Fairfielder in Rome

Fairfielder
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:20:29 +0000

I spoke yesterday with the woman in charge of financial aid, very formidable sounding; I was surprised at how nervous I was. There was a point she didn’t understand even though I thought I had made it clear in my application. So I’m sending in some supporting information (bank statements, believe it or not) and more explanations of my assets.

The thing with me volunteering at my daughter’s school actually doesn’t seem to have figured in.

She said she had taken my case to her Board and that they would do a reconsideration once all my new documentation is in. I am optimistic that they will give me a better package, though by how much I don’t know. Also my late husband’s cousins have offered to help once I get a final figure.

That awful gripping panic has subsided and now I’m going through the process of polishing my appeal. My advice to anyone who gets a financial aid package that is unexpectedly bad–get in touch with them, try to make a connection with a specific individual, and know that sometimes (as in my case) there is simply a misunderstanding on their end. These people have hundreds of cases in front of them and they may have just missed something.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a reconsideration, and a second reconsideration if you feel your case is strong. See if there’s someone higher up in the chain of command.

The “school down the street” which is roughly comparable, gave my daughter a much more favorable package. I tried to use this as leverage but was quickly told that “they” give merit aid and “we” don’t. So my daughter’s NMF status means no extra money. Which I knew already.

One school told me that if the admissions office accepts a student, they really want the financial aid office to figure out a way to get that student in. This may be true in theory but I doubt the admissions people would go to bat for you (though if you’ve made a personal connection with your admissions rep, it wouldn’t hurt to try).

Keep the goal in mind and don’t give up!