<p>I have decided I want to apply ED to the COE. The only thing I'm worried about is financial aid. My family is by no means destitute, but we are not as well off as some (~$60,000). How is the financial aid here? How exactly does work study work? Is paying for Cornell going to be an obstacle to someone of modest means?</p>
<p>For someone of modest means ($60,000) you will be provided with an excellent financial aid package. Unless your parents have very large holdings or a great deal of real estate you will likely get your tuition room and board covered by grants. You will be responsible to pay the expected summer earnings which vary from about $2,200 to $3,300 (freshman are expected to pay the least). Students in your financial catorgory generally do far better financially at a school like Cornell (or other Ivys and top schools) than they do at state flagships unless of course they meet the criteria for a full ride at the state schools.</p>
<p>Financial aid at Cornell has gotten better in the past few years. The administration is committed to helping students defray the cost of attendance at Cornell and ensuring that the most qualified students can attend regardless of financial situations. If your family income is ~60K, then your financial aid package should be pretty generous. Of course, this doesn’t take into account any savings that your family has, how much property your family owns, and if your parents own a small business. All these things can affect the size of your financial aid package. I would talk about all this with your parents first and see if they are willing to commit financially to you receiving an Ivy league education no matter the cost. If they can’t guarantee that the will be able to support you financially through college, then you may need to look at alternate sources for private loans and scholarships to help finance your college education. </p>
<p>As one of my professors said at graduation, the cost of your Cornell education is equal to about 4-5 luxury cars. That’s a lot of money and the only people that knows if paying for Cornell is going to be an obstacle are your family and you. If it is a problem, then I would strongly consider holding off on applying to Cornell until RD. This would give you more flexibility with your finances and let you compare aid packages from different universities if you’re lucky enough to receive multiple college acceptances. Although you can withdraw your admission to Cornell ED, it has to be under extraordinary situations. </p>
<p>If you plan to go to a professional school after college, then you will need even more loans. Financial aid packages for medical school, law school, and others are much worse than for college, and people frequently go into massive debt that will take years to pay off. I believe that I could’ve received that same quality of education at my state university for undergrad, but that the opportunities I would have after graduation might be a little less. There have been numerous studies over the years showing that regardless of undergraduate institution, highly motivated students will succeed wherever they go. Thus, my advice would be to think very hard and long about how much value you expect to receive from going to Cornell and if going into debt will be worth it in the long-term for your life and career.</p>
<p>my parent’s make about the same (~60,000) and i applied ED last fall. i too was afraid about financial aid, but my tuition for Cornell this year is less than my high school tuition was (~10,000). so i’d say that you shouldn’t let your financial situation prevent you from applying ED to your dream school</p>
<p>If you still find that the financial aid offer is not sufficient, there’s always the appeal process. The financial aid office can help you through that process. ^_^</p>
<p>But I’d say Cornell’s financial aid is pretty good. Although there is a required student contribution portion of ~$2000.</p>
<p>Yes it is affordable if your combined family income is indeed $60000. The amount you will be responsible for will be chump change.</p>
<p>definitely.
my family income was somewhere around that figure too-
and my aid was extremely generous, making cornell more than affordable.</p>
<p>so don’t let money deter you from applying ed</p>