Financial feasibility

<p>Hey all.</p>

<p>I got accepted to Whitman and was very excited when I found out. I applied via Early Decision so it was definitely my first choice and I feel that it's a great match for me. Unfortunately, I feel that the financial aid / scholarship amount that was offered to me might not be enough for me to attend... </p>

<p>I'm not sure if the amount of money I have to raise is feasible through scholarships alone. I come from a very low income home so I don't really have much help there so if I don't get the costs covered by scholarships then I'd have to take out a substantial amount of loans which is undesirable (especially considering that I plan to go to med school after undergrad). I realize that I can also get a job / work study and put in a lot of hours but frankly I would prefer to keep these responsibilities to a minimum. That way, I can focus more on my studies as I plan to take a rigorous pre-med course load.</p>

<p>Anyway, the aid I was offered totaled about $40,000 out of the (approximately) $52,000 aggregate cost despite an EFC of 0. I understand that Whitman is unable to completely meet the financial needs of each student but I was expecting a bit more. Coming up with $12,000 each year seems like a daunting task; can it be done? I've always heard anecdotal conversations about how many scholarships are available if one knows how to look but can I come up with this amount? I think the heart of my question is that I really don't know anything about the private scholarship process (most importantly, how much an average renewable scholarship is and how much work it takes to get them). </p>

<p>Can anyone give me a hand here? I just want to get some insight to see if anyone thinks I could come up with this amount and, if so, any valuable tips or advice. I've begun filling out some information for some scholarship matching agencies (namely thewashboard.org which I was told is quite good) but where do I go from there? Thanks much for any help or insight, I apologize for the wall of text and general franticness but this is quite stressful.</p>

<p>While in a leaky boat that may or may not be afloat after four years, we are not in the same boat as you, and so cannot answer your questions. I am just responding because I don’t want to see Whitman posts ignored. I do hope it works out for you. Good luck.</p>

<p>Hi! Congratulations on your acceptance. I’m not an expert on financial aid, but you will get more responses if you post this a more widely read form (such as the Financial Aid one). Good luck!</p>

<p>You might want to contact the school’s financial aid office and discuss this w/them! I am sure they will listen!
You may be qualify for some very low interest loans, Pell or Perkins? Is your family able to contribute anything? Another option is for you to get a summer job where you earn say $3k and a job on campus where you earned say $2k. Right there you are closer to half the family contribution amount. My daughter earns that amount every year and contributes that to our family contribution. You can do it!</p>

<p>Congratulations of getting in to Whitman and being awarded 40k of aid! I am not expert on financial aid but consider 1) You may be able to get work study in a lab or some medical/health related part of Whitman. You would then get paid for pursuing what you are interested in. Ask Financial Aid office about this. 2) You cannot study 24/7 - a diversion in your day or week will be welcome. 3) Most college students work either during the year or in the summer to help pay for college. 4) Working may well make you a more appealing medical school candidate. 5) The 12k you didn’t get may allow another student to attend Whitman. Good luck with your decision and congratulations again.</p>

<p>Whitman at $12K a year is a BARGAIN. Between earnings from summer and work/study jobs, and a reasonable amount of low-interest loans, you should be able to make it work.</p>

<p>Does the $40K total already include $5K in loans? If yes, I might decline this offer; $20-$25K is enough debt at graduation. If no, $5K in loans per year is standard (at schools that include loans), so you have a $7K difference per year. Does the $40K already include work-study? If no, the difference is even less. You could have a tough decision. Do you have a significantly cheaper alternative? If no, the decision is even harder. :(</p>

<p>Sorry, I wasn’t clear. the $40k includes $5k in loans and a work study already… </p>

<p>While it pains me to say, I really don’t think it can be done. I was pursuing an option that might bump me up to a full ride but I found out this afternoon that it wouldn’t work. Even if I could work my tail off to get private scholarships, the majority of them are one time only so I’d have to do it over again for each of my 4 years (without a certainty that I could get the full amount each year). I’ll make a post in a financial aid section to get some more opinions and ask around some more to be sure but it looks like I’ll have to find out what my other options are.</p>

