I recently was admitted to Yale SCEA and actually got a decent aid package. However, Yale will still be a bit pricey and I was told that the best way to get an improved financial aid offer is to show them a better offer from a peer school. The two “peer schools” that I know are likely to provide better financial aid are Princeton and Harvard.
I know the differences in difficulty of admission are fairly arbitrary and perhaps so are differences in financial aid, but I’m only applying to one. So which one would I have a better shot at getting into and which one would give better financial aid? My stats are in other posts of mine (I’m also a first generation college student). Thanks!
My dad just ran the NPCs for both Princeton and Harvard. They’re offering the same amount of aid. So it comes down to which I’m gonna have a better shot at. @carachel2@CottonTales
Aren’t their financial aid packages pretty much the same? Back when I was doing Net Price Calculators, all 3 were near identical (though I think, like you said, Yale was slightly more).
@IsaacTheFuture Yes, but Princeton is offering a bit more (a bit being several thousand).
So which do you guys think I have a better chance at? Which one would being first generation count for more? What about what each school looks for? I have a 33 on the ACT and have a ton of good ECs dealing with politics as well as some good stuff with Boy Scouts (check my other posts for details).
Does the Princeton senior thesis frighten or inspire you?
Urban or suburban (smallish suburban at that) setting?
Are you more of an Einstein or a JFK?
Is focus on undergrads important to you? (Princeton has a higher % of undergrads; in fact, the highest among HYPSM)
What role does prestige play for you? (granted, Princeton is widely known too, but there's only one Harvard in that regard...)
You may not plan on attending either Harvard or Princeton, but what if you luck out (again…) and are admitted… and the difference in FA is enough to become a factor in your decision… and Yale doesn’t budge? You wouldn’t want to be stuck choosing between a school you love but can’t afford and one you can afford but don’t love. So I think, rather than choosing Princeton or Harvard based on your odds of getting in, I think you should choose based on fit.
@RoundGenius Like anyone else you have a slightly better shot at Princeton than Harvard. The differences in difficulty of admission are small but not arbitrary. There are considerably more people who get into Princeton or Yale but get rejected at Harvard than the other way around.
On the one hand Princeton is slightly easier to get in, on the other hand a higher package from Harvard might have more leverage with Yale since they usually lose people to Harvard so they might be more motivated to bump their offer. I do not think there will any substantial deference between the Harvard and Princeton package though, maybe Princeton could be a bit higher.
Is there any way to waive the app fees based on income and apply to both so that you have more options?
@prezbucky
Thank you very much for the congratulations! And you bring up a good point. If I were to apply based on fit, I would choose Princeton. I also get the feeling that I have a better chance of admissions there. If I’m going to be honest though, I’m not overly eager to apply there; their supplements are much more comprehensive when compared to Harvard’s. Oh well, looks like I’m not going to have that lazy winter break I was hoping for. Thanks for the input!
@Penn95
At this point, a fee waiver isn’t really possible. I highly doubt I qualify anyway. Would the fact that Yale loses more people to Harvard make that much of a difference?
Just curious…you don’t seem committed to any of them. Most students here feel a strong affinity to one or the other. Is it just a $$$ to you? As previously mentioned the three are usually pretty close in terms of FA packages and will match each other but they are worlds apart in feel. I’d hope one or the other actually resonates with you.
@RoundGenius I really do not know if it makes a significant difference, if I had to guess I would say maybe a bit but not a huge difference. I think Princeton is the safer option in the sense that your chances of getting in are higher, especially given your Yale acceptance, and that it will most probably give the same or better package than Harvard. You might want to consider personal preference too in making your decision.
@tonymom
Well I applied to Yale SCEA. The whole reason I’m applying to either H or P is to try to force a better financial aid offer out of Yale. Yale is literally my dream school. I love everything about it: the residential colleges, the campus, New Haven, the theatre, the Political Union. I had a previous thread comparing Princeton and Yale. At the moment I prefer Princeton over Harvard, mainly due its undergrad focus and the pictures I’ve seen of the campus. From what I understand about the surrounding areas though, I believe I would like Cambridge more than Princeton. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton actually tend to offer different packages. H and P tend to be much more generous from what I understand, and their NPCs show it.
Would it be possible to just call the financial aid office and ask if they could give you slightly more aid? If you have been accepted, chances are they really want you there, and I have heard that method has worked with people in the past
@shawnspencer
First off, love the username. I’m a fellow fan of Psych! And from what I’ve heard, while merely requesting more aid can help, it usually doesn’t do much and often requires a major change to a family’s financial situation. Supposedly the best way to get the biggest increase in aid is to show them a better offer from a peer institution.
I lived near Harvard for years, it’s a great area and Boston is a fantastic city, much better than New Haven, which has serious crime. I lived in NYC as well as Los Angeles and would take Boston any day. Go for Harvard if you need another choice.
I thought Harvard and Yale both offered those special programs where a family would only have to pay like 10-12% of gross income. So if the family made $150K then the cost would be around $15K to attend. How much better of an aid package are you really expecting in terms of dollars? You are so low as it is, what does $2 to $3k more mean?
