<p>doh. D is awaiting Columbia ED decision and was just sent a glorious letter from a well-known institution - not Ivy but very good and highly sought after - with a big bucks merit offer. Columbia acceptance is BIG BIG to her but dang, the money.</p>
<p>And a work colleague just warned me of that right before the D applied ED to Columbia. They ED'd to a school they thought their D would not get in to - a tier 3 school, to be honest - and EA'd to other schools, and she was offered near free rides by some of the EA's and accepted into the ED with nothing. Dang it I don't know what to think.</p>
<p>Columbia is need blind and need based FA. Aside from that, the good news is that the only way to get out of the ED agreement is if the accepted’s family demonstrates that it cannot pay the tuition. </p>
<p>He’s not asking about financial aid eligibility. He’s saying that they got merit scholarships from other good schools despite being ineligible for need-based FA at Columbia.</p>
<p>@Jimkingwood - not quite sure what you’re asking/saying. But given that Columbia ED is binding, if you’re not willing to pay for Columbia in the event your D is admitted, you should probably get her to convert the application to RD before the Dec. 11 decision date. Congrats on the Tulane admission/scholarship btw.</p>
<p>@Jimkingwood - In rereading my post from a couple of days ago, I realized that it might have been taken the wrong way, so I wanted to come back and provide a little more context/explanation.</p>
<p>My son is currently a junior at Columbia. A few years ago, we were in a similar position to yours, except that my son applied RD and not binding ED. Like you, we were not eligible for need-based aid. Like you, our child had good enough credentials to be eligible for generous merit-based aid at some good schools, but not at schools like Columbia that are need-based only. This is a situation that many families face every year and each family has to make its own decision based on its own circumstances. We decided that we would pay for our son to go to Columbia and have never regretted it. He loves it there and has from the first day. We feel fortunate that we have the means to send him there. That said, it’s an expensive place, no two ways about it, and I can certainly understand families that make a different decision.</p>
<p>The point of my post was simply that, by applying to a binding ED program, you’ve already made this decision in the event your daughter is admitted. If you’re not sure it’s a decision you’re ready to make, there is still time (I think) to convert to an RD application. But assuming you stay with the ED application, I think you’ll be very happy if your daughter ends up at Columbia. Wishing your daughter, and you, the very best of luck for Thursday!</p>
<p>@nynyparent Glad to hear you haven’t regretted it. I considered pulling the ED for an RD, and hinted to the daughter that “I would allow her the option to convert to RD if she wanted to look at the other schools” but she saw right through it. She is dead set on Columbia so I’m not going to pull her back, it would be a decision that neither she nor I would ever forget.</p>
<p>But this is a cautionary tale for anyone in succeeding years that might read this: if you are not FA eligible, and your child has good credentials, ED is probably not a good idea. I really had no idea how well her applications were going to be received and didn’t think she would have a serious chance at Columbia.</p>
<p>In fact, even if you apply ED to schools that DO provide merit aid, their motivation to do so is zilch if you are already committed. And if they know you can foot the whole ride, forget it.</p>
<p>But the flip side is that the terrific offer from the other school will ameliorate any letdown she might feel. Her admissions office is working with her on several other big-name scholarships and applications and are pretty sure she will get full ride offers. I think her essays and recommendations are off the chart. And she re-took the ACT and has a 35, so, we’ll see. I have such mixed feelings about her being accepted to Columbia. The pride in achievement, vs. the 250,000.00+ bill.</p>
<p>Your D may be set on Columbia, but are you or aren’t you willing to pay the est. $280K costs for her? Agree that this is a cautionary tale – one that has already been told many, many times out here on CC in the past. It sounds like you did not apply for need based aid, if I am reading this correctly. In that case you have no legitimate grounds to say suddenly that you can’t afford it, unless you have had a job loss or something along those lines. Honestly, if you are not willing to pay it if she gets in, you probably need to tell HER than now and have her convert her app to RD this week. Either decide to pay, or take your lumps and have her change the app now if you have no legitimate change in circumstance that make it unaffordable except nice offers being waved in front of your D now.</p>
<p>Well the good news is that at the last info session - we went to two - they told us that “We DO throw you out of here after four calendar years.”</p>
<p>And yes, travel, then, well, our daughter is thrifty but, this is New York, and she loves Broadway and her clothes. So, yeah. Maybe even 300,00.00.</p>
<p>VS FREEEEE!!! Thats almost just to much. 300k would get me a cottage on the Italian Riviera, for God’s sake.</p>
<p>Where did you see where I said I cannot afford it? And of course I have not applied for need-based aid. Other than pointing out that we are ineligible in the subject of this thread, if you had read it, the FA application wouldn’t happen until after the first of the year, so how could we have applied?</p>
<p>That does not make sense… the FA applications ARE due before the first of the year for ED students. You may not be able to fill out the FAFSA, but I assume they want the CSS profile for ED students around the same time the ED app is due. No ED student applying for FA should accept until they have seen their FA package and are sure they can afford to attend. Schools try to send the FA package for ED students with or very shortly after their acceptance. A student who has applied for FA can ask for an extension on their response date for ED if they don’t have their FA package or are asking for an FA review (and meanwhile should keep up with doing other apps and not withdraw any apps until their are able to confirm they can afford to attend the ED school). </p>
<p>The point I making is that you have NO realistic “out” on the ED application because you did not apply for FA. You made a commitment by signing the ED contract, and if she gets in, you really have to keep it. Doesn’t matter what other schools offer.</p>
<p>My D1 applied ED last year to Columbia and was accepted. We had to complete the CSS profile by Nov 15th I believe as well as submit copies of the previous year’s tax returns (2012) if we were applying for FA. On the day of her ED acceptance, we could see her FA amount on the online FA portal so we knew how much they were offering. We then had to complete the FAFSA after the first of the year as well as send in copies of the newest tax returns (2013). FA was adjusted a bit after the new info. </p>
<p>Edited to add: D2 applied RD to Columbia for class of 2019. Her CSS, FAFSA and IDOC (tax return copies) are due Mar. 1.</p>
<p>That’s right. ED applicants do the Profile and send in tax returns, and later do the FAFSA and send in the next tax return. The FA offer comes with the admissions information and then is adjusted based on the additional information. DS had an adjustment of about $100 - less.</p>
<p>If you did the FA application and want to get out of ED, you could say the aid is inadequate and be released. But if you never filed for aid, there’s no basis to be released.</p>
<p>Who was asking for an “out”? Your’re making assumptions. And we did not fill out css and will not fill out fafsa. Waste of time for us. I was basically bemoaning having allowed her to ED.</p>
<p>She was deferred. They want to see her fall grades. </p>
<p>Not sure what gave you the impression that being deferred translates into wanting to see fall grades. Your daughter is now in the RD pool and has about a 7-8% chance of admission. Her application will be reviewed in the context of that pool.</p>
<p>Let’s just leave it at that, that yes, I have that impression. And another big money scholarship came in today from an upper-middle-ranked private school, 3/4 ride. Gonna be a tough decision. </p>
<p>Might not be that tough a decision if she is not accepted in the RD pool, either, if that is what you mean. It sounds like she will have some other choices with decent merit aid offers to consider. I’d recommend she wait until all her decisions are in, then decide what her top 3 choices are, even if she gets into Columbia. She should go back for accepted student visits, then make up her mind. You’d be surprised at how a full 24 hours on campus when the college is trying to put their best foot forward can change a kid’s (and a parent’s) perception of a school. Believe me, not all schools succeed in putting their best foot forward! It can be very revealing. </p>