Hi,
I want to know if the Harvard university regarding to the content provided on their site, is need blind for the international students, specially the students whose parents are not in good financial state then what is the term-time work expectation?
I have heard that even if you have gotten full ride from this school, you have to work to contribute about 3,500$ to the school.
The questions are:
1- What if some student who is not in good financial state do not find a job on campus for that specific term? Then he will be in debt to the university. In addition, what if there are not lots of jobs available and if they’re , you will not be able to get them because the other students have already gotten them?
2- More importantly, if the Harvard expects the students to work each term to contribute to the university, how that poor student is supposed to earn money for his/her personal expenses and books? I have seen that they don’t cover the books required in a term costs and even if they will, how should one be able to earn some amount of money for his personal expenses? As you know, international students have work-time regulation in which they cannot exceed a particular amount of working hours on campus.(Normally, 20 hours/Week)
I am totally confused by the information provided on their website. It is pretty vague. In general, what are the covered costs? What will be our term bill? If we have to work to contribute then what will be left for us to survive the life since there are working hours regulations.
Probably, these questions are popped up in my mind due to the fact that I do not have any experience living in the college household. I would extremely appreciate if someone with experience - If Harvard student, it would be awesome! - could clarify these issues and tell me some strategies and ways to survive college life!
- I have emailed several times to the Harvard financial aid office but each time the replied with something irrelevant to my questions. It might be because they are busy at the moment and they cannot answer prospective students queries completely so they use some cliche to reply back.
Thanks in advance
Did you get admitted to Harvard? If so please post the details of your financial aid package.
No, I have not. I just want to know about different types of financial aid packages beforehand. Specially those which will be given to poor families.
Harvard is one of only six colleges in the U.S. that is both need blind for admissions and meets full need for all accepted international students.
This means your ability to pay is not considered when your application for admission is reviewed.
It also means that your full need as Harvard calculates it to be…will be met.
A couple of important hurdles.
- The overall acceptance rate at Harvard is less than 10% of applicants. It is likely that the acceptance rate for international students is even lower. So hurdle one...you gotta get accepted, and that is not a slam dunk even for tippy top students.
- Your ability to work while here will be limited. In most cases, there is a limited number of hours for international students during the school term. In addition, usually you need to be employed on campus.
- Most generous schools, like Harvard, still expect students to contribute something towards their college costs. This can often be several thousand dollars a year...and would likely be for your personal expenses.
Your need based aid at Harvard, should you be accepted, will be completely based on what you put on your financial aid application forms in terms of income and assets. There is NO WAY anyone here can tell you what YOUR costs will be to attend Harvard without that financial information.
I’m not sure what you find confusing about the Harvard financial aid website. It’s pretty clear. They meet full need…if you qualify based on their calculations.
They do not give merit aid…at all.
So you mean even if I become fully funded by Harvard, I am supposed to pay some money and I will receive a bill for it each term? There is contradiction between what’s said in the Harvard site and what can be concluded regarding their explanation. If they support poor students who cannot pay the university money including tuition, room and boarding, and … then expecting them to work to contribute to the university because of the generosity of them to provide you some amount of funds. How can we earn money for our personal expenses by considering the fact that we are international students and we won’t be able to work more than 20 hours a week?(The money by working 20 hours a week should be spent for term contribution) In addition, it is not 100% guaranteed that you will find the job on campus right after you arrived to the university. What if we fail to find a job exactly right after we arrived to campus? Then we would fail paying the university contribution bill when the end of the term comes?! Could someone clarify me regarding these questions? I am so confused, I don’t have experience living on campus.
Thanks
Did you get accepted to Harvard?
Usually the student contribution is to fund personal student expenses. You know, things like your clothing, transportation, toothpaste. When a very generous school, like Harvard, gives you $60,000 in need based aid to attend, I personally do not think it is unreasonable for the student to have a student contribution.
As an international student, you can work limited hours at an on campus job. You should also be working now…whole in HS.
I got your PM…I do not answer questions via PM.
Not yet.
To put my question in the simplest way, If the Harvard cover my expenses me, what am I supposed to pay to the university and for what reason? Do you mean that Harvard covers my personal expenses too? Thus I won’t have to be worried about my personal expenses and I have to just work to pay to the university the specified money?
