Using HLS as leverage Forum

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I was accepted to Harvard, Chicago, and NYU. I want to have all three of these as feasible options, but I'm an in awkward situation because my numbers aren't compelling enough to make it really rain: I got $25k from NYU and $0 from Chicago.

In March I emailed Karla Vargas with just the NYU offer, but Chi's $0 offer still stands. I don't think I'll get any grants from H, but I feel like the acceptance itself could be leverage.
I don't want to push too much by emailing her AGAIN (this will be the third email, might come across as annoying) and def don't want to come across as an asshole with entitlement issues, but do y'all think it's appropriate to email or call her to see if I can get anywhere? How do I even do that without sounding like I'm mugging the school or sending her on a wild goose chase?

And yes, I searched for other people with the same question, but everyone else in this situation seems to have been offered way more $ from T10s, and the fact that I was offered basically nothing makes me a snowflake and merits a post.

[Knock]

I was accepted to Harvard, Chicago, and NYU. I want to have all three of these as feasible options, but I'm an in awkward situation because my numbers aren't compelling enough to make it really rain: I got $25k from NYU and $0 from Chicago.

In March I emailed Karla Vargas with just the NYU offer, but Chi's $0 offer still stands. I don't think I'll get any grants from H, but I feel like the acceptance itself could be leverage.
I don't want to push too much by emailing her AGAIN (this will be the third email, might come across as annoying) and def don't want to come across as an asshole with entitlement issues, but do y'all think it's appropriate to email or call her to see if I can get anywhere? How do I even do that without sounding like I'm mugging the school or sending her on a wild goose chase?

And yes, I searched for other people with the same question, but everyone else in this situation seems to have been offered way more $ from T10s, and the fact that I was offered basically nothing makes me a snowflake and merits a post.

I would try again. I don't think it makes you come off bad in any way, you're just doing your due diligence, and i'm sure the schools understand that. The worst thing that happens is that they say no again.

Just make sure that your email is respectful and you'll be fine.

[Kretzy]

Just as an anecdote:

I sent UChi a generous need-based grant from Stanford, and they basically told me to shove it. I don't know if that's still their MO, but I got a "if you're serious about coming here, you'll take our offer (which was a scholarship, but less than 1/2 my aid at SLS).

Best of luck. Be ready for a possible cold-shoulder, but it cannot hurt. I don't think $0 in aid at any of HYS will move the UChi folks, though.

[BeachandRun23]

Go to NYU first. That way if they up it, you can go back to chicago with a better offer from NYU and a Harvard acceptance.

[meryl]

Just as an anecdote:

I sent UChi a generous need-based grant from Stanford, and they basically told me to shove it. I don't know if that's still their MO, but I got a "if you're serious about coming here, you'll take our offer (which was a scholarship, but less than 1/2 my aid at SLS).

Best of luck. Be ready for a possible cold-shoulder, but it cannot hurt. I don't think $0 in aid at any of HYS will move the UChi folks, though.

I had a similar situation asking UChicago to match HLS need-based grant or FT scholarship offers from Top14 schools. Karla promised to get back to me in a day and I have never heard from her ever since, which means she was not really interested in changing my offer from the beginning.

[bfaiken]

I was accepted to Harvard, Chicago, and NYU. I want to have all three of these as feasible options, but I'm an in awkward situation because my numbers aren't compelling enough to make it really rain: I got $25k from NYU and $0 from Chicago.

In March I emailed Karla Vargas with just the NYU offer, but Chi's $0 offer still stands. I don't think I'll get any grants from H, but I feel like the acceptance itself could be leverage.
I don't want to push too much by emailing her AGAIN (this will be the third email, might come across as annoying) and def don't want to come across as an asshole with entitlement issues, but do y'all think it's appropriate to email or call her to see if I can get anywhere? How do I even do that without sounding like I'm mugging the school or sending her on a wild goose chase?

And yes, I searched for other people with the same question, but everyone else in this situation seems to have been offered way more $ from T10s, and the fact that I was offered basically nothing makes me a snowflake and merits a post.

I would try again. I don't think it makes you come off bad in any way, you're just doing your due diligence, and i'm sure the schools understand that. The worst thing that happens is that they say no again.

Just make sure that your email is respectful and you'll be fine.

Agreed. Doesn't hurt to task...she's not going to withdraw your acceptance. You have nothing to lose.

That said, from what I've read and heard, it's very unlikely to work. Some schools will entertain matching offers, but from people I've talked to, the non HYS schools aren't receptive to HYS acceptances being used as leverage. But again, there's no good reason not to try. Good luck.

[boushi]

I tried to up my aid at Chicago three times. The first time I sent a traditional LOCI and got absolutely no response after a week. With the deadline approaching (a deadline I wasn't even sure about since they failed to update my status checker), I then sent a more direct email and got a small bump (60k -> 69k + a guaranteed research position).

Looking around LSN and talking to people on here and there, I still felt a little bit uncomfortable with that amount. Chicago was my first choice, but UVA and Northwestern had both offered full rides. Meanwhile, others with exactly the same numbers had tended to receive initial offers of at least 75k, so I was bit disappointed that I wasn't getting more love. The problem was further compounded by the fact that several of the Chicago alumni that I had been talking to (including the ones who contacted me to recruit me) confessed they would probably take the UVA offer if they were me.

Long story short, I asked the fin aid office one more time to reconsider and the response didn't mince words at all: "...Truthfully, after reading your email, it sounds like you would prefer to be elsewhere. I am a huge proponent of following your gut so if yours is telling you to follow the money, you should do so."

Anyway, I had of course been honest with them about wanting to attend and ultimately took the package even though I wasn't thrilled about it. (I'm still a bit annoyed that no one in that office took responsibility for never updating my status checker with the deposit deadline, but that's another story...)

To the OP, just know that, though they definitely seem to stick to their guns as to how much aid they want to give, they did initially give me that little boost and I lost nothing by following up.

[Upton Sinclair]

Look at it this way: If it doesn't work, you can go to Harvard without having to wonder whether you passed up a better offer. GL.

[ads222]

Everyone, thanks for the advice. I would love to say I followed it and talked to Karla again, but I visited HLS for the ASW and surprised myself by really liking the school and people. I'm depositing there, and I'm not sure I'd have turned it down for the small amount of money Chi may or may not have been willing to give (I also try never to ask myself "what if"). But I hope future torn HLS/Chi admits take your advice!

[meryl]

Everyone, thanks for the advice. I would love to say I followed it and talked to Karla again, but I visited HLS for the ASW and surprised myself by really liking the school and people. I'm depositing there, and I'm not sure I'd have turned it down for the small amount of money Chi may or may not have been willing to give (I also try never to ask myself "what if"). But I hope future torn HLS/Chi admits take your advice!

UChicago would not give you money unless they are 100% sure that they are your #1 choice, so there is no what if here. See you in HLS in the fall!