<p>I have been accepted to Grinnell College and I would very much like to attend. They have offered me some financial aid, but not enough to convince my parents - who would like me to attend a state school, in order to come out of college practically debt free. Both my parents attended state universities and so did my older brother. However, I feel very a LAC is truly the right fit for me because I really need the freedom to explore my interests, among other reasons.</p>
<p>So, I am wondering, do students who attend Grinnell (or other similar LACs) graduate with massive financial burdens? If so, is it really worth it?</p>
<p>Also, I have heard stories about people writing to a college, explaining that their parents aren't the same page and strongly expressing their desire to attend, and the school then responds by lowering that student's tuition. Is this some sort of myth, or should I try actually something like that?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend taking on massive financial burdens to attend ANY school, no matter how good. I have no experience with negotiating a better FA deal, but I’ve certainly read about it here on CC. It is probably worth a try, but I hope someone with more experience will jump in to give you more guidance.</p>
<p>I don’t think the FA aid office would respond by lowering the tuition because there are so many students in the same boat. If there is something else about your financial circumstances you didn’t convey, then you have a good argument to make. But I would think they become pretty thick-skinned about the kind of plea you’d make. They’d have to or they would up almost all the FA offers.</p>
<p>The good thing about Grinnell’s aid policy is that they cap the yearly loan amount they give you. I think it’s around 2000 USD, so after four years, you would accumulate around 10 000 USD of debt compared to some other schools that don’t cap their loans.</p>