. Forum

[tecumseh115]

Is anyone else confused by their award notice? This myaccess system is quite clunky. From what I can tell GULC is offering me no merit aid, which is honestly quite surprising considering the large awards I received Duke, Northwestern, and Michigan.

Unless you've rec'd separate notification of merit aid, MyAccess only lists the need-based aid you have qualified for. You also need to solicit scholarship consideration if you haven't already.

ahhh, GULC seems to love making the aid process difficult. So we aren't automatically considered for merit-based aid like at every other t-14 (or at least the ones I applied to)? How does one go about soliciting scholarship consideration?

[JamesMcGillEsquire]

This question got a lost a few pages back so I just wanted to bring this up again because the deadline is only 2 days away. Can we negotiate after sending our intent to enroll forms on April 1st? If so, would we need to use a new or updated offer (meaning a scholly offer that we received after April 1st)?

[Dipper]

This question got a lost a few pages back so I just wanted to bring this up again because the deadline is only 2 days away. Can we negotiate after sending our intent to enroll forms on April 1st? If so, would we need to use a new or updated offer (meaning a scholly offer that we received after April 1st)?

Yes you can negotiate after.

Second question is harder. If you've already asked them to reconsider and they said no, I doubt they'll change their decision unless you have something new to show. If this is your first time showing them the offer and it just happens to be dated before April 1, I don't see why that wouldn't be compelling if it's a good offer.

[Hedgehogday]

ahhh, GULC seems to love making the aid process difficult. So we aren't automatically considered for merit-based aid like at every other t-14 (or at least the ones I applied to)? How does one go about soliciting scholarship consideration?

In my case, I wasn't offered any scholarship when I got admitted. I reached out to the admissions office with a copy of an offer from a competing school. I was told that they will be conducting a second round of considerations for grants. I just received an email today stating my financial package is ready, and I logged in to find that I was awarded the Dean Tuition Grant, matching the amount of the competing scholarship.

[accessislife]

Fingers crossed that merit awards are released today for the "late March" crew

[franny90]

Fingers crossed that merit awards are released today for the "late March" crew

+1000

[Gray]

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[tuxedocat]

Hi all,
For those not living close to DC, how are you doing your apartment searches?

I'm planning to fly back for a few days in early July and hope to nail down a place then.

Yay!!!!! You are gonna be such a PILS superstar.

I'm going to move in July so planning to go beginning of June to look around. Doing some practice rounds of trolling Craigslist until then.

[Gray]

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[accessislife]

the waiting for schollys is killing me slowly..

[tuxedocat]

the waiting for schollys is killing me slowly..

Well if you're dead they don't have to give you $$$. Good strategy on their part.

[accessislife]

the waiting for schollys is killing me slowly..

Well if you're dead they don't have to give you $$$. Good strategy on their part.

LOL morbid

[Gray]

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[tk17]

So has anyone gone to the Federal Shopping Sheet thing to see their Need Aid breakdown? The estimate for Family Contribution on mine is nearly 5 times the estimate I got when I finished FAFSA. I assume the difference is from parental info, but mine aren't exactly rolling in dough. Anyone else have a weird discrepancy?

I think that is just how law schools tell you to take out loans. When I got my financial aid info from Penn, they told me (and several other TLSers were in the same boat) my expected family contribution was all of COA minus stafford loans.

[Gray]

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[Gray]

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[tuxedocat]

So has anyone gone to the Federal Shopping Sheet thing to see their Need Aid breakdown? The estimate for Family Contribution on mine is nearly 5 times the estimate I got when I finished FAFSA. I assume the difference is from parental info, but mine aren't exactly rolling in dough. Anyone else have a weird discrepancy?

I think that is just how law schools tell you to take out loans. When I got my financial aid info from Penn, they told me (and several other TLSers were in the same boat) my expected family contribution was all of COA minus stafford loans.

Ah ok. I just assumed it was supposed to be similar to the FAFSA estimate. Oh well I did email them already, so hopefully they'll explain it to me!

I saw on another thread that the FAFSA EFC is basically totally irrelevant because there's no parental information. So pointless.

[tk17]

the FAFSA EFC should be is basically totally irrelevant because there's no parental information parents don't pay for their 30 year old to go back to school. So pointless it's perfect.

Ahh.... if only the world worked the way I wanted it to....

[supersplittysplitter]

If we want to decrease our grad plus loans, does anybody know how/ when we can do that? Also when do our loans get disbursed? If the first tuition payment is due in July it would have to be before then right?

[tuxedocat]

the FAFSA EFC should be is basically totally irrelevant because there's no parental information parents don't pay for their 30 year old to go back to school. So pointless it's perfect.

Ahh.... if only the world worked the way I wanted it to....

I don't know, they talked about the parental information requirement in the financial aid session and it made more sense to me after hearing them explain it. The guy said it's more just a way to gauge background, since they don't have information like where you went to high school. Like they could look at two people both graduating from Harvard this year and not know if one was 100% paid by parents and the other 100% paid by grants--you'd want the need-based aid to go to the latter person, right? But it would be hard to judge that without parental information.

On the other hand, Northwestern doesn't require parental information from anyone, so clearly not all schools feel the same way. I like the way UC Davis does it, they require it unless you're 30+ or married. Seems more reasonable.

[tuxedocat]

If we want to decrease our grad plus loans, does anybody know how/ when we can do that? Also when do our loans get disbursed? If the first tuition payment is due in July it would have to be before then right?

You have to talk to the financial aid office to decrease the loan amount. I think they said you have 90-120 days to give money back. They said loans aren't disbursed until about the second week of the semester, so they just put a credit on your account in July since they know the loans are coming. The grad plus application doesn't open until late May.

[accessislife]

got my scholly response! anyone else?

[commandercup]

got my scholly response! anyone else?

How much!?

[Gray]

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[antiworldly]

got my scholly response! anyone else?

nerrrp nothing yet.

Still quiet here. . .