<p>So… I’m at a mock trial competition and I call my dad to tell him to pick me up and he says, “Oh, an interviewer called from Brown… I basically told her that they won’t offer you a full ride and you won’t be able to afford it. You have to call and set up the interview.” (This certainly put me in a bad mood when it was time to take the stand o_o)</p>
<p>Do you think this would affect my chances at all? Obviously parents aren’t always enthusiastic about their children… I normally wouldn’t care but Brown is my absolute dream school :\ He doesn’t even know what he’s talking about, our income definitely qualifies us for need based aid.</p>
<p>that sucks! i would definitely be extremely p,ssed off if my dad did that to my dream school interviewer.
but you know what, you can actually turn this situation around for the better -
when you get to the actual interview, tell him/her about how your parents "arent always enthusiastic about their children" and that he is ignorant about your qualification for finaid.
If I were the interviewer I would actually sympathize with your situation because it seems like you're up against a parental current while trying to make your dream school come true. good luck.</p>
<p>I'm an interviewer for Brown, and granted I know a lot more about the process than many interviewers, but this is how I would react: I would never let the comments of a parent affect my opinion of the student; I would roll my eyes and feel sympathy for the kid. And I would make sure during the interview to explain how financial aid works -- that Brown is need blind for admissions. </p>
<p>I wouldn't expect the student to raise this during the interview, other than to perhaps ask a question about financial aid.</p>
<p>Parents hold a patent on saying stupid things about their kids to the worst people, and hopefully most adults recognize that.</p>
<p>I think if you present yourself as an adequate, pleasant person in the interview, your dad's actions should have no effect on your admissions decision.</p>
<p>do you know if he said that, or was he just joking? i think the interviewer has enough perspective to take this with a grain of salt. hey the parents are paying and he's not getting paid anything to interview you, so what should he care about your dad's foot-in-mouth problem (IF he really did say that). the interviewer's job is to find out who you are, not who your dad is. dont sweat it, this is a great chance for you to show how you have character and rise to the occasion as a person of "brown"-level caliber.</p>
<p>ugh, what an oaf. Don't hesitate to discuss it with the interviewer.</p>
<p>And try to explain to your Dad not to torpedo you until you get an offer. It is all about gettin an offer at this point, not about deciding yet. You want as many options as possible right now. We found Brown to be extremely generous.</p>
<p>I've had my interview already. It turns out that the interviewer's secretary was the one calling, so she probably didn't even say anything to him. The interview went really well. He's really oblivious to financial aid (I'm pretty sure he thinks everyone attending a school paid $50,000 cash..)</p>
<p>Is he not educable on the subject? This site has an EFC calculator. Would it help to show it to him? and Brown gives some people no loan packages as well.</p>
<p>I don't even talk about college to my dad, he still thinks I'm accepting a full scholarship to an 89% black school where the 75th percentile SAT is 1260. @<a href="mailto:@">@</a>. My stepmom and I take care of all my college stuff.</p>
<p>Oh, I guess not. Sorry for not wanting to go somewhere that has 30th percentile SAT scores and will ill-prepare me for the MCAT.</p>
<p>Edit-
How is that rude!!!!! Okay, instead of saying 89% black, I'll say "historically black college." There. Is that more politically correct?
A lot of people wouldn't fit in at a HBCU.</p>
<p>Wow, that's really rude. My parents think the same thing though. Our income level is WELL under 60k and they've been pretty stubborn about the whole "you can't afford college" thing.</p>
<p>Most common misconceptions they make are that:</p>
<h1>1) Admissions is still not 100% need blind. (they're like "wow, what if they admit 1000 poor people? Doesn't make sense. They lose too much money" =.=)</h1>
<p>and</p>
<h1>2) That making money from their new jobs slightly above $60k will auto-make them broke ("Okay, so you get your first year free. How about your next three years? How can we afford that?" when clearly they will pay around UC price [which they are so much more eager to pay for])</h1>
<p>It's REALLY hard convincing them otherwise. They're still bent on thinking that going to UC Berkeley for 4 years will be cheaper than getting a free freshman and 3 lowered tuition costs for a private. But they don't yell it into the interviewer's faces over the phone...that's just...wow.</p>
<p>Tuition and fees shouldn't be a major concern over private colleges. Yes, top publics like Berkeley have fees that are comparable to prestigious privates depending on your income. In fact, for some income groups, private colleges offer better aid packages for a better quality education. </p>
<p>Make sure to consider fit as well. With less than a semester at Berkeley (and then leaving the campus altogether), I realized that a large public university didn't fit me. I need a smaller, private university because I like the smaller class sizes, etc. It all depends on what college fits you. Some students fit in publics while some fit in private universities.</p>
<p>"Sorry for not wanting to go somewhere that has 30th percentile SAT scores and will ill-prepare me for the MCAT."</p>
<p>The implication was that you didn't want to go to a school with mostly Black people. World this make you a minority there? Do you think being in the minority might be challenging in some ways?Just a little feedback so you don't say things like that to YOUR kids interviewer.</p>
<p>"I'll say "historically black college." There. Is that more politically correct?"</p>
<p>Not just politically correct; I now understand your writing better. And fewer letters /words too!</p>
<p>"A lot of people wouldn't fit in at a HBCU."</p>
<p>Your right about that. But FWIW its went to In HBCU. and did fine on my MCATS, and after that as well.</p>
<p>"oh no she didn't. how was that even rude? SOME people have higher hopes than that"</p>
<p>0h yes she did! But it would be more pc to say DIFFERENT hopes, not HIGHER hopes (jk... not really).</p>
<p>Anyway, best wishes to you. A good friend of mine went to Brown before we ended up in medical school (at an HBCU!) together.</p>
<p>Um, yes, that was the implication. I really want a traditional college experience, and if you lived around this area, you would know where I'm coming from, but whatever. This school isn't comparable to good HBCUs like Morehouse, Spelman, or Howard, regardless.
@Oreo - it went very well, he acknowledged that I'm "intellectually curious and socially conscious," although, he did say that he finds the idea of 'fit' VERY overrated.</p>
<p>You seem to know what you are looking for so fit won't be a problem. Many students don't think it through or know or realize what they need or want to be happy with a college. Good for you!</p>