<p>Chicagoboy: I’d read more about Odyssey. (See the stickied thread.) I could be wrong, but my understanding is that it just replaces loans with grants for low-income students, nothing more, so it won’t be significant if you have a huge aid-means discrepancy.</p>
<p>And, thanks for the thread bump and the kind words, unalove.</p>
<p>As for me, well, I’m glad I wrote those inspiring few paragraphs, because I could definitely use some encouragement :-p Unless I rob a bank or win some serious scholarship money (which I’m still holding out hope for!), UChicago’s offer of aid doesn’t exactly jive with my family’s means. I’m thinking that may or may not have something to do with my father’s investment savings - and perhaps if he pays off the home equity loan with it as he plans to, and we provide proof that the rest is his retirement fund and can’t be touched, we can see about upping the aid offer. Maybe.</p>
<p>Regardless, I’m proud of my acceptance and still holding out hope. And if this financial situation doesn’t work out, Princeton and Harvard reject me, and it turns out that I have to follow my brother to ASU… well… go Sun Devils!</p>
<p>Definitely commiserating with the rest of you who were disappointed by financial aid offers,
~Ethan</p>