Financial Aid Awards! =]

<p>I have heard that the awards were mailed out yesterday..which means people hopefully are getting them soon? =D IF people can just post up briefly how theirs is when they go them, that'd be great! Just so I can get a sense how mine will be. GU's definitely my first choice..provided that money matters work out! The waiting is killing me! :(</p>

<p>My son receieved his acceptance yesterday but no financial aid award was mentioned. I assume that it comes separately?</p>

<p>I received mine at the GAAP weekend. They gave me $1,000 in scholarship. Their EFC for my family was about $10,000 over what the college board and FAFSA said. My dad was raised in a very poor household and was accepted to Stanford and Cal Berk, but couldn't go to either one because of money, so he went to U of San Fran on a rull ride. Now, the same thing is happening to me. Maybe i got some bad genes or something.</p>

<p>Akajjred, you can't say that you got bad genes when your dad got in Stanford and Cal, and you got accepted at GU, lol.</p>

<p>I need to call for my fin package... it's pretty much a toss-up between Berkeley and Georgetown for me based on financial aid.</p>

<p>I was going to pick between Georgetown or University of Chicago based on how much aid I got... but the jerks both gave me nothing... now I'm bitter... :( And I can't afford either one.</p>

<p>Bella, try calling their FA offices. Don't give up.</p>

<p>it seems like they are giving everyone a higher efc than the fafsa calculated??</p>

<p>I appealed and they gave me a much better offer.</p>

<p>So, are you gonna go, Akajjred?</p>

<p>Akajjred - Did you call or faxed a letter. If you do not minnd can you share if you metioned other offers you had and Who did you talk to?</p>

<p>Yes Niomi, I am going for sure now. </p>

<p>And yes I will share the info with you guys, but I'd like to forward it with that saying that I think I'm in a special situation and a rare exception. I got my original award on GAAP weekend (March 30). The original award was $1,000 in scholarship, $3,000 in loans, and $3,000 in workstudy. I was sort of shocked like all of you. I didn't understand how my EFC could be so much. However, by finding out GAAP weekend, I had a bit of a head start on you guys. I talked in person with the financial aid advisor lady, and told her that my mom was disabled and spent a significant amount of money on her income. Apparently, they didn't know any of this. The lady I talked to was based on my the first letter of my last name, so I don't think you can try and talk with her to appeal. She told me to have my mom call her on that monday (April 2).</p>

<p>My mom called and got together all the documentation of her medical expenses, and Schedule C for 2006. The lady told my mom that the revised award probably wouldn't be what we we're looking for, and kind of prepared her for the worst. My mom, faxed in the official letter and documentation on Tuesday because the appeals meeting was Wednesday. They emailed me yesterday, and said that my new award was $18,700 in scholarship, up from $1,000. That was more than what we expected. I guess I'm in a special situation though because they were unaware of the $23,000 we pay a year for my mom's medical expenses. </p>

<p>The most important things are to write a very convincing letter (from the parent), have an actual reason for appealing, and provide documentation (proof). What I mean by reason for appealing, you can't just say "we think it is unfair," you have to have sort of motive like for me, "Did you take into account my mom's medical expenses and her declining income because of disability?" Hope this helps, probably not much, but I wish you all the best of luck.</p>