<p>“Not to beat a dead horse, but the indebtedness figure that you quote for Harvard only includes Stafford or Perkins student loans, not private loans or parent loans. There’s really no way to know what that real figure is.”</p>
<p>True. What I know is, however, that Harvard’s financial aid package worked for me and my friends. To my knowledge, none of us took out loans above what we got for Harvard.</p>
<p>In talking with students who go there now who have loans, I also haven’t heard of anyone taking out extra loans.</p>
<p>I suppose that a student might do something like that to buy things over and beyond what is needed . For instance, a student might prefer to go abroad instead of working over the summer, so might take out a loan. However, I found that I was able to meet my expenses through Harvard’s package, including the loans and part that I was supposed to contribute by working.</p>