Financial Aid=HUH??

bluechapstick · 03-28-2009, 07:40 PM

So I finally got my long-awaited financial aid package this afternoon, and much to my dismay it confused the hell out of me even tho I researched about all the components and read the booklet, both of which got me even more confused. Maybe I'm just an idiot. But either way, someone care to explain so that I don't have to go wait for my college aid counselor at school. From what I read, I understand the following, so please correct me if I'm wrong...

CAS scholarship, Provost's Grant, and University Grant: this is what NYU is giving me and i dont have to repay them. what exactly is the provost's grant? i read that i had to apply and send in some video project, and i did neither, and dont want to do the project so huh?

expected/estimated ACG, FSEOG, Pell, and TAP: this is what the government is giving me i think? and when they say expected/estimated, im guessing this isnt a guarantee right now? what steps do i have to take to assure and find out for sure this is what im getting?

federal work study, and a bunch of suggested loans with crazy percentages: this covers the rest of the tuition stuff? and im not obliged to uptake them, i can find other ways, such as outside scholarships, to pay for the rest?

now all this is for this year, but how about the following years? as long as my income and stuff doesn't change, can i expect to get about the same every consecutive year?

Also, i was reading about appealing but cudnt find forms for freshman appealing. do i call up the office directly, or make an appointment, and is it going to make much of a difference? id be happy with just a few thousand more even...

Thanks in advance :] and sorry this came out really long, but i appreciate the help!

medduki2002 · 03-29-2009, 04:42 AM

I am not sure about the other parts, but I read in a thread that you could get couple more $$ if you appeal (and it won't hurt! ).. and it is better to do so early i heard :] try sending an e-mail or calling the financial aid office. :]
CONGRATS!!

bimachris · 03-30-2009, 12:24 AM

It took me a while to understand my financial aid form too, but when it clicked I was really happy.

I got the Provost Grant too, mine was 13K/year. I think that's based solely on financial need? Not sure. I know the school scholarships are based on a combination of need and merit. I didn't get a University Grant but that's probably need-based too. I think all grants are need based?

The ACG goes up each year if you keep your grades up. Pell is from federal gov't. NY state gives out Tap but you need to fill out the TAP form online to insure that you get it. I don't know about FSEOG.

Overall I think you got a pretty good package from the things you listed?

To appeal for more money, I think you can just call them up and they might give you a couple thousand extra on the spot. I might appeal if my outside scholarships don't pan out, I don't want to be too greedy though lol.

Yale_Hopeful · 03-30-2009, 02:39 PM

so I just got my financial aid package today and I'm more sad than ever! I'm pretty much going to have to take ~ 28,000 in loans!!! AHHHH

why won't you give me more money NYU =[ .

now i might have to go to boston which almost gave me full tuition....
crap.

collusivedreamer · 03-30-2009, 03:53 PM

i still have to take out 22k in loans. ***, nyu, vanderbilt offered me 53,000 in grants.
screw that.

IndiaGurley · 03-30-2009, 05:04 PM

you guys should be happy with that, my efc is 5,000 and i got 36,000 in loans...
looks like it'll be the poorhouse for me.

cherryboom · 03-30-2009, 09:31 PM

i have to take $45k in loans...D:

swimcatsmom · 03-30-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

The ACG goes up each year if you keep your grades up.

ACG is only for 1st and 2nd year students. $750 for 1st year. $1300 for 2nd year. 3rd and 4th year students may be eligible for the SMART grant if they have Pell eligibility, a certain grade, and if they are majoring in specific subjects, mostly sciences or certain languages.

momfromme · 03-30-2009, 09:40 PM

My dd was very disappointed in NYU's FA as well and their huge reliance on loans knocked it out of the picture. She focused on 3 more affordable schools that had accepted her and visited them, chose one, where she is now very happy.

collusivedreamer · 03-30-2009, 10:35 PM

im afraid my NYC dreams will have to wait for another time (law school?)
for now, its off to vanderbilt i guess (unless stanford somehow accepts)
but hey, its NYU, what did we expect?

