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03-20-2007, 03:27 PM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 147
| crying and begging for more
FINANCIAL AID!
My family's issue is that our EFC is not feasible for us. We live a frugal lifestyle, never go on vacation, and have generally cut all excess costs.
The issue is that, despite our efforts, we can only pay about 15k of the 33k we're expected to handle - or else my parents will have to become homeless when they retire, or else work till the day they die. I don't want to let the money keep me from MIT but Olin's full tuition scholarship is looking really good, and I will probably get the same amt MIT's giving me in addition to a 1/2 tuition merit scholarship at Rice.
Is there anything I can do?! Call? Show up on hands and knees? Plead? I want MIT to be an option for me, but my parents need to be able to retire eventually! Are things negotiable??? Any current students or parents w/advice, come to my rescue! | 
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03-20-2007, 06:05 PM
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#2 | | Super Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 5,669
| At CPW, the financial aid office will have appointment times set up -- you can sign up, then go in and discuss your family's financial situation with the financial aid officers. They will readjust your aid package if they feel their first offer was inappropriate.
If you'd rather not wait for CPW (or if your parents aren't coming, or whatever), you or your parents could call the financial aid office and ask to discuss your aid package. | |
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03-20-2007, 08:17 PM
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#3 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 147
| hmm, ok, thanks. anyone else have personal fin aid anecdotes or any other helpful type things? | |
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03-20-2007, 09:13 PM
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#4 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: MIT
Posts: 412
| I've heard from people at other schools that you *can* negotiate EFC, especially if you have papers, etc, that can prove that you need it reduced. The main example I remember is someone from Santa Clara - she said she basically had the Finaid office on speed dial and was bugging them all the time. But yeah, that's all I got.
And congrats on Olin! That's *so* awesome. | |
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03-20-2007, 09:20 PM
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#5 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 147
| what kind of papers? (and thanks!) | |
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03-20-2007, 09:44 PM
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#6 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 147
| c'mon guys! anyone? | |
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03-20-2007, 10:22 PM
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#7 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: MIT
Posts: 412
| Oh, I dunno; me + financial info = confusion. I think the Santa Clara girl had records of hospital bills, or something like that... I guess I would just start out calling the finaid office and telling them your situation, though you've probably already done that...I dunno, I'm just thinking they'd probably know what to do more than I would.
WOW that was way too many "probably"s and "dunno"s. lol. | |
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03-20-2007, 10:26 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Duke
Posts: 5,702
| I successfully begged for more money at Davidson, Chicago, and Hopkins because the EFC was literally double what we could afford. Financial aid officers are usually very willing to talk with you about your situation if you can't meet the EFC. | |
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03-20-2007, 10:27 PM
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#9 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 147
| what did you say? any arguments that worked or didn't? | |
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03-20-2007, 10:30 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Duke
Posts: 5,702
| Tactfully comparing offers, explaining family income and expenses in detail, and tearfully expressing my undying love for each university is what worked for me.  | |
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