It seems to be true of most schools this year. We’re working with a consultant through one of the orgs my daughter is affiliated with - an org that works with the top VP students across the country - and she said she has seen much lower offers across the board this year than last.
Your daughter’s offer was from Peabody, wasn’t it? I’m glad she is coming to like it more! I’m kind of kicking myself for not looking into that one more, after seeing some of the offers they’ve sent out this year. I recently found out that one of the teachers my daughter loves at another school also teaches there, and we could potentially have had a much lower COA if she had applied and auditioned there. But oh well, I guess that ship has sailed.
The appeal process is a huge PITA. Schools keep asking for more and more information. Which I totally get - if every parent could just claim they lost their job and need more money, the appeals would never end - but it’s a pain to have to pull out tax documents and paystubs and guess how much unemployment $$ I might be entitled to over the course of the year, etc. Hopefully we’re almost done with that part, but the waiting this close to the deadline is killer.
Also, re: the safety school, I had a 2020 graduate, and we learned the importance of the in-state “safety” school. My older DD had chosen a school that was across the country, but then everything shut down for COVID, and her grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and everything just sort of changed suddenly, and she didn’t want to go so far. The school she ended up at wasn’t exactly a safety, but it was 4 hours away instead of 14, and she was 20 minutes away from her grandmother, so she got to see her a lot more than she would have before she passed. It was a decision that was made in mid-May, after we had already committed to the other school (they extended deadlines to June 1 that year because of the pandemic), and we lost our deposit, but we were very thankful she still had the option.
So, I insisted on a safety for my 2nd DD. It’s a great music school, but it is absolutely not where she wants to go, for a variety of reasons that I completely understand. But it comes in at 1/2 the COA of the next best offer, and in our current situation, with the volatile economy and job market, that’s really hard to ignore.
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Hi all, we are trying to make some tough decisions, and could use some advice. Choosing between NYU Steinhardt and UMich SMTD for Jazz Performance, does anyone have any insight? My son will also be pre-med, so we are trying to get in touch with some advisors to look at his possible class schedule as well. Thanks!
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excellent advice!
Well…as fate would have it, as soon as I posted about waiting on appeals, we received the answer from not just one school, but both schools! And also, I was pretty spot on when I thought that neither school would come close to matching the generous offer of 76K that Peabody gave her. Although both of the schools did give her more money, it just wasn’t enough. Plus my daughter really loved the professor at Peabody. So it is a win all around. My daughter at Jacobs will be sad that her sister didn’t end up there with her. We just couldn’t justify the huge cost difference.
I am just glad the wait is over and we can now move on to making arrangements.
I hope everyone gets closure and is happy with their choice.
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Congrats! Glad she is happy with it and it sounds like a great deal!
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We are. Waiting to see if first choice (not known for merit) will match or come close to merit aid received from second choice (a peer). Submitted request at earliest possible time and still waiting. Studio professor made clear he would do what he could, but the fin aid office either will, or won’t. I don’t know why it would take them this long to decide, now that things like housing portals are open.
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Yay! Congrats. I’m excited for her! There is nothing like feeling like the school you’re going to is as thrilled to have you as you are to go there.
We’re on the cusp of making our daughter’s decision official. The teachers at so many schools have been very encouraging and helpful throughout this process, she’s dreading telling them she is going elsewhere. That said, we’re really excited about her choice and looking forward to this next journey.
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My daughter is also struggling with this. She doesn’t want to tell the other professors with whom she has formed a relationship with, that she will be studying some place else. I think this is the hardest part of my daughter’s journey, as she is very relational. Where is your daughter deciding to attend?
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Having been through this, I can tell you that EVERY professor my son talked to was just so lovely about it. One told him to keep in touch with his progress and to not forget about them come time for grad school. I think the kids feel worse than the professors who are probably used to it!
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Mine has been able to keep in touch with a few teachers she met in various summer programs. It’s always great to maintain contacts if you can!
This was so hard for my son as well. He agonized over the emails, especially since most of the offers were financially equivalent, so he couldn’t cite that as an excuse. In most cases, he said he hoped to work with the teacher in the future at a summer program or for graduate school. As it turns out, he was right – two of the four he said no to will be at his summer program this summer.
All but one were very understanding. One did not respond.
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i’m going to pm you if that’s ok?
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Either the teacher or the student can mention grad school for the future, for a program not chosen. It does ease the situation!
If a teacher has a problem with not being chosen, that is not the teacher to study with.
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This is exactly what my daughter did when she wrote the “I have chosen to study at another school” letter to those teachers she had built a relationship with. One professor replied back mentioning/recommending a summer program where that professor teaches at.
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So nice to continue these relationships. You never know who you will study or play with in the future, or who might be a teaching colleague- or a friend.
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She committed to Bard today! It was her 1st choice all along, and when they increased her merit to make it comparable to most other offers, her dreams came true!!
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Congratulations! So happy she is thrilled! That makes all the difference in the world.
Congratulations on her being able to attend her first choice! Wishing her an amazing experience.
For the benefit of others considering Bard, can you confirm please that she received merit aid, and that the school ensured they were “competitive” in making the school affordable?
Thanks in advance for clarifying.
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