Your opinion on financial aid

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
101

<p>davidrune said it best. i know that this board is based upon glorifying princeton--and thats why im getting such a bad rap for thinking outside the box and wondering "what if i stayed and ended up with a free college education?" and i have a secret: students make the school and not the other way around. kids like you and me make princeton what it is. kids like you and me can make other schools into prestigious institution. its all psychological, but unfortunately, psych is the hardest thing to control.</p>

<p>and just to update those interested: i have written to the financial aid office expressing my concerns. i am doing everything in my power to attend this university. its not easy for me to sit here and say "i dont want to attend my first choice"...but when my family's finances are placed in jeopardy (we've never taken out a loan except for on the house) i dont know what else to say, especially when A&M is offering me red-carpet treatment.</p>

<p>so, please, dont judge me on a personal level. paying for college is something that makes me nervous (im not the kind of guy who takes a loan with a smile--even if "everyone is doing it"). and, while i offer my condolences and hope for the best to the defered/rejected, i owe no one an apology.</p>

102

<p>Me mummy has instilled a view of credit cards as evil monsters and banks as loathsome hellholes... I understand your concern about taking a loan.</p>

103

<p>But what about scholarships, Valdez? Have you started looking into those? That's been the popular thing for people who got into Penn and Columbia.</p>

104

<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>

105

<p>Valdez- I don't think you're getting a bad rap for "thinking outside the box and wondering 'what if i stayed and ended up with a free college education?'"
I think you're probably getting one for thinking outside the box after you applied ED. I understand what you mean....the cost is daunting. But I think others were more incensed at your timing, not your actual dilemma.</p>

<p>And Princeton's faculty, resources, and location are a good part of its attraction, too. The students are a factor---a major factor, yes---but certainly not the greatest by a long shot.</p>

106

<p>thanx--inhaven :)
ive looked into scholarships and i think i can get like $5000 from external sources. but the thing is, any more than that will mean that they just reduce my grant...and essentially my parental contribution stays the same</p>

107

<p>And see I think you could use that as a weapon when dealing with the financial aid office. The fact that they won't let outside scholarships take care of the EFC is so ridiculous in my opinion, so now you could be like, "weeeell...I've got all the scholarships I've been able to apply to, and my parents...the EFC...it just ain't a-gonna happen." With, of course, much better English than mine ;)</p>

108

<p>another thing that unsettled me was that when i called the fin. aid office, they explicitly said the ED idea was meant for me not to get any financial aid offers to consider alternatives. that made me feel like princeton is not looking out for my best interests...and it really would be a scary thing to attend a school with that kind of attitude toward its students.</p>

<p>another note: i applied and was accepted to A&M before i heard anything from princeton (im an automatic admit) and the fin. aid provost personally made an appointment w/ me where he offered a great package...so i have not gone back on the contract whatsoever.</p>

109

<p>"oh, and a note to NEOBEZ if he/she ever happens to revisit this thread
it IS a decision
it IS a TOUGH decision
when its no longer a decision, i will consider my rights as an american violated
i'd rather not go to college than deplete my parents' savings (which i understand they have worked several decades to accumulate and provide me with an amazing life)
for you kids who go to pricy private schools and have mommy and daddy with seven figure jobs: conrats! i wish you the best.
but my mommy and daddy dont make six figures. as apalling as it sounds, princeton is expensive to us. so please, learn to DEAL W/ IT.
Contract or no contract, if we simply cant afford it, im simply not going.
to my critics, i would like to reassert that princeton remains my first choice and that i did not apply to simply "see if i got in"."</p>

<p>What part of ED didn't you understand?</p>

<p>"If we simply cannot afford it" - well, you KNEW what your EFC was, or you should have found out atleast. Princeton is pretty good with aid, so you should have known what they would have offered you. Don't even start with this "we can't afford it" BS, because ED means, afford it or not, I'm gonna go. </p>

<p>Nice job assuming I'm rich though.</p>

<p>You know, the reason that I didn't apply to Princeton ED was because I wanted to see the financial aid package first. My family makes around 40k a year, and my family's money too is hard earned. The difference between you and me? I'm didn't apply ED because there were circumstances I wasn't sure about. It ****es me off that you applied and got in when you weren't sure you could pay for it. That to me seems like you're cheating the system.</p>

