Money at Columbia

[akaplan]

So I think I want to go to Columbia I know they don't offer a lot of money but how can I ask

[arjayz]

I just got an email from Columbia with my scholarship and financial aid awards- pretty good! You should go check your email and see what they offered.

[Joshua.kaplanlyman]

I got 10.5 per yr and I think they only offer up to 12 and I think the scholarships are need based. Columbia will have a higher cost of living than most schools. In comparison to Chicago I think it is almost 4 k more a year.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Joshua.kaplanlyman

[akaplan]

where is this information?

[arjayz]

where is this information?

I got an email yesterday that listed all my awards and included a link to the financial aid/scholarships website where I can log in to accept or reject the awards offered.

[Joshua.kaplanlyman]

I got an email yesterday that listed all my awards and included a link to the financial aid/scholarships website where I can log in to accept or reject the awards offered.

Samesy

[AliceFang1106]

Oh, I have not received any email about financial aid and I have responded to them saying that I accept this admission. Did you guys send deposit already?

[arjayz]

Oh, I have not received any email about financial aid and I have responded to them saying that I accept this admission. Did you guys send deposit already?

No I have haven't sent it in yet... You should call their financial aid office.

[akaplan]

So I got a "Scholarship" and work study but I did not get as much as I thought I would, do you think I could ask for more of both? How would I go about that? Joshua, when you said you got 10.5 what are you talking about scholarship?

[XXXXXXphd2021]

go for it!it wont hurt! I asked for money from UPenn and they then offered 13.5k for the first year. (not a penny at first)..I dont think if u ask for more and they r not happy then they'll take back the scholarship giving to u. Haha.. Edited February 23, 2012 by xxxxling

[akaplan]

how can i ask, they gave me 9,500 a year in scholarship, am i being greedy?

[XXXXXXphd2021]

9.5k is kinda good. I heard that Columbia didnt offer much aid. There were discussions before. But again wont hurt I suppose

[akaplan]

how could i ask

[XXXXXXphd2021]

in my case I talked about how excellent I am.. LOL.. I said if they didnt offer, I couldnt afford. I may go o other schoolswith more aid resources and that would be a pity for both UPenn and me..LOL again..

[arjayz]

how can i ask, they gave me 9,500 a year in scholarship, am i being greedy?

If you're local it might be worth it to set up a meeting with the financial aid office and sit with them face to face and ask if there's anything see they can do for you because it's so expensive... Another alternative is to match school scholarships. My cousin did that last year- one school offered him a full scholarship but the school he wanted to go to didn't so he sat with financial aid office and said "you're my first choice but I can't afford it and school x offered me 30,000/year can you offer me anything?" and it worked- he got almost a full scholarship! Of course in the case of an ivy league school you'd have to match it to a comparable program, like upenn... They won't care if Fordham or whatever offered you money, because it's not even a comparable program.

Its worth a shot- the worst that'll happen is that they'll tell you they can't give you any more and that's it. I actually am going to meet with the financial aid office next week and hopefully itll go well...

[akaplan]

let me know how it goes, since I am from LI it would be ok to go into Manhattan but I go to school in MA. Also do you think I should submit an email, or call on the phone?

[Joshua.kaplanlyman]

So I got a "Scholarship" and work study but I did not get as much as I thought I would, do you think I could ask for more of both? How would I go about that? Joshua, when you said you got 10.5 what are you talking about scholarship?

10.5 for the scholarship. Work study and loans were additional.

[cjcook]

I was just accepted a few days ago to the Columbia program, but wonder how long it took you to receive your financial aid information.

I am hoping to visit in the next few weeks but don't want to go before I know the details of my financial aid package, since I would want to meet with someone in financial aid when I visit if I didn't get much. How long after you got in did you get the financial aid info?

[vmpancucci]

I was just accepted a few days ago to the Columbia program, but wonder how long it took you to receive your financial aid information.

