<p>I am so upset right now that if I weren’t on a public forum, I would be cursing. For the past month Bowdoin, jerked me around asking for all sorts of obscure information so they could “calculate” my financial aid. And how much do I qualify for, zip. There is no way I can even come close to afforded 43k a year. I don’t know what to do…So much for going to my dream school. Getting accepted and then can’t atttend due to costs, life blows.</p>
<p>Insane, I'm sorry to hear that. You or one of your parents needs to contact the FA office to discuss this further, as I remember you said your family situation was complicated.</p>
<p>Add this to the lesson of when/when not to apply ED.</p>
<p>I'm very, very sorry. Is there any way you can take out a loan?</p>
<p>I'm really sorry about that...I'll most likely be in the same boat so I can sympathize with you (I didn't get admitted to the school (yet at least...who knows if that will even happen)...but I know this will come up with other schools I applied to). What other schools were you accepted to? Since freshman year I had my heart set on getting away from the place I live now, but after getting an honors scholarship to the local university staying is turning into a better idea. </p>
<p>As much as I want to attend certain schools I applied to, scrimping for pennies would not make the experience enjoyable for me. This may be a good thing though (as silly as it sounds), as at least you found out with time to speak to state schools, etc., and also they can't pull the rug out from under you in future years with financial aid. I was rather (make that REALLLLY) disappointed with the financial aid office and the assistance Bowdoin offers. It seems like they'd rather reject a student who would need aid, and by the looks of it they are faaaar from need blind.</p>
<p>Unfortunetly loans are unfeasible, I would be in debt nearly 140k plus whatever grad school expenses I will pile on later on.
I managed to calm down so I can think rationally about what to do. I am sure others probally have it worse than I, at least I was accepted to all nine colleges I applied to. I guess its back to scratch board, start comparing fin aid packages. Hopefully University of Rochester works out, else I have three back up colleges with full rides, and honor college at TCNJ. But what I'd give to Bowdoin. Funny it what can never have that we want most.
Thanks everyone for your sentiments. I still have a few more days, I will try to neogatiate something, but overall I am still thankful that I was fortunate to have many backup programs. The only thing that irks me about this is that the colleges have deviated so much in America, they no longer serve as educational resources to develop bright minds but rather are businesses. The government in turn has a horrid program to aid students. Other countries, England for example offer the best education at very reasonable prices. And if students can't afford it, the government there has a wonderful program to make it affordable to the bright students who work very hard. Here its a certain cutoff point that insanely low, and most families who truly deserve aid will never get. My parents work till 7 pm each day, and my dad's job is very unstable, being temporary. But everything in the U.S. is numbers and set points. </p>
<p>I apologise for ranting so much, but it really feels good to get that off my chest. I guess what my mother said is true, Everything will work out, even the worst of times hidden oppurtunities.</p>
<p>I'm sorry your aid isn't what you expected. We found Bowdoin to be very helpful whenever we called about anything, from a lost app to financial aid. I think they truly try to assess all situations carefully and meet need as accurately as possible. I hope you call (but stay calm when you do call), and find out how your aid was calculated. Based on your FAFSA and CSS profile, there is only so much any aid office can do. Best wishes to you.</p>
<p>I wish you tons of luck...you sound extremely smart and like someone who will achieve in whatever situation you find yourself in!</p>
<p>Thanks for the support. Gave them a call today, unfortunetly no good news. Does anyone know of any programs that would allow me to work and pay for college aside from fedral work study? </p>
<p>Another rant, it really stings when from childhood you are told to work really hard because good grades will get you far. But all those As, being the valedictorian of the class, and countless hours of self study put me where? I can't afford college because I don't fall in their range of aid. It just seems so much wasted effort, if my parents were lazy, and I were lazy and we made very little money, then suddenly we are a charity case, and the government and colleges would help me go. But I work hard, earn the rank and grades, and its pointless. My friend with lower grades and rank gets a 10k scholarship to TCNJ, and I get a 5k. Not that money matters in tcnj's equation, 13k to go there compared to 43k to go to Bowdoin, is a hell of alot more reasonable, but to work hard and be told that sorry your financial status doesn't fit. Its pointless, I am just so disgruntled. My future seems so crappy compared to what it could have been.</p>
<p>Insane_Membrane:</p>
<p>The same thing happened to one of my fends who got in ED2. Bowdoin asked him to pay a lot more than he could afford. But he had a good talk with Mr Joyce, Director of finaid and they changed his finaid. Just call them up and have a good talk with them. I have heard Bowdoin has extremely obscure finaid info.</p>
<p>Please feel to PM me if you need info on what my frend did to resolve his situation. I really really hope things turn out to be alright for you.</p>
<p>I actually did call them up, and they were adament that nothing from bowdoin's side could be done to help.</p>
<p>This is outrageous and infuriating. Bowdoin guarantees to meet demonstrated need. How can they mess this up? Call them up again and speak to the director of finaid direclty. Explain ur situation calmly. Remember - dont lose your cool.</p>
<p>And if worst comes to worst, remember, you have to reapply for finaid everyyear. So take some heavy loans and somehow pay out your first year dues and then in your sophomore year reapply carefully for finaid.</p>