<p>Definitely talk with Whitman about your dilemma in detail. And explore other options. They definitely will release you from an ED committment if it is not workable–but they are also likely to be willing to work with you some to explore options to make it possible. And other options do happen–it just takes time and research and persistence. good luck!</p>

<p>Hi there. Do you have any idea if you may be a candidate for the claire sherwood (for girls) or Garrett (for boys) scholarship?
These are scholarships that are by invitiation and include interviews, etc. however several of each are given in each entering class. They are not awarded until later, however, and I think the interviews are in February. you could contact your admissions counselor and talk with them about your situation and ask if you are still under consideration for any other scholarships…
We have found the Whitman fin. aid and admissions offices both incredibly wonderful to work with - very forthright and also just plain easy. Call them!</p>

<p>You should definitely discuss this issue with them. Once you’ve done that and decide it’s still not workable, what are your options? Schools that need blind and promise 100% need met are typically only the most selective. Have you applied to a public school backup?</p>

<p>We just had the same experience with ED this year at Whitman although our EFC was not close to zero. We naively thought that Whitman’s low average student debt was a good sign, but maybe it just means a lot of kids who attend can afford to pay full freight?<br>
Our student would have ended up with an unwise amount of debt in four years–nowhere near the schools average of 17K. I just don’t think Whitman has the endowments to enable students who aren’t wealthy to attend without accruing crippling debt.
It must be somewhat unsettling to be an admissions/financial aid officer watching families take on such burdens of debt. </p>

<p>Look elsewhere. Even though it is painful at the moment it won’t be as painful as too much debt.</p>

<p>I am so sorry for that disappointment. I do want to put in a plug though for their financial aid dept. We have Pell Grants and needed full aid for our d, who did not qualify for any scholarships, and they have worked very generously with us. She will have loans to repay, but Whitman, when asked, did go back to the drawing board - they have been wonderful. Her loans will be the same as they would have been at Berkeley, where she would have gone otherwise. Not perfect, but unless you find a school that’s 100% funded, you will have loans when you need lots of aid.</p>

<p>I should add that she applied to a lot of schools, and it worked out to be about the same amount of loans from all of them. The only difference was that at the less selective schools, (Tulane and American) she received 1/2 tuition scholarships that would have been locked in for all 4 years, but the debt is still the same, assuming Whitman continues with their generous aid - and we have every reason to believe they will. Both her roommates are in the same situation, which has made her experience seem normal to her. We are relieved and grateful that she doesn’t feel out of place.</p>

<p>Actually Tulane, at least, is virtually identical to Whitman in terms of SAT scores and top 10% of class stats, and more selective in terms of % accepted (although obviously that has more to do with their admissions strategy and marketing), but in essence they are almost identical in terms of difficulty of admission.</p>

<p>Anyway, my main point is that I agree with you, OP, and vossron that the amount of additional debt you would be facing is too high. You have zero to lose by seeing if Whitman will increase the financial aid. Also, I am sure you saw this already so I assume it doesn’t apply, but are you a National Merit Finalist? If so, that is $2,000 a year more. [Whitman</a> Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.whitman.edu/content/financial_aid/new-and-prospective-students/facts/scholarships-and-grants/whitman-scholarships]Whitman”>http://www.whitman.edu/content/financial_aid/new-and-prospective-students/facts/scholarships-and-grants/whitman-scholarships) Otherwise, I think appealing your package with them is about all that is left to do. Don’t be shy about it, you cannot be “worse off”, so to speak, than you are right now. What I mean, of course, is that right now it might as well be a $0 package from them, instead of $40,000 if either one means you cannot attend. So you have nothing to lose by giving them a number that you need to attend. If $45,000 is something you can live with, then tell them that. If it is $48,000, tell them that. Whatever it is, you can only get it by asking.</p>