this is not for permanent residents, you must be a US Citizen in order to qualify. I’m continuing to do more research and will share anything I think might benefit anyone here. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also, I just joined storybook! Look for me Thiago O Chaves. There’s a thread there about financial aid, quite a few people are considering backing out because of the huge costs.</p>
<p>I am being sad when lots of people in this thread are frustrated by tremendous amount of tuition and etc. However, at the same time, this is unbelievable. A few months ago, I visited one of websites that mentioned “Columbia University has the excellent scholarship programs to students whose incomes are low”. It sounds like school can cover much tuition for students whose income is about 60k. To be honest, my income is too low for sure, and I expect that CU will offer me a great deal.
So… Does that mean some of folks who need to pay up to 50k for annual tuition earn higher incomes? I am curious!</p>
<p>I got my financial aid and don’t mind sharing my info. I’m not sure that I will be able to attend because of the high cost. </p>
<p>I make between $20 and $22000 per year, and am legally no longer a dependent, so that is my family income as well. Between work study, grants, and the new student scholarship, I will get just shy of $14000 per semester. However, only $6500 is from scholarships and grants (4500 for scholarship). This means for a 14 credit semester, I will take on around $15000 in debt per semester and be there for five semesters. Plus living expenses and health insurance. And, that’s counting the 1250 from work study, which is nowhere near the amount that I could make waiting tables. While I don’t think $75,000 is a terrible amount of debt for an Ivy, I already have $30,000 from previous loans to think about too.</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>@ hjw52340 Not necessarily. I can only speak for myself when I say my income is way too low, so low that other institutions have offered me way better financial aid. The problem with GS is that it’s a fairly new institution and their endowment is not big enough for big scholarships. CC is a much older institution with more financial resources. I would say that when I met with an acceptance counselor, she did say most scholarships handed out were an average of $6500, so I think we are all on par with what the school can offer. There are some rare instances that some students will receive more aid, and you should visit their special scholarship page for those.</p>