Hello all-
This is my first post. I was just accepted to Fordham University (my dream school)! However, my financial package is not so great. After completing four years at Fordham, I would owe over $180,000 in debt. My family doesn’t qualify for a lot of financial aid, but we also can’t afford this price for college. In a few years, my parents will have three kids in college at the same time! Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get more money go to Fordham? I have submitted an appeal and have looked into loans. I’m trying to enter as many scholarships as I can, but there’s no guarantees there. Any help is greatly appreciated!
It’s simple. If Fordham accepted you without financial aid sufficient for you to attend, then you need to treat it as a denial. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but that’s the reality. Your appeal is not going to be successful enough to make up for a $45k/year shortfall, and 3rd party scholarships aren’t going to cover it either.
I’m sorry, but the one isn’t just going to fall from the sky. Sort through any other offers you have, and focus on the ones that are affordable. You cannot change your finances to fit the school - what you need to do is find a school that fits your finances.
Congratulations, you got into a “reach.” Private schools with high price tags are on the list for my S as “reaches” for the simple reason that they’re unaffordable without grants/merit aid. So if the time comes that S applies to an expensive school like Fordham and gets a response like you did, I’d call it a “win” – yay, you got into a reach, fantastic job! – but actually going would be out of the question. Be happy your stats and application got you into such a good school, then take an offer from a good affordable school. If a year or two down the line Fordham is still attractive to you, and if you’ve saved enough money to afford the remainder at Fordham, try again as a transfer. But there are always roads not taken in life, and at the moment that one is just too covered with brambles. Whatever interested you in Fordham will still be part of you, though, so you’ll find a way to manifest that; maybe grad school, maybe you’ll move to NYC, who knows? They liked you at Fordham, they just didn’t have the money, and neither do you. So feel good about yourself and move on 