<p>Departmental scholarship deadlines which fall 1.5 weeks before May 1 national decision deadline.</p>
<p>My daughter won a sizable performing arts scholarship at a directional state U. Since their tuition is not as high, comparatively speaking, as the other LACs to which she applied, it's not huge, but it definitely matters in terms of her decision.</p>
<p>We are in aid review/holding pattern at 3-4 other schools also (LACs)... and the state school is giving us pressure about having to report her decision to their committee, or the scholarship may be taken away ... meanwhile, because we're being verified, that state school's financial aid department is telling us it will take them 4 weeks to process the verification documents. this has all been declared in a 3-4 day window, and they were closed for Good Friday. so I've written a lengthy email to the financial aid counselor explaining, and the performing arts chair has called financial aid, and says my D's total costs are now down in the manageable range ... but I have nothing in writing, nor do I know if the package is loans, grants, etc. Nothing is defined or in writing ... and thus, I will not let my D commit.</p>
<p>Has anyone else had this experience where demands are placed on you to commit because of a departmental award and you don't otherwise have all your facts in? or have departmental awards been rescinded because you went over your allotted time? </p>
<p>Commit. When you get something better, than change your mind. The problem is not committing to a school, but committing to more than one school at the same time. When May 1 comes, you’ll have all the info and that is the final thing. Make your commitment contingent to your terms. Lots of kids are going to be committing to schools with one eye still on the mail for getting off a wait list, for example. Or a fin aid offer or merit offer coming in after the deadline. The commitment is only until something better comes along.</p>
<p>If there is a deposit required to commit, find out if it is refundable. It might be the best offer financially you get and by risking a small deposit if it isn’t refundable you might end up paying more to the LACs where you are in as you say a financial aid “review/holding pattern.” It’s a calculated risk but you are posting about it so I just thought I’d give my two cents. </p>
<p>well, I have read threads on CC about putting down a couple of deposits … but guess I was too deep in this situation to consider doing it, as we’ve had a “relationship” with this department for over a year now (with some communications and back and forth). I guess it didn’t occur to me to string them along if our intent wasn’t for my daughter to attend. I know this is a business, though, and they’re used to families having to take the deal/place that is best for their child. Thanks for your input, both of you.</p>
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<p>If your D has no intent of ever attending the directional college with the big scholarship then what is the problem? Sounds more like it’s bothering you that they will take the scholarship away if your D doesn’t commit but if she’s never going to attend what is the issue? Let them give the scholarship to someone who will attend. I think cpt and I were saying IF financial aid is going to be a determiner in where your D goes to college and the directional U is a viable contender for your D, there is no harm in depositing at the directional U to hold that option open for your D. But if you’ve made up your mind and your D will NEVER attend the directional U with the big scholarship then there’s no issue and you simply pick the LAC that your D wants. Not sure what the underlying issue is…</p>
<p>No underlying issue, and our choices are financial at this point. So, because we are being kept waiting by the FAFSA verification process at the LACs, we don’t know what we’re truly dealing with.</p>
<p>There is a good chance she would attend the state U.</p>
<p>If an LAC comes in with a better offer in the next few days (could happen), we would want the option to choose it.</p>
<p>The harm is that we would not want to commit to someone with whom we have built a sort of relationship, and then bail on them. However, as stated, I get that this is a business to them, and a child to me.</p>
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<p>Every one and their mother who works in college admissions/financial aid knows that May 1 is the National Commitment date. </p>
<p>I have seen financial aid offices come with a decision on a financial aid appeal, professional judgement, dependency overrides, waivers in less than an hour if they they had all of the information they needed to make a decision and if they really wanted to give a student consideration. If you are afraid of losing the scholarship, don’t take no from anyone who is not in a position to say yes. You should deal directly with the director of financial aid and not be afraid to tell them what you need.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that someone is teaching you how they will be dealing with you over the next 3 years. A person who you have "built sort of a relationship with understands your need to make an informed decision and would not be telling you that you can’t get an answer until 4 weeks.</p>
