<p>Chicago sent me a financial aid rejection letter a few days back. I prepared for this, however, in that I enrolled before the aid letter came so that I didn't accidentally decide to go somewhere else based on the money. My father is not living and my mother will not be contributing any money to my education. I have 200,000 in inheritence, which is probably why I got no aid. This money is really all I have though, as my mom cannot afford to contribute anything, and I am planning on continuing on to med school. Do you guys think it is worth appealing, or is that a complete waste of time? Besides that, any suggestions are useful.</p>
<p>You may want to try posting this on the parents' board. They get a lot of questions like this, but they're good at answering them.</p>
<p>I don't know a lot about this, but try sending a letter to the financial aid office and then calling to follow up. I do think that you should consider all of your options, including alternative schools, very carefully.</p>
<p>I'm not a parent but I have seen this question asked before and I can tell you what the response has been from some parents. UChicago IS a superior school, however, it's probably not the place to be if you have to sacrifice so much for it. Don't get me wrong, higher education is a sacrifice. But if you have a bad day, you'll probably have it in the back of your mind that you could be somewhere else for less money. In the end, UChicago is just a school, it's not going to contribute to your identity, it may give you a unique education and knowledge, but that's the thing about knowledge...it's free, you don't have to go to an expensive school! Also, on the other end, you might want to consider a grant option for med school. Perhaps there are other options... Good luck</p>
<p>One option is to have your Mom try for a plus loan. One can get a loan to pay for everything and pay it back over a ten year period. One can also consolidate the loans for each year such that the pay-off is over 30 years, thus making the monthly payment much less. The interest rate is set by the government and the loans are govt. guaranteed. If one is turned down, then there is another loan that one can get (but only if turned down) for up to about $27,000 per year. The interest, if well invested, on $200,000 will more than pay the loan at the 30 year rate with a little left over. There is no prepayment penalty.</p>
<p>It's better to use the inheritance rather than get a PLUS loan. The inheritance invested will not have a greater rate of return than a PLUS loan.</p>
<p>Think of it this way: if rate of return is > PLUS loan, why would banks issue out a PLUS loan, which is not subsidized by the federal government. The banks will just "well invest" the money. So unless you can invest better than a bank, a PLUS loan probably has higher interest rate than investing.</p>
<p>The plus loan is gov't guaranteed, the inheritance would be available for a down payment on a house, etc.</p>
<p>@ aspiring: I have already enrolled; financial aid would be absolutely heavenly, but I have gotten wayyyyy too excited about U of C to not go there after getting accepted off the deferred list, even if I have to pay full tuition. The school is just too perfect to not go.</p>
<p>Notsomuch- Oh I see, congrats then. Perhaps you could get a job after college and then start med/grad school later. I'm just thinking out loud...</p>