Concisely, my problem is how the hell am I supposed to both earn some money for my personal expenses and for contribution to the university?
Harvard guarantees to meet the full need for all accepted international students. At the same time, they DO expect a student contribution.
Usually the student contribution is used for personal expenses…things like clothing, transportation, toothpaste, shampoo, and discretionary entertainment spending. Do you expect the college to pay for your clothes, and your other personal items? Who pays for those now?
The only way to really know what your full financial aid package will be is to apply to Harvard and complete all of the required submissions for financial aid consideration. If you are accepted, the school will give you a need based financial aid package based on your family financials. If it is affordable, you attend. If not, you go elsewhere.
I’m not sure exactly what you are asking. Like I said…if Harvard gives you $60,000 in need based aid, it is not unreasonable for you, the student, to work to earn some student contribution for your personal items.
Please clarify. Are you asking if you can attend Harvard with ALL costs covered including your personal expenses, and all of your transportation…plus room and board and fees and books? Do you expect to attend college with NO contribution from you, the student?
No. I expect the university to cover tuition, room and boarding, books. In addition, I expect it to provide me a job so I can work and earn some money to pay my personal expenses. But the Harvard expects me to pay some amount of money to university each term according to the content provided on their website! I am saying why do I have to pay to university when they have already supported the first-line mentioned items?
The money you would earn from your work-study job would be yours to spend it on whatever who choose. Harvard thinks you will spend in on personal expenses, such as for food, tooth paste, and socks. By working, you are covering some of your own expenses. You are misunderstanding the purpose of the university providing you with the opportunity to have a paid job.
So the student contribution wouldn’t be paid to the university? All the money earned from the job would be mine to spend on my personal expenses? Ultimately, I don’t have to pay anything to university at all? All the money earned should be spent for my living expenses?
Thanks for answering questions till now.
Harvard is not going to guarantee you a job. You will have to apply for jobs, interview, and secure your own job.
If your financial aid for the school covers all of the billable costs…costs the school bills to you…tuition, fees, room, board…the aid would go to your bursars account to pay these bills. If there is a surplus, you would get it as a refund to you…but this typically does not happen until several weeks or so into the term.
You do not pay Harvard directly for your personal costs…and school supplies, and books. Those are not billed to you from the school.
Can your family give you any financial support while attending college?
Can you stay at your current (presumably affordable school) to finish your bachelors degree?
Do you have any advice about getting a job at university after admission? How can I secure my job after being admitted to any university generally? Because most of the on campus jobs are taken by the time you start your new term at the university and it is somehow hard to find an empty position doesn’t conflict your class hours.
I don’t know about Harvard specifically but most universities have a website for their on-campus jobs. You can probably find theirs by Googling “Harvard on-campus job” (without quotes).
They are generally designed to work around your scheduled classes often with evening or weekend hours. Certain areas like dining tend to have higher turnover so you might be able to get a job there later in the semester if you don’t find one earlier, but it’s always worth checking the university’s job board. Your main challenge would be to find one that is not restricted for federal work-study students. Hopefully there are a lot of jobs that aren’t in that category.
You do understand that the admit rate to Harvard is extremely low?
Also it is not ‘the Harvard’, it is just Harvard.
In US dollars, what do your parents earn each year? Do you have a job now? Are you the best student in your entire school? How old are you?
@MrNoOne Search for Harvard’s Student Employment Office, both on the Harvard website and on Facebook. The facebook page shows there are non-work study jobs available at various times through the year. The facebook page also specifies jobs that are not restricted to work study students. Many on campus jobs at universities are flexible to allow students to work around their class schedule.
What’s the difference, “The Harvard” or “Harvard”, both mean the same thing. Probably the first one is trying to make it known.Anyway, I didn’t ask for advice on the admission. My concern was mainly about the financial aid covering range. I have been clarified.
^^Proper English is always important, certainly for anyone hoping to attend Harvard for free.
If you read my last reply you simply figure out that I was aware of “The Harvard” thingy.
Did you get rejected by Harvard? 