<p>My anger is not at all based around the fact that you're not so enthusiastic about Princeton right now. My anger is that I gave the extra thought about applying ED somewhere, and realized it wasn't for me due to financial considerations. You on the other hand, went ahead and did it, got accepted, and NOW you're worrying about the money.</p>

<p>Sorry if I'm coming off a bit rude. If you truly can't afford it, break the contract. I was wrong, it is still a decision. But I just think you should have given it some more thought before you applied. It's not just about being a first choice, it's about paying too. This is kind of why I think schools should get rid of ED, but ah well.</p>

<p>Do what you will though, you'll be happy wherever you go, and you'll succeed regardless.</p>

110

<p>i never said neobez was rich (you was generic for you reader, not you neobez)--i never make assumptions, mr/ms neobez
princeton marketed themselevs as a school where i would never have to take out loans and, thus, would graduate debt free. as i see it, they keep their word and ill keep mine. if im cheating the system--that certainly wasnt my intention. my plan was getting into my first choice school on a budget we can afford.
and youre not rude, neobez :) the lady who told me to not go and give the spot to her daughter was rude.
contrary to popular belief, i am very enthusiastic about going to princeton and consider myself highly privelaged (and somewhat lucky) to have such an opportunity. but im not too enthusiastic about paying for it...and so i guess the two emotions cancel each other out.</p>

111

<p>I think this has been the only real flame war to hit our board. (The "duel" doesn't count.) Congrats, all! ;)</p>

112

<p>lol; I don't really see the point of asking our opinions on this Valdez. You're just getting offended and it's bringing out the bad in all of us. In the end, you only applaud the ones that agree with you and denouce the ones that don't, and then make your own decisions (the same ones you would've made anyway) so what's the point of starting a flame war, as Kebree put it?</p>

113

<p>im far from offended, zante. of course i agree w/ people who agree w/ me, but i do take into consideration what the opposition has to say. i admit i dont appreciate the animosity some people have shown, but its all really dumb when you think about it.
i started this post to see what people had to say as to what was the better option: going to an elite university with a fat price tag, or humbling myself by attending my state university for free....contracts, promises, and everything of that nature aside. the main question was is the money i will pay going to princeton an inversion or a waste? can i go to a less-famous school for free and be just as successful in life? that was meant to be the main topic...and if you dont believe me, refer to page 1.</p>

114

<p>"princeton marketed themselevs as a school where i would never have to take out loans and, thus, would graduate debt free. "</p>

<p>When did they ever /ever/ do that? Maybe we just read things differently, but that is seriously news to me.</p>

<p>Also, scholarships you earn reduce your school-year job money first, and then your summer contribution, and THEN your grant - so like, for me, I'm trying to find 4,000 in scholarships because that means I don't have to work at all during the school year.</p>

<p>And also, don't think I'm trying to attack your situation - believe me, I'm not. I think what I'm taking offense to is the tone of your posts - and the internet is such a hard way to convey emotion, so I'm probably taking them wrong - but the "they can't make me the LIARS" attitude just isn't going to ever go over well ;)</p>

115

<p>"another thing that unsettled me was that when i called the fin. aid office, they explicitly said the ED idea was meant for me not to get any financial aid offers to consider alternatives."</p>

<p>Wow that's rude. And the aid people are wrong about this, too. My person at Columbia said the same thing to me, and I said that my other schools were regular decision that started November 1, November 15, and December 1 because of music auditions. Deadlines for music applications are earlier. I told my person that I had to cancel my other apps that I had sent in, and she was like, "Wait a second, why have you sent in other apps?" And I was just thinking, "Hello, people have to work on apps in the time between November 1 and December 15 so they don't get completely screwed over if they don't end up getting in ED." But in the first place, the whole philosophy of the college cheating you out of better aid offers is just wrong. I seriously think every single school should get the idea and do single choice early action, but I doubt these schools would agree with me. They want to keep aid offers down and yield high. Oh well.</p>

<p>Oh and Valdez, I think your family economics would be in less jeopardy if you just did loans and payment plans. You said "but when my family's finances are placed in jeopardy (we've never taken out a loan except for on the house) i dont know what else to say." But actually, your finances won't be in jeopardy with a loan. They'll be in jeopardy without a loan.</p>

