<p>I just got my acceptance letter to Amherst in the mail a couple of days ago. I was so excited–it’s my number one school. But…the financial aid letter came with it also. Bad news. My family is middle class, 4 children, 2 parents. I’m the oldest and we all go to private schools, the youngest being in 3rd grade. On paper, it may look like my family can afford to send me to Amherst, but in reality that’s not the case. How can anyone truly afford a $50,000+ every year? Apparently the aid office didn’t see that.</p>
<p>I have no idea what to do! My parents are sending in an appeal to Amherst for a second chance at aid, but a lady in the office said she wasn’t too hopeful for anything to come from it.</p>
<p>They didn’t give me ANYTHING. I mean nothing. For a school known for its aid, I was astounded that they didn’t even give me a penny. I really, really want to go here, but I have no idea how to pay.</p>
<p>Anybody have any suggestions? Anybody else going through the same issue?? I need some consolation please!</p>
<p>Let me pass on to you some of the soundest advice I’ve ever been given: never accept a “no” from someone who cannot give you a “yes”</p>
<p>In other words, make sure the person you’re dealing with actually has the power to change the result. Do your best to cut through the middle man. Keep asking to talk to the person’s supervisor until you get someone with a shred of authority. You have absolutely nothing to lose, so don’t worry about annoying people or causing a stir.</p>
<p>My daughter got in early decision a couple of years ago and I was also shocked that she was awarded zero aid. I was recently divorced and I had custody of my daughter. Regardless, Amherst (as does most other elite colleges) look at the income of both parents. I wrote a letter of appeal, it didn’t help. The college feels that parents are morally obligated to support their children. My daughter loves Amherst and it is a wonderful fit for her. Yes, the tuition is sticker shock and I was also amazed that she got no aid, considering all of the press about great financial aid. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Unfortuantely, Amherst doesn’t care that your parents are paying for private secondary and elementary school. I concur, they look at the total income and equity. We are a family of 4 and while we are comfortable, live within our means, don’t take big vacations or drive fancy cars, and not “rich” by any means, my son got no FA. </p>
<p>I think it is deceieving to many students and parents when a college displays the financial aid numbers…Amherst gives alot of need based aid…just not to those familes with an income over $100K per year. </p>
<p>I encouarge students and parents to use the FA calculator and see the reality of probable aid. We did, we knew we would get next to nothing (or nothing) and then had to make the desicion based on that. We did allow son to apply ED, he did get in and will be attending in the fall. Do we have sticker shock? You bet! But we went into it with clear expectations and that makes it easier.</p>
<p>The latter is what very usually accounts for a not-so-stellar financial aid award.</p>
<p>My parents make in the 25,000 to 49,999 category, yet we have two apartments: one in which we live, the other my grandparents.</p>
<p>I got a respectable award, and when I wrote a comprehensive and thorough letter to the Office of Financial Aid, I got a modest increase in aid. I also managed to get a waiver for the mandatory 1000 dollar Student Insurance. 60 percent off tuition, room, and board isn’t that bad. I think the HYPSM’s Financial Aid initiatives have distorted the expectations of upper middle, middle, and lower middle class families.</p>
<p>If possible, I recommend that you speak to an actual human being, face-to-face. That way, your situation will be better understood. Amherst prides itself in insisting that because of its generosity, tuition no longer stands in the way of men and women who want to attend. Put them to the test.</p>
<p>My daughter is also at Amherst. We are a family who cannot afford the full tuition, but our incomes are too high to qualify for any inancial aid. We grin and bear it because we believe the education is superb there. We struggle financially, but consider the loans an investment in our daughter’s future.</p>
<p>Anonymous, did you fill out the FAFSA and CSS Profile already? You appled ED if I recall. The CSS Profile was due at or just before the ED application deadline, and the FAFSA needed to be submitted (with estimates for 2008 income and tax figures) at the same time.</p>
<p>You will need to update your FAFSA with the definitive figures for 2008 right away if you haven’t already. If your figures on the CSS Profile form were also estimates and were significantly off, you should make those changes on your paper printout of the Profile and send a copy into the college financial aid office. Presumably you have sent in copies of tax returns for your parents and yourself (assuming you filed one) to IDOC already.</p>
