Note: This is not a chance me post, and I don’t want any information on chances.
Some Background Info: I am currently a senior and am thinking about applying to the University of Pennsylvania, which is in my current state of residence. I have a limited budget because of my family’s low income. I used Penn’s net price calculator and got a very very low, good estimate. So low, in fact that it was cheaper than just the board of some state colleges. Since this estimate, I have been seriously considering applying to Penn because I have good chances of getting in. Unfortunately, my high school isn’t very good, and Ivies typically only accept one student from each class. That being said, there are two other highly competitive students from my class who are also planning on applying to Penn. They have a higher gpa, sat, more ECs , etc. However, they are both white and I am not. I realize that if I do regular decision, my chances of getting in are super super slim. Though, with ED, my chances increase ALOT because I am the only person from my school doing ED and have very good stats. The only problem with ED is that it is binding, and that you don’t discover the amount of aid you are awarded until after acceptance.
Questions I would like some insight on:
1.If I do ED and something happens so that i can’t afford it (literally can’t afford it, like above the income level of my parents), will I be forced to pay for it, or can I back out? Could I possibly go to Penn and present my financial situation, and would they be willing to work with me?
- How accurate is the net price calculator? How much could it possibly be off?
- If I went to Penn before my application was in and went to their financial advisers, how much insight would they be able to give me on this situation?
Bonus: I am currently trying to convince my parents that Penn is the right choice, so can I get some advantages about going to Penn specifically for the STEM field and in general the jobs that their graduates get hooked up with.
Sorry I know I am asking for alot of info but answers would be greatly appreciated!
- Yes you can decline the acceptance if it isn't affordable (and they might work with you as well).
- It should be pretty accurate though certain things can throw it off - divorced parents, complex assets/home equity/business income and expenses.
- I think they'd tell you to run the NPC (and yay for you for already having done that). But it can't hurt to ask.
IDK about your parents, is there some objection they have to it beyond finances?
The problem with applying ED is that you may not know yet if you have any admissions that are more affordable when you get the estimated aid package from Penn.
If you don’t have exotic finances then the NPC should be accurate and the school should be affordable. The statements in the two posts above are right on. And don’t set your sights totally on Penn. You do NOT have a good chance of admission. No one does. They accepted just over 10% of applicants last year. That’s not a good chance. Apply broadly. If you’re competitive for Penn look at some merit aid schools.
“If you’re competitive for Penn look at some merit aid schools.”
I disagree with this. If your financials are typical (you are a U.S. citizen, your parents do not have a business, investments, additional property other than your home, there are no divorces and you don’t have a ton of home equity), you should apply broadly, targeting schools that meet full need. Even though they are very selective, they are your best shot at getting school fully paid. Also, apply to at least 1-2 financial safeties (guaranteed merit or instate option).
Are you a minority? Do you qualify for Pell? You may want to look into the Gates. You won’t get the results until later in the Spring but it is a very generous scholarship.
The word around here is that the Gates Millennium Scholarship is no more. 2016 was its last year for high school seniors. Supposedly, a new Gates program will be available for the class of 2018.
It sounds like you do agree.
@2collegewego (hi!)
Gates ended their program.
Would this student qualify for Questbridge?
@CourtneyThurston any suggestions??
@OHMomof2 I played around with the NPC and it didn’t change the estimate as I changed the home equity, does that mean they don’t care or that the calculator isn’t factoring it in? Also, @2collegewego what would be considered a ton of home equity, my parents own their home and its worth around the median price of a home in the U.S. We don’t have any other exotic finances.
Information available online that is several years old indicates that Penn does use home equity in financial aid calculations, capped at 1.5 to 2.5 times income.
@BelknapPoint How much of the home equity does penn expect to you to contribute, is there a percent value?
It’s not that they necessarily expect you to “contribute” from home equity, it’s that at least some home equity is factored into the need-based financial aid calculation that is used to determine institutional EFC.
If you genuinely feel that you’ve got competitive stats for Penn, you’ll have competitive stats for a lot of full-need schools, and you should have a bunch on your short list. Run the NPCs there, too, so you have some comparison.
NPCs tend to be accurate as long as you are – make sure you’re putting in money contributed to retirement as income, for example, even though it’s not on a W-2.
Even the most perfect candidates need backups, and it doesn’t have to be a state school. There are a lot of really top-notch private schools in PA that meet full-need, e.g. Run NPCs on these:
Bryn Mawr (women only)
Bucknell
Dickinson
Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg
Haverford
Lafayette
Lehigh
Don’t be afraid of smaller schools because you’re interested in STEM. Very often you get more because you’re not competing with the grad school for professor time, internships, research opportunities, etc. Do the research and you’ll see.
I will have to have back ups for sure. Those are some good backups and I will definitely consider them @Pheebers.