High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[Mom2DDs]

Holy cr*p! DD just got in to Carnegie Mellon for computer science. 60k a year and she knew she probably wouldn't be going. It's so sad. She worked her butt off and will probably end up ay a SUNY so we don't go bankrupt. She has gotten large merit scholarships at some pretty great schools but they still end up in the over $40k range. SUNY Bing offered her the Honors program and a Freshman research program so that softens the blow a bit. DH has a good job and we have saved, but this is soooooo much money.

Congrats! My DD got into some pretty expensive schools as well and she just said "I'm happy that I got in but I don't want to incur so much debt for undergraduate". Just tell your DD that she should be very proud!

 

[zoemurr]

She'll be fine, but I think it would have been a bit easier if she had been rejected. She just wanted to try.

 

[magsmum]

This has been a big week- three wait lists, including his top choice. One acceptance with a big scholarship and great financial aid package, but not the honors program we were hoping for. Still waiting on two schools. DS is in a good place and planning to visit three schools for their admitted students days. He is not sure if he wants to accept a position on the wait list for his top school. The school I suspect he will accept did not give a fantastic financial aid package, but we will try contacting them to see if it can be increased. Happy to provide midyear grades and third quarter grades- they are very strong and perhaps there is still merit money left. Fingers crossed.

 

[msminniemouse]

Do you think there is any type of bargaining power to negotiate for better financial aid? That is just for need based aid and not a better merit scholarship package?

 

[Poohforyou]

Holy cr*p! DD just got in to Carnegie Mellon for computer science. 60k a year and she knew she probably wouldn't be going. It's so sad. She worked her butt off and will probably end up ay a SUNY so we don't go bankrupt. She has gotten large merit scholarships at some pretty great schools but they still end up in the over $40k range. SUNY Bing offered her the Honors program and a Freshman research program so that softens the blow a bit. DH has a good job and we have saved, but this is soooooo much money.

If she's really interested in Carnegie Mellon it would be worth going back to them to see if they'd be able to do better. Tell them about the Suny Binghamton offer and how she'll likely accept it but would choose Carnegie if the package were better. Have a number you're willing to spend. All they can do is say no. I do know several people who have gotten more by doing this.

 

[Monykalyn]

Holy cr*p! DD just got in to Carnegie Mellon for computer science. 60k a year and she knew she probably wouldn't be going. It's so sad. She worked her butt off and will probably end up ay a SUNY so we don't go bankrupt. She has gotten large merit scholarships at some pretty great schools but they still end up in the over $40k range. SUNY Bing offered her the Honors program and a Freshman research program so that softens the blow a bit. DH has a good job and we have saved, but this is soooooo much money.

Awesome about the acceptance to such a great school but I hear the OUCH on the cost. My DD in same boat for her top 2 schools.

If she's really interested in Carnegie Mellon it would be worth going back to them to see if they'd be able to do better. Tell them about the Suny Binghamton offer and how she'll likely accept it but would choose Carnegie if the package were better. Have a number you're willing to spend. All they can do is say no. I do know several people who have gotten more by doing this.

Do the top schools do this a lot? We haven't even contacted Mines to see if they can help otherwise as their overall acceptance rate is low for the number of applicants they get.

 

[Poohforyou]

Awesome about the acceptance to such a great school but I hear the OUCH on the cost. My DD in same boat for her top 2 schools.


Do the top schools do this a lot? We haven't even contacted Mines to see if they can help otherwise as their overall acceptance rate is low for the number of applicants they get.

A lot, no. However, as long as you ask respectfully what do you have to lose? I do personally know people who have gotten more and some who haven't. We'll be trying it with dd next year if necessary.

 

[okeydokey]

Do you think there is any type of bargaining power to negotiate for better financial aid? That is just for need based aid and not a better merit scholarship package?

It never hurts to ask. After the February ACT scores came out, we reached out to my daughter's future University to ask them to reevaluate her admissions for scholarships. Just heard that they did the review and offered her the Freshmen Scholarship, renewable for 4 years. The worst thing you will hear will be that there is no change, but why not reach out?