<p>If right now this is the only offer on the table affordable or the only one that you for which you need to commit, go on ahead and pick it When a better offer comes up , you go with it. Maybe nothing will. Maybe everything will. I know someone who committed to a school, but was on a bunch of waitlists and jumped onto 4 of them. All perfectly appropriate. You have to commit where the offer is good on the time frame given to you You are not stringing anyone along. YOU are the one being strung along as that school should not be pressuring you before May1. You will likely lose deposit money too in the process. BUt if the scholarship deadline is NOW and you are at risk of losing what may be your best deal, take it. Not a problem changing your mind.</p>
<p>Where it becomes an ethical question is putting down multiple deposits at the same time, committing to several schools just so you have more time to think about it. That’s not what you are doing. It’s the school that is acting unethically, IMO by pressuring by May 1. But if the other schools don’t come up with their numbers and verifications by May1, you may have to fight with them about extensions or do what you have to do. THey are not playing fair and you can either go along or take the risk of losing out But I see no problem in locking up this offer and try to get till May1 to pay money, but make a commitment and then if by then there still is no other affordable offer on the table, My opinion is that you should then pay that deposit But this school may insist on the deposit with the commitment and you then would lose the money in many cases if your DD goes elsewhere. What I am proposing to you is just the way it works and is not addressed as unethical.</p>
<p>I see a difference in putting down 2 deposits BEFORE May 1st, especially when the school(s) have not provided you all the info you need and are pressuring you, and keeping more than 1 deposit AFTER May 1st. May 1st is the national deadline. Many schools will refund deposits as long as the refund is requested before May 1st - call and ask. It’s after May 1st where it’s more challenging for the school if you withdraw your deposit. You definitely have valid reason to consider double deposits before the deadline.</p>
<p>Sybbie719, to be clear, the department heads with whom we’d built the relationship were trying to act as a liaison to the financial aid office, and also trying to convince my daughter to go there…I finally connected more fully with a financial aid rep this morning who confirmed my suspicions: that the eventual aid package would contain more in loans than we are willing to take on.</p>
<p>So, the performing arts liaisons were misinformed … and what I got in writing was unacceptable.</p>
<p>So, it’s back to the LAC review committees we go (or should I say, we stay)…</p>
<p>If my daughter has to take on debt, I would rather her take it on in a smaller, nurturing environment where they’re more apt to understand her needs…and there may be more opportunity for scholarship as a soph, junior, etc.</p>
<p>I really do appreciate all the perspective. Very helpful to me in navigating this all for the first time. I had not given a deposit yet to the state school … and now, will not have to do so.</p>
<p>Did the original offer max your D out on direct loans ($5500)? What other kind of loans are they looking to put into the package?</p>
<p>Make sure that you check the scholarship offerings for sophomore junior senior year. For the most part, all the scholarship may be doing is swapping out money for example - giving you a 10K = 20 k need based institutional grant where they previously gave you a 30K institutional grant.</p>
<p>Yes, be very careful. Most people here will tell you that rarely does financial aid get “better” as the years go on. And yes, once the woo-ing part is over between admissions and pre-freshman students, the entire process does become pretty transactional. </p>
<p>cpt, do you know if parents request of financial aid review, which is sounds like the OP has done with the LACs are those reviews generally completed by May 1 or the review isn’t started until late March or April? OP are you saying right now you have no financially viable options and are waiting for appeals at the LACs and are now thinking the directional state u with the departmental scholarship is not financially viable? Do you have a plan B if none of your D’s colleges come in as financially do-able by May 1?</p>
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<p>I had additional requirements to produce to the LAC’s, because: a) we’re being FAFSA-verified and b) we had a rollover in 2013, for which we had to produce a 1099-R.</p>
<p>As a result, the process has been slowed everywhere. A couple of LACs have gotten back with us with updated awards based on that info.</p>
<p>We are still awaiting 2-3 others.</p>
<p>I have now discounted the state U because it is about the same out-of-pocket as the LACs and we would rather her be in the LAC-type environment for the money/opportunity/fit.</p>
<p>Right now, we do have 2-3 very tight-work-our-butts-off “viable options”. (with some debt, but not the max for students and no parent loans). I’m hoping that at least one for which I’m still waiting might give us a little more breathing room.</p>
<p>I think I will hear from 1-2 this week, and the other one says it will be right up to the deadline (hoping they surprise me and return that info sooner).</p>
<p>Hope this makes sense. </p>