<p>D has a scholarship offer from one school but not the other.....
I believe I read a thread once about utilizing the Scholarship letter in addressing aid from the other school..
Would someone please refresh me or point me to the older thread?</p>
<p>I have read it also, I think you will probably just have to do a search for it. </p>
<p>Or you could just ask the one school if they take competitors coupons.</p>
<p>Asking a school if they “take competitors coupons” is not the best way to approach this. I can only assume imagep meant that figuratively.</p>
<p>What has been advised here over and over is to politely tell the first choice school that D very much wants to attend the school in question (or it’s the first choice, etc), but that finances are tough and D has an offer of X from another school. Would the first choice school be open to considering revisiting any aid or scholarships for D so that D can attend first choice school?</p>
<p>In our case, first choice school did not ask for proof. But they delivered a positive response.</p>
<p>Here is the gist:</p>
<p>Most schools say that they will not match a competitor’s offer in such cases. Many times what they actually do is different from what they say they will do.</p>
<p>The question becomes one of how to get them to change their offer while maintaining plausible deniability that they did not do so solely in response to a better offer. In order for that to happen, two things must be true:</p>
<p>1) The school has to really want your daughter to attend. That may make it easier in cases where your child is a top-notch French Horn or Bassoon player rather than a soprano vocalist or a flutist, say.</p>
<p>2) The other offer has to be from a school that is considered a legitimate competitor. A top conservatory will not even consider matching an offer from a school that accepts 90% of its applicants.</p>
<p>One good way to go about it is to request a review of the financial aid package based on information that you feel the school may not have had or may not have considered the first time around. Don’t go in asking them outright if they can match a competing offer. Instead try this:</p>
<p>1) Cite something like a lost job, a major loss in a stock portfolio or the value of your home, obligations to support aging parents, the need to purchase an expensive instrument or something along those lines.</p>
<p>2) Then disclose the offer from the other school.</p>
<p>3) Make sure that they know that they are your top choice and that your daughter would attend if the finances can be made to work.</p>
<p>4) Request a review of the entire package, not just the scholarship parts.</p>
<p>They may still tell you that you already have their best offer, but many times they will find more funding from somewhere, particularly if they have already have been turned down by other accepted students. Accordingly, the best time to do this is coming up in a week or so.</p>
<p>One other point: when comparing offers, you need to look at the net cost of attendance (in other words, the actual cost minus the financial aid offered exclusive of loans). A school will not increase their offer based on a competing offer if their original offer results in a lower net cost than what you are trying to get them to match.</p>
<p>For example, school A would cost $50,000 per year in tuition, fees, room and board and other estimated fees while school B would cost $35,000. School A then offers $10,000 in a talent award while school B offers nothing. School B is not likely to sweeten the deal. They will simply point out that they are already charging you $5,000 less than school A.</p>
<p>BassDad, do you know if scholarship money is transferable within a dept? For example, if a French Horn with a scholarship of $10,000 turns down a school, is there a chance that money could go to a prospective student that plays another instrument, or is that highly unlikely?</p>
<p>That would depend on the source of the funding. If you are talking about a scholarship funded by an external donation that specifies it be used for a French Horn player, then no. If the money is at the discretion of the music department, then it would depend on local policy, in which case the next recipient might be determined by internal politics. If the money is controlled by the University as a whole, it could wind up going to a different department entirely or not offered to anyone.</p>
<p>These days, most top conservatory funding comes from the big pot doled out from the financial aid department, but- and this works best in the year of initial enrollment- it’s quite permissible to express your student’s real desire to attend the school and ask if there is anything more that can be found to make that happen. It may be a case of “taking it back to the committee” once, or several times, but quite often the award and/or package is increased.</p>
<p>My son has been accepted to his two top choices. He has an offer from one school, but prefers the other. I spoke to the FA at the preferred school and he greatly encouraged me to send in an appeal. My question is this; should the request for appeal come from me or my son? My son and I talked about it and he wants to write it.</p>
<p>I would call the school (music dept) and ask. Sometimes the appeal is financial and therefore the appeal is more appropriate from the parent. There are even specific appeal processes at some schools. The department should be able to give you the best guidance. But act quickly…there are deadlines for these appeals.</p>
<p>Whenever my D sent in an appeal, it came from her. Of course we discussed what it should contain. Good luck to you and your son.</p>
<p>Special and sincere thanks to jazz/shreddermom and BassDad. I used this advice successfully for a soprano vocalist. The response was modest, but it was positive and every little bit helps…</p>