<p>The other day I was trying to get some guidance and help from the Stanford Financial Aid Office on loan options. My parents are able to come up with approximately $40,000 per year by sacrificing other niceties in life. But I still need to borrow about $20,000 per year in student loans. I was just seeking some guidance from the experts. But the lady on the other end of the phone (at Stanford) makes a hurtful remark: Stanford is not cheap, ... it is not for everyone. (Meaning, it is not for someone like me?) Wow! I was left speechless. I know this statement is true, but I never expected a Stanford financial aid staff to be so insensitive and say this to an incoming student. Please be nice when we are struggling. We know you hold the power (they are on power trip), but you can act more humane to us powerless students.</p>
<p>Please share if you had similar experiences.</p>
<p>In my case, it wasn’t the “gatekeeper”; it was one of the so called directors/experts that you have to make an appointment to talk. That’s why it was upsetting.</p>
<p>“Stanford in not cheap, … it is not for everyone.” </p>
<p>I may be guilty of giving people the benefit of the doubt, but perhaps she mispoke? I would not assume that her connotation was in fact that there is an income threshold to be crossed to attend Stanford or even that you, or anyone else on the basis of financial capacity, should be precluded from attending. As a Stanford FA recipient of almost 53k whose family couldn’t scrape up 40k a year by dropping necessities, let alone nicities, I find it hard to believe she actually meant that. I wouldn’t dwell on it. Just try to remember that you got in with the insane competition this year!</p>
<p>@PhuntsoW: Maybe, perhaps. But I didn’t felt that way when she said those words. Those words were like daggers piercing my chest. It has been almost a week, but those words still ring in my ears. And they will continue to haunt me for the next four years I am at Stanford. I will attend Stanford, but I feel differently about Stanford now. It is just a business proposition now.</p>
<p>So do you expect people to start dropping necessities in life to pay for college? Stop eating? Stop paying mortgage bills? Stop paying taxes? Otherwise I don’t get your point. The only way to come up with extra money is to cut niceties. One cannot cut necessary expenses. </p>
<p>Yeah, if you are really poor … then Stanford is great. But for us in the middle, Stanford financial aid is terrible … almost insensitive, I would say. And then add insult to injury with a comment like “Stanford is not cheap, … it is not for everyone.”</p>
<p>“As a Stanford FA recipient of almost 53k whose family couldn’t scrape up 40k a year by dropping necessities, let alone nicities, I find it hard to believe she actually meant that.”</p>
<p>PhuntsoW, I completely agree with you. When I have more time later, I will expand on my comment in more detail. Actually, I am a bit surprised that more individuals haven’t commented on this thread. I am the parent of a daughter who was accepted into Stanford. I consider it both an honor and privilege that my child was accepted into one of the top schools in the world. I am also incredibly proud of the fact that my daughter was accepted into Stanford as an ORM, (Asian/Caucasian), on her own merits without the additional benefit(s) of economic privilege, legacy, or any other so-called “hooks”. Please understand that is understandably difficult for many people–especially young adults–to understand what real economic hardship is if they haven’t ever experienced it. Congratulations on your recent acceptance into what I believe is the BEST college in the world!</p>
<p>Welcome to the world of financial aide employees. Her next stop is likely the DMV. Anyway keep calling, hopefully there is more than one employee that you can talk with. GL & Congrats.</p>
<p>@Helenstreet - You are reinforcing what we have been saying here. Stanford is great if you are low-income or if you are wealthy; Stanford is terrible if you are from middle class family. So the Fin-Aid lady basically told me (my interpretation) ‘Stanford is not for middle class folks.’ There is no disagreement.</p>
<p>You guys feel good about Stanford because you are getting freebies. I admit I would feel the same if freebies are coming my way too. But that is not the case. I will probably be asked to pay for even the air I will breathe at The Farm. So yeah, I don’t share your enthusiasm. </p>
<p>At this point, all I am asking from Stanford Fin-Aid office is to help me pick my loan options. They have the experience; I don’t. I am not asking for freebies.</p>
<p>OP - Don’t get too frustrated. It is early in the game to look for loans etc. If you have decided to go and pay your deposit then they have to help you with it. Your payments are only due in September for first quarter.</p>
<p>It is possible they are overwhelmed and are manned by some volunteers or something. I would not believe an employee of Stanford would say something silly like that.</p>
<p>“You guys feel good about Stanford because you are getting freebies. I admit I would feel the same if freebies are coming my way too. But that is not the case. I will probably be asked to pay for even the air I will breathe at The Farm. So yeah, I don’t share your enthusiasm.”</p>
<p>You come across as having a very condescending attitude, in my opinion. To imply that my daughter–or anyone else–is “getting freebies” is awfully presumptuous and downright rude. You do not know what my daughter’s merits are, just as I don’t have any knowledge of your academic merits. My daughter has never had the benefit of privilege or any other “hooks”; she has worked for everything she has received. She is the #1 top student in her class at a rigorous, independent, private school which is composed of 99% students from affluent families with an income like yours. Personally, I don’t consider an income of $150,000 - $200,000 middle income. It is not like Stanford admits lower income students left and right either. The true gauge of a low income student would be whether or not they are Pell Grant eligible. Of the Stanford 2016 incoming freshman class, just 18% was Pell Grant eligible.</p>
<p>If you are so unhappy with the prospect of you and your family having to pay for a Stanford education, why don’t you consider your financial options at other schools that you were accepted at? College is not just about prestige; it is important that the school one chooses is a good fit as well. Just my .02 cents.</p>
