<p>I really want to get to brown and I am also pretty poor. I was wondering, since the needblind makes it so they cant see my family income, should i tell them i am poor in my essay? I dont want to sound like a whiner but, should I so they can know where i am coming from? thanks</p>
<p>if it makes an important point in your essay, then its valid...dont just stick it in there.</p>
<p>How can Brown determine DEMONSTRATED NEED if you don't reveal your family income?</p>
<p>The general rule for most colleges is: the only families that won't be required to reveal any financial information are those where the applicant is not applying for financial aid - which are usually between 20 to 40% of the admittees at the elite colleges</p>
<p>Normally family incomes beyond 150k a year and nearly always over 200k - mean the applicant generally won't qualify for needs based help, even though such families could hardly be called wealthy in many locales in the USA. However they can get non-needs based loans etc - which doesn't directly involve the colleges</p>
<p>Easily Citation, demonstrated need is processed in the Financial Aid office which has no access to Admissions file on you, and Admissions has no access to Financal Aid's file on you. The departments are kept completely independent and have no knowledge of hte others work. Financial Aid calculates your demonstrated need based on FAFSA and CSS after an admissions decision is made (maybe concurrently for everyone, though that seems like a lot of work) and Admissions STILL never knows about the package. When the letter for acceptance comes around, Financial Aid puts their letter into the envelop of those students who are already accepted.</p>
<p>So, Brown admissions are completely unaware of the amount of need you've demonstrated while deciding who is coming to Brown and who isn't.</p>
<p>Also, bobbobbob has it right. If you have a reason to discuss your families income in your essay and it makes for something powerful and meaningful for you, go right ahead. The point of need-blind is that even if Admissions knew you were poor, they cannot take that into account when making their decision. You could say that once the cat is out of hte bag it can't be ignored, but the fact is that admissions is not held responsible for hte financial aspects of creating a class in anyway, so no one is going ot care if they admit too many poor students, etc, since they are charged with admitting those who they feel will be the best members of a class possible, not with those who can afford it (anymore).</p>
<p>brown has really excellent financial aid for students with lower family incomes...for the neediest students they waive tuition completely for all four years</p>
<p>What are the precise criteria for having tuition waived for all four years, and are other charges, including room and board, waived as well?</p>
<p>i'm still wondering when they will be need blind towards international students. and transfer students. grrr.</p>