 

[msminniemouse]

Do you know which department
to talk to? Would it be Financial Aid or Undergraduate Admissions?

 

[zoemurr]

RIT said during their open house that they would be open to seeing merit packages from peer schools and would reevaluate. DD has gotten between $16k and $25k from all of the private schools she has applied to. I'm not expecting that from CMU as she barely squeeked in. Her second choice is Northeastern. They gave her the $16k so we will probably ask. I've heard it is best to come from the student, not the parent.

 

[okeydokey]

Do you know which department
to talk to? Would it be Financial Aid or Undergraduate Admissions?

We were directed to speak with admissions.

 

[Tinijocaro]

DH called the school dd is going to and they looked over her grades and said they could definitely do better and came up with $3000.00 more per year. Just like that-a simple phone call.

 

[magsmum]

DH called the school dd is going to and they looked over her grades and said they could definitely do better and came up with $3000.00 more per year. Just like that-a simple phone call.

Did you call admissions person for your region or financial aid? We are hoping to have DS' merit money increased (strong grades senior year- best yet- and they have not seen them as he was early admit) and other schools offered substantially more than what he got at this school. When is the best time to contact?

 

[okeydokey]

Did you call admissions person for your region or financial aid? We are hoping to have DS' merit money increased (strong grades senior year- best yet- and they have not seen them as he was early admit) and other schools offered substantially more than what he got at this school. When is the best time to contact?

Call now. The earlier the better. Start with Admissions. They may refer you to another office, but start there. Good luck!

 

[Aliceacc]

We're still waiting for numbers from 5 of his 6 schools, including his top 2.

 

[msminniemouse]

Just called a couple of schools and had no luck, but these were the schools that didn't offer any type of merit scholarship. Maybe negotiating only works in trying to increase the amount of what already is offered?

 

[coneeny4]

We received the financial packet from DD's first choice and it was great. We put her deposits down and getting ready for the Honors's College open house in April.
My DN is a junior at the school so she is going to get us into the dorm that my DD and her BF is rooming in so we know what kind of space we have to work with.
I already started shopping for dorm essentials so this is getting real.

 

[dragonflydoll2]

DD applied to 10 colleges she was rejected from one ( which she shouldn't have been, still scratching head on that one), waitlisted at 3 including Washington University and Wellesley and accepted at the remaining 6. Some great merit based scholarships came in, but not enough and we do not qualify for anything other than student and parent loans. So after all this she is going to attend Mizzou Honors College because their Psychology department is better than the other school she was leaning toward at half the yearly cost. She will owe nothing on her undergraduate degree thanks to her college fund and the remainder of her Dad's GI bill that he transferred to her.

 

[punkin]

DD applied to 10 colleges she was rejected from one ( which she shouldn't have been, still scratching head on that one), waitlisted at 3 including Washington University and Wellesley and accepted at the remaining 6.

So I'm currently on a college visit trip with my junior in high school and at one school, the admissions guy at the info session said they had a 70% increase in apps this year. That explains why DD was waitlisted at one place she should have been a shoo in and another where she was dab smack in the middle of listed stats.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

Okay - after waiting and waiting for financial aid info from DDs #1, we found out that she was missing a form. I did send the form in with all the other info, in the same envelope, but it was apparently lost. I called the school and verified what I needed, faxed it there Tuesday and had the numbers back on Friday. I think I'll be able to write a check for the whole thing without DD taking any loans. She does have a savings plan that will specifically cover tuition and fees - then the federal grant and a merit scholarship from the school along with a small need-based grant. We are fortunate.

Her school is about 2hr 45 minutes away - but only about 45 minutes from my sister. It has one of the best programs in the state for her major and she got accepted into the honors college, which has some of the nicest dorms I have ever seen. We were on the website tonight looking at menus from some of the dining options. She's excited that they have a fancy tea shop in the library and two Starbucks. It's getting real!!