So as you can probably guess from the subject, I’m just going to throw caution and common sense to the wind, and apply to Cornell along with my first choice of UCSB just to see what they say. Considering the cost of attendance of Cornell, I really freaking doubt I’ll go there, but what I’m curious about is whether anyone has any experience with the place and specifically how generous they are with financial aid?
I should be considered an independent student…I definitely will be by federal standards, institutional standards I don’t know, but I’m almost 24, I live on my own, and I receive only about 30% help per month from my parents, so I’d assume that makes me independent. Any info at all will be appreciated though, thanks!
I interviewed there-- you MUST apply. The facilities are gorgeous, really modern and gleaming, cool interviewers, really happy students and of course, it’s in Manhattan. What really impressed me: all REASONABLE study abroad projects are fully funded by endowment moneys.
Don’t know anything specifically about Cornell’s FA but you almost certainly will NOT be considered independent. It’s not necessarily age-related and even those of us who get NO money from parents have been told we’d have to fill out the forms to get institutional aid. For the FAFSA you are given the option of having your parents complete their portion, or not - and that won’t hurt you for getting Stafford loans. But if you want to be considered for $$$ from Cornell itself, your parents WILL have to fill out the parents’ portion of the FAFSA and there may be other forms to fill out as well.
Mary
Tim,
I am assuming you are applying for Cornell in Ithaca for your prereq/undergrad, right? (Since your first choice is UCSB and they have no med school…unless I am missing something) If so, it is a beautiful campus, gets awfully cold in the winter though. A close friend of mine went to Law School there and loved it. I made a visit out there a few years ago, and found it quite nice.
Best of luck with the app.
- anbvian Said:
Tim,
I am assuming you are applying for Cornell in Ithaca for your prereq/undergrad, right? (Since your first choice is UCSB and they have no med school...unless I am missing something) If so, it is a beautiful campus, gets awfully cold in the winter though. A close friend of mine went to Law School there and loved it. I made a visit out there a few years ago, and found it quite nice.
Best of luck with the app.
I am assuming you are applying for Cornell in Ithaca for your prereq/undergrad, right? (Since your first choice is UCSB and they have no med school...unless I am missing something) If so, it is a beautiful campus, gets awfully cold in the winter though. A close friend of mine went to Law School there and loved it. I made a visit out there a few years ago, and found it quite nice.
Best of luck with the app.
Sorry guys, I forgot to mention that this is for undergrad. I'm aware that medical schools consider you dependent regardless, however, even for private schools, its a different story for undergrad. For instance, Stanford considers you independent the moment you're 25. Don't ask me why, I don't see how that number has anything magical attached to it. Anyway, I E-mailed their fin aid office for their definition of independent student.
Right you are Anbvian, I meant for undergrad since yep, UCSB has no med school unless it's underground and I didn't see it when I toured there. ;P Sounds like the general consensus is that the place is beautiful, so yep, I'll go ahead and give it a shot. I'm just curious whether they'd give me any help as far as financial aid goes. I don't mind taking out $40,000 a year in loans....as long as it's for med school, not undergrad.
whoops! sorry about giving you advice for cornell med school instead of undergrad! yeah it’s inadvisable to rack up a lot of postbacc debt, although some people here found it unavoidable. many cornell graduates come here to Buffalo for MD by the way, so maybe our paths will cross in time.
Hi Dr Renard,
I’m glad you remain so active here and enjoy all of your posts.
Regarding the dependent status issue raised in this thread: How do the schools deal with situations where the MS and one or both parents are no longer enjoying a fruitful relationship?
Thanks!
Nick
- Mary Renard Said:
Don't know anything specifically about Cornell's FA but you almost certainly will NOT be considered independent. It's not necessarily age-related and even those of us who get NO money from parents have been told we'd have to fill out the forms to get institutional aid. For the FAFSA you are given the option of having your parents complete their portion, or not - and that won't hurt you for getting Stafford loans. But if you want to be considered for $$$ from Cornell itself, your parents WILL have to fill out the parents' portion of the FAFSA and there may be other forms to fill out as well.
Mary
Mary
Mary, does this still play out if you are in your upper 40s when you are applying? My parents will be in their 70s and both are on SS.
Nick and Kriss -
To be eligible for scholarships and other aid that is provided from the institution itself (basically anything other than federal/private loans), most medical schools require that you provide your parent’s info on the FAFSA (as Mary stated). Their contention is that since no one works in medical school nor has any income, the only “fair” way to determine additional financial need is based on parental information. There are a few schools that don’t require parental info for their aid, but most of the schools do require it.
I agree with you - if you are not on friendly terms with your parents or if you are 40 years old, it doesn’t seem fair that you have to provide your parental information in order to get institutional aid. But, those are their rules. I chose to give up the insitutional aid I received my first year after my father got remarried because I did not feel comfortable asking his spouse to provide her financial information (nor am I sure that she would have).
To clarify again, though, not providing parental info will have no effect on whether or not you receive federal stafford loans or the amount of stafford loans you are eligible for. Parental info is only used for institutional aid.
Wow. I’m amazed that I will need my parents’ financial information to apply for aid, even when I’m 40. They have been retired for 10+ years. I’ll be embarrassed to ask for their info…
Do some parents really pay for their adult-children’s education?
AKN -
Something that I forgot to mention - I believe it is possible for your parents to go on to FAFSA’s website and enter their own information and electronically sign it. I’m not sure if you can then see that info or not. It’s certainly worth checking into on the FAFSA site and/or asking a financial aid person about.
On the plus side, if you do choose to add your parent’s info, the fact that they are retired may very well make you eligible for need based aid at your school.
And yes, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if there are parents out there who are at the very least picking up the tuition portion of their son/daughter’s medical education expenses.
I’ve heard of a few retired folks picking up the tab…