Negotiating Aid

[NickNaylor]

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I want to clarify my above post by saying I don't think 40k is enough to go through the perhaps ill-advised negotiating process that the above poster was describing. Deciding how much is a significant difference in terms of your own personal finances is a whole different matter.

I’m not sure how asking for aid is ill-advised. As I mentioned in a post higher up in this thread, asking for aid is the easiest and most $/hour you will ever make in your life. $40k is $40k - if you have the opportunity to owe that much less at the end of this gauntlet, why not take it?

 

[FHamati]

What exactly are you going to be asking the school if you don't have any aid offers yet?

So I just received 12K from the cheaper school. Is it worth using that as leverage to get the more expensive school to budge and offer money?

 

[djtallahassee]

So I just received 12K from the cheaper school. Is it worth using that as leverage to get the more expensive school to budge and offer money?

Did you negotiate that 12k or did they just offer it? Bout time for me to ask for some money with no scholarships in hand.

 

[FHamati]

Did you negotiate that 12k or did they just offer it? Bout time for me to ask for some money with no scholarships in hand.

Oh no, that was my initial offer from the cheaper school. I'm hoping to use that to negotiate aid at a more expensive school

 

[dawitt10-1]

Do you send your negotiation emails to the aid office or to the director of admissions? I've previously been in contact with both.

 

[sunshine859]

So I just received 12K from the cheaper school. Is it worth using that as leverage to get the more expensive school to budge and offer money?

Absolutely! Now you've got some leverage.

 

[ka47]

Do you send your negotiation emails to the aid office or to the director of admissions? I've previously been in contact with both.

I know this thread has been dead for a little but I was wondering who you decided to send the email to. Thanks!

 

[ChosenStressor]

I know this thread has been dead for a little but I was wondering who you decided to send the email to. Thanks!

Merit Aid = Admissions Office (maybe cc the director as well)
Need-Based Aid = Financial Aid Office

 

[deleted698458]

Has anyone had success leveraging money from a school they got off the waitlist?

 

[Sidthekiddd]

Has anyone had success leveraging money from a school they got off the waitlist?

Yes!.. but it wasn't a post-April 30 waitlist situation
Interviewed in September
Waitlisted in October
Accepted in December
Scholarship offer in March
& Succesful negotiation late April

 

[SuperMonkeyDude]

Hi guys, I know this thread is old, but in your negotiation letters, did you attach the COA files or scholarship offer letters from the other schools in your email? I'm not sure if I should do that during negotiation.
Thanks in advance

 

[sunshine859]

I did not send them with the original letter. The school replied to me asking for copies of the scholarship offer however.

 

[SuperMonkeyDude]

I did not send them with the original letter. The school replied to me asking for copies of the scholarship offer however.

Thank you Sunshine!

 

[masterchiefk57]

I did not send them with the original letter. The school replied to me asking for copies of the scholarship offer however.

Seeing as the traffic rules have changed this time around, should we block out the name and address of the school if asked for a copy of the scholarship letter?

 

[sunshine859]

I am not particularly familiar with the new traffic rules, but blocking out the name of the school seems inauthentic. If the blocking out was done universally, what would stop applicants from just writing their own scholarship letters?

 

[ducks_are _the best]

Interesting thoughts above. I would be nervous about the possibility of a school saying, "oh, you would be happy to take that?" and then possibly giving you less. On the other hand, if you know a school has limited funds, is it better to tell them now? Do you have to disclose how much or just inform them that another school has given you a scholarship offer?

just following up on this thread and hoping others can hop on. If you were to get a full CoA from a new school, can you potentially negotiate that offer to others schools?

 

[jhmmd]

just following up on this thread and hoping others can hop on. If you were to get a full CoA from a new school, can you potentially negotiate that offer to others schools?

I wouldn't.
For med school, pinching pennies when it comes to cost of attendance is penny-wise and pound foolish. Like I have said elsewhere on this forum, if you're going to med school, odds are you are going to be a doctor, and you will able to pay off your debt--easily. Being too frugal when it comes to picking schools could ruffle some feathers. Just a FYI.

 

[UncleIroh218]

I wouldn't.
For med school, pinching pennies when it comes to cost of attendance is penny-wise and pound foolish. Like I have said elsewhere on this forum, if you're going to med school, odds are you are going to be a doctor, and you will able to pay off your debt--easily. Being too frugal when it comes to picking schools could ruffle some feathers. Just a FYI.

Sorry I know this is an old thread- but you should absolutely negotiate aid with med schools. There is NOTHING to lose if you already have an offer and approach the admissions/aid offices kindly and respectfully. I don't think "penny wise pound foolish" applies to what is often more than half a million dollars over 4 years. Especially if you have other offers that make more financial sense, you should ask schools you'd rather go to if they could match.

 

[chilly_md]

That is a good note to end this thread on. Closing.