I am hoping to visit in the next few weeks but don't want to go before I know the details of my financial aid package, since I would want to meet with someone in financial aid when I visit if I didn't get much. How long after you got in did you get the financial aid info?

It took them about 2 and a half weeks after I was accepted to receive an offer of financial aid. I actually called them to inquire about it about 2 weeks after my acceptance just to check the status of my financial aid offer.

[m84y]

If you're local it might be worth it to set up a meeting with the financial aid office and sit with them face to face and ask if there's anything see they can do for you because it's so expensive... Another alternative is to match school scholarships. My cousin did that last year- one school offered him a full scholarship but the school he wanted to go to didn't so he sat with financial aid office and said "you're my first choice but I can't afford it and school x offered me 30,000/year can you offer me anything?" and it worked- he got almost a full scholarship! Of course in the case of an ivy league school you'd have to match it to a comparable program, like upenn... They won't care if Fordham or whatever offered you money, because it's not even a comparable program.

Its worth a shot- the worst that'll happen is that they'll tell you they can't give you any more and that's it. I actually am going to meet with the financial aid office next week and hopefully itll go well...

You say Fordham is not a comparable program. What is your reasoning for that? I don't know much about the differences in the programs so I'm just curious!

[arjayz]

You say Fordham is not a comparable program. What is your reasoning for that? I don't know much about the differences in the programs so I'm just curious!

I can't say much about the programs themselves (except that Columbia offers more diverse concentrations) but I meant in regards to status. Fordham is a good school, but it doesn't have the Ivy League name attached to it. I don't know if it's in this thread or another, but I mentioned that my cousin was matching school scholarships and made the mistake of telling Columbia that NYU had offered him more money- the financial aid department very nicely informed him that if he wanted the cheaper price he'd lose out on the Ivy League diploma.

While the education might be very similar and comparable, what really sets Columbia (and other Ivy schools) apart is the status associated with it; they use that to their full advantage in giving out scholarships because they know people will pay big money to get that name on their diploma.

[Wishing]

Also, just to add some additional options for people beyond the Ivy League status (especially since only two Ivies offer MSWs!), it might help if you have better financial aid offers from schools ranked above or closely below Columbia on the US News and World Report ranking for schools of social work. I know Columbia is pretty high up, but I'd imagine a competitive financial aid package from Michigan or Chicago, for example, would pull some weight, Ivy League name aside.

Ultimately I don't know whether asking for more money from Columbia is going to help. All the scholarships for the school of social work are based on need, so I imagine they're not very flexible in awarding a lot more unless your financial situation has changed.

[smtedesco]

Hey, congrats on Columbia everyone!

I was accepted to Columbia as well and I got about $9,000/yr in scholarships. I currently work for AmeriCorps and have absolutely nothing in savings, so I contacted the Dean of Admissions to explain my situation and ask about other funding options. I told her I could not go with so little funding. She agreed to give me another $1,500/yr, however she said funds are beginning to run out so I was lucky to have contacted her early on. I also didn't want to seem greedy, but the reality is, I need to make the most financially smart decision I can about grad school. And for some reason I don't think I was eligible for work study, or at least I didn't see it in the email...

I know in my case, Columbia is the most expensive school I applied to, and even with their great reputation and program, I cannot justify paying $60,000-$70,000/yr in mostly loans. It depends on what you plan on doing with your degree, but we all know social workers don't get paid much, so paying back these loans would take forever, even if you're eligible for loan forgiveness programs.

Sorry I don't mean to sound cynical, and you all might be in a totally different financial situations than me, so I wish everyone luck in their decisions and I hope you are able to secure more funding!

[NYCmswApplicant]

I asked columbia for more money, despite the 7,000/yr scholarship. I said that I could not afford the tuition, despite the generous scholarship. My case is under review.

[NYCmswApplicant]

Columbia offered me $1000 more per year for appealing for more money. It's still too expensive, so I'm going to have to turn down their offer. Y'all should try asking for more money!