<p>I was awarded a 1/4th-off-tuition grant to a private school that I'd really like to attend. However, even though the grant is already very generous, it's not "enough." I say "enough" in that though my parents could pay for it if I really wanted to go, it would weigh heavily down on their finances. It's not that they can't afford it - they can, but it would punch a big enough hole in their savings that they'd prefer me to go to a public school.</p>
<p>How do I go about asking the college for more money? Do I write a letter or email to the Dean? Do I call them? If I do, what should I say?</p>
<p>Your input is very much appreciated. Thank you.</p>
<p>Just call the school and tell them that their current "offer’ is not enough. It might help if you also explain that while your parents could afford to send you to their school it would knock a “hole” in their savings. Let me know what they say.</p>
<p>Actually…why would the school give you more money IF your parents COULD pay for their school.</p>
<p>I would tell them that their school is your top choice but that it’s NOT affordable for you and your family with the current financial aid package. See what they say. They might adjust and they might not.</p>
<p>Have you figured out what you could earn to contribute by working this summer and ten hours a week during the school year? Have you talked with your parents about that? </p>
<p>Perhaps if they saw that you had some “skin in the game” they might be more inclined to help you with some of these costs.</p>
<p>How do I go about asking the college for more money? Do I write a letter or email to the Dean? Do I call them? If I do, what should I say?</p>
<p>First of all, which school is this?</p>
<p>Are your stats well in the upper 25% of the school? </p>
<p>Email the Dean/Director of Financial Aid/Scholarships and thank them for the scholarship that you’ve been given. Mention that the school is your number one choice, but the decision is a family decision and your parents cannot afford the rest. </p>
<p>Mention how much you can contribute (probably about $2k) and an approx amount that your parents can more comfortably pay (don’t be ridiculous - be reasonable). Ask for them to review your file. Thank them for their time.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a lie when the student posted this…</p>
<p>*but it would punch a big enough hole in their savings *</p>
<p>Just because the money is in savings, doesn’t mean that it can responsibly go to college costs. Even FAFSA only assumes a small % of parents savings to go towards college. A large part of savings is supposed to be protected. So, no, it’s not lying.</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack the thread, but what would be considered a peer school? I know that some colleges are willing to match/beat scholarships from peer institutions. </p>
<p>I know that the Top 20 schools are a league of their own, but what are the ranges after that? I applied to schools ranking from 12 to 88 by the USNews rankings. Would schools ranked in the 80s still be considered peer schools to a #60ish school?</p>
<p>A peer school would either be a similarly ranked school or a school that the desired school considers its competition. Because there are many ties in the rankings, a school can be 10 points apart, but only because of numerous ties.</p>
<p>*Would schools ranked in the 80s still be considered peer schools to a #60ish school? *</p>
<p>I know that a school recently exceeded the scholarship that was offered to the student that was from a school that is ranked 20 points below. But that student had high stats and was from a desired state. </p>
<p>Of course it gets more blurry when comparing a nationally ranked school with one of the “Masters” or “LAC” schools.</p>
^^^
mom2collegekids: This statement is NOT ambiguous.
Try this: If your “spin” is correct then the OP should have no problem making the above statement to the Dean/Director of Financial Aid/Scholarships and furthering justifying his/her request by explaining:
“Just because my parents money is in savings, doesn’t mean that it can responsibly go to college costs. Even FAFSA only assumes a small % of my parents savings to go towards college. A large part of savings is supposed to be protected.”</p>
<p>OP you may “want more money” but you will need to be able to explain what is different financially than what your college can see from your Finaid forms. If a FAFSA school then you’ll need to address what is not on the FAFSA. If it is a CSS school then what is going on that was not reported on the CSS. Extremely high medical bills and the types of things that are not evident from the forms are what you will need for an appeal. If you are a highly desireable potential student you may have some leverage. In general, though, successful appeals do not result in “double the money” types of wishes…anecdotally on these forums typically seen is another thousand or a couple thousand dollars to be honest. You need to be polite and have your rationale and backup in place. Was you tuition merit scholarship based on grades and GPA…in other words was it an automatic type scholarship? Was there additional aid in your package in addition to the scholarship? Did you apply for any additional scholarships with the college or outside the college? What will you be able to contribute from summer jobs etc.?</p>
<p>It’s not that they can’t afford it - they can but it would punch a big enough hole in their savings that they’d prefer me to go to a public school.
