<p>My financial aid package expects me to work (a job provided by Columbia) and earn about $2700 per year. </p>
<p>If you feel that you'd be too busy to work and would like to focus more on academics/activities/research at Columbia, would it be possible to ask to have that $2700 added to the expected family contribution?</p>
<p>Has anyone ever done this before?</p>
<p>Thanks. </p>
<p>By the way, I'm going for Chemical Engineering and premed for the class of 2014. I just feel that I won't be able to balance a job and academics and dedicated research all at once. </p>
<p>Another question: Can a research position from URIP (for pay) possibly REPLACE the job that Columbia expects you to have?</p>
<p>No, you can’t get that formally added to your expected family contribution. Yes, your parents are perfectly free to pay that part of your tuition for you. (That’s basically what I did this semester, although I also had an outside scholarship that covered my work study, but then I got my work study credited back to my account, blah blah blah long story). </p>
<p>Re: research position, there’s something called the Columbia Work Exemption Program which may or may not fit your needs in that area. Here’s the link:</p>
<p>anywhere you go in the country - as part of need-based financial aid you will have a work expectation that will come in the form of work study study and a summer work expectation. it is just a natural part of need based aid that you as the student should in some capacity work toward it. the 2700 or so does not go toward tuition, it goes into your pocket, and it is meant to cover the books/personal things that columbia counts in the very large tuition number (the 50K+, noting that tuition is just 40, they include everything that you might need so that you don’t feel tricked). i worked and didn’t find it very difficult to reach the 2700 by march of that year (if anything that was the problem once you finish work study, you can’t work more, unless you have a casual work job like at the library or something).</p>
<p>this is the way it works - if you are on finaid the gov’t allocates to columbia 2700 a year in money that you can get only if you work. so nominally it is federal aid. you have to work at a campus specified work study job to get the money. now let’s suppose you don’t want to use the work study money - that’s fine. your parents can give you the 2700 extra in cash, or you can take up a non-work study job.</p>
<p>you can use the work exemption to give you grants instead for two semesters while at columbia (or whenever you study abroad it is automatic). this can definitely help you out, but it also means that the money goes directly into your columbia account and the only way to access it is to convert it to flex or dining points, or to wait half way through the semester and reclaim the money because you will have overpaid because of it.</p>
<p>and as silverchris notes - yes a research position at URIP would qualify for what you want, but you can’t begin to use exemptions until your second year at columbia. you should also look at the tons of paid research positions that exist out there. just find a professor you like and ask if there are any paid positions (or paid positions he/she is aware of).</p>
<p>What is the difference between Student employment and Federal Work Study? In my aid offer it says it is NOT federal work study. Will they set me up with a job, or do I have to find one myself?</p>
<p>must find one yourself. there is a registry of on campus jobs you can find through CCE. same for work-study, you have to find yourself one, but there is a lot of stuff that counts.</p>
<p>How do outside scholarships affect my Columbia financial aid award?</p>
<p>The scholarships you receive from outside sources will be used to reduce the work study portion of your financial aid package. For example, if you are awarded a $2,000 National Merit Scholarship, your work study expectation will be reduced by the full $2,000. Only after your work study has been completely eliminated will your scholarships begin to reduce any Columbia Grant you may have received.</p>
<p>[important for the last idea first to be reduced is work study, but an outside scholarship will not automatically reduce your parent’s financial contribution. i am not sure on the details, but i remember this being emphasized when i applied for outside scholarships by the folks in finaid. talk to them for more details.]</p>