Study: Anyone get contacted for Finaid in March but later rejected??

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Has this happened to anyone yet? If so post away. I don't understand why I would have been contacted two weeks ago for financial aid if this information was of no use to them. Furthermore, why would the finaid people have answered my reply to their e-mail about not filling out the online app by saying: ''As you mentioned, we got your paper app. It is complete at this point. Due April 15 th is your parent's tax return or bank statement.'' This is evil, they are telling me in this e-mail that they want my tax return to confirm the validity of an aid package(why else?) yet I called DHL, and NOTHING! Why would they ask me to give then the tax return by April 15th. Why didn't they say, if you get accepted, we will need it.</p>

<p>...</p>

2

<p>ifi recollect correctly, on the MIT board while we were all waiting on our decisions, lots of people called DHL (some even posted the results of where packages were going all over the world from cambridge, ma... alittle overboard, ppl deleted their entries... weird story). however, what was figured out is this:
DHL works w/ fedex and other companies worldwide so that the packages get there asap. just b/c DHL doesn't have your package tracked, doesn't mean they didn't give it over to fedex or someone to take it for them...</p>

<p>I don't want to get your hopes up, but from experience, just b/c you called DHL and they didn't have anything for you on its way doesn't mean that nothing is on its way w/ anyone else...</p>

<p>don't loose hope yet. good luck.</p>

3

<p>If you failed to give them copies of your tax returns by the appropriate due dates, that's a sign of carelessness on your part, not a verification of acceptance.</p>

4

<p>but blarney stone, lots of people forget to give in their forms by the correct date... they only contact a few...</p>

5

<p>Lol so is it some sick test that you people do to check if you've been accepted or not before the official decision date? I mean everyone seems to get their admission application on time just fine, why do SO MANY forget about financial aid? ;-)</p>

6

<p>Well I find it a bit rude of you to accuse me of carelesness. I DID send my Financial aid information by the correct date. The only item not included was my tax return since the fiscal year ends in April in Canada. Thus, it was impossible to send this year's by that date. I received an e-mail about not completing the ONLINE aid application that I had started before deciding to do the paper-based application. This is why I got an automated e-mail saying to complete the online application. After replying to it and telling them about the situation, they answered me, saying that they did receive my paper application and that they needed my tax return by April 15th. That is the situation, in case you have trouble with reading comprehension... What intrigued me was not the automated message but the fact that the Finaid office had evaluated my aid application and wanted my tax return, I was guessing, to confirm that my aid award was correct. This is obviously not the case since I am rejected(no DHL or FedEx package).</p>

<p>Hope this will make me nolonger ''careless'' in your mind.Jean</p>

7

<p>I was contacted, Rejected.</p>

8

<p>Has anyone been told by the Financial Aid Office to send in their parents' bank statement or tax return by the 15 th of April? This is what gave me false hope, not the automated e-mail...</p>

9

<p>Here is the transmission between me and the financial aid office that gave me false hope. I still can't believe how insensitive this was of the office. The important part is the last message from them to me.</p>

<p><a href="mailto:pfaa@Princeton.EDU">pfaa@Princeton.EDU</a>
Incomplete Princeton Financial Aid Application</p>

<p>Dear xxxxxxxx:</p>

<p>Our records show that you registered and logged in to the Class of 2009 Princeton Financial Aid Application (PFAA) at some point in the last several months. Although you may have saved information on your PFAA, you did not submit it to Princeton University.</p>

<p>If you still intend to apply for financial aid as a prospective applicant to Princeton’s Class of 2009, you should finish the PFAA and submit it by clicking on the ‘Send’ button. The PFAA is available at <a href="https://finaidapp.princeton.edu/app/loginFilter.jsp%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://finaidapp.princeton.edu/app/loginFilter.jsp&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>It is not necessary to reply to this e-mail if you have decided you will not apply for aid.</p>

