Waiting for Northwestern's aid offer Forum

[ThatOneKid]

Just wondering if anyone else out there who's an NU admit has either received their offer, or alternately is getting as impatient as I am waiting for it. They're the best school I got into and I'd love to go there. But I've got money on the table from a couple schools a little lower in the rankings (George Washington, Notre Dame) which is also appealing. NU loosely claims they'll have their offers out "near the end of March." The only thing they guarantee, however, is that if you apply for aid by a certain deadline (which I did) they'll have an offer for you by the deposit deadline on April 30th. GW and ND's deadlines are much sooner. The cynic in me is worried that NU knows middle of the road (for them) admits like me receive generous offers from schools like those. They have no intention of giving me much in the way of grants and scholarships, so they're simply waiting for the deposit deadlines of schools like GW and ND to pass before they send me their offer. Is that the case sometimes for schools like NU? Like I already asked, has anyone out there received an offer from them? Should I email or call them and explain my situation, hoping it will speed up when they put together a package for me? If so, how do I that without sounding like a jerk? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[aguyingeorgia]

Got mine. It made me cry, but I got it.

[ThatOneKid]

Haha, fair enough. Now I'm really looking forward to getting it, if it ever comes.

[ThatOneKid]

Oh yeah, and if for some reason you check back on this, when did you get it?

[aguyingeorgia]

Within the past 48 hours.

[ALilMusicFactry]

Numbers?

[ThatOneKid]

169, 3.80, 2 years work experience

[typodragon]

ah the joy of paying sticker price. anyone else feel my joy?

[melbelle]

I got it and almost fainted at 70k in loans. Love life in Chicago, but no thank you.

[typodragon]

Maybe the secret to northwestern's nontraditional approach to accepting a lot of splitters with work experience is that they figure most of those people won't get in anywhere else and so will have to pay up for northwestern.

[iwasgoingtobeasenator]

I got the full loans/no scholarship set up from Northwestern. It's definitely expensive.

[masanja]

70k in loans, yeehaw! time to withdraw...

[BlueDevilSarah]

I'm a current 1L paying sticker......considering they feed you every day, it's really not a bad deal when you think about it

A few people here have mentioned that they were able to pay off 100k in loans in about 2 years with a decent job. Considering summer jobs between 1L and 2L and then between 2L and 3L, that'll take care of living expenses for the year.

You just have to decide where your priorities are....are you willing to go into a bit of debt in order to have the NU difference on your side? I know I am!

[iwasgoingtobeasenator]

I'm a current 1L paying sticker......considering they feed you every day, it's really not a bad deal when you think about it

A few people here have mentioned that they were able to pay off 100k in loans in about 2 years with a decent job. Considering summer jobs between 1L and 2L and then between 2L and 3L, that'll take care of living expenses for the year.

You just have to decide where your priorities are....are you willing to go into a bit of debt in order to have the NU difference on your side? I know I am!

Hey Sarah, I didn't know that you were paying sticker. I do know that Northwestern and their "difference" is a real and tangible thing though. That place kicked ass. With the exception of the "F$@% HER!" comment at Wigmore, everyone displayed a tremendous amount of professionalism and poise.

[BlueDevilSarah]

Don't get me started on that kid. You should have heard the way they "amended" the show the next night to "pay tribute" to that lovely child. If you'd like stories, I'm sure I could PM you one or two. He's really made an impression on a few professors here.

[funkyduck]

Was the shouter an admit or a current student?

[Corsair]

..

[ALilMusicFactry]

Unfortunately there is one in every lot.

Irony much?

[melbelle]

I got it and almost fainted at 70k in loans. Love life in Chicago, but no thank you.

New development. Just got a $75k scholarship. I was almost signed, sealed and delivered to UVA for $54k, but now I have to stop and really think this out....D*mn! Thoughts anyone?

[tradams]

ARGH I was just offered 60k from Northwestern. I had just decided to go to NYU with 25k, but now I have to think a little longer. I should still go to NYU, right? Right?!

[dwightzinfandel]

I got it and almost fainted at 70k in loans. Love life in Chicago, but no thank you.

New development. Just got a $75k scholarship. I was almost signed, sealed and delivered to UVA for $54k, but now I have to stop and really think this out....D*mn! Thoughts anyone?

I just got the same offer. Bless their little wildcat hearts. I'm GOING.

[melbelle]

I just got the same offer. Bless their little wildcat hearts. I'm GOING.

Congrats! Late money is better than no money. Where were you headed before? My scholarship makes Northwestern's cost of attendance virtually equal to UVA's. So, I'll be using my weekend to figure it out.

[dwightzinfandel]

I just got the same offer. Bless their little wildcat hearts. I'm GOING.

Congrats! Late money is better than no money. Where were you headed before? My scholarship makes Northwestern's cost of attendance virtually equal to UVA's. So, I'll be using my weekend to figure it out.

Ha, well don't tell anyone but I was pretty much set on NU anyway. But this seals the deal for me and means I'll be withdrawing from my SEVEN T14 waitlists. I didn't apply to UVA for whatever reason. It sounds all around great, but I'm a city guy so ideally it's NY or Chicago for me. Best of luck on your decision. Nice to have problems like these, right?

[ALilMusicFactry]

ARGH I was just offered 60k from Northwestern. I had just decided to go to NYU with 25k, but now I have to think a little longer. I should still go to NYU, right? Right?!

Unless you really really liked NU, I would take NYU.

New development. Just got a $75k scholarship. I was almost signed, sealed and delivered to UVA for $54k, but now I have to stop and really think this out....D*mn! Thoughts anyone?

Remember though - UVA is actually about $30k cheaper over three years, so it will save you about $10k. I would not make a choice on the basis of saving or losing $10k. On the other hand, you couldn't pay me to live in Charlottesville. Go to whichever place you fit best.

[ThatOneKid]

I'm happy for everyone here who just got offered a bunch of money. Congratulations! At the same time, it kind of bums me out to hear because I was told by NU a couple weeks ago that I had received no scholarships and would be paying sticker price, and that holding out and waiting was pointless because all the money for the class of 2011 had already been allotted. So I accepted their offer and resigned myself to the debt. Was I stupid to do so? Had I held out, would they have possibly sent me an offer? Again, not trying to rain on anyone's parade. Just trying to figure out if I made a $75k-ish mistake by accepting too early.