I’m from NY. The University of Pittsburgh was my absolute dream school. When I got in I was so proud of myself, but the excitement soon was worn off when I thought about how much the cost would be. They have very strict scholarship guidelines and in about January I was very apprehensive about being able to afford it. My mom called one day in January to ask if there was any possibility we would receive any aid. The lady on the phone was extremely rude and told my mom I didn’t try hard enough on the SAT and because of that I couldn’t receive any scholarships. She belittled me and said that if it wasn’t for my SAT, I would be able to come to pitt (I was already admitted.)
It was really hard seeing my mom cry and feel guilty about not being able to send me there. Even though it hurt so bad, I moved on. I always knew going to school there felt too perfect and too much like a fantasy. That day, I committed to SUNY Binghamton my second choice due to the affordability.
Time to time I would think about how much I wanted to go to Pitt. I would see pictures of the cathedral of learning and my stomach would drop. I do like bing and I kept telling myself everything happens for a reason.
However, today, 2 and a half months later, I get a letter in the mail from financial aid. I got a $20000 scholarship over 4 years. It’s still super expensive, but my family could scrape up the money to send me there. Even then, it’s so much, but the fact they belittled me on the phone and told me I would never get a scholarship and now they are messing with me. Idk I’m just upset that they did this when they made me feel like there was no way I could go, and now there is somewhat of a way I could go but no really. I’m just extremely frustrated. It just really sucks that it is not like $70k and it’s not free but it’s in between so it’s like I could go but it’s not the cheapest option.
The worst thing in the world is when you work so hard to get into your absolute dream school and you can’t afford it. Then they do this to you. My family is middle class so we don’t get any aid from FAFSA or anything but we don’t have the luxury to pay this kind of tuition. Life isn’t fair.
It might be a good thing that it happened that way - SUNY Binghamton is an excellent school. Pitt is a good school but not worth OOS tuition imo if it means major financial sacrifices.
I would celebrate your acceptance to Binghamton…it’s a wonderful school that many students strive to go to…but can’t. Be glad that you were accepted…that’s not easy to do. Be thankful that your parents have the money to send you…many don’t.
Take a day to be sad, and then go rock your experience at Binghamton. Once you enter the real world and see real life situations, you will understand just how lucky you are.
@MaineLonghorn I get that. I’m not being ungrateful of what I have, I have many great options. I got some news today and I wanted to share it on here to express my experience with pitt and financial aid and air my grievances.
Did she really say you didn’t try hard enough on the SAT? I find that hard to believe. She probably did say that your SAT score was not competitive or too low for merit. And your mom was likely upset at that news. Then they did find some scholarship money in the end. I think you are stressed and your emotions are raw, but I don’t see Pitt at fault here. OOS publics are expensive, and their first responsibility is to the in state students. But it sounds like you have a good option in Bing.
@intparent the lady on the phone said those exact words. My mom contacted Pitt and told them about the phone call and they gave us an apology and the whole spiel about coming to accepted students day and finding the value of the Pitt education (aka going into debt for Pitt). I understand Pitt can have their own scholarship guidelines and it is out of state. I’m thankful for all the options I have and I’m fortunate to have them. I made this post to share my experience being an OOS student to give future applicants an idea of what it’s like. I am frustrated that after getting into your dream school you can’t afford it by a sliver. It is crushing. I understand I have other great options and at the end of the day I’ll be ok, but this experience is upsetting for college applicants especially after the phone call in January leaving things on such a bad note. I still love Binghamton and will be attending next year, there is nothing wrong with the school. I just wanted to talk about the horrible feeling of not being able to go to your dream school. I understand it happens and it’s out of my control, I was just sharing my experience.
I’m just going to reiterate this: I am not ungrateful for the options I have. I am not putting down other schools. I am proud of my accomplishments and I am fortunate. I understand this isn’t the end of the world and I understand life goes on. I am just sharing my experience as an OOS student and my experience of getting into a dream school and not being able to afford it. I understand it’s a first world problem. I’m going to be fine. I’m just sharing it because it’s an upsetting experience. I don’t blame Pitt for being too expensive. I do put blame on Pitt for the rude phone call back in January, but we eventually received a apology so I let go of it. What I’m upset with is the fact that they told me I would be paying full price then gave me a scholarship later on, because hearing that news was a critical point in my college decision process and I would have held off on making my decision so soon. As it being my absolute dream school, it’s just a frustrating process and while on social media it looks like an exciting process I just wanted to share the reality of the process.
So you COULD afford to go to Pitt now? But you’re turning it down because of one rude employee, even though you eventually got an apology? I don’t get it. Who knows what that person was going through that day - maybe her boss yelled at her and she was taking it out on the phone. Why would you let her bad day make you not attend your dream school?
You could still go to Pitt. You have until May 1 to make a final decision. But it seems to me that $5K a year against the full OOS cost of Pitt would not be enough to tip the scales to affordability for most families if the full cost is too much.
In Dec. you said your parents can pay $30k but Pitt is $50k and your stats are too low for merit, so you knew then it was likely going to be unaffordable. A $5k/year grant doesn’t sound like enough to bridge a ~$20k/year gap, but if your parents can make it work you can still go. I wouldn’t borrow to attend Pitt over a SUNY though.
I find it hard to believe a college employee “belittled” you. You’re pretty much a full pay family. Colleges like those families and encourage them to attend. They don’t go out of their way to scare them off.
If they offered you merit, in spite of your scores being below the published minima, my takeaway would be that they really, really want you. I understand you are not happy with the timing, but that is not in your control. Should colleges just hold onto extra merit money they come up, or try to compel students they want to come? Do you feel the same way about kids getting off the waitlist at schools after committing to go somewhere else? You should be grateful, now the shoe is on the other foot and YOU have the control, if your family can afford it.