<p>I know some of the other Ivies i.e. Princeton/Columbia are pretty good with aid. I ask this because I think I have a legitimate shot at Early Decision for Cornell. I've talked with my counselor and she didn't immediately shoot me down while at the same time not being the "chase your dream" counselor. Overall I think her assessment of my stats gives me an OK chance of ED admission. Well with ED, there comes the dangerous risk of money, but from my "college" knowledge so far, I think ED will be the best choice for me since my parents make less than 65k combined. Literature from Princeton and Columbia tells me that I would receive 80-90% aid if I got in there. Well I tried to find the same stats for Cornell but there doesn't seem to be any. If I did get in I would be deciding between the School of Engineering or Hotel Administration, both are career paths that I have a strong urge to pursue. </p>
<p>all ivies meet 100% of demonstrated need(look it up) </p>
<p>redrising8, but are there downsides to Early Decision for me personally? I mean as a first generation immigrant, I came to the states in 2004, and a family with such a low-income, how much do I have to lose if I do get in? I’m just trying to avoid mountains of debt.</p>
<p>ivies are very generous, and even with early decision, they will still cover everything for someone in your circumstances. The penalties of ED usually apply to middle class where they can get away with it because they can still pay. it almost always doesn’t apply to lower income students</p>
<p>Cornell should give you very close to the same aid as Columbia or Princeton with that income. If you don’t see yourself going to a cheaper but less prestigious school (maybe an honors program at a state college) then EDing at Cornell is probably not going to be much more expensive than any other options, if at all. </p>
<p>Stanford is more generous…note that Cornell’s aid includes loans if income is over 75k, whereas some (I believe Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard, for example) provide loan-free aid. I didn’t realize that before. So, meeting 100% need can mean all grants, or grants+ loans.</p>
<p>With your parent’s income, you should receive good aid and loan-free. Sorry, I didn’t notice that. </p>
<p>Columbia also has a loan free policy, to add to Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard.</p>
<p>Financially you were in the same boat as me. If your parents don’t have any significant assets you won’t be paying much and you won’t have much in loans either. Try out the calculator on their website. It’s pretty accurate if you don’t have any unusual circumstances. </p>
<p>Thank you all for your great insights, I will be discussing this topic more with my counselor as November rolls around. But I hope to see Red in my future!</p>