<p>This is the first entering class that will benefit from the new financial aid initiatives for middle-class families at Harvard and some of the other top schools. I know that the jury is still out on how much better it really is. There seems to be the feeling expressed on the CC Harvard board that the aid IS much more generous. I was wondering, how do people feel whose kids are current college freshman or sophomores who passed up Ivies and other top schools because you couldn't afford them? Do you wonder now how much money you would be receiving in aid if you could have looked into a crystal ball and saw what was coming? As you can see, alas, "shoulda, woulda, coulda" could be my middle name!</p>
<p>My child is a sophomore at Harvard. At this time, I have absolutely no idea what the new financial aid initiative will do for us.</p>
<p>Brown announced that its "new" financial aid policies will apply to currently enrolled students as well as new students. Will have to wait and see but I imagine we won't see our FA pkg until summer. My son turned down Yale (Brown's FA pkg was close freshman yr) but I'm not sure if Brown can keep up in the long run. We hope so.</p>
<p>I have a soph at Harvard who is paying roughly $15,200 after aid to attend this academic year. Her sister, a hs senior, was just accepted there and awarded aid. The total family contribution for D#2 consists of a parents' contribution + 5.6% of D2's personal assets. Since the parents' contribution should be identical for both girls and I can calculate 5.6% of D1's assets, I can estimate that her cost for next year should decrease from $15,200 to $10,200.</p>
<p>. . . of course, that decrease in cost next year reflects not only the new Harvard financial aid initiative but the fact that our family will have two kids in college instead of one.</p>
<p>Like Jerzgirlmom writes, the new financial aid initiatives at Brown will also apply to current students in the coming year. The ones who missed the boat are families like mine....my D is about to graduate Brown! If only.....
(I can't complain as her aid was good, particularly once we had two in college at one time)</p>
<p>A parent who just missed the boat here...D graduating this June. Luckily, we have another D who is a junior in hs. But here's the rub--the financial aid gets better just as the chances of admission get smaller...</p>
<p>I'd gladly pay full retail if I could be assured she would get in.</p>
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I'd gladly pay full retail if I could be assured she would get in.
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<p>There are still colleges that operate essentially on that basis, with price being the only significant barrier to entry. My family is not interested in such colleges, but they are out there for the families shopping for them. I think the Ivy League and other Ivy-plus colleges now are all in earnest about admitting students based on their academic ability and activity in the campus residential community, without regard to ability to pay. If applicants believe those, each of those colleges will continue to enjoy a crush of applications.</p>
<p>"Improved" financial aid at Ivies: Did you miss the boat by a year or two? </p>
<p>Ya think? </p>
<p>I take some solace in "knowing" that the new kinder gentler FA would have still skewered me. It wasn't real income that was killing me . It was valuations and "add-backs".</p>
<p>Sure glad we did not take on the $30K+ in loans/EFC offered by an LAC which now offers a kinder gentler package.</p>
<p>somemom- But they are kinder, gentler loans aren't they?</p>
<p>I missed the boat here on what has really changed as far as the new financial aid initiatives. I just assumed that, despite being just middle class, our family wouldn't qualify for anything, anyway. DS is not likely to apply to Harvard, but will defintely apply to a few other Ivies. Older sibling is a freshman at one Ivy, where we pay full tuition, so we will have 2 in college at the same time. Sigh. Can someone please direct me to a place where I can read about the main changes and which schools are adopting them? Thanks.</p>
<p>So, curmudgeon, do you regret that your daughter turned down Yale for money reasons? Does your daughter?</p>
<p>sanjen, do I regret it? I never made that decision, she did. What I regret doesn't mean much to her. It was two against one at my house. I have said here before and I'll say it again -only one person in my house has ever questioned whether or not my kid made the right decision for herself, and he can bit a bit of a jerk about it. </p>
<p>Now , has she proven me wrong? It's getting close. Really, really close. ;) I don't know if I'll know the answer to my satisfaction until she is in her career and moving forward with her life. But if you are betting man , you might want to take her side of this one. I'm on shaky ground. Okeefonokee shaky. </p>
<p>Why do you ask?</p>
<p>Exact quote:
<p>I will answer this one. Quote: Or, does she not think about these things at all? She has moved on? </p>
<p>There is only one person in my house that ever questions her decision to attend Rhodes or her happiness at Rhodes. And he's a bit of a jerk about it.
</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, really, you have to get over Yale. :)</p>
<p>I didn't go to Yale or anything, and I live on the west coast, so I don't know that "many" Yale people, but I know several well. Two are geniuses, two are crazy, one has s@@ with goats. :)</p>
<p>The kids I know that are going there or are going to be going there... one is super smart, and the others....nah.</p>
<p>Your daughter won a Goldwater for god's sakes. :) </p>
<p>I'm working with a guy who went to Hamline (ever heard of it ?) , and he had SAT scores of around 1100. No joke, when it comes to brains, I would bet my money on him over 90% of the Yalies. (If I'm wrong, the 90% is too low).</p>
<p>Dstark, my feelings are momentary, fleeting really. There is some bumper sticker envy in me , at least this time of year with all the newly minted Elihu's out there in their newly purchased Bulldog ballcaps. BTW for the noobs that's the inspiration for doddsdad starting the "Sinner's Alley". The CC sin. ;)</p>
<p>Momentary fleeting feelings are no big deal. Hard to control those.</p>
<p>I saw a Yale bumper sticker today. At least, I thought it was a Yale bumber sticker. It was a bumper sticker with just the Letter Y, capitalized, written on it. And I thought, what is the big deal? Supposedly, all these smart kids go to Yale. All these smart people are associated with Yale. And here is this bumper sticker with just the letter Y written on it. All these smart people... and they can't even spell the name of their school on a bumper sticker. The school can only come up with the letter Y. Come on. It's not so hard. It's just a four-letter word. :)</p>
<p>Here. I'll help the school. The school's name is spelled Yale. :)</p>
<p>No, everyone knows that on an application to Yale, Yale is spelled "H-a-r-v-a-r-d" and the other way around at that other college.</p>
<p>Our son took the AB Duke Scholarship (free tuition) at Duke over Harvard a couple years ago. Due to new "improved" financial aid at the Ivies, Duke has kindly added full room and board to this merit scholarship, not only for the incoming AB scholars, but also for the current scholars. We're all happy about that! Our son is having a good experience at Duke - don't think he's terribly disappointed about not being at an Ivy - and, who knows, maybe an Ivy will accept him for graduate school! :)</p>
<p>cur,
Never put on the Yale bumpersticker and don't feel braggy because S goes there over any other school. In fact, I wish S had APPLIED to another school because I felt his decision was knee jerk and uninformed. Now that he's having buyer's remorse (at $45K!), I'm kicking myself for not butting in! But it was his decision, not mine, and ultimately they have to live with their decisions.</p>