<p>Thank you,</p>

<p>The Undergraduate Financial Aid Office</p>

<p>Princeton University</p>

<p>My reply:</p>

<p>From: xxxxxx xxxxxxx[mailto:<a href="mailto:xxxxxxxx@walla.com">xxxxxxxx@walla.com</a>]
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 10:23 AM
To: PFAA
Subject: Re: Incomplete Princeton Financial Aid Application</p>

<p>To whom this may concern,</p>

<p>I have decided to send my financial aid application by regular mail and it was definately postmarked before the deadline. Please inform my of wether the information provided is complete.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx</p>

<p>Then this is the important part where they say that they will need my parents' tax return. They don't say:'' If you get in, we'll need it.'' They say that THEY WILL NEED IT. This is what I found cruel and it is crushing me:</p>

<p>from: PFAA <a href="mailto:pfaa@Princeton.EDU">pfaa@Princeton.EDU</a> [Add to contacts] [Show all messages]</p>

<p>XXXXXXXX,</p>

<p>We did receive the paper application and at this point your application is complete. Due April 15, 2005 we will need a copy of your parents 2004 tax information or bank statements. If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact our office.</p>

<p>Undergraduate Financial Aid Office</p>

<p>So there you go. I knew I shouldn't have assumed I was in from this but it innevitably made me believe that I was about to get a fat package.</p>

<p>Later</p>

<p>Jean</p>

10

<p>Jean,</p>

<p>Your experience disproves Princeton’s constant assertion that its admissions decisions are made on a "need blind” basis. I believe that if you are not a URM, applying for financial aid substantially diminishes your chance for admission. And the more aid you require the smaller your chance of being admitted.</p>

11

<p>so, since some get notifications on the FA, and get accepted. Some get notifications and get rejected. I guess that means that a notification can go either way?<br>
So, what about getting no notification??? I did apply for FA, but I don't think I got EVERYTHING in to them... but I am not sure... maybe I did...? But either way, I totally didn't get any sort of a notification...</p>

<p>Go figure.<br>
(p.s. - still haven't heard... signs not looking too good.)</p>

12

<p>toblin,</p>

<p>My experience DOES NOT disprove that admissions is made on a need-blind basis. I don't know what sparked such a silly accusation towards Princeton... What I was getting to by showing you my e-mail from Princeton is the fact that the aid office wrote to me in a way that suggested that I was accepted to Princeton and that this innevitably got my hopes up. I guess I technically shouldn't accuse them of cruelty yet since I do not have a definate answer from them yet. Since I am an international, acceptences are sent by DHL. I am basing my rejection on the fact that DHL can't find a package in my name.</p>

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<p>but again, jean, i don't think that b/c DHL can't find your package means that you don't have one. fedex might have it? a different company??? they share the packages based on who has coverage of each area...</p>

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<p>jean i'm happy you responded to toblin with reason instead of supporting his ridiculous assertion</p>

15

<p>It's all ok. I got the same thing from Cornell (the 'WE NEED THIS DOCUMENT NOW' phrase), and just got rejected. Stupid killing of trees, in my opinion.</p>

<p>Not that I'm saying that you won't get in, because I've heard of other stories too, where they send you a request for tax return docs and you later get in (this was at Cornell as well.)</p>

16

<p>the converse, did anyone NOT get the FA letter (of course, this applies to those who should recieve a letter, as in, have an incomplete app) but still get in?</p>

17

<p>So did anyone get their decision today and had previously been contacted for aid in the last few weeks? Tell us your decision. We'll establish once and for all approximatelly how strong the supposed ''correlation'' is.</p>

<p>later</p>

18

<p>Just wondering, did you send your 2003 tax forms? Because I didn't have my 2004 ones and sent the 2003 with a note explaining our situation. They never contacted me about that, but I was admitted.</p>

19

<p>no hadn't sent it</p>

20

<p>@ JeanLeloup: sucks that you spelled “definitely” wrong in your letter to Pton. They probably rejected you on the spot just for that.</p>

<p>@ Toblin: Seriously? You do realize they need your tax forms in order to give you financial aid, right? To decide how much you get? It’s…meh, why would I even bother explaining it to you? Your grasp on reality is obviously not very firm.</p>