Should I apply to other schools?

Telluric
Thu, 14 Dec 2017 06:34:16 +0000

Financial aid can significantly differ within HYPSM. My financial aid package from Princeton was less than half what I was offered at Harvard (a difference of several tens of thousands of dollars!) and Yale’s was significantly less too (~$10k). I do know of a case where Yale gave a student more than Harvard did and they successfully requested that Harvard match Yale’s offer, which is why I originally applied to other peer schools, just in case.

I was in a similar situation to you after I got into Harvard in the early round. For me personally, financial aid and college costs were a significant concern for my family (we’re very working class), so I decided to apply to a few other schools RD - it wasn’t too much extra work, I mainly re-used my Harvard essays. It’s definitely possible that another peer school does offer more financial aid and you can then use it as leverage to ask for more from Harvard - it has been done in the past. If financial aid is important to you - then I would definitely recommend at least sending out your app to a couple other schools just in case, even if you just reuse your application. Good luck and congrats on Harvard 2022!