So I am smitten with Cornell. I love it. I want to spend the next four years there.
Unfortunately, I don’t qualify for any financial aid and there’s no way my parents can afford the 65,000 a year, plus the travel expenses flying me back and forth from Colorado.
My parents are able to pay for about half of the tuition, but the remaining 30,000+ is overwhelming. I realize that loans are an option, as well as working during the year and summers, but having even $80k (on the low end) in debt when I graduate just seems ridiculous, especially coming out of ILR. I realize for some kids in engineering or hotel that might be okay, but I might be thinking law/grad school too. And are ILR grads really coming out making that much?
I want to attend Cornell so badly, but is it really worth it? And if it is, how do people do it?
Going to my state school at this point feels a bit like defeat, but 4 years there costs just a little more than one year at Cornell.
Logic and my heart are at odds. SOS
You (your parents) can try to appeal the financial aid decision to see if they’ll give you more. I don’t know the procedure, but contact the financial aid office. People do it all the time.
My daughter and I feel your pain. She was offered admission to Cornell also, and was even named a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, something only awarded to 1.5% of the incoming class and with lots of perks. It’s her dream school. Yet due to her dad’s investments/income she does not qualify for financial aid, yet he won’t pay for Cornell and I can’t (we’re divorced). It’s crushing.
Well, let me just say that loans are not really an option for you. Undergraduate students are limited in how much money they can borrow, to something like $5,500 the first year and $7,500 each year thereafter. Anything over those amounts would be loans to your parents, not you, and I’m sure they probably are not eager to take on those loans. My daughter has moved on and put aside the Cornell offer, and accepted big scholarship offers from the University of Minnesota, and if it weren’t for that, then she would be going in-state (in Georgia) for financial reasons. You are not alone. Countless students have to face realities and accept the university with the best financial deal rather than the dream university where they were ecstatic to be admitted.
My daughter is planning to study science and get a PhD, and in science programs the PhD programs are funded – i.e., if you are accepted, then the university waives tuition and gives you a stipend to pay living expenses, sometimes requiring you to be a teacher’s assistant or do research, but still financing the education. Even Cornell does this. So my daughter hopes to be admitted to Cornell for graduate school in a funded PhD program.
Law is not the same – people take out enormous sums of money in loans to pay for law school, and then have difficulty getting law jobs and paying them off. Maybe you will find a course of study that you enjoy that leads to a graduate degree that is funded. Or at least wait and spend the big money later. Wherever you get your graduate degree is what people will remember on your resume later on, not where you got your undergraduate degree as much. You got into Cornell once, and you can do it again, or get in another dream university for graduate school.
Appeal the financial aid award. Go on the f/a website and find the procedure. Get your documents together this weekend. Send first thing on Monday. Call f/a. Tell them you want to accept the offer of admission, but you simply cannot swing the full cost.
Paying for college is a family’s personal decision. These conversations should have taken place prior to applications. I am always saddened to hear these stories as all schools offer websites with cost of attendance and estimated FA that are very accurate. Ivy league schools have never offered any merit aid. If parents are unwilling to or unable to pay for private school education, please save you child disappointment and save your money on the application fee. I am very sorry for your situation.
“how do people do it?”
They have more money.
For a lot of people though, ILR costs less than it does for you. Tuition is reduced by about $16,000 per year for NYS residents. Their travel expenses arent so high either.
A lot of people from NYS would think its pretty cool to go to Boulder,. and ski during breaks.
Just do that.
Do great there, then you could snub your nose at Cornell for grad school. How’s that!
Thanks. Those are all good points, though they certainly don’t make this any easier. I realize I’m not special in this situation, but as much as rejection sucks, getting in and not going is even worse.
I’ll try to appeal and see what happens.