<p>Again asking for a friend:</p>
<p>We are a lower-middle class internationally family. Our daughter was fortunate enough to be be admitted to both Choate and Loomis as a varsity swimmer.</p>
<p>Choate offered a decent amount of financial aid, which while possible, would put a good amount of financial strain on our family. Loomis put us on a financial aid waiting list.</p>
<p>My question is, how likely will my daughter get off the Loomis financial aid waiting list, is it worth waiting for?</p>
<p>Is it possible to somehow negotiate the financial aid offered by Choate without angering the Adcom or prompting them to withdraw the admission offer? Could we speak to her coach and see what she can do?</p>
<p>If Loomis does take us off the finaid waitinglist, could we use that as leverage to negotiate more aid from Choate?</p>
<p>At the moment, our daughter is almost 50/50 split between the two schools. Ultimately, if Loomis does not provide any aid, the choice will have to be financial and she'll have to choose Choate.</p>
<p>I don’t really know maybe you can call the AO but a waitlist means they want another person to come andbif they reject then you get aid</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you do decide to contact an AO, you might want to do it after March 15. :)</p>
<p>I suppose if Loomis takes you off the waitlist and gives you more financial aid than Choate, then, yes, that would be an adequate leveraging tool. However, if they just take you off the waitlist, then the effectiveness will depend on how much Choate wants your daughter.</p>
<p>Take this all with a grain of salt, though; I’m just a fellow student like your daughter! :)</p>
<p>I’m looking at Loomis Finaid FAQs:</p>
<p>Does applying for financial aid hurt my child’s chances of being admitted to Loomis Chaffee?
In most cases we only admit students whom we are able to fund through our financial aid budget. However, each year we put a small number of admitted students on our financial aid waiting list, and a second group of students is denied admission because we are unable to provide financial aid for them.</p>
<p>Does this mean that at the end, if Loomis determines that they have no aid for our daughter, then we are faced with either paying the full tuition for all 4 years, or declining the offer? Or will they not even give us that option and will just flat out reject her despite initially offering her an acceptance?</p>
<p>She’s on the FA waitlist. If money frees up, they would notify you of their FA offer. At any time, if you somehow have a way to pay full tuition, you can notify the school. From what I read on cc, if you give up the possibilty of FA, it may mean that your child can attend.</p>
<p>Please note, if you start out paying full tuition, yes, that’s how it will be for four years, barring an economic catastrophe such as longterm unemployment, disabilty, unforeseen major medical expenses, etc.</p>
<p>My recommendation is go with Choate. If you are willing to sacrifice your deposit in the event Loomis comes through with an offer, and maybe a better one, you can make the switch.</p>
<p>My children’s schools were determined by FA offers and both schools turned out to be perfect for them. Love the school that loves you.</p>
<p>I remember when my parents asked about how tightly Choate’s tuition would squeeze our belts, an AO replied that the financial aid will make the tuition manageable-though the households might have to scrap a few luxuries like eating out, going to the movies, etc.</p>
<p>So I don’t know if this is final or not. There has to be some leeway though…good luck! I hope you manage to exploit it. :)</p>
<p>But just to be sure, is it appropriate to negotiate financial aid with the Adcom without angering them? </p>
<p>(Sorry, we’re not too familiar with North American culture)</p>
<p>I think you can ask them how they came to the amount they offered your family and you can explain any circumstances that perhaps were not clear on the form you submitted. But in general, I don’t think financial aid is open for negotiation.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of acceptance letters being withdrawn. I think the only reason that could possibly happen is if the child has been convicted of a dangerous crime or something like that.</p>
<p>I assume you completed the PFS for financial aid. Does the offer from Choate meet or exceed what was determined as the family contribution?</p>