I was recently accepted into a lot of great schools and as the deadline for committing is nearing I need to figure out which offer i should accept.
As of right now my top 3 choices are Bryn Mawr, Wellesley and Swarthmore. All three gave me reasonable offers, SWAT being the best with no loans. Is there a way I can leverage a better offer from Wellesley and Bryn Mawr with what SWAT gave me? Or at least take away the loans in each offer? I only ask because i have yet to visit Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr was my original first choice but their offer is less favorable with 5,500 in loans while wellesley only gave me 1,800 in loans. I’m visiting bryn mawr tomorrow (they are paying for my ticket) and I visited Wellesley this past weekend (I live in Mass so there was no reason for them to pay).
If I had to choose it would be Swarthmore, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr but that is purely based off financial offers.
If you had to choose based on other characteristics but not just finances would your choice be the same as what you stated above? If cost was not a factor, what is your preference?
If you want to ask for more money from one of the schools you can bring your financial award letter from the school with the best offer (Swarthmore) and ask Bryn Mawr or Wellesley to match or even improve upon the offer. It is best to do that if you think you would prefer one of these other schools. If you really would attend one of the other schools, then go for it.
Some colleges have deeper pockets than others. Some have no loan policies and other’s don’t. You can ask when you have decided which is your top choice. But don’t expect that you will necessarily get anything.
I hate to ask this…but if the only loan in your packages is the $5500 Direct Loan, what is the problem with taking that loan and choosing the school you like the most?
Because of the proximity and the Tri-College Consortium between Swat, Bryn Mawr and Haverford, I don’t think that you have much in terms of leverage between Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr. It may not matter much to Bryn Mawr if you choose Swat because you can still take courses at Bryn Mawr if you really want to ( they may not feel that it is worth 5k of additional for you to matriculate with them and still take the courses you want at Swat).
By the same token, while Wellesley and Bryn Mawr are both part of the seven sisters, that may be all that they have in common. While Wellesley (ranked # 4) may consider Swat (ranked #3) a peer, they may not necessarily view Bryn Mawr (ranked #27) as being a peer. They also know that in a head to head that a student would most likely choose them over Bryn Mawr.
I agree with others, if money is not a factor, what is your first choice? What school is do you feel is the best fit for you and you can see your self being there 4 years. IF Bryn Mawr is your first choice, ask them for a financial review. Let them know that they are your first choice but Swat may be the more financially feasible option for your family. They may say yes, but will it really be a game changer if they say no because their pockets are not as deep at Swat/Wellesley.
My family has lots of unusual financial circumstances. I have a medical issue that requires extensive medical coverage which my mother’s workplace thankfully offers as well as supplemental funds. My mother is also a single parent and my father has never contributed to my expenses and it is doubful he will in the future. That being said I also plan in attending law school at some time after I graduate so having the best possible financial aid award/less loans is preferable.
In regards to preference, I’m not really sure what I want. Like I said I have yet to visit Swarthmore so this is just a preliminary question being as I get to visit next week. If I like it better ther I will attend but in the off chance that i don’t I wanted to know if obtaining a better offer is possible at least from Wellesley.
You can ask Wellesley, but if I were you, I’d plan on liking Swathmore. You liked it enough to apply, you have expensive education plans for the future - just like it!
I really think if you have the attitude that you can make it work, it will work. Many kids like a school and then grow to love it. Don’t expect it to be perfect but look at what you can make of the opportunity.
I’m not sure this is true…I don’t see anything unusual about your situation.
Your medical issues sound like they are covered by insurance. The school would only care about significant unreimbursed medical expenses for last year only.
Lots of single parents out there with non-custodial parents who don’t plan to contribute. Lots of kids whose parents don’t plan to contribute at all regardless of marital status.
If the school required the non-custodial parent information, they will use that to calculate your family contribution. It doesn’t matter whether your dad WILL contribute…it matters if the school calculates he can.
You absolutely should keep your debt to a minimum if you plan to attend law school. BUT that is not the undergrad school’s issue…at all.
All three schools are great schools. If lowest cost is the most significant criteria, than pick the one with the lowest net cost.
Sure, ask Wellesley if they will review your financial aid award…but really…you got terrific packages at all three schools. Terrific.
@thumper1 I’m not trying to suggest that I shouldn’t have to pay for my own education or that the offers I was awarded weren’t extremely generous to say the least. I understand that college is extremely expensive, that being said I just wanted to know if anyone had any experience leveraging a better financial offer. My family situation is rather uncommon due to issues im not comfortable sharing on the internet.
Nevertheless, none of that should matter. Bottom line college is expensive and for me personally having the best financial offer is a huge factor in my decision.
@twoinanddone I really want to like Swarthmore, but I honestly applied on a whim and pressure from people around me therefore I know close to nothing about the school. From the research I’ve done (analyzing the minimal info on their website and emailing a current student) I completely hope to like it but i’m the kind of person who does extensive research, creates spreadsheets filled with that info and plans extensively. I’m just trying to figure out a backup plan.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful in any sort of way. I’ve been blessed with great some opportunities, I just want to make sure I don’t let them go to waste. Thank you all for your advice.
If you decide you prefer Bryn Mawr or Wellesley, then ask if they would match Swat and explain why minimizing loans is important (medical thing more than Law school, I’d suggest) They might say yes,they might say no - can’t hurt to ask. Then at least you’ll know for sure what your options are after trying.
Wellesley might still be cheaper than Swat since travel costs are much less?
(and yes, I do have experience with this with my older son and indeed his #1 did match his #2. It can happen, it just depends on several factors largely out of your control. No one is rescinding your admission or aid because you asked, very nicely, if they might help you attend with slightly more grant aid. Also, IDK if you applied for any outside scholarships but those can often be applied to loans before grants. And…while you’re looking into this, perhaps ask if you can expect your package to be the same each year or will your loans increase with the Direct limits each year. Bryn Mawr might expect you to borrow $6,00-$7500/yr by senior year.)