<p>Here’s what I don’t understand: Someone who is ultimately going to be offered the Presidential Scholarship is presumably qualified for the Dean’s and/or Semifinalist. But I’m reading that there is generally not any upgrading of existing offers. So does that mean that the people who are going to get the Presidential were not offered anything in their admissions letter?</p>
<p>MomInHouston, Maybe they are waiting for the regular decision candidates to be evaluated to determine who gets the Presidential Scholarship? Not sure if there were some posters on this thread who said they that already received that in EA admission? My daughter did not receive Dean’s or Semifinalist (she was a Commended Student)but did get an estimate of $13,800/year in non-paid- back merit grants.</p>
<p>MomInHouston–whoever said there was no upgrading was probably wrong. I got the NMSF scholarship with my EA acceptance letter, but the university sent me another big envelope in April with Presidential stuff.</p>
<p>@anglegrinderman. That is nice to hear. I am hoping my son will be upgraded to Presidential, as his stats are in the ballpark. Had you already committed to Fordham when you were upgraded in April?</p>
<p>My daughter received a decent amount fom Fordham, but quite a bit more from another (lesser known) univeristy. Is it appropriate to try to leverage for more merit money from Fordham, or is it useless and offensive to try?</p>
<p>omzac–No; and I don’t know if the bump was related to my not having committed, but I can’t help but wonder if it was. Dunno know how your being from LI will affect his chances. The five people I know who definitely got tuition-and-room are all from quite far away (AZ, CA, FL, LA, TX).</p>
<p>My3Daughters–If she’s not already Dean’s, it might be worth a try. Might be better to go at it from the standpoint of just your need than to show them an offer they can brush aside as coming from a “lesser” school.</p>
<p>@ anglegrinderman. You are always such a help. You are probably right about being from LI affecting son’s chances for an upgrade. In any case, he is very happy and blessed to have received such a generous offer from Fordham as it is. S is starting to seriously considering attending and I am very glad.</p>
<p>Thanks, anglegrinderman.</p>
<p>But I thought Dean’s was $10,000? Or is it more? </p>
<p>My daughter got $13,800 in all grants (no paying back), but there was no specific scholarship name associated with the money.</p>
<p>My3Daughters–I think Dean’s ranges up to 22k “with need,” but if you can get them to increase the $ offered I suppose it doesn’t really matter what it’s called…</p>
<p>Looking back at your D’s GPA/leadership/extracurriculars and your family income, it actually seems like you might want to go at it from the merit rather than the financial need perspective. I’m not very familiar with the appeals process–all I can suggest is looking through websites like [this</a> one](<a href=“http://www.custudentloans.org/2011/02/25/incoming-freshman-increase-merit-based-scholarships-through-appeal/]this”>http://www.custudentloans.org/2011/02/25/incoming-freshman-increase-merit-based-scholarships-through-appeal/) and Googling things like “merit aid appeal site:[college confidential dot com]” to comb the CC forums.</p>
<p>I do think glassharmonica successfully appealed merit aid from FCLC by showing offers from comparable schools, so you could PM her for suggestions.</p>
<p>Since a “lesser-known” school’s merit award might not be enough to elicit a Fordham counteroffer, you might want to consider whether any of Fordham’s “peer schools” have big merit $ and a Jan. 15 application deadline. (That’d be a bit extreme, though.)</p>
<p>Again, I don’t know whether or not it’s useless or offensive to try an appeal; it’s yours to decide whether the FA people are more likely to give your D more $ with or without some prodding. Just know that your chances of success are not great either way.</p>
<p>omzac–if he does attend in honors or physics I might meet him… ::WEIRD:: …Fordham is a great place and I’m stoked as red coals to be going back in two days.</p>
<p>Thanks, angelgrinderman! You are so very helpful and informative! :)</p>
<p>Thanks @anglegrinderman! My son has said he would like to meet you. You are a wonderful source of information in this process. Best of luck in your studies next semester!</p>
<p>I am SO happy!! I got my student aid package in the mail and estimates were 30,700 in grants/scholarships. I can afford college now! I’ll be commuting to the Bronx though, and I’m still unsure about Fordham because it would be a 2hr commute and I’m not sure how safe it would be for me to commute home if I had to stay late some days.</p>
<p>Congrats, chrishsarah! Hope you can work something out with the commute!!</p>
<p>I received a new merit aid estimate, Fordham gives $20K merit aid. That still leaves $40K+ to pay. I have not submitted the pin to sign the FAFSA yet. Will do that this weekend.</p>
<p>How long did it take to get Merit Aid estimates? S was accepted EA, but with no aid yet.</p>
<p>So are people starting to receive updated aid statements already? I’m hoping my daughter will get a little more…due to her test scores, I don’t think it’s likely.</p>
<p>I also got an Experience Fordham letter, but read it about two weeks too late, as I was out of town. I did not receive any scholarships with my letter. I’m from Dallas.
