@thumper1 I realize that Hamiton is need-blind for RD applicants. Because prospective students may be reading this thread, my point is that when you state that Hamilton is need-blind, you have to be clear that pertains to RD and not ED applicants. ED applicants can’t opt-out of being considered for Jan admission.
On a de facto basis, they can. A student can simply decline the offer.
True. Unfortunately, there’s the possibility that not every applicant is aware of the Jan admit policy.
There’s a poster whose D is Jan admit, which has been extremely detrimental financially and psychology. Had she realized that there was the possibility of being a Jan admit, she would not have applied ED11 at Hamilton.
I acknowledge that there was an error by the applicant for not being aware of the Jan option. My post is to enlighten prospective ED applicants of the potential of not starting college in the fall, the financial ramifications, and that ED decisions are not need-blind
Disseminating pertinent facts is one of CCs mission.
psychology= psychologically
Wait a minute…being NEED AWARE…only means that this student’s financial need was considered when the application for admission for January was reviewed. NEED AWARE is an admissions term, not a financial aid term.
@CrewDad are you saying that Hamilton doesn’t MEET FULL NEED for January admits? Because that is a very different issue than need blind vs need aware.
@thumper1 I’m not sure why you find it necessary to use caps. Relax. 
The financial ramification that I mentioned is due to the fact that financial aid doesn’t begin until the student is enrolled at Hamilton. In order to achieve on-time graduation (i.e. graduate with the rest of the class), the student can take fall courses at a local institution but without the assistance of FA.
A significant percentage of Jans enroll in Arcadia University Fall in London freshman program. Unfortunately, “Arcadia offers *limited financial aid *for this program.” https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/january-admission/jan-explained. And so on. I trust that I’ve explained the FA issue, so there’s no point wasting any more bandwidth going through the additional study aboard programs and their cost.
The options are not feasible for the Pell Grant eligible student that I referenced or any student who qualifies for substantial aid, which is why Hamilton is need-aware for Jan admits. Jan admits are more or less full-pay for a reason. The mother of the student who was admitted for the Jan term is convinced that Hamilton incorrectly admitted her D for the Jan term without realizing that she was a very high need student. I agree.
Please allow the participants referred to speak for themselves; last we heard, both were going to be happily attending as Jan admits - am sure they will let us know their final decisions over the next couple of weeks.
Both? I’m not at liberty to discuss private conversations. However, I can assure you that “happily” is not an apropos adverb. Should Hamilton correct its error then “happily” could be the operative word.
Time will tell.
No need to engage in hyperbole; those referenced have voices.
Please clarify.
Are you saying that these January admits do not have full need met once they enroll at Hamilton in January?
Sigh…that’s not at all what I’m saying. The financial issue has nothing to do with FA once the student is enrolled. Prospective students need to be aware that in order to graduate on-time there’s an expense to amassing enough credits before enrolling in Jan.
I don’t want to get into a spat about this…but it’s my understanding these students can take courses at their local community college as well. Is that true?
Unless you’ve hacked my emails, 
it’s impossible for you to know what has been discussed or the thoughts of the individuals with whom I’ve been conversing. Regardless, as I said, time will tell if Hamilton has the integrity to correct their heart-rending, albeit unintentional, mistake. I have faith that Hamilton’s illustrious administration will walk the talk.
@thumper1, yes, CC classes are eligible to be taken for ones that would like to graduate in the Spring without attending the London program, and aside from the nominal cost at most CC’s needs based aid may be available there as well.
Jan’s that chose to not take any classes during the Fall of their entry year, will graduate “one-time” in 4-years with a December graduation. Midddlebury also has a Dec graduation for Febs that also don’t chose to graduate in the Spring.
Aside from Hamilton having had always made Jan admissions clear in both the Admission and Financial Aid sections (one just needs to read all), the administration, as previously noted, has responded to the student editorial in the Spectator that raised several concerns about Jan Admissions, and there have also been several student responses, so any lingering questions were addressed.
Middlebury’s Feb admits graduate in February and not December and the program is not at all similar to Hamilton’s Jan program. Almost 100% of the Middlebury Feb fresh graduate with their ~100 February classmates. The Febs also have a structured and legendary graduation ceremony.
http://www.middlebury.edu/student-life/annual-events/february-celebration
Thanks everyone who offered advice (regardless of the jan program tangent lol!)
I appealed to Hamilton with the Colby offer, and while they didn’t match it (not like I was expecting that), they came pretty close, so I’ll be going to an accepted students overnight!
@thumper1 I am the poster with the Hamilton Jan admit that is being referred to in this thread.
@Chembiodad I was not aware that this thread existed so was not given the opportunity to speak for myself until I ran across it just now. I have never posted that D was happily attending Hamilton, I have taken a break from these boards for a while. I greatly appreciate @crewdad disseminating the information with far more grace than I have been able to muster on other threads on this topic.
