<p>Son was accepted - Echols, NMF and OOS student - UVA is his clear #1 and really wants to go - unfortunately for us, the financial aid package we got isn’t going to allow it. We have the form to request a financial aid review but it is very specific as to what they will consider as a situation that can be appealed. We have a room reserved for this weekend for DOTL but are torn as to whether we should go or not. On one hand it will be an opportunity to speak to folks face to face and to show our interest to the school - on the other if there is little to no chance of getting more aid then it will be a double whammy - we’ll be spending $ for the visit and it will be salt in the wounds for S who knew from his first visit that it was where he would like to go. Thoughts?</p>
<p>I would definitely say go. You can set up meetings with FA officers while your there and you never know. And if you do get FA, I’m sure he is going to regret not going for a while after…</p>
<p>I say go too. I think that putting a face to your plea may be a good idea in this case. Good luck, and make it a great weekend in Charlottesville no matter what you end up deciding :)</p>
<p>There is really no merit aid at UVa to speak of for either instate or out of state kids. It is what it is. If you have looked over the financial aid review form and you do not have any special circumstances that the financial aid people were not aware of when your son applied, I’m not sure how it would help to meet face to face with someone. I could be wrong of course. Since money is an issue with visiting, can you see if you can at least talk to someone by phone in financial aid before the weekend? I would think it would be difficult for your son to visit a school at this point that you have determined you cannot afford. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^ Agreed. If it really can’t be a viable option for your family, then don’t make your son feel worse. Look over your options and help him choose another school and help him get excited about that choice.</p>
<p>We’re in the same situation as hockeydad. Our S was accepted as an Echols Scholars, which is such an honor and we would love to send him to UVA. UVA is his first choice. UVA met our “demonstrated need” with a combination of grant, work-study, and loans, but FAFSA does not take into account hs tuition (understandably, since public school is an option). S is the oldest of 4, with S2 attending the same Catholic HS that trained S1 so well – with tuition to pay. S3 will start HS in 2012. We’re already borrowing from our home to help with HS tuition. UVA clearly says on its fin aid FAQ that HS tuition is not a valid reason for appealing fin aid, yet we are looking down the road, and seeing that for 2 of the 4 college years, we will be paying two HS tuitions, and for the other 2 years, one HS tuition. Most (but not all) colleges don’t take into account HS tuition. From a pure financial survival standpoint, unless something changes (and he has applied for several outside scholarships), he’s going to have to decline UVA and Echols, but it’s breaking my heart. Fortunately, he has a full tuition scholarship to a terrific, nationally-recognized school, which we’re 95% sure is where he’ll attend. But it’s difficult to say no to Echols. We’re scheduled to visit on Saturday, but I wonder if it will just rub salt into his wounds.</p>
<p>There’s a pretty active discussion going on in the Parents’ Forum about this issue-Should I Visit a School That I Probably Can’t Afford?</p>