<p>The need based aid from each of the HYP College is very generous. It is more than what we thought. However, H aid package is quite superior in every aspect. The parental EFC calculation from H shows that they are paying $36100 towards our EFC. As part of EFC, we have to pay $2670 more if daughter choose to attend Yale; if she choose to attend Princeton we have to pay additional 2850 more than Harvard offer. So Yale and Princeton are very close in terms of what we have to pay.</p>
<p>This EFC $$$$$ difference may be small for some families. But in our case it is a huge difference. I have to admit that it does influence my preference in advising my daughter to select Harvard over Y and P. </p>
<p>Does this happen a lot that aid pancakes are quite different even though income/asset reported is same. </p>
<p>What will happen (so far hypothetical scenario) if daughter bring more than $10, 000 each year of college from private outside scholarships. She has already won $5000 in scholarship money that will be used towards the summer job and work study part for this fall calendar school year. Would any additional money will lower only college grant scholarship and lower our EFC? If not, in that case H becomes very attractive as we have to pay least in that school. </p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your help on other thread.</p>
<p>The money that comes from scholarship money, after being applied to work study and loans, will reduce the grant -- no school will apply it to lower your EFC.</p>
<p>If your daughter would strongly prefer either Yale or Princeton, you might try talking to the financial aid office and showing them Harvard's award. It is possible that they might be willing to match the award. Just have your daughter call whichever college she want and say that she would definitely come there, but that her parents are insisting she go to Harvard because of the better package -- and then ask them whether they can look at her award from Harvard and see whether there might be some factor that Y or P overlooked in making the calculation. </p>
<p>Otherwise it seems to me that Harvard is a perfectly good choice.</p>
<p>Call the Yale financial aid office. It's OK if the parents who know more about the family's finances calls instead of the child. I know Yale will make adjustments to its initial financial aid offering. I suspect Princeton does as well. I'm not saying that they'll do it in your case; I'm just saying that the FA package you got is not set in stone.</p>
<p>Take a look at the Yale board on College Confidential. There's lots of discussion about getting more financial aid there.</p>
<p>They can be really good at finding more "need" in April when they are in danger of losing a student to a direct competitor.</p>
<p>Think of it as an $11,000 phonecall. But DON'T call unless your d. is sure you will attend that school if they match the $$$. Not only will it leave a bad taste in their mouths; it makes it more difficult for the next caller who suddenly "finds themselves poorer".</p>
<p>Proud-- just to be clear-- what you can do is to call the FinAid office of your daughter's first choice school (assuming it's not H) to let them know that if they can improve the offer she will attend. What you can NOT do, is to call both Princeton and Yale, tell them H's offer, sit back and wait for P and Y to respond and then compare all 3. That's considered underhanded and isn't the fair way to handle it. If your D's first choice is H you don't have to do a thing.... just send back the little postcards.</p>
<p>Another option ... If your daughter is attending Acccepted Student Days at any of these schools, she can probably make appointments (with you if you like) to meet with a financial aid officer. She should bring her "package" from Harvard with her. Again, this would be reasonable to do if it is clear that Yale OR Princeton is her first choice.</p>
<p>While the difference is EFC is justifiably huge to you, the difference is pennies to Yale and Princeton. I would think they'd make up the difference easily to facilitate your daughter's attendance at the school.</p>
<p>Harvard determines financial aid by committee, not sure about the other two schools.</p>