Reply to FA shouldn't go to people with 1 million dollar houses

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding about financial aid here. It is not charity. [b]It is a discount to help maximize revenues. [/b][/quote]
I don't think I understand you here. Are you saying it's a revenue-maximizing behavior for schools to offer financial aid? Maybe I could agree if you're defining "revenue" broadly to include characteristics the school might want to obtain besides dollars (e.g., an economically diverse student body). But if you're defining "revenue" in the traditional way (i.e., cash money), I don't think I agree with you. It seems many well-regarded schools in the DC area would have little trouble filling every empty seat with students paying full-freight even if they were to eliminate financial aid entirely. Offering financial aid might provide schools with certain goodwill benefits that carry some intangible value (in much the same way I derive some goodwill benefit by dropping a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket), but I don't see how offering financial aid is truly maximizing revenues.[/quote]

Yes, but would they be able to fill the class with excellent students paying full freight?  Already/necessarily they are taking some students on the basis that their families are or might become major donors rather than on the basis of what the kids themselves have to offer.  Go too far in that direction (buy your way in) and you dilute the brand.  Go too far in the other direction (to hell with money, we're just taking the kids we think are the best & brightest) and you go bankrupt (and/or can't afford the fancy facilities you need to stay competitive).   The middle ground would be 80%+ fee paying high-scoring/-performing kids.  [/quote]

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