@ucbalumnus Regarding what significance the financial aid box on the Common App has on the admissions process, we actually didn’t see the same Common App students see. That page was not shown on our screens. What did happen however is that for those students requesting financial aid, the financial aid office began preparing their packages on the basis of their response to this question. They did so without reference to the admissions committee. Once we had decided who was admitted, the files were matched and the financial aid offer went into the admissions portal. That’s also one reason students occasionally get their electronic admissions decisions before their financial aid awards. I recall there always was pandemonium in the financial aid office as they rushed to complete all the files.