<p>I hope you guys can help me out :).</p>
<p>I was accepted into WashU and it is my #1 choice. I visited the campus and stayed on campus for two nights and I really enjoyed the atmosphere there. However, due to my financial situation, my potential to go there is very small.</p>
<p>When I was born, my parents started saving money to finance my college education. My family so far has saved only enough to safely get me through the first two years at a college like WashU. Only my dad works, and his salary is less than $40,000 a year, plus I have two younger brothers, one of which will be going to college in two years. My family can't possibly pay for the remaining $100,000+ dollars for the last years at WashU. I also plan to go medical school (although I do realize plans often change, I'm pretty sure I will at least do medical research), which will amount to $55,000-60,000 a year. </p>
<p>My parents are telling me that I should go to U of Iowa since I am getting a free ride there and the pre-med program is one of the nation's best. While I agree that U of Iowa is a great school and many top students go there, it was definitely one of my back-up schools. I feel that if I go there, all my hard work in high school will have gone down the drain (4.0 GPA, non-weighted, 1550 SAT, 800 SAT math-IIC and biology-m, 770 SAT writing, 5.0 AP score on physics, biology, European history, and calculus AB, taken all the most challenging courses offered at my school plus some college courses at Iowa State University). As long as I was in the top 50% of my class and met course requirements, I would have been guaranteed acceptance to U of Iowa.</p>
<p>My parents, however, are saying that the education at WashU is not worth the $350,000+ worth of debt I will incur if I choose to go there. They also are "suggesting" (telling) me to go to medical school at U of I. Which means I will be living in Iowa for the next 8+ years, which I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO DO. My parents tell me undergraduate education really doesn't matter that much, so it's not worth paying $100,000 just to get out of Iowa.</p>
<p>In general, I'm extremely bitter about my situation and the financial aid system. Somehow planning ahead and saving up money really doesn't help you in the long run because by saving, you just get less financial aid despite the fact your family doesn't earn a lot of money. If my family hadn't saved, I would have gotten lots of financial aid, probably more than what my parents have saved in the first place.</p>
<p>Anyway, my friend recommended me to call the financial aid office to ask them to re-evaluate my financial aid package. She told me to tell them my situation and hint to them that U of Iowa is giving me a lot of money. I have very little hope in seeing my aid package change substantially enough for my parents to reconsider, but I wondering if anyone has had any experience in this area (how/what should I tell financial aid officers?).</p>
<p>I would greatly appreciate any thoughts and opinions, and I apologize for the long rant ^_^*.</p>