<p>Son has narrowed it down to to two, but his top pick (for right now) just got him a FA package last Friday, it is close, but not quite in the doable range. We talked with them on Friday, faxed them some additional information and they are redoing the package. We will not really know until tomorrow or so.</p>
<p>His second pick has offered him full tuition. Last week they sent him an e-mail saying "please let us know as soon as possible, so if you decline we can offer the scholarship to someone else. But you do have until May 1." This morning we get an e-mail saying "If you do not deposit by April 28, we will rescind the entire scholarship." I called for clarification and the answer was " He has until May 1 to marticulate, but only until April 28 for the scholarship." </p>
<p>What do I do? Son really doesn't have an answer at this point in time!!</p>
<p>Send in the deposit, in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather be out a one time few hundred dollars.
If you lose the scholarship and the other school remains not quite doable, where will you be?</p>
<p>If he does not know by the 27th, ACCEPT IT. He can always then change his mind. If he has not said yes to the other school, school B, just say yes to A and hold the slot and the scholarship. They cannot force him to matriculate if on May first he changes his mind and says never-mind. It is somewhat unethical of them to pull this at the last minute, so I say just say yes…for now. Give a deposit to hold the slot and the scholarship.</p>
<p>Then by May 1 he needs to know one way or the other. OR, if the other school B gives him more time (with the late FA package you could ask them to delay the decision date to May 15), and then he says yes to B, he just informs A that he changed his mind on the 15th. If you “give back” the scholarship money as of May 15, so what… there will always be a deserving kid waiting in the wings. </p>
<p>Take the pressure off. Say yes. Then when the decision is final, it is either yes all along or woops I changed my mind. 18 yo’s do this. All you are out is the deposit.</p>
<p>Send in the deposit. If the better school matches, accept that school. It is a big game. Schools are businesses, it has all been precalculated. Do what is best for you and your family. The schools are businesses - they plan for this and don’t take it personally.</p>
<p>This situtation points out a hole in the NACAC guidelines for admissions and enrollment. Currently schools have to notify by April 1 and students have to notify by May1. However, there is no guideline for issuance of FA packages. It would be helpful if all schools were required to provide FA packages by April 15 to allow consideration of all options and fin aid appeals. The whole idea of the NACAC guidelines is to keep the student from being pressured into making a choice before all options are known and there is time to fully consider all offers. A date for FA packages would server that goal.</p>
<p>Boy would I like to see that change – I think we will deposit tonight if we don’t see a final FA package from the school and then try and rescind if we need to.</p>
<p>Keep in mind there are ways to shave a few thousand off the COA. A smaller meal plan, used books, a triple instead of a double room, using family health insurance instead of buying university insurance. See if you can get it into “doable”</p>