Reply to Are people secretive about their FA status at your private school?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One thing I dislike about FA is that going to a private is very much a stretch for people on FA, and year to year they may not be back.  They create a level of churn in the student body that in just not there in the full pay kids.  That churn creates problems of its own - pretty steady influx of new students, activities and sports teams with holes from departed students, etc.  It would be better to provide multiyear FA grants, although I can see problems that that would create as well.[/quote]

This may be a valid point. But I think the same can be true for any family. Financial circumstances change and what was adorable this year might not be affordable next year. We are on FA and if one of us lose our job we would have to consider moving to public or a cheaper private school. But that doesn't mean I'm going to live my life in fear of the unknown either. So yes, we are taking it year by year and are hopeful that it will all work out. I think schools should be a bit more upfront with families they provide substantial aid to.[b] No one really talks to you about all the "other" cost. If you aren't familiar with the private school world that can be a shocker[/b]. I knew there would be additional cost and so we saved separately to cover them (camps, enrichments, etc.). However, I'm sure most people don't factor those thing into and a year down the road find they are barely able to tread water and their DC isn't getting the full experience. [/quote]

Curious about your comment on enrichment.  Do FA recipients get covered for things like service trips, educational trips, sports fees, lunches, etc?  I know my DC (an athlete) can easily spend $200/mo in the cafeteria, and that's probably a low estimate.  Add in a $4K Europe trip and a $1K service trip - it's probably an extra $5 - $6K you can spend at the school to get everything you might want out of it.  [/quote]

Depends on the school from what I understand. My DC's school does provide a discount for the extras to families receiving FA. However, even with the discount some on FA are still priced out. I can think of one specific example where this has occurred -- after school enrichments. If the enrichment class is $2200 for the year and you get a 50% discount, $1100 that was not factored into the overall budget may still be cost prohibitive for some. I think when schools list their tuition and fees on their website, it would also be helpful to everyone (even full pay) if they also listed an estimate for extracurricular costs. I think this allows everyone to make a true informed decision.[/quote]

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