<p>Actually the way financial aid works is odd. JHU is a good example. We had a family friend who went there. She was not offered a lot of money, so her parents had to take out loans. However, she offered a lot more money her sophmore year. Why? Because during freshman year there is a lot of turn over and people leave, so JHU is tight with the money. However, since they are sure people are staying since they return for sophmore yeaar, they are willing to hand out more money.</p>