OP, we understand your frustration but if you want to pay less, you’ll just have to go to a school that offered a better financial aid package. You don’t seem to like your other options but so far one of the things I’ve learned from college is that it’s more about what YOU make out of it than what a school can do for you. Any of your options will provide a great education and the opportunity for a wonderful experience. 
It’s ok if you don’t go to BC!
No one is owed an expensive education. $40K in grants is a lot of money. But if it isn’t enough, you need to pick a different school that is more affordable. It is really immature to now “hate” all your other choices – you did a lousy job of choosing colleges to apply to if you only liked one of them. What are your other choices and the cost to you? What is your preferred major?
Any younger or older siblings?
Any savings from your summer job?
OP have you considered pursuing any private scholarships in addition to the FA you received and the scholarships that BC gave to you?
@intparent Preferred major is Biochem.
UMass Amherst, Dartmouth and Boston all cost around $5k/year. All they really did was take my EFC and say “that’s how much you’re paying.”
I hope you understand I’m not trying to be immature. I took the SAT three times to earn a final score of 2080. I studied the whole summer for it. I took the ACT twice, studied very hard and earned a 31. I took a total of 7 AP classes in high school, while keeping up with volunteering and a job. I do several other ECs. Why do all that effort if I’m going to UMass in the end? Many others who slacked their way through high school are going to UMass. They didn’t do half the things I did or study as much as I did, so I certainly shouldn’t be grouped together with these people. I worked hard to get into BC, as I am sure did many others.
BU and Holy Cross are the same price as BC. I love all 3. I didn’t get into my reaches.
6 "I'm not trying to sound entitled, I am trying to get what is mine, and what I deserve."
17 "If you had the smallest sense of how hard I worked to get into a good school like BC, you would understand. Clearly, you don't."
OP, I hear your frustration. You have good reason to be upset with BC. However, if you are here to ask for advice from posters who have seen a lot of situations and might have good suggestions, it would be in your best interest to lay out your options clearly, responding to specific questions, without coming across as rudely as these comments sound.
@Madison85 No siblings. A few thousand dollars from my job, don’t know how much exactly.
@Undecided3494 You mean from fastweb and those types of scholarships? I applied to one from my town thats around $1500 (they have yet to reply) and I got $250 from winning an essay contest, but I’m not sure of where else to look.
If you are pre-med then consider the cheapest option with the lowest loans.
@mg29409 My guidance office has a whole list of scholarships and their requirements so we can apply for them on our own. Maybe yours does too?
So I’ll be the third person to ask. Did you ever run BC’s Net Price Calculator?
@momcinco Thanks so much. As for #17, the same should be applied to those who rudely responded to my plea, especially to the guy telling me to “get over it.” It’s kind of rude to slap someone in the face like that, telling them to get over it. It’s unhelpful and doesn’t add anything meaningful. If you’re just going to tell the person to get over it, then don;t bother replying.
If any others feel I’m sounding rude or entitled, please understand my anger (as many of you already are, thank you).
A lot of kids work hard, but can’t afford the school that they were accepted to and want to attend.
So they need to look a their other options and find another school where they can attain their goals.
$40,000 in grant aid is generous, is the $10k the net price, you could make that work with student loan, summer job and on campus job.
Can you make this work, or are you just venting (which is understandable)?
@Sportsman88 (and to all others asking if I ran the NPC): Yes. It gave me an EFC of $10k, which is perfect. However, they decided to allocate my father’s $14k retirement money that he reported on his W2 as income, which is obviously isn’t. My parents and I told the college that it’s not income, but it’s like talking to a damn wall. They barely helped.
How is it not income?
You mean contribution to 401K/403b? That counts as income by all private colleges that use CSS. Not sure about FASFA.
@zoosermom It can work, but I don’t want to create too much of a financial hardship on my parents. My dad already works two jobs, and my mom will have to find a job that will only pay her $30k regardless of how many years she has experience. It doesn’t seem fair to have them kill themselves to pay a price they shouldn’t be paying.
@mommdc The $10k net price can definitely work, but the college isn’t following that. They want me to pay $21k, double the net price I got from the calculator. They believe that my parents’ saved retirement money is extra income. So instead of looking at our actual income of $58k, they think its around $72k.
You mean money he put into his retirement account? Or money he took out? Either way, it is income – it is what he decided to do with it if he is putting it in, and income he received if he is taking it out. You may not like how they do the calculation, but they sure aren’t the only school to do that. And $14K more of income doesn’t translate straight to 14K of additional cost, either.
Holy Cross meets need, and they gave you the same package if I understand right. I think your gripe is with how schools decide what meets need vs. what you think it should mean.
They add retirement contributions back in for everyone thinking it does not NEED to be contributed. They do that to everyone. Especially if gross income is $68, and 14 of that was contributed? (Not sure that is what you meant).
So they gave you $40k in grant, $10k in loans and $10k EFC?
I know you would like to not have loans. No one wants loans. But lots of kids must take them. No choice. Meets full need includes them unfortunately. And yes, your mom should work if she can. I’ll be working very hard to send my kid with no FA…
Not sure are you saying you could go to BU or Dartmouth for $5k?
Someone please correct me but 100% need isn’t the same as no loan policy, correct?