<p>Agree with you Suze.</p>
<p>D'yer, back to FA, I agree that you have a much better chance if you're seeking a small amount of aid. In geneal though, did you stick to schools where your child was at the very top, or do you think schools will give aid to a broader group? Did you discuss with schools? I'm finding that they are more open now that the applications are in, not necessarily in an encouraging way.</p>
<p>@kirmum: The choices for schools was, well, "need blind." We sorted out which schools that he -- and we -- would be happy to see him attend and that was the decision. Who knows? They may be all reaches. They may not have any interest in providing any aid at all or may deny him admission because he needs aid. I guess the idea is that will sort itself out in March. We didn't factor FA into the analysis. If we can swing it financially, we'll do it. And if we can't, we're not going to shell out some lesser amount for a school that he -- or we -- aren't interested in having him attend.</p>
<p>The tough question comes if or when there are choices to be made and the decision comes to whether a school that he REALLY REALLY wants to attend requires, say, $3,000 or $4,000 more than another school that's already stretching us thin. (Keep in mind that all the schools he applied to are schools we'd all be thrilled for him to attend.) Still, when you focus on the margin like that, is it possible to look your child in the eye and say "Sorry, even though you were admitted, your dream school was $3,479.33 too expensive." Yeah, if it's $10-20,000 out of my league, that's the way the chips fall. But when it's within shouting distance...but still out of reach...that's when decisions get real difficult (from the parent's p.o.v.)</p>
<p>As for talking with schools about aid, I'm going to play ostrich until the decisions come out and then I'll start discussing the subject (and some of the others that I raised in the Dark Side thread). I'll definitely be on the phone and exhausting all options and avenues of appeal, etc. before I have to have that $3,479.33 conversation.</p>