<p>Is this because you are a foreign student? Is this a contributing factor?</p>
<p>Bowdoin guarantees to meet need for even accepted international students although they are not need blind.</p>
<p>I guess I am confused. I think what you are saying is that they don't gap?</p>
<p>Tough luck. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though your father has made a fair amount of money in the past but that his future income stream is uncertain. That will hurt you as needs-based financial aid is primarily based on past income history. If your parents' income falls in the future, you may become eligible for financial aid down the road (I think that financial aid packages get reviewed every year). You might want to think about trying to finance one year at Bowdoin and take it from there. And, if your parents do not feel they can or should contribute significantly to your education, you might want to think about becoming financially independent in the future. A friend of mine did that at a different school and ended up with a full ride (her father could have contributed to her education but declined to so).</p>
<p>Um torasee pretty much got it, Im from nj, so im not international. But yeah my father has a savings account that throws certain things out of whack, but its "his savings account", so firstly its unfair that i have to take from it but secondly, key work savings. My parent's will definately get screwed over in terms of social security, and with the current job market, if they get fired they're screwed. Two immigrants, who are 45+ with foriegn degrees, despite thier experiance no company will hire them permantely. Like my dad he's been umemployed for 3 years bouncing from temp job to temp job.</p>
<p>@torasee Their policy on being an independant is retarded. You either have to be 24 or both parents have to be dead to be considered independant, so basically Im screwed. And Im not concerned about ed, they are willing to release me from my contract. But i find it outrageous that I worked hard to get here, get accpeted, but can't attend since i can't afford it. Retrospectively, so i if I didn't didn't work hard, study get the grade, then i should be in a better place right?</p>
<p>These thoughts may or may not be applicable to your situation but I thought I would lay them out just in case:</p>
<p>A mathematical formula applies to your parents savings under standard rules governing financial assistance. Let's say that if your parents had somehow managed to save $1,000,000, the formula would require them to contribute XX% of that to your education each year. However, that formula does not apply to savings that are accumulated in retirement funds (like an IRA or a 401K plan). I have forgotten exactly what those percentages, but the percentage of the required parental contribution goes up with your parents assets. So if your parents have accumulated what they think of as their retirement savings in a regular savings or investment account, they would be expected to tap into them each year you are in school up to that percentage. </p>
<p>Reading between the lines, I thought that perhaps your parents view their savings as their retirement funds and have not accumulated retirement funds in standard retirement accounts (like an IRA account or a 401K plan). You might ask your parents whether they have standard "retirement" accounts or not. If they don't (or if their retirement accounts are small) and their regular savings are in fact serving as their retirement funds, perhaps you could argue that you and your family are being unfairly penalized because your parents simply did not have the same opportunity as other parents did to accumulate a fat IRA or a fat 401K plan, which are types of savings accounts that they are off limits for all other families. In other words, if that $1,000,000 account that I mentioned earlier were an IRA account, it would be off limits and your parents would not be expected to dip into it to contribute to your education. </p>
<p>If these facts apply to your situation, I would suggest that you pursue it as it is an inequity to say that some retirement assets are off limits and others are not simply because they were accumulated in a work environment that did not provide the opportunity to segregate them in an IRA or a 401K plan (or any of the many special plans that qualify for status as exempt retirement funds). Standard retirement accounts such as IRA and 401K opportunities usually are assoicated with stable long-term employment relationships, which, from the sounds of it, neither of your parents has experienced . .</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice torasee, but unfortunetly it doesn't apply to my situation. My father finally told me how much he has saved, and I am screwed. It a significant amount, not an insane amount but enough for he and my mother to surive after retiring, if however he were to use it for my college education, he'd be screwed, and I can't ask him to do that. So its official Iguess,I have no future at any of the good colleges I applied to. So for me its mediocracy, I hate to settle but what can I do.</p>
<p>A very important lesson to others, be careful how much you save if you have kids. We know you are told to save for the future and emergencies, but it will really hurt your children in the long run. So save wisely.</p>
<p>Insane Membrane, why don't you post on another thread in one of the general forums - maybe the parents forum - to see if anybody else has any ideas for you. There are a lot of parents who have navigated the financial aid process and they might be able to assist you.</p>
<p>Would your parents ever loan you the $$ for college? With a signed promissory note, etc., and you could work out a easier repayment schedule with them? Just a thought.</p>
<p>Yes - Insane-membrane, don't give up. It's really unfortunate that you and your parents did not understand the ins-and-outs of the financial aid process beforehand but there usually is a way around these barriers. Try to pursue all your options in some way -- if not this year then next year.</p>