For our family Hamilton was not need blind in the Jan process. We do not meet a typical FA student profile, but our need is such that we qualify for a Pell grant, even in our preliminary FA package. Nevertheless, Hamilton admitted her as a Jan even though there is a substantial need - I personally think it was an oversight. We are all grateful for the admittance, but there have been far more repercussions than I have shared publicly on these boards.
I acknowledge my ignorance in not being aware that ED applicants were subject to being Jan admits prior to D choosing it for ED2. I learned about the possibility here on CC. However, after reading a timely article in the Hamilton Spectator that said Jan admits are need aware I felt we had nothing to worry about. After speaking to our counselor about the Jan option and this article we kept her ED2 application active thinking this would never be an issue for our family. But alas, here we are!
I’d like to add a few clarifications to the posts to date in this thread on this subject as it is indeed complex.
First of all, post #25 is correct, read it step by step. In addition:
- You cannot pay for the Arcadia program with 529 funds, other college savings accounts or gov't loans. You need to pay cash or take out a private loan, both of which are quite difficult for someone in our position.
- Arcadia offers at most $2,500. of aid; far less than we would get if for a fall admit to Hamilton. Plus, it is almost impossible to get even in our financial situation.
- The base cost of the Arcadia program is still "TBD". Last year it was about $22k for tuition and room (there is no board). However, for many classes there is an additional cost of $3-4k per class. The base classes included in tuition are very very limited and not very academic (Photography in London, the London Stage etc)
- There are many more ancillary costs associated with a program abroad. Think about being in a bubble campus like Hamilton and how much is provided vs being in a big city like London where cash is spent on little things like a coffee or going to a movie. There is no infrastructure at the Arcadia program: no gym, no activities - so you need to pay for each and every thing you do out of pocket. There is the cost of travel back and forth to the US. The cost of setting up a dorm in the UK and then either paying to ship that stuff back to the US or just buying new stuff in the US. There is no food program, you cook all your own meals or dine out. Arcadia gives a budget number of $900 total for 3 1/2 months - aka less than $10 per day. How many teens can manage to eat for that? Most participants are from wealthy backgrounds - the ones we spoke to here in NYC (not the ones referred by Hamilton) say they spent most weekends traveling to other countries, many nights eating at 'sit down' restaurants then going to a pub for drinks, shopping and seeing shows. No, those choices are not obligatory but its pretty awful to put your kid into that situation where they are the odd person out.
Our FA package is not yet set, so I can’t quote a number - but we know that the differential from being a Fall admit will be quite significant.
While some may counter with the statement that the London program is not mandated there is a difference between choosing not to do the London program (because there are other things you prefer to do) and not being able to do the London program for financial reasons. Since the vast majority of Hamilton Jans do the Hamilton London program then come to Hamilton as friends there is a big social price to pay for opting out, one that my D is not willing to make.
Of course, as was noted by @merc81 one can ‘simply decline the offer’. But to be forced to do so for financial reasons does not seem to fit the spirit of Hamilton’s promise of need-blind and full-need, not in my eyes.
I post this not to bash Hamilton, but rather to put this possibility into a public forum. Not all FA recipients fit an expected profile, and while I have no idea if we are the first family to have this happen it is my guess that we will not be the last - unless the system is changed. So, I feel that having this information available might be helpful should others find themselves in this dilemma.
@scrunchiee My sister had great success in having schools match other offers, her key was that she simply presented her situation and was never accusatory or made them feel like the ‘had to’ match the other offer. Good luck!
Please clarify this. Are you confusing “meets full need” with “need blind”?
If a school is need aware for January admits…that means that your ability to pay was considered when your application for admission was considered. This is NOT a financial aid term…at all.
Meets full need for all admitted students…this means that Hamilton meets full need for all admitted students who are enrolled at HAMILTON. My understanding is that Hamilton does meet full need for all January admits.
The issue is…what to do the fall term.
No student is required to do a term abroad in London. In fact, the January admits don’t have to attend college…at all that fall quarter. They could work.
Also, if someone can clarify…l thought that Hamilton still gave need based aid for 8 semesters. So if your kiddo is admitted in January, they would graduate four years later…in December. Is this not correct?
Does Hamilton provide aid for all full need met four years for January admits? Could comeone clarify that?
Yes, absolutely, @thumper1, provided the student elects to begin their collegiate studies at Hamilton in January, then a full four years would be funded on a needs-met basis. Alternatively, if a January admit student elects to study for a term elsewhere prior to their formal Hamilton matriculation, then Hamilton would fund three and a half years of study. (In either scenario, this could include study abroad, etc, as would be typical for any Hamilton student.)