<p>Acceptances (or not) are finally coming in, but I didn't expect to have to wait so long for financial aid decisions. I don't want to spend the money to fly to a school we have never visited until we have the FA decision, but time is getting quite short to book affordable flights. I suppose there is not much we can do, so I guess I am just wondering how others have handled it.</p>
<p>Northwestern has awesome financial aid. That was my son’s first choice, early decision and everything, but he didn’t get in.</p>
<p>I am frustrated too. The only school we have financial aid information on is Marymount. We are still waiting on all the rest. I agree that I had no idea I would be waiting this long for the FA information. As of now we are not planning to visit anywhere that we don’t have FA info for.</p>
<p>We are in the same boat. We have some FA packages (which except for one are dismal). I’m waiting on one FA and one artistic decision. Once we have those then a choice can be made. Sigh…the waiting!!!</p>
<p>We are quite happy with the financial aid packages we have in hand. I just hope the schools she is actually interested in attending are as generous as those that she has decided against!</p>
<p>Back when my daughter was applying, we waited till late April for William & Mary, her in-state acceptance to send a FA package (the other schools were prompt). I finally called and was told we hadn’t submitted our W-2s, which I not only had done but kept copies of the correspondence. Faxed them again and had an offer (inadequate) within 15 minutes. The very nice but beleaguered financial aid officer then told me that they found the rest of my daughter’s paperwork in “somebody’s desk drawer”…So it’s definitely a good idea to call and check if things go on too long. Unfortunately, I’m afraid late March doesn’t qualify as “too long,” though! :/</p>
<p>This is definitely one of the risks of not visiting schools until the acceptances come in. I don’t know if it just seems that way but every year it appears that financial aid packages come later and later.</p>
<p>We are still waiting on the scholarship amount my son was told he would receive from the school he was admitted to EA back in December.</p>
<p>We were able to visit quite a few schools before auditions, but students are generally not allowed sit in on classes until they are accepted so I feel the scope of the visit is limited. (Of course, this is a good thing, though. As a tuition-paying student I wouldn’t want a parade of prospective students visiting my classes each week.)</p>
<p>Also, one of my D’s top accepted schools happened to be a walk-in that is a long ways from home. I am not comfortable investing in that trip until we have all of the information. </p>
<p>Interestingly, not only does NYU wait until April to accept RD students, but historically they do not notify students of their studio placements until mid or late April. There is hardly time to check out the landscape, particularly for out-of-state kids. I can’t help wonder if this is by design…</p>
<p>Absolutely waiting on financial aid to come in. Being in the self-employed in the performing arts for many years, the money (or lack thereof) is an important part of the puzzle. Debt is not a good thing for kids in the performing arts.</p>
<p>skewl-NYU’s April 1 notification date is right in line with most of the “highly academic” schools, although it is late compared to other BFAs. The studio assignments arrive by mid-April and shouldn’t have any effect on your actual visit, only on your decision, which isn’t due till May 1.</p>