<p>I got into Harvard early and I just received my acceptance from Princeton today. I was set on going to Harvard, except Princeton just offered me much more aid than Harvard's estimate back in December/January.</p>
<p>My question is: Is Harvard's financial aid estimate for me likely to change because of the new financial aid initiative announced or were the estimates given for the early acceptees calculated with the initiative in mind.</p>
<p>And secondly, does anyone have any idea why there may be such a substantial difference between Harvard's aid offer and Princeton's?</p>
<p>This stuff is as much an art as it is a science. If you are interested, yoiu can do what most people would do: tell Harvard what Princeton gave you and ask them to take another look with an eye to revising your financial aid package.</p>
<p>In the end, unless you greatly prefer one school over the other, take the best package.</p>
<p>Thanks, Byerly! The thing is, on the Harvard financial aid site it says something to the effect that they won't revise the package just because another school gave me more--but I can bring up new circumstances that I feel may affect my financial aid status/package. </p>
<p>Is this accurate? I probably will call the office just to ask about the difference, but at the same time I feel iffy about doing something the website asks admitted students explicitly not to do.</p>
<p>My experience is fairly strange, then - Princeton gave me less in grants than Harvard, by almost $3000. I was going to try and negotiate, but now I don't think that I'm going to either, so it's fine. Go for it!</p>