<p>^ Congrats 3.7 and romeboards (OP). I suspect you are not in that ‘bubble’ of people who are too “rich” to get any real aid, or too “poor” to afford paying pretty much the full cost of a school like Tufts. That’s my story. My application to Tufts is a moot point right now – even if I get in, I can’t afford it based on my EFC that got calculated in January … my parents make between $100K and $150K, and have worked hard to avoid debt and to acquire equity in their home (a killer it turns out). We had a financial aid officer at another ‘elite’ school (I got in via EA) tell my father that he may have to stop making his 401k contributions. Oh, that’s a good plan. Let’s take away the retirement funds of people so they can pay for the inflated cost of a higher education. My dad says he did it all wrong. He should not have gone to school nights so he could get a better job, and not kept up with the house payments, and not saved some money for retirment. Should have just spent the money on junk and waste. Then I would be going to school for free. </p>
<p>Sorry, I know. If I sound bitter, it’s because I kind of am. I may very likely be going to a (crappy) state school in the Fall unless something happens magically on April 1st to change things. But if my EA financial aid estimates are any indication, I have wasted my high school years. Instead of studying and getting top rank and top scores, I should have just partied and I’d still be at the same point.</p>