NYU Class of 2017 - Basically graduated Forum

[lawschool22]

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access.

If I have an EFC of 15k+ I will crap myself. Either way thanks for the heads up.

You might be surprised. Are you K-JD?

[SplitMyPants]

Did you guys get a financial aid email today? It seemed to indicate that the way to get merit aid that's not associated with a named scholarship is to email them and let them know that you won't be filling out Need Access (if that's the case, sigh, who gives a shit what my parents make? topic for another day) and tell them you'd like to only be considered for merit aid. Am I reading it correctly? It seems like we should do something more official than shooting them an email...

"As you may know, NYU uses the Need Access financial aid application to determine financial need and/or scholarship eligibility. We encourage you to complete the Need Access application so that we can determine your eligibility for all available NYU School of Law scholarships, merit awards, and/or need based grants. The application form is available on-line at http://www.needaccess.org/Home.aspx. If you only want to be considered for NYU School of Law merit based aid and will not be completing the Need Access financial aid application, please contact our office at law.finaid@nyu.edu. Students who elect not to provide parental information on the Need Access application will be considered for merit based scholarship awards only."

That's not how I read it. Everyone is considered for merit aid just by virtue of being admitted, even those who didn't apply for a named scholarship or who also applies for need-based aid. They just are saying if you want to be considered for need-based aid as well, then you need to fill out Need Access and include parental information. Any student who does not submit parental information will only be considered for merit aid.

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Any idea about what it takes to have an EFC of >$15k?

[Nonconsecutive]

You might be surprised. Are you K-JD?

Nope, but I live in an ultra-low COL area (i.e. a small circle of buildings in a 15 million mile cornfield) and make below the national bottom 1/4th of salary for my kind of position. I'm guessing my EFC won't change much from UG (I worked full time through a lot of UG), but then again I don't keep on top of stuff like that very well

Any idea about what it takes to have an EFC of >$15k?

I don't know off the top of my head, but those calculators they have for EFC always seemed to be fairly accurate for me.

[ShrimpToastMasters]

Y'all have gotten way more love in forms of contact than me

[lawschool22]

Y'all have gotten way more love in forms of contact than me

Don't worry, I have only received one pizza box, so the level of love these two-pizza-box-folks are experiencing hasn't made its way to me just yet

[nonis]

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access. Now remember there's no hard evidence on this, I have just heard this from several posters' experiences in PM conversations. It makes sense, but please think about it before you do it. I doubted I would get need-based aid, so I'll probably do merit only.

Does EFC have to do with your parent's financial information or just the applicants? I thought FAFSA only pertained to the student's info

[lawschool22]

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access. Now remember there's no hard evidence on this, I have just heard this from several posters' experiences in PM conversations. It makes sense, but please think about it before you do it. I doubted I would get need-based aid, so I'll probably do merit only.

Does EFC have to do with your parent's financial information or just the applicants? I thought FAFSA only pertained to the student's info

If you are not considered an "independent" student then yes, it includes parent's info.

[paglababa]

People with Fafsa experience:

So how much EFC can someone expect to have who is making 70-80k with no dependents (claimed on tax returns atleast). They might have significant costs though such as supporting family members / paying for parent's mortgage. Parents would be showing 0 income and thus no contribution.

Will cash in the bank affect this significantly, say 10k? Or will 2013 income be the biggest determent of aid? No other assets in hand.

[alinor]

If you are not considered an "independent" student then yes, it includes parent's info.

All grad students are considered independent so putting your parents' info on the fafsa is optional. It is required on the need access form unless you're 29 or can meet their standards for being an independent student.

[lawschool22]

People with Fafsa experience:

So how much EFC can someone expect to have who is making 70-80k with no dependents (claimed on tax returns atleast). They might have significant costs though such as supporting family members / paying for parent's mortgage. Parents would be showing 0 income and thus no contribution.

Will cash in the bank affect this significantly, say 10k? Or will 2013 income be the biggest determent of aid? No other assets in hand.

Try this: https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm

I threw in some numbers for you and came up with $24k as the EFC, but I was guessing on a lot.

[SplitMyPants]

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access. Now remember there's no hard evidence on this, I have just heard this from several posters' experiences in PM conversations. It makes sense, but please think about it before you do it. I doubted I would get need-based aid, so I'll probably do merit only.

I'm still a little confused. I know my EFC from FAFSA will be probably $0 since I'm in grad school and therefore an independent student. But that doesn't necessarily mean I should submit needaccess then, right? (Depending on my parent's income). I'm not independent on needaccess.

ETA: So essentially, should I calculate the EFC with the FAFSA calculators as if I'm not an independent student, thereby estimating the EFC that needaccess will yield?

