There can be a lot of drama and musical chairs involving blocking…I know that it’s not uncommon for some to be knocked out of a group at the 11th hour and left begging to be let into another group. This happened to two of my son’s roommates last year - one ended up blocking alone and the other found another group at the last minute. It’s really an unnecessarily stressful process, IMO.
Does anyone know if Harvard still has the program that allows students to use outside scholarships toward a computer?
@SoDakMom: Yes, after applying a student’s outside awards toward their summer earnings and term time job, if there is still additional money remaining, Harvard allows INCOMING FRESHMAN to use excess outside awards towards the purchase of a computer. It’s a one-time only offer that cannot be used by sophomores, juniors and seniors.See: https://college.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/OA_Computer_Reimbursement_0.pdf
@gibby: Thank you!
Dear friends, Hope you are enjoying your weekend. My husband and I are still in shock about the tuition. For some unknown reason, Harvard’s financial package does not work as well as expected for us. A couple other top schools have been sending very friendly gestures to us. Does Harvard give any scholarship to national merit finalists ( have to ask…)? Will Harvard match scholarship offered by other ivy schools or top private schools ? Harvard is my daughter’s ( accepted EA 2019) true love and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Any advice? Please message me or reply. Thank you so much for your comments. Have a great weekend.
@DrC88888,
Did you run the net price calculator previously to get an estimate of financial aid? If so, how far off was it?
Harvard doesn’t directly offer merit scholarships. It’s all need-based financial aid. If you think the aid offered is out of whack, keep in mind these guidelines. Families with under $55K in income receive full financial aid, all things being equal. From $65K - $150K, the expected family contribution ranges up to 10% of family income. From $150K to around $240K or thereabouts, that percentage increases until the family is expected to pay full tuition, room, board, books, etc.
Here are some caveats: First, the expected family contribution doesn’t include the student self-help portion, which Harvard expects the student to pay out of his/her own earnings and savings. So, the EFC for a family with $100K in income may be $10K, but then, the student self-help portion may be an additional $4.5K, meaning the ENTIRE contribution of the family will be $14.5K.
Second, this doesn’t take into account if the family has substantial savings, a very large amount of home equity, a college savings plan, or significant interests in businesses, or equity in a second home, or significant stock portfolios. If you have assets beyond a certain basic level, Harvard will expect you to tap into them to pay tuition.
In my own case, I own a small business. They imputed a value to my business and expected me to pay extra tuition based on a percentage of that imputed value. Here’s what I did: I paid our financial aid officer a personal visit and asked how they derived my EFC. When she explained that they were counting a portion of the imputed value of my business, I laughed a little and said, look, I’m a sole proprietor. The thing is, no one is going to value a portion of my business at anything. They’ll either want to buy it outright, or not at all. I can’t really borrow against it because I have little tangible property. And if I sell my business, I won’t be able to generate an income. So, after I pay the IRS their chunk, and pay off associated loans, maybe I’ll be able to pay tuition for a year. And then I’ll be broke, and you folks can give us 100% of tuition. We had a very nice discussion. She asked me to write up what I told her. I sent that to her, and the same day, she informed me that we’d get extra financial aid based on what I’d documented.
The key is presenting a reasonable argument that lines up with their guidelines, and documenting it.
They’re nice folks. At the very least, they’ll listen politely. And if you can show them a substantial error in how they came to the amount of the package, they may make an adjustment.
@notjoe Thank you very much or your advice. The online net price calculator estimated $12,000 more than the letter we got. It is very puzzling. Thank you!
$12K more expense? For that much, I’d definitely go over the numbers with the financial aid folks.
^^ I agree. I would call Harvard’s financial aid office and speak with an officer and explain the situation. If there’s an error, Harvard will correct it. (I’ve spoken with Tanya Joyner in the FA office and she’s very nice, so give her a call.)
So glad I found this page of experienced Harvard parents. TW2 surprised us with a SCEA acceptance, but we haven’t let her commit yet due to FA. I’m wondering from those who have been through this - was the approximation you received with the SCEA pretty close to your final offer? The early estimated CSS we did for Harvard ended up just a few hundred off from the actual 1040 we filed last month. The initial FA estimate was definitely reasonable but, with what TW1 will also need, we need to be sure the actual offer won’t go up substantially. Also, if income/assets remain the same, does the FA tend to stay the same year to year? And, finally, is desirability of housing assigned by when you accept? Hoping our delay hasn’t hurt her. Thanks.
TW15 I would go to visitas and go in and speak to them personally FA is open that weekend. They can make decisions almost immediately. Housing isnt assigned till summer and they use some fairly complex algorithm The delay hasnt hurt her
No fancy algorithm here; other than being randomly assigned to a yard, the room assignment/roommate selection is all done by hand.
https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/collegeadmissionsstudentblog/2011/07/14/guest-blog-housing-freshmen/
If income and assets stay the same, the expected family contribution stays roughly the same. When my second son started at Harvard this year, I found that our EFC was literally split in half between my first son and my second son. The only difference was the student self-help portion, which was higher for my junior son than my freshman son.
Hello frineds, Do you know any Harvard undergrad student with special dietary need ? Can the dorm or cafeteria accommodate health related meal plan? Thank you.
Yes, there are Harvard undergrads with special dietary needs. You will need to contact the Dining Hall Management Office.
There is also a Harvard Community Garden you can participate in which grows healthy food for the university.
Thank you justonedad. Do you know whom should I speak with? Manager or chef ? Stanford has a peanut-free dorm and cafeteria. I do not think Harvard has peanut-free dorm right?
@DrC88888 - I don’t believe a peanut-free dorm would fit Harvard’s residential model - all freshmen live in freshman dorms (mostly on Harvard Yard) and eat at Annenberg dining hall, and are then randomly assigned into one of twelve upperclass houses, each with its own dining hall, where they live the remaining three years.
Look at http://huhds.harvard.edu/ for more information.
Today is Housing Day at Harvard and my daughter was assigned (she might say exiled) to Pfoho. It looks like a great house based on what I see online but she seems less than enthusiastic about her assignment. Do any parents have any encouraging words or wisdom about what it’s like to live in one of the quad houses?
@DrC88888
To discuss dietary needs:
http://huhds.harvard.edu/residential_dining/info.html
Pfoho is a bit of a ways from the center of campus; it’s in the Quad. Thus, some folks feel “exiled” by assignment there. However, some people really come to like it because the amenities are nicer, it’s quieter, a little more relaxed.
My younger son will be joining his older brother in Lowell.