116

<p>priddyfish--take a gander at the "beginnings" video...they say that basically word for word while singing a song called "Princeton is free" in the background. furthermore, recruitment materials say that they do not require and, in fact, do not encourage students to take out loans for their education.</p>

117

<p>Ok, in that case, yeah I suppose they mislead you or whatever. But I've heard that the Beginnings video is crap in anycase and shouldn't be taken seriously. (no, i haven't seen it)</p>

<p>But, with the "require" students to take out loans, what that means is that it's not part of your financial aid package - most colleges, if they give you, say 20k in aid, 15k might be loans, whereas Princeton is just grants.</p>

118

<p>I still strongly disagree with Valdez. Valdez says that he cannot pay for Princeton, and therefore it is not a breach of any kind if he doesn't go. He has the attitude that "They can't make me go." Sure, they can't make you go. But all the same, it would be immoral and dishonest for you to break contract with a university. You are hurting Princeton's yield rate, and moreover, you lowered the chances of others (although I expect the argument that the slot was not theirs in the first place, the approximate entering class would have held equal without people like you).</p>

<p>Also, two things. In previous "What are my Chances?" posts, you claimed that you were a wealthy Mexican American. That means that even an increased burden would not put you out in the streets. I understand the sympathy that accompanies your not being able to pay for Princeton, but frankly, the ED system was set before hand. You would have known, within $1000/year, whether or not you would get tuition. Your tuition, it seems, is still quite generous. Backing out of a contract because of extreme circumstances is acceptable. Backing out because of a burden placed on family/discomfort is wrong.</p>

<p>Furthermore, the argument that you did not have knowledge about the system is flawed. You told an international student that you knew how to gauge acceptance packages and had had a lot of interaction with recruiters and aid. You also seemed knowledgeable about packages when you guided domestic students. I do not buy the argument that you were confused about the "debt-free process." The guidelines behind this are listed in most college books.</p>

<p>I am also a Latino, who will be attending Yale. I come from a fairly well-off family, and we are not getting full-paid. This will be a burden on us as well. But, two things:
a) I had the common sense and the guts to apply EA. You wanted to get advantage of Princeton's high ED policy (this was probably part, but not all of your criteria for applying) and you got it. Now, you do not want to bear the consequences. That is wrong.</p>

<p>b) I have agreed to take on the burden, as has my family. If your family let you apply ED without having the ability to pay for it (I still don't know whether your family cannot pay for it, or if they would rather not), they were irresponsible as well. Others in your income bracket are bearing a burden. You aren't.</p>

<p>c) Just because you are getting a better deal does not justify what you are doing. I got nearly full-paid at both the University of Michigan and Washington University in St. Louis. Had I applied ED, I would still have found it wrong to attend the lower-costing schools.</p>

<p>Imagine Michael Jordan saying:
"I agreed to sign a contract to make commercials, but you can't make me do it. Now that I look back on it, it is too much of an inconvenience."</p>

119

<p>lol valdez, you really shouldn't have posted here about this</p>

<p>i hope you realize that there are a lot of people absolutely dying to go to princeton on this board but instead got deferred/rejected and here you are calmly asking for advice on whether or not to back out on your ED acceptance. although i have no doubt your intensions were good and sincere, it's pretty obvious that asking this kind of question would evoke angry responses from lots of the people on this board. i suggest this that someone have a mod shut down this thread because it's turned into a useless, flame war. and the answer to your original question, in the end, it's your choice =)</p>

120

<p>"Frankly, if your family let you apply ED without having the ability to pay for it (I still don't know whether your family cannot pay for it, or if they would rather not), they were irresponsible as well."</p>

<p>DanRod, his family probably understood "full need met" in a different way. Princeton's "full need" isn't his parents'. So he applied because beforehand, his parents expected that he would get more aid.</p>

<p>But most people would rather not pay for college, Valdez, but they do anyway. If Princeton really is your first-choice school like you say it is, try to make it work. Wouldn't you like to go to your first-choice school? You won't be grumbling through college knowing you could be going to Princeton but got bought by a school lower on your list. . . .</p>