[lawschool22]

This, and you need to specifically inform them you want merit-based only. There's some anecdotal evidence that if you apply for both, and you have an EFC of more than $15k or so, you're better off doing merit-only, because they may reduce your merit offer slightly if they see you have substantial means.

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access. Now remember there's no hard evidence on this, I have just heard this from several posters' experiences in PM conversations. It makes sense, but please think about it before you do it. I doubted I would get need-based aid, so I'll probably do merit only.

I'm still a little confused. I know my EFC from FAFSA will be probably $0 since I'm in grad school and therefore an independent student. But that doesn't necessarily mean I should submit needaccess then, right? (Depending on my parent's income). I'm not independent on needaccess..

Try filling out the FAFSA with your parents info included, but then just don't submit that way. You can choose to enter parental info even if you're independent.

[SplitMyPants]

Wow, thanks for sharing that. By EFC, I'm guessing you mean the FAFSA?

Yep. Calc that before submitting your need access. Now remember there's no hard evidence on this, I have just heard this from several posters' experiences in PM conversations. It makes sense, but please think about it before you do it. I doubted I would get need-based aid, so I'll probably do merit only.

I'm still a little confused. I know my EFC from FAFSA will be probably $0 since I'm in grad school and therefore an independent student. But that doesn't necessarily mean I should submit needaccess then, right? (Depending on my parent's income). I'm not independent on needaccess..

Try filling out the FAFSA with your parents info included, but then just don't submit that way. You can choose to enter parental info even if you're independent.

I will try that. Thanks.

[paglababa]

People with Fafsa experience:

So how much EFC can someone expect to have who is making 70-80k with no dependents (claimed on tax returns atleast). They might have significant costs though such as supporting family members / paying for parent's mortgage. Parents would be showing 0 income and thus no contribution.

Will cash in the bank affect this significantly, say 10k? Or will 2013 income be the biggest determent of aid? No other assets in hand.

Try this: https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm

I threw in some numbers for you and came up with $24k as the EFC, but I was guessing on a lot.

Holy shit - I might need to reconsider law school now

[SplitMyPants]

NYU has a CoL listed of ~$24k, which is the same as Emory in Atlanta. What gives? And what is a more realistic CoL?

[Howl]

So I was admitted on Dec. 11th, but haven't gotten my pizza box yet part of it might be that I moved internationally in early January, but still...this is a long wait, and my parents at my old address haven't gotten it. Worth it to contact the admissions office and see where mine might be at?

[SplitMyPants]

So I was admitted on Dec. 11th, but haven't gotten my pizza box yet part of it might be that I moved internationally in early January, but still...this is a long wait, and my parents at my old address haven't gotten it. Worth it to contact the admissions office and see where mine might be at?

It's probably at one of the TLS posters' houses who got double stickies.

(Seriously, though - I don't know).

[jingosaur]

NYU has a CoL listed of ~$24k, which is the same as Emory in Atlanta. What gives? And what is a more realistic CoL?

When you live in NYC, you don't have to pay for a car or car insurance, and the apartment that you'd live in will be much crappier than the apartment you'd live in at Emory. They also assume you're not going to be drinking 4 nights a week and running up $100+ food/bar tabs which is where NYC gets really expensive.

[Jessasaurus]

Have to say that I'm impressed with NYU's retention efforts. So far I've received:

1 invite to a cocktail reception
1 phone call from a current student
2 emails from current students
1 email from faculty
2 pizza boxes

Man and I felt good with my 2 pizza boxes, 1 email from a student, and 1 email from a professor...

[Theopliske8711]

Okay, I want a cocktail reception.

[Theopliske8711]

So I was admitted on Dec. 11th, but haven't gotten my pizza box yet part of it might be that I moved internationally in early January, but still...this is a long wait, and my parents at my old address haven't gotten it. Worth it to contact the admissions office and see where mine might be at?

Well, that, and your room will be the size of a small closet.

[dormgirl76]

Hi everyone, just admitted today! Is anyone thinking about housing yet?

[lawschool22]

Hi everyone, just admitted today! Is anyone thinking about housing yet?

Yep, we had some discussion on it during the first few pages - some good info! Basically, I don't want to think about housing at all, it's intimidating for a non-New Yorker like myself.

[kershka]

Hi everyone, just admitted today! Is anyone thinking about housing yet?

Yep, we had some discussion on it during the first few pages - some good info! Basically, I don't want to think about housing at all, it's intimidating for a non-New Yorker like myself.

This. Until and unless I commit to NYU, I don't even want to think about NYC rent.

On the other hand, I do like thinking about NYU. They've been very good about wining and dining their admitted students

[Nonconsecutive]

I don't want to think about housing at all, it's intimidating for a non-New Yorker like myself.

Man, so much this.