ikatfabric · 03-31-2009, 06:17 AM

I have to take out $22k in loans, and...I'm...actually...considering it. I can pick up another job this summer and raise up enough money to repay some of the loans sooner so that interest doesn't add up. I'm also applying for as many scholarships as I can get my hands on, and I have an interview for one on the 18th (uhm, how exactly do you interview for a scholarship?!). But yeah, I don't think $22k in loans will be that bad if I don't sit on it...

bluechapstick · 03-31-2009, 04:52 PM

"I have to take out $22k in loans, and...I'm...actually...considering it." -- ikatfabric

dont forget tho, thats 22 times 4, give or take a few thousand. right now im really torn. i need about 11 grand in loans per year, give or take a few grand (hopefully HOPEFULLY scholarships are gonna pull thru) and honestly i dont think ill be able to afford it. and i only have nyu and hunter to choose from. hunter is gonna be a pretty much free ride for me, at most ill pay like 2 grand or around there for all 4 years. but i didnt work my butt off to go to hunter tho. I DONT KNOW IF NYU is WORTH IT!!!!! grrrrrrr >:[

i had a scholarship interview. be prepared for questions like...what wud u do with the money (uhh idk, pay tuition and pay for books? duh? stupid question but it caught me off gaurd cuz it was so obvious.) also, why did u apply and what makes u the best candidate? and if the scholarship is specialized, like mine was(medicine), they might ask you what led you to choose this field and in what ways wud the money help you achieve your career goal. they also asked what steps i am CURRENTLY taking to achieve my career goal in the future. ( i also thought this one was stupid. seriously, it was on my application in 2 different places, and volunteering at medical places, keeping up with advances in research, doing well in school, What else cud u possibly say??)

hope this helps, and sorry i used it as a rant for my interview lol.

bluechapstick · 03-31-2009, 04:54 PM

^ yea idk why its posting retarded.

ikatfabric · 03-31-2009, 05:32 PM

Lol no that's really helpful bluechapstick! I had a feeling they might ask really stupid questions at that interview. I'm just worried that they'll wonder why I'm not going for a state school and why I chose a school that gives such crappy aid (grrr I LOVE NYU). Yeah, I'm aware that it amounts to about $88k in loans :-/ But like I said, I won't just sit on it. I'll pay as much as I can out of pocket as soon as possible. I'm not much of a spender anyway, so I think I'll be able to save up. I have $5k right now, and if I get another job this summer, I'll be able to save another $5k. Plus my aunt gives very generous graduation presents (she gave my brother a couple thousand), so if she does that for me, I'm putting ALL OF IT towards tuition at NYU. I'm not going to slash my savings account, but between my aunt, my job(s), and any scholarships I'm lucky enough to get, I think I could make that 22k less. And then I'd start over again for the next year aha.

"but i didnt work my butt off to go to hunter tho. I DONT KNOW IF NYU is WORTH IT!!!!! grrrrrrr >:[ "

I know EXACTLY how you feel. NYU's been my favorite for over a year. Think I'll be disappointed once I get there? Think again. I've saved up and visited the school five times. I don't gush over life in Greenwich Village, and one of the things I look forward to about NYC is familiarizing myself with it. In essence, I kind of WANT it to become boring. I don't know. I only live once. And my aid could've been a lot worse. So I'm about 80% sure that I'm gonna go to NYU.

Haha I ranted too!

bluechapstick · 03-31-2009, 08:42 PM

"I only live once."

wow, u took the words right out of my mouth. thats what ive been saying in my head over and over when trying to convince myself that its worth the money lol.

5 times is a lot. where are u from?

i live literally half an hour by train from nyu. and i havent been there not once. sad :[
and yea, i know what u mean about saving up. im not that big a spender either (those two things usually dont go together for people from the city, but they do for me lol idk how). i think i can pull it off without bombarding my parents by asking for money, which is the very super duper last thing i wanna do, or maybe i need a reality check idk. either way im not settling for hunter even tho its a good school too. but sometimes, its not possible to not spend. some things, especially if ur international or from another state and are gonna be supporting urself at nyu, are just going to be necessary to buy.