Regarding Financial Aid for an incoming undergrad

[IAteYourMother]

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience in talking with a financial aid officer at a school to try and negotiate for more financial aid, especially if the cost of education is most definitely too much for me and the family to handle. I'd really like to go to MIT, or even Brown/Penn/Northwestern, but none of the schools have offered me any needbased financial aid except NU (2k/year) and USC (6k/year). So clearly, I'm kind of on the border regarding financial aid.

These private universities cost around 50k/year takign into account housing, food, supplies, travel, personal expenses, and of course tuition. And my family only makes around 150ish/yr before taxes, and considering that I live in the Bay Area, with a very high cost of living, iand a mortgage to take care of, t seems absurd that my expected family contribution would be 50k/year. Of course, I'd work during the summer/school, but still... it's alot of $$.

Anyone have any sort of success in these matters? Hopefully some success to boot? I'd like to have some sort of idea of what to expect before I sit down with an admissions officer and explain my situation.

Of course, there's always Berkeley/UCLA

EDIT: Hell, my family still needs to feed my younger brother.

 

[DaWhim]

call up the financial aid officer and beg

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: DaWhim
call up the financial aid officer and beg

well, I'll be in a room with them since I'll be visiting this week. And while I'd definitely sacrifice dignity for more aid, there's always the risk that I'll still end up with nothing and look like a fool.

 

[Fenixgoon]

yeah i know how that one goes - i applied to UIUC (and im in maryland, so out of state) and all i got was some dumb $1250, one-time scholarship. they wanted me to pay 37,500.. yeah, i ended up going elsewhere

 

[Mo0o]

Write a letter saying you're trying to decide between their school and school B. And while you would love to attend their school, as of now, school B is offering $XXX amount of financial aid, the affordable option. Then ask if there is anything they can do to increase your financial aid because you really really really want to attend.

But usually unless you're a really competitive applicant they'll just say sorry (translated: go f yourself). I'm surprised though, most of the time if they want you, they make sure that you can afford it.

 

[mrkun]

If you have the option of going to Berkeley/UCLA as an in-state student, there's almost no reason whatsoever to attend a private school. Berkeley's academically on par with all the Ivies + MIT. Or if you want to get out of the Bay Area, UCLA's quite good as well, and it's in a nicer area than Berkeley. The weather is significantly better than any East Coast schools at both. And to top it off, the tuition would be about 85% cheaper.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: mrkun
If you have the option of going to Berkeley/UCLA as an in-state student, there's almost no reason whatsoever to attend a private school. Berkeley's academically on par with all the Ivies + MIT. Or if you want to get out of the Bay Area, UCLA's quite good as well, and it's in a nicer area than Berkeley. The weather is significantly better than any East Coast schools at both. And to top it off, the tuition would be about 85% cheaper.

tuition wise, it's 10k vs 35k, plus the extra expenses are all about the same. so it's basically 25ishk to 50k, but yeah, 50% is a big difference. But I really liked the environment and the school as a whole at MIT, and well, it's not just the academics, but also the community as a whole. Plus, I'd like to go out of CA and check out the New England life, or at least a place where their sports teams don't suck so much.

 

[mrkun]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: mrkun
If you have the option of going to Berkeley/UCLA as an in-state student, there's almost no reason whatsoever to attend a private school. Berkeley's academically on par with all the Ivies + MIT. Or if you want to get out of the Bay Area, UCLA's quite good as well, and it's in a nicer area than Berkeley. The weather is significantly better than any East Coast schools at both. And to top it off, the tuition would be about 85% cheaper.

tuition wise, it's 10k vs 35k, plus the extra expenses are all about the same. so it's basically 25ishk to 50k, but yeah, 50% is a big difference. But I really liked the environment and the school as a whole at MIT, and well, it's not just the academics, but also the community as a whole. Plus, I'd like to go out of CA and check out the New England life, or at least a place where their sports teams don't suck so much.

I hope you enjoy the cold and the snow. =)

 

[IAteYourMother]

anyone got any other advice?

 

[shopbruin]

you can try begging, but i don't know how far you'll get. my parents have two kids at UCs right now and they don't give any aid at all, not even subsidized loans, because they calculate the EFC pretty high for them.

and don't try the "hell they need to feed my younger brother" line. my brother and i were in UC's at the same time, and the two little ones were still at home.

good luck.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
anyone got any other advice?

Pick a school you can afford. It would serve you well in the long run to learn to only buy things you can actually afford.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
anyone got any other advice?

Pick a school you can afford. It would serve you well in the long run to learn to only buy things you can actually afford.

Well you are looking at it from a wrong perspective there. This isn't a one time purchase, this is an investment!
The school you go to is a project you are investing in to get a degree out of, a lot of investors can't afford to pay in cash for the projects they are investing in that's why they go to the bank and see a loan officer to get a loan

A person should learn to be a better investor rather than learning to only get things he can afford!

DarkThinker

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
anyone got any other advice?

Pick a school you can afford. It would serve you well in the long run to learn to only buy things you can actually afford.

no kidding?

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
anyone got any other advice?

Pick a school you can afford. It would serve you well in the long run to learn to only buy things you can actually afford.

Well you are looking at it from a wrong perspective there. This isn't a one time purchase, this is an investment!
The school you go to is a project you are investing in to get a degree out of, a lot of investors can't afford to pay in cash for the projects they are investing in that's why they go to the bank and see a loan officer to get a loan

A person should learn to be a better investor rather than learning to only get things he can afford!

DarkThinker

not reallly you can go to any no-name undegrad school and still get a job. better yet go to a noname undergrad and a good grad school and get a much better JOB.,

 

[mrkun]

Since your parents have high incomes, the only way you're going to get anymore aid is to have done something really unusual/extraordinary, or be a non-Asian racial minority. Other than that, I think begging is your only option sadly.