<p>Well guys the Common App is almost up!
So introduce yourselves.</p>
<p>isnt ED due a really long time from now?</p>
<p>Someone is REALLY, REALLY hopeful about getting into Rice and attending :)</p>
<p>hah yeah it is and yes i do! i just saw that brown had one going so i thought we would start one to!</p>
<p>but brown is lame :P</p>
<p>It sounds like you’ve got your priorities straight, cocoaluna.</p>
<p>haha yeah i guess it is to early for this im just excited!!</p>
<p>I so ready for applications too! I’ve practically been counting down the days until the common app goes up. I’m just ready too apply ED and get the whole application process out of the way.</p>
<p>i know exactly how you feel!! one more week, im hoping to get everything done before school starts.</p>
<p>I haven’t decided if I’m going to apply ED or not yet. If I get accepted to Rice, I’ll more than likely be going there, but I’m afraid I won’t get any financial aid, and there’s no way I can afford it without aid. Dx</p>
<p>If there really is no way you could afford it without aid, then you’ll get aid. Rice is very good about need-based aid. Unless you mean your parents will refuse to pay, in which case I don’t know what to tell you…</p>
<p>I applied ED and got need-based… it wasn’t amazing, but it was manageable. I mean, they aren’t going to throw money at you, but they make sure your parents don’t have to live on cans of beans to support you through college. Every once in awhile they can afford bread and meat! lol 
My aid package is better this year than it was last year, so I’m pleased.</p>
<p>Rice raised their no-loan cut-off this year (for 2009 matriculants on) to $80k, and a few other things. Look at their Financial Aid site for info on that. And if you have any concerns, I wouldn’t hesistate to call the FinAid office and ask for advice, etc.</p>
<p>serenefire, if you cant afford it, you can opt out of the ED contract.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info! I’m searching through their Financial Aid information at the moment, but you’ve cleared it up for me already. I don’t know a whole lot about ED, actually, except that I’ve probably got a higher chance of admission if I apply ED.</p>
<p>My family’s combined income including both kids’ part time jobs is just about 80k/year, but my dad’s a scrooge and isn’t going to give me a penny of his income or of his decently large savings account, which is why I’m worried… But I know my mom will be fully supportive, so that might make up for it.</p>
<p>This might be a stupid question, but if you apply ED, do you apply RD as well?</p>
<p>no. you can get deferred to RD which means they evaluate you again. </p>
<p>If your dad is NOT going to pay thats a problem. because then according to Rice you can pay… you can opt out if you cant afford it… not if your parents dont want to pay…</p>
<p>if the latter is the case, be careful</p>
<p>If you aren’t admitted, do you automatically get deferred to RD?</p>
<p>No, the possible outcomes for ED are:</p>
<p>1.) Accepted. Yay.</p>
<p>2.) Rejected. Boo.</p>
<p>3.) Deferred. They throw you into the RD pool and re-evaluate.</p>
<p>You can get flat out rejected from ED if you aren’t qualified for Rice. They don’t want to spend the time evaluating you in the RD pool if they know you won’t make it.</p>
<p>And Rice is going to look at your parents’ combined income and some other stuff to determine parental contribution. They will look at your earnings/savings to determine your contribution. I’m fairly certain they don’t care what your sibling(s) make unless they’re listed as your guardians. If your mom and dad make < 80k, YOU will not be expected to take out a loan, but THEY will still be expected to contribute. YOU will likely be offered work-study and grants in your aid package, and your parents will be expected to pay the remaining amount.
total cost - (grants + work/study + loan) = parent contribution</p>
<p>The FinAid office does usually listen when you have a good argument, like a parent who doesn’t want to contribute… but that’s usually if your parents are divorced (like they don’t even pay child support or something). I would say that your mom will likely suffer for your dad’s decision and will have to pay for the both of them… but idk. Talk to FinAid if you’re concerned. And like Antarius said, if you get accepted ED and cannot pay what they want (and you try to renegociate to no avail) you can back out.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>the reason i mentioned that not wanting to pay as an issue is because I have a friend whos parents are divorced, yet they got screwed over because the father had a high income but didnt want to pay anything. As a result, they got no aid but were unable to pay the full tuition.</p>
<p>They made it ok in the end with loans and a lot of effort by the other parent.</p>
<p>i dont think you should apply ED if you need FA. apply ED just has a 5% better chance(approx), but it isnt worth being tied down to rice if you cant afford it, the only reason im doing ED so i know i will get in by december and im in love with rice! i knid of wish no schools had ED so that way id be able to compare my FA aid with differnt people… and no they can either reject you or defer you to RD.</p>
<p>and usually they only let you opt out if you want to go to a cheaper state school, not another good private school</p>
<p>cocoluna - you arent tied up if you cannot afford it. you can opt out. and it doesnt matter whether you opt out for a state school, harvard or mcdonalds</p>
<p>if you are unable to pay due to financial constraints, you can opt out of ED</p>