questions about financial aid

Lobzz
Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:22:29 +0000

However, since he had similar credentials as a lot of the kids going into his Freshman class and the only differentiating factor was his stellar athletic gifts and top world ranking, then what would you call the grant?



ummm… Need-based aid? You need to understand that they will not offer a penny more than the amount they deem necessary for the student to be able to attend. You also need to understand that a student admitted with a 1900 SAT and a 3.5 GPA will not be at any disadvantage to a Hispanic-Native American version of Michael Phelps with a 2400 SAT and 6.5 weighted GPA, regarding financial aid. It doesn’t work that way. If they really want the latter to attend Princeton, they will do whatever they can to ATTRACT said student to Princeton; they will not, however, offer him more money than he needs.



There are so many examples of preferential treatment that the whole admissions process is compromised and impure across the board. In our current economy, the ability to pay gets you extra points and preferntial treatment at most schools. There have been numerous reports of schools (Ivies as well) with dwindling endowments diluting their acceptance pools to get monied parents kids in. These institutions are business and the yield to the same pressures as any business. Let’s get real. If a school wants you badly enough and you meet all other criteria, they will find a way to get you in.



You seem to have a short attention-span. I never said anything about preferential treatment in admissions. But I’ll indulge you anyway. Any school that claims to be need-blind will not put full-pay students at an advantage. Going by your flawed logic, these schools attract poor students only to accept the rich folk whom they made no effort to attract? Why not just flat-out tell the rich kids that they’re at an advantage? The preferential treatment in admissions only happens in developmental cases, whereby a supremely rich student is admitted because his/her parents have contributed enough to the school that it would be an insult not to offer something in return.

Please, think before you type.