<p>Thanks again for the great tips! Yes, we are paying more for medical. And property taxes keep climbing while home values depreciate (even with a tax appeal – house prices were overly-inflated previously ).</p>
<p>I will give an appeal a try!</p>
<p>My question is: When to appeal? We have only received the Personal Info Packet with the estimate. Has anyone received their official FA packet? Did the recent merit offers come in a FA packet, or just a letter letting you know. If we wait until the official packet comes, is it too late to appeal?</p>
<p>I called financial aid today and was told I can file an appeal now, but none will be reviewed until all the FA packages have been determined – I guess after regular decisions are out. Anyway, she said I could file via email, and just explain what the other schools are offering, and some circumstances (like being older parents) that make our income not really what it might seem on paper. Also, that my daughters GPA has increased and she has won additional awards.</p>
<p>The key for scholarships is to be above 1400 sat. I was referring to those, like us, who were just below that threshold. </p>
<p>Getting gapped is brutal. And we were in a timeframe when Fordham tuition was low 30’s. Now its much higher. Brutal for you.</p>
<p>The people who really get hammered are those above 1300 but below 1400 and have income which is moderate and middle class, and dont come from a revered long time relationship catholic school, especially in the New York area.</p>
<p>Its assumed that student loans are normal. I get that. Reasonable loans of 4-5k a year, fine. No more than that. I feel sad for those who get hammered and they are facing loans of 10k or more a year. Thats when they decline and bolt.</p>
<p>I dont have the answer. No inside information. No Fordham financial documents or budgets. </p>
<p>I’ve said enough. Its just a bitter bowl of cherries for some people. </p>
<p>Good luck to all.</p>
<p>wow, this forum is very active/helpful.
i was thinking of appealing… received $26000 after filing the FAFSA with the following EA stats: 3.51W GPA, 2170 SAT, multilingual, 7APs senior year, significant talent in art and writing, great recs, female from a very small catholic school in dallas. i was really surprised to have received this much, but its still nothing for a household with less than $60000 annual income.
i was thinking of appealing because my WGPA after senior first sem. is 3.61, received some art awards, wrote a scientific paper, and clearly we can’t afford.
how do you begin to appeal? i feel like email is kinda sloppy?</p>
<p>The person at the financial aid office told me to email, but proabably going in in-person would be another option – but then you would still have to obtain the offer in writing. Email provides an electronic papertrail as to when your request was submitted, where a regular letter or conversation would not.</p>