Also submitted my FAFSA, which would likely qualify me for full need-based aid. I’m so surprised I was one of their “top applicants” as my GPA was fairly low because of my first two years, it is now very high; my SAT must have saved me, or they really liked my art?
I was rejected from Barnard so this is very reassuring.</p>
<p>Also, to whoever asked, I’ll be studying Biology at Rose Hill.</p>
<p>It is interesting to see the updated specificity of Fordham’s [Scholarship</a> Page](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/financing/financial_aid_facts_31974.asp]Scholarship”>http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/financing/financial_aid_facts_31974.asp).</p>
<p>I wish I had the Experience Fordham letter. :(</p>
<p>Scholarships are exciting, reassuring and an honor. Great. But the goal here is to afford Fordham. Thus, Fordham has discretion to give university grants in aid, from the CSS and FAFSA to those who qualify for aid. To some extent (anecdotal, I have no specifics) they can increase grants to students that are highly desirable (high stats). And some grants can equal scholarship levels. We were in that category. High stats but not above 1400 SATs. There are also departmental small scholarships. </p>
<p>Most schools <em>cheat</em> when they say they give you full need based aid. They are filling in with student loans. Others who don’t meet need can gap you, and you are forced to get student loans from outside sources or PLUS loans. </p>
<p>Fordham is a very expensive school. Unfortunately, some will not be able to afford it. There is gross injustice in college admissions/financial aid. Unjust based on the fact that SAT scores basically determine who gets the money and who doesnt. We can argue all day long whether that is a fair measure of “merit”. I am not a fan of standardized testing for a myriad of reasons. But it is the only known method to get a quasi objective standard, since grades/gpa’s are so subjective and vary a great deal from school to school, particularly in private schools. </p>
<p>To be frank, universities admit a much higher percentage than they expect to attend. Its called <em>yield</em>. And they use yield as a shield and a sword. Its not a personal assessment, because they are saying by admitting you that you will succeed at their school and you can come if you can afford it, wink-wink. But schools dont want to engage in deep discounts of their tuition/room-board because that is tracked by the feds and others and used as a comparison and in rankings. Its a cynical world, people. </p>
<p>My heart bleeds for people who bleed maroon! Those who truly want to attend Fordham (not those using it as a safety), and cant attend because of finances. That is tragic. For some, taking out large student loans is not an option. For others it might be doable if they are headed to wallstreet or national communications networks with high salaries. (Be careful!). </p>
<p>Every year, millions are faced with this deplorable decision. Having to say no to a school they want, and having to accept a school lower on their list. But at the end of the day, one must be practical and recognize that a college degree is the goal, and being financially prudent is the best policy. Again, my heart bleeds maroon. </p>
<p>So, wait until April when you have ALL your offers and can compare the packages. Make your best choice based on your personal circumstances. </p>
<p>I wish everyone the very best.</p>