<p>Now that a lot of us are accepted EA, can I simply apply to maybe two reach schools - Northwestern and Brown RD - and assume that ND will give me good financial aid?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>FightingIrish01 - I would be hesitant to put all your eggs in one basket in case the reaches did not come through. Financial aid packages vary so wildly from one school to the next. Why not apply to a reach or two and at least one solid match or safety, which is known for being generous with aid?</p>
<p>Agreed. Early Action is non-binding remember so you are free to apply elsewhere and having a contingency option is always a good idea.</p>
<p>Apply to two or three matches and at least one safety. Trust me on this.</p>
<p>We were happy with our ND financial aid package, but I have heard of others who were not. One family I know - applicant was the eldest of six kids, the dad is a plumber, but owns his own company - did not get much financial aid awarded from ND and were kind of upset about it. Their daughter ended up instate with a full scholie. BUT, the mom mentioned once to me that they own two or three apartment complexes, which would count as assets, I believe. They live kind of poor, if you know what I mean, but maybe there are other savings or assets they just weren't willing to part with. Maybe instead of certifiable retirement accounts they invested in other things for retirement.</p>
<p>ND won't ask a parent to dig into their retirement, but I'm sure they expect you to pony up a percentage of your assets. I am sure there was a reason they didn't get financial aid. </p>
<p>I wouldn't count on anything, then you'll be pleasantly surprised if things work out! And you should be applying for financial aid at every school you're applying to, anyway, I'm pretty sure. Somebody else please jump in and correct me if I'm wrong about that.</p>
<p>I would apply to other schools to have fallbacks in case ND doesn't come through....we are not rich by any stretch and my parents had to make sacrafices even with the large amounts ND offered because not all our needs were covered...</p>
<p>Since there is no penalty, you are free to apply to schools, I haven't heard of anyone having a lot of success telling ND how they got X amount from another school and trying to argue for ND to up their offer though...just my two cents if anyone wants to try and play that game.</p>
<p>If anyone disputes what I have to say, feel free to correct.</p>