<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>So, now that my excitement over getting in ED is normalizing, I have a problem. I wasn't offered enough Financial Aid to reasonably attend without student loans. How do I go about asking for more? I've heard Penn is very reasonable when you can't afford it, especially if you cry :p Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Thank you,
Staller</p>
<p>buiuuuuuuuuuuumpppppp</p>
<p>I remember hearing that it would be okay to request more and send a letter explaining your situation. I think you should call the FinAid office monday and ask what the steps are to have your package reevaluated.</p>
<p>I met with someone at the financial aid office in the Franklin Building on Walnut in September about the issue of applying ED as a finaid candidate. (My parent did not want me to apply under the binding contract unless we’d first confirmed that if I got in, we wouldn’t be moving into a refrigerator box!) The rep we met with basically said that what Penn offers you is what Penn offers you. When we asked if an aid package could be adjusted if the family felt the original was unfair, she told us point-blank that packages are completely non-negotiable.</p>
<p>Students loans aren’t the worst thing ever if the amount isn’t too copious. And, of course, there are private scholarships that, having been accepted in December, you can now pursue in earnest. </p>
<p>My sibling has student loans, I have a close aid-receiving friend at Penn right now, I received my own financial aid package on Friday, and I’ve met with someone at Penn SFS, so I think that if you have any more specific questions about finaid, I’d probably be able to field them or at least offer a little bit of insight. Feel free to PM me! Best of luck :)</p>
<p>geez that kind of sucks. I’m waiting to hear on my finaid because I need to turn in a few forms. It’s hard because on paper my family’s well off because of my dad’s income but in reality we’re struggling like most people in this economy. I’m praying for good outside scholarships.</p>
<p>@candygrl do you know which forms you are missing, cause the mypennonline thing told me I am missing forms as well, but to my knowledge my parents submitted all the things that needed submission according to the Penn website, the only thing we didn’t submit was the FAFSA, but it said the due date for that was like in April.</p>
<p>Travel that’s the exact opposite of what I’ve heard from many sources.</p>
<p>No, I’m not sure but I think it was my parent’s tax forms. They said they’re sending a letter that will tell us what we need. I agree with Staller. I’ve heard the opposite so I guess you can’t be sure till you hear it from them. Doesn’t hurt to call and try.</p>
<p>did anyone else get the p. & s. rotherberg scholarship? or any other type of random scholarship in their package? Didn’t know what that meant…</p>
<p>Yeah I got accepted on friday and am waiting to hear…we had thought we turned everything in for aid but apparently not. they said they are sending a letter. hopefully everything works out!</p>
<p>btw here’s the form for a reevaluation so it is possible to appeal:
[Special</a> Downloads](<a href=“Submit My Documents | Penn Student Registration & Financial Services| Penn Srfs”>Submit My Documents | Penn Student Registration & Financial Services| Penn Srfs)</p>
<p>I actually talked to an admissions officer before applying ED to make sure my family wouldnt be stuck…appealing is totally possible.</p>
<p>@hopeful 201
Yea too I received a scholarship named after an alumnus. It’s basically just grant money with a name attached to it because that person designated that particular donation amount to be used for a scholarship in their name.</p>
<p>@Quantifier</p>
<p>So will I be getting that amount all 4 years?</p>
<p>Huh. I’d heard from the friend at Penn that she’d successfully had her aid package re-evaluated, but when I actually went to Penn, they really did say that packages are non-negotiable. I don’t know; maybe they will re-evaluate, it’s just uncommon to receive a better package the second time around? I’d love to know what the outcome is for you guys! Penn was extremely generous in my case; my EFC is much lower than we’d expected. Actually, the financial aid package made me cry almost as hard as the acceptance letter!</p>
<p>@hopeful201: I received the E. & R. Gutenstein scholarship as part of my aid package, and I’m really curious about it too! When I clicked on it on the Penn site, the blurb said it was a private scholarship and that the recipient had to fit specific parameters set down by the donor. When I googled E. & R. Gutenstein, though, nothing came up. I hate to hijack this thread, but if anyone commenting on the OP’s post also knows anything about these scholarships, I’d love to know where they come from- and whether they’re generally renewable all four years! Thanks :)</p>
<p>^^ Oops, sorry, posted too late!</p>
<p>The Reevaluation Form says that its for stuff like Death of a Parent or Divorce. Is it ok to use it to get a reevaluation because of insufficient scholarship or will it be ignored?</p>
<p>Why don’t you call the financial aid office?</p>
<p>with regards to the named “scholarships” they are just grant money as part of your financial aid package…I believe they are for the same amount each year. Many times when wealthy alumni or benefactors donate money they designate them for specific purposes - such as financial aid or the construction of a building or whatever. So they are just effectively named grants.</p>
<p>@staller - Didn’t you note in the decision thread that your family income is $200K+ ? How did you qualify for anything - even loans? My family was in a similar income bracket when I applied years ago and we got 0 - no loans, grants, work study, anything. We just applied to see if we could actually get anything…knowing we would probably get nothing.</p>