^^^</p>
<p>*mom2collegekids: This statement is NOT ambiguous.</p>
<p>Try this: If your “spin” is correct then the OP should have no problem making the above statement to the Dean/Director of Financial Aid/Scholarships and furthering justifying his/her request by explaining:</p>
<p>“Just because my parents money is in savings, doesn’t mean that it can responsibly go to college costs. Even FAFSA only assumes a small % of my parents savings to go towards college. A large part of savings is supposed to be protected.” *</p>
<p>Aglages…</p>
<p>First of all, it is a CHILD who has said that his parents can afford it because there is money in savings. I do NOT take a CHILD’s opinion as a fact. My kids might see our bank balance and proclaim…“You can afford to pay for XXXX, but it will punch a hole in your savings.” That doesn’t mean that we can afford it. Kids don’t decide what parents can afford simply by knowing that a higher amount is sitting in savings. </p>
<p>His parents have stated that they want him to go to a cheaper school for a reason. THEY know what they can afford…not the child.</p>
<p>Just call the school and tell them that their current "offer’ is not enough. It might help if you also explain that while your parents could afford to send you to their school it would knock a “hole” in their savings. Let me know what they say. </p>
<p>Could be the funniest thing i’ve read here in a long time, particularly</p>
<p>Thank You…Thank You. I’m here all week…please don’t forget to tip your wait staff.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: I don’t consider high school seniors as children…at this point they are young adults. Also your choice of what to believe seems to be somewhat self-serving. You’ll accept that they know what they want to do and what their circumstances are unless it concerns their conversations with their parents? You might note that his parents “preferred” him to go to a public school, not that they “needed” him to go. </p>
<p>I still disagree with your suggestion that the OP should lie to his college administrator / Dean.</p>
<p>I didn’t say that the OP should lie to the dean. Stop making things up. Maybe I read too much between the lines, but my position was based on a feeling that the child thinks his parents can afford the cost because the money is in savings, but the parents do not think they can afford it - hence their desire for him to go to the cheaper option. Anytime a child says that the money is there, but college costs will take a large portion, that doesn’t sound to me like something that parents are going along with. </p>
<p>mom2collegekids: I don’t consider high school seniors as children…at this point they are young adults.</p>
<p>Ha ha! When it comes to money and what 17/18 year olds “think” their parents can afford, they are CHILDREN. We’ve also seen enough cases on CC where naive 17/18 year olds imagine that borrowing $80k+ for college is a good idea. Or, cases where 0 EFC kids are expecting their parents to take out $20k per year Plus loans.</p>
<p>^^I do have to agree with you mom2college. The perception/reality situation. Even if the OP sat with the parents and filled out the financial aid forms most kids have no real “conception” of what those numbers mean in an adult context. They really don’t. They have not paid utility bills, not paid property taxes, not paid medical bills, house insurance, and on and on. They may have some vague idea about federal/state/ss/Medicare taxes if they have a part-time job and perhaps the parents have them chip in for car insurance, or they pay for there own gas, or pick-up snacks at the grocery store… but after that…not so much understanding what it takes to piece day to day and year to year life together and put a retirement plan in place. Until the day, which will never come, that colleges/universities and the government take parents totally out of the financial equation for college costs the bottom line is that it is the parents who ultimately have the “say” in how much money they will fund for college and that is a very, very individual decision and all the noise from kids about this or that is simply “static.” We can “help” them look for options, give them tools to overcome individual situations but we should not make judgement calls about their parents’ decisions. The OP can certainly “ask” for her situation to be reviewed and perhaps the choice of post title and words was terribly immature, but…most likely the parents have told the OP what they are willing to spend which is entirely their call.</p>