Congratulations! So are things now between UF and Brown or are there other contenders in the mix?
1 Like
Most likely Brown and UF. Maybe NYU.
4 Likes
Go for brown! Their status is much higher, not to mention their great campus and the sheer amount of opportunities you can get there.
For financial concerns, try to find a job to help you attend brown.
Brown is my fav ivy I hope i can go there in 4 years
Trust me I am as excited as you about this. However I really was not expecting the financial aid to be so tight. Even with work-study, a summer job, my parentsâ (rather stingy) contribution, and a couple thousand dollars in scholarship money I am still about $10k short.
1 Like
Good thinking - Brown is no doubt a great school and perhaps itâs worth a stretch (up to you), but Brown, like any other school, has kids who arenât successful (financially) and no school provides a guarantee.
Debt, though, is a guarantee, short of certain lower wage jobs, that has to be repaid.
2 Likes
Iâm going to hold tight until I get a response to my appeal. The best I can do right now is plan for a worst case scenario, while still staying optimistic about my options. As solid as UF is financially, I donât think I can see myself spending four years there.
2 Likes
What about Tulsa? I do think you should psychologically be preparing to move to Plan B as a $10K gap at Brown (every year) can be difficult to closeâŠyou know âhope for the best, prepare for the worstâ. Good luck, I know this process is stressful as is waiting on the Brown appeal.
4 Likes
This doesnât solve the whole gap but just food for thoughtâŠyou could possibly work as an RA your sophomore, junior and senior years. The job currently pays $10,500 per year âŠwhich is probably more than youâll earn with a traditional work study job. Good luck!
At most colleges, these RA jobs are competitive and should not be considered a given.
3 Likes
How much is your work study award?
Also have you factored in the guaranteed student loans? Brown doesnât include them as part of the financial aid package but you can still take them out as âextraâ money. The amount for freshman year is $5500; sophomore year is $6500; and junior and senior year is $7500 each.
Just remember that if you do take loans at Brown, they will be unsubsidized because Brown purports to meet full need.
1 Like
My son got loans from brown and they were a mix of subsidized and unsubsidized.
I am not sure how old your son is but was that at a time when Brown packaged loans with its aid or was that since they became a no loans school? I did talk to the financial aid office at Brown about this issue, and they told me that because Brown meets full need without including loans in its aid package, any borrowing would be optional and unsubsidized. It is possible that I misunderstood, but I thought essentially they were telling me that my daughters were not eligible subsidized loans because Brown would already fully meet our calculated need through grants + family contribution. It didnât matter that I didnât agree with them about how much I could afford.
This is my understanding as well. If the school meets all need (as defined by the school) without loans but you choose to take loans anyway they are all unsubsidized.
Good point. I think you are correct. Some loans were from his freshman year and were included in his package and some were for summer and later years (after their policy switch) and were not in his package.
And it is very typical, for many colleges , for families not to agree with what the schools say they can afford.
I will say that it seems pretty easy to earn money during the school years, both via work study and non-work study jobs. A lot of students work as undergraduate TAs, which pay well, but of course work time needs to be balanced with time needed for academics, socializing, rest, etc.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. If youâd like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.