<p>Other than those things there is, I believe, one other form – Amherst’s own with a few simple questions. Last year, they sent us one, but it can also be printed off the website and sent in. And if you were selected for verification of your FAFSA, you’ll need to send in that form as well. (But not additional copies of your tax returns since the college already has those through IDOC.)</p>
<p>If you have any other questions or all the above sounds like Martian to you, I’d be sure to call the FA office ASAP.</p>
<p>You can log into you AC Data there and any forms or whatnot they are still missing regarding FA will be listed there, as well as everything already received.</p>
<p>You should have received a preliminary aid award shortly after your got your ED acceptance letter. A final award will be generated once they have all the updated info. My son applied ED last year, and got his preliminary award in December about a week after receiving his acceptance letter. We got his final award letter in mid-June. It was almost identical to the preliminary award.</p>
<p>The FA webpage seems to announce “no more paper letters” - but I don’t know. It said that last year and we still got paper letters. You might want to check the links I posted above, though, in case there is info there you have not received in the mail.</p>
<p>There is a way IDOC wants them submitted, along with an official cover letter. You can read about it at the IDOC website.</p>
<p>I’d get those in ASAP. Or else call the Amherst FA office and ask if you can send them directly. I know an accepted student at a peer school that also uses IDOC, but he was told he could send them directly to the college. That might be simpler, but you should ask to make sure first that Amherst would accept them that way.</p>
<p>I am sure you have all the advice you need from previous posters. Here is something I think you need to hear, though: No parent is obligated to send his/her children to private school. </p>
<p>Schools are increasing financial aid budgets because a) They need the press and b) They need that extra money to give to families whose parents no longer have jobs, whose families have lost health care, etc. It is not money to give to parents who work hard, yes, and love their children, yes, but <em>voluntarily</em> take up hefty financial responsibilities by sending their kids to private schools. Losing a job or healthcare is practically never a choice in today’s economic environment. </p>
<p>I do believe you are fighting a battle where you will not win, but I wish you luck in this matter and your college future.</p>
<p>I’ve had a similar experience at Amherst in regard to FA. I applied ED, was shocked at the small amount of aid, but talked with my parents and together we decided it was feasible. I didn’t back out of my ED contract for FA reasons and didn’t apply elsewhere. The shocker? I received my final FA award in the mail last week. It had been further reduced by around 10k.</p>
<p>I currently go to an independent school where tuition runs about 30k/year. I’m on FA, so my parents pay around 20k. Now my family is being expected to contribute…45k or something. I’m still in horror/shock. My parents have refinanced our house and I know that I will have to take out student loans in a year or two. Our final decision? I’m going to Amherst next year, seeing as I didn’t apply elsewhere, and my parents believe it is the best place for me to continue my education. Beyond that year though? We’ll have to decide when the time comes.</p>
<p>Currently I’m feeling something beyond guilt, for putting my family through this, for applying ED. I also feel disillusioned by the talk-up of FA at Amherst, and, much like you, I don’t understand how they expect us to scrape out almost 50k/year. Is Amherst worth it? I certainly hope so.</p>
<p>I can tell you that we are in the same boat: can’t afford Amherst, but make too much to qualify for a dime…I can also tell you it IS definitely worth it. It is an investment in you! My son, attended Columbia and got wooed for jobs in his senior year, and is two years out and making a hefty salary. My Amherst student has gotten great summer internship offers that none of friends at state/or other LACs that they attend have been offered.</p>
