I received an email from a mom over the weekend who was unhappy that her daughter, who beat the odds and got into an Ivy League school, didn’t receive a scholarship from the institution. Here is her note: Our annual household income is more than $750,000 –my daughter is admitted to Harvard – does that [...]
Getting Stiffed by Harvard
on April 3, 2012 in Admission practices, Admissions, Applying, College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships
Financial Aid Bait and Switch?
on March 28, 2012 in College Costs, Evaluating Schools, Financial aid, Money, Research, Scholarships
When families look at financial aid packages they often assume that a school’s financial aid support will remain the same for four years. That, however, is a dangerous assumption to make. The financial support that some colleges and universities give students will shrink after their freshmen year. Bait and Switch? Why would this happen? I [...]
Shortchanging a Texas Teenager?
on March 26, 2012 in Admission practices, Admissions, Applying, College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships
I continue to receive a lot of comments from last week’s post about the Texas mother, who was bitterly disappointed that her extremely accomplished daughter has been getting underwhelming merit awards or none at all from universities. This mother was hoping for large merit scholarships because her family is too affluent to qualify for need-based [...]
An Email from a Disillusioned Mom
on March 22, 2012 in Admissions, Applying, College Savings, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships
I received an email yesterday from a disillusioned mom, who wanted to share what she has learned after receiving her oldest daughter’s financial aid packages. I can totally sympathize with this mother and I want to pass on Lisa’s observations before I comment on them. After receiving Lisa’s email, I sent her a message asking [...]
My Take on the College Board’s BigFuture
on March 20, 2012 in Evaluating Schools, Financial aid, Money, Research
I’m going to keep yesterday’s post up another day because the College Board’s new consumer site – BigFuture – was experiencing difficulty staying online Tuesday. I had trouble accessing the site and you probably did too. Since I wrote the post below, I received a response from the College Board that promised to improve its [...]
An Inside Look at Financial Aid Appeals
on March 19, 2012 in College Costs, Financial aid, Money, Scholarships, Student Loans
When you appeal a college’s financial aid award what happens to your request? During the last admission season, The Chronicle of Higher Education provided an inside glimpse into how a financial aid appeal is handled internally in a fascinating article entitled: When Families Ask Colleges for More Money A Chronicle reporter observed financial aid deliberations [...]
About Lynn
In addition to writing her nationally known blog here on TheCollegeSolution.com, Lynn O’Shaughnessy is an author, higher-ed journalist, speaker and college consultant. Lynn writes about college strategies for CBSMoneyWatch and US News & World Report. She's the author of The College Solution, an Amazon.com bestseller and... Continue Reading...




