Freddy Chang had an early admission to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 2014. His elation, however, turned to dismay when he found out that the school had turned down his financial aid application and he would shoulder the whole $69,000 or so tuition fee. Just when all hope is lost, hang received coaching how to negotiate more financial aid, which he successfully accomplished.
Chang, a sophomore student at Wharton, shared how he almost did not make it to the prestigious business school. He said that the reply to his financial aid request indicated that his family was ineligible. With that news, there was no way he and his parents could pay the high tuition cost and additional expenses which totaled to around $70,000.
Dismayed but still determined to make it to Wharton, Chang asked help from a New York-based financial startup, NextGenVest, which provides coaching for students to navigate the student loan and financial aid process in college.
The company advised him to negotiate his financial aid by writing a letter of appeal, teachers' recommendations, and additional tax documents. With the help of NextGenVest, Chang thanked UPenn for accepting him and explained how he will be a leader in the campus. He also expressed his predicament due to financial reasons.
What happened next seemed surreal to Chang as Wharton reversed their decision and provided $49,000 worth of financial aid on his freshman year. He also received the same amount on his sophomore year.
Chang advises his fellow students who are also applying for financial aid not to be afraid of negotiating. He said that most schools usually do their best to make sure the accepted students can really attend and will accommodate them in order to stay.