<p>Last year, my son applied to Amherst on regular decision. He received a letter in February informing him that he was accepted and that the school wanted him to know as early as possible that they really wanted him. My kid was his HS’s valedictorian, with SATs of 2300 and ACTs of 36, so he had the goods. Unfortunately, my wife and I are in professions that pay just enough for us to be considered out of bounds for much financial aid. We got about $10K in grants. Fortunately, Loyola in MD offered my son a four-year full tuition scholarship. Guess where we went? The name of the game is ‘Follow the Money.’ We look at the acceptance to Amherst as validation of our son’s hard work and advise those of you who are torn up by not being able to enroll in Amherst due to financial reasons to do the same. Guess how many times my son has looked back at Amherst with regret this year. Zero! And when he is accepted to the graduate school of his choice in 3 years, the money that is still sitting in his 529 fund will be there to help pay for the degree that is really going to make the difference in his employment future.</p>
<p>You might think there are some sour grapes in my story. Well, remember that Amherst sent my son a flattering letter in February that some folks might look at as a reason to begin declining other colleges. Fortunately, we never lost sight of the fact that you don’t have the money until you have it in hand. $160K of debt over four years for an undergraduate degree is not reasonable for a middle-class family. Not for Amherst or for an Ivy. You can be sure I shared all of this with Amherst when they asked us to explain why we were declining their offer of admission.</p>
<p>I’d like to chime in as yet another person in a similar situation, except I’m looking back at my choice as I approach graduation from Amherst (actually will be in December, due to a semester off). My family got close to $0 in grant aid, and faced an extremely tough choice between stretching to make Amherst work and going to a top in-state university (one of: Va., NC, Mich., for sake of anonymity). I honestly wavered for two years, and quite nearly transferred after sophomore year due to the cost and some disappointments about my experiences up to that point, so I took a semester off to think it over.</p>
<p>Ultimately I decided to come back, shouldering all of the cost difference (b/t Amherst and U-?) myself in the form of loans. I came back determined to take advantage of everything special Amherst has to offer, and did so–I worked hard at my classes, got to know my professors, networked to find a great job for this summer and 2010, and I’ve enjoyed (almost) every second of life on this beautiful campus. I have a sizable chunk of debt, but slightly less than my starting salary, which I’ve heard is a rule-of-thumb upper bound. Personally, I think the opportunities and experiences Amherst has given me make the sacrifice 100% worth it. I’ve seen the brutal job/law school/medical school/grad school competition this year, and I know it’s a lot worse for my many friends who went to the state university than it is for Amherst grads (even here it’s tough–a friend in Phi Beta Kappa, usually top of all his classes, unbelievable pre-med track record, only got into his middling med school shoices).</p>
<p>I can’t tell you what to do, but that’s my story. Paradoxically, the added responsibility of taking out loans myself improved my experience: it helped me mature, and really appreciate how lucky I am. obxboy’s story is a fine counterargument, but I’d warn that getting into the graduate school of his/her son’s choice won’t be a walk in the park–sadly, grad school is undoubtedly the post-college competition where “pedigree” (trust me, I feel queasy saying it, but it’s a fact of life) matters the most, not to mention the value of connections through profs from top grad schools. And one word of warning: if you bite the bullet and take out the loans, get ready to sit through a lot of unbearable conversations where your friends rave about practically getting paid to go to Amherst by fin. aid, or people saying they only chose it because their fin aid offer bested some other crappy school by $1000; not to mention the institutional propaganda that insists “no one EVER graduates with ANY debt from Amherst”… sorry you can see that stuff gets me worked up occasionally. I’m glad to see so many other people who think Amherst is valuable enough to sacrifice for, and good luck with your tough choice!</p>
<p>I want to thank everyone for their responses and let them know that I have taken them all with deep consideration. This is obviously a tough choice for not only me, but my parents and siblings as well. What I decide to do will affect everyone for a very, very long time. Decision time is almost here–May 1st is the deadline. So…hopefully I get my head straight and my mind settled in time to pick a school. </p>
<p>I really appreciate everyone’s input–it truly has helped a lot. And I’ll be happy to post my ultimate school decision and my reasonings here once the time comes. Good luck to anyone else in the same situation!</p>