<p>@efeens44 - I was redirected (rejected) from Princeton (my number one), wait listed at Harvard (did not take - low probability), accepted to Columbia, Stanford, and Wash-U. Did not apply to Yale (don’t ask me why). Also accepted to UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCSD (my safety). </p>
<p>Stats: SAT - 2340; Math II - 800; US History - 780; Physics - 800; Unweighted GPA - 3.94 (Several APs, so weighted GPA is over 4.7)</p>
<p>I have the highest regards for Helenstreet’s daughter for working hard and gaining admission to Stanford. Congratulations to your daughter. She is fortunate to have received secondary education at a rigorous, independent, private school, which is composed of 99% students from affluent families. That helps.</p>
<p>I am graduating from a large public school in Southern California. My parents cannot afford private school education for me or my two brothers. We are 100 percent products of public school education. My parents are immigrants; they worked hard, capitalized on opportunities available in this great country, and are now paying substantial taxes every year. I am proud of what they have accomplished. But we are not wealthy. We are middle class. Money is a factor in choosing college.</p>
<p>^agree with you. It does seem that 50-60K+ for tuition is atrocious but that is a different story. I do believe middle class (and yes, in CA -150K -200K is middle class especially in the bay area and high cost of living). Also jobs are not steady nowadays. So I do believe financial aid is ruthless - either show you are making below 60K or be an international student (where your exchange rate puts in those standards…) or earn over 300K so that you can pay the $70K annually out of pocket. With colleges that have HUGE endowments, there is no need to have tuition costing over 50K…!!! And yes, we fall in that middle-class category…where we always sent our kids to public schools but now won’t be eligible for ANY aid due to that ‘grey area’ of income.</p>
<p>Here is why tuition will continue to increase
<a href=“The Price of Perception - The New York Times”>The Price of Perception - The New York Times;
“As sticker prices have increased, so has scholarship aid offered. In effect, prices are discounted just sufficiently to “clear the market” — match supply and demand — for the students the college wishes to enroll. Many of these scholarships are financed through tuitions paid by wealthier students. To date, parents don’t seem to be rebelling against these Robin Hood activities.”</p>
<p>(bear in mind the above article was 2 years ago).</p>
<p>The Board of Trustees approved a 3.5 percent tuition increase for the 2013-14 academic year on Monday. The increase will affect all Stanford students equally, with the exception of those at the Graduate School of Business, whose tuition will rise by 3.9 percent.
Under the new plan, the cost of undergraduate and graduate tuition will rise from $41,250 to $42,690. The cost of room and board will also increase, from $12,751 to $13,166.</p>
<p>My husband has spoken to employees at the FA office at Stanford many times, including just recently, and they have always been considerate and helpful.</p>
<p>I have also had very positive experiences with financial aid. When I arrived in town with my freshman son, we had to run straight from the airport to the FA office to get clarification so we could pay his first bill on time. We signed in and were assisted by a wonderful woman (I wish I remembered her name). The first thing she asked me was how I was doing. She knew exactly how I felt and was so empathetic! </p>
<p>Yes, we received some aid, but Stanford has made it very clear that ALL students are “subsidized” to some extent. The tuition and other fees we pay do NOT fully cover the costs of a Stanford education. ALL Stanford students are fortunate.</p>
<p>Just so you know most FA employees seem to be rude and abrupt. They should find another place to work if they cannot handle the stress. After all we are not asking them to give us their own $$.</p>
<p>@newbeinca: “Many of these scholarships are financed through tuitions paid by wealthier students. To date, parents dont seem to be rebelling against these Robin Hood activities.”</p>
<p>This is exactly why I feel cheated. We are not wealthy, and really cannot afford to subsidize anyone else. Making us, middle class families, pay the inflated sticker price at Stanford to subsidize other families is unethical and immoral. HYPSCM control the high end college market … unchecked. Makes me feel resentful.</p>
<p>@PumpkinPi: “Stanford has made it very clear that ALL students are “subsidized” to some extent. The tuition and other fees we pay do NOT fully cover the costs of a Stanford education. ALL Stanford students are fortunate.” </p>
<p>Maybe; although I disagree strongly. Still doesn’t justify fleecing some students to subsidize other students. Why is college tuition and fees rising much higher than the overall rate of inflation?</p>
<p>@futureinfinance: First, this thread is addressing the civility of the staff in FA. I responded about my own experience. I did not want to engage in a debate about the merits of need based aid. It is a different situation for those institutions that provide merit based aid, perhaps, but do you really believe that Stanford be “need aware” and only take rich students?</p>
<p>Second, those who are “full pay” are NOT paying the full cost of attendance. Period. No student is subsidizing another student’s education. Period. The Stanford multi-billion dollar endowment is subsidizing those who qualify for aid. Denying poor students admission would not reduce your costs.</p>
<p>Third, you know nothing of our financial situation. The FA office manages outside scholarships as well as direct aid, loans, work study, and so on. My son brought with him numerous outside scholarships so that Stanford’s endowment did not need to be tapped. (Think Coke Scholars, National Merit, Byrd, and many others).</p>
<p>Fourth, if you have a future in finance, you need to get a better understanding of what defines the middle class. If your family (I assume your parents, and not you), is wealthy enough that you did not receive one penny of additional support, then you are not in the middle class. Stanford provides aid to many students well above 100K in earnings, and does not count retirement accounts, homes, etc. when it figures out who can receive some aid. If you are so wealthy that you got nothing, and still feel fleeced, then I hope you go somewhere else. I so much appreciate the economic diversity of students, and am happy that my son is now employed and able to “give back” to future students at Stanford.</p>