<p>How are the financial aid packages there for middle income families? The College Board site says that the average indebtedness after graduation is about $20,000. -.-'</p>
<p>My parents are middle - but I will probably have to have $80K in loans - my own name. Very scary.</p>
<p>I guess I'm kind of the opposite. My parents are middle income, but Dartmouth has been more than generous. I'll be graduating debt free with almost $10,000 in the bank.</p>
<p>The sticker price is imposing, but I've found ways to cut almost $4000 off of it. Per year. </p>
<p>First, the dining plan--I'm not a huge eater, and have discovered it's very easy to get free food for 3 or 4 meals a week. This allows me to go on the minimal dining plan (I usually still have lots left over at the end of the term) rather than the full-freight one. Savings: $1095.</p>
<p>Books. Dartmouth expects you to spend $1320 per year on books. With a lot of the books, the ones I know I'll only read once, I'll get via BorrowDirect or read on reserve. The past few years, I've spent about $450 on books. Savings: $870.</p>
<p>Miscellaneous. Dartmouth budgets ~$1,302. I've never spent anything close to this. Perhaps $300/year for laundry, concert tickets, DOC rentals, random supplies, etc. Savings: $1000.</p>
<p>These are just examples. It's also possible to save a lot on travel (for instance, staying during spring interim to save plane fares or taking Southwest, etc.) and on board (if you get some decent but cheap off campus housing).</p>
<p>I'm middle-income and international to make matters worse, and Dartmouth gave me the most generous financial aid package of all my schools. I'll still graduate nearly $50,000 in debt, but relatively speaking that's actually reasonable (I would've had to borrow $200,000 to attend Wellesley).</p>
<p>I hope financial aid will take a second look then at my case. I really want to attend Dartmouth but need to hear back from FA first.</p>
<p>galwain626, how did you contact the FA office? I plan on calling them tomorrow but I don't know how to go about talking to them about adjusting my package.</p>
<p>While D won't graduate debt free like WG (hi, welcome back as you are start your final term) D will graduate will graduate with a minimum amount of debt(way less than the 20k). I think one of the keys was to let her have some skin in the game. I found that she manages her money differently when she earns it as was responsible for it that she was when she was using the bank of mom.</p>
<p>To add to WG's list, D was a UGA (so she had a job for the school year) in addition she did have an on campus job (which she uses just to pay sorority dues, etc). She has already lined up a Deans administrative internship for senior year (so she knows that next year she will have a source of income) and plans on getting a summer internship (which she saves a good portion of this money).</p>
<p>She does blitz out and borrows books, purchases books through e-campus, amazon (free 2 day shipping over $25), borrows from the library and uses books on reserve.</p>
<p>Started organizing her self early and stored stuff over the summer incontrolled storage vs. storing off campus.</p>
<p>xxamberdawn </p>
<p>Welcome to CC.</p>
<p>if you go through the financial aid disaster thread</p>
<p>you will see the link for requesting a financial review.</p>
<p>Call the FA office get the name of the person you are speaking to
Ask if you ca fax over your request for financial review
fill out the form attach your supporting documentation at fax to FA office)
give them a couple of days to review
Follow up</p>
<p>I mailed the appeal form and supplemental information in today.</p>
<p>What is a UGA? I will have a job on campus too- according to the package.</p>
<p>Xxamberdawn - sybbie719 said send in the appeal form and my mom was told the same thing when she called. That is the starting point.</p>
<p>UGA- Undergraduate Advisor-same as a RA at other colleges (you have to wait at least until the end of freshaman year to apply for sophomore year) so she was able to do this and work her workstudy job.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I called and was told to send in my form. So there we go! It felt like my financial aid person implied that I wouldn't get any more money unless things have significantly changed for my family unfortunately.</p>
<p>Can we submit merit scholarship awards from other schools to appeal to Dartmouth? Our EFC is high and we are middle-income.</p>
<p>^No, as far as I know, only need-based awards will be considered.</p>
<p>can we submit need-based grant awards from different schools?</p>
<p>I got quite a bit from carleton, but really nothing from dartmouth
If so, how would we go about this?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can we submit merit scholarship awards from other schools to appeal to Dartmouth? Our EFC is high and we are middle-income.
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</p>
<p>Dartmouth only gives need based financial aid and will not consider merit aid awards from other schools (think about it pretty much everyone accepted to dartmouth would be eligible for merit aid from some school).</p>
<p>jdub,</p>
<p>you have to compare apples to apples. If your carlton package is based on need based FA only, then by all means request a financial review in order to better under stand how 2 schools can give such vastly different aid packages. state your case for wanting/needing an increase in aid to make attending dartmouth possible. (from your list swat and tufts would probably be considered peer schools so those are the packages that they would most likely match before Carlton, however you did originally apply ED which demonstrates that you really want to come)</p>
<p>I understand the apples to apples idea. What Carleton gave me was simply called "Carleton Grant." Likewise I received a "Swarthmore Scholarship," both, from the details I've gathered from the respective financial aid packets are need-based grants which do not need to be repaid. </p>
<p>As of now, I have not yet received my package from Tufts. </p>
<p>Regardless, I don't think any of this will impact my decision, I applied ED and understood the consequences at that time that I would accept any financial aid package they gave me. Since I was deferred, the binding effect was ended, but when I was accepted, I knew I still wanted to go to Dartmouth. </p>
<p>I'm just trying to use some of this bargaining power to reduced the bill a little bit, it can't hurt to try. Swarthmore's is certainly something within reason, Carleton's was a bit of a surprise and I'm sure that has to do with wanting to attract more people from the coast. Still, since it wasn't merit-based, I think I have a decent argument.</p>
<p>no, I mean you applied ED (in a good way although you were deferred and picked up RD so yes it was no longer binding) that Dartmouth knows that you are serious about attending and you want to know if they can work something out.</p>
<p>of course send your packages, the worse that could happen is that they say no.</p>
<p>good luck</p>