MONEY IS NOT AN OBSTACLE FROM HARVARD

The interview Yoseph conducted with Erin Fehn, Admissions Officer at Harvard college, featured in The View last week to resounding acclaim from readers. The interview concludes this week with Fehn focusing on the financials of a Harvard future.

Exclusive interview with Erin Fehn, Admissions Officer at Harvard College. Part II
Last week we had Erin Fehn, an admissions officer at Harvard, talk to us about the admissions process and the kind of applicants they are looking for. In this interview she talks about the financial aid system at Harvard and spells out that a Harvard education is very affordable for everyone who gets here. Money is not a barrier to getting into Harvard. Ms. Fehn also explains about the kind of attention each student gets at Harvard and the efforts of the administration to make every student here as comfortable as possible.
Q: How can Ethiopian students get financial aid?
A: Our financial aid program is as straightforward as possible. Everyone is welcome to apply for financial aid no matter what his or her citizenship is. We want to make the Harvard experience as affordable as possible to anyone who we choose to admit here. Financial aid is completely based on the student's financial need, it is not based on merit, and it is incredibly generous. Everyone who needs financial aid will get it. And when students get here there are many resources beyond the financial aid package to help them with their expenses, whether it is buying a laptop or getting a winter coat or getting tickets going to student events or emergency medical expenses. We are here to make students feel comfortable here. No matter how much money you have, you can come to Harvard. Coming from a family with low income isn't a disadvantage in this process; neither is coming from a wealthy family seen as an advantage. Everybody is welcome at Harvard. Over 70% of the undergraduate body is on financial aid. Each year we have a budget of just over a hundred million dollars (over 926,000,000 Birr) being awarded just for undergraduate financial aid. There is a program where for a family making less than $180,000 a year (1,700,000 Birr a year), tuition and board is significantly reduced. For a family that makes less that $60,000 a year (or 550,000 Birr a year) then that family is expected to make zero contribution towards its child's education at Harvard.
Q: What does this financial aid cover?
A: If students fall beneath the $60,000 level (or 550,000 Birr a year) then everything is covered for all four years. There is still an expected small student contribution covered every year, but there are no family contributions and there are no loans. The expenses are completely waived except that student contribution which can be earned through a work-study job on campus or summer jobs, and there are so many ways of earning money as a student at Harvard. We maintain the student contribution for even these students because we believe that an education is an investment for you personally and that you should be active in this investment, and we make it very easy for you to pay off that student expense every year. So some of the forecasted expenses that are included in this financial aid package are personal expenses, and that includes going to the movies, going out for pizza on Friday night, buying clothing, and textbooks. So everything is taken into consideration when we make the financial aid package.
Q: How does Harvard help students from a different society to fit in Harvard and be able to do their work confidently and take part in student organizations?
A: Harvard has a program that mentors international students particularly through the transition that they will be facing when they come from another country with a different culture that they are used to. There is the Woodbridge Society, a student organization that helps students get settled once they get here, show them around the campus and Cambridge city, make them feel at home, take them shopping, and provide them with a personal mentor who comes from the student's country and region. The International Office helps students with visa issues, legal paper work, and answer questions international students have. There are all sorts of advising resources available like the Bureau of Study Council, the Office of Career Services, the Writing Center, and many more. Each incoming student has a Peer Advising Fellow, who is practically a student at the college there to talk to the student about their classes and student life. Students have relationships with resident proctors who live in the dorms with students, and are there to help them get through the first weeks and months when things are very different for students and help them integrate into the Harvard community. There are financial aid officers available to talk to students when they are stressed about financial issues and offer the loan services or talk to them about other resources in Harvard available to them. So it is a really comprehensive mentoring system that is available here for students coming from abroad. So when you come here you will not be alone. The proctors and the deans try to create a community that is inclusive and not exclusive, and are there to make sure that you are comfortable in your new surroundings, to make sure that you are placed in housing groups that are consciously formed, it is a thoughtful decision. First years are placed into suites with other freshmen, and we want to make sure that you have a home for yourself, you are surrounded by people you are comfortable with, people who are going to challenge you intellectually but who are going to live with you well. So you absolutely will not be alone.
To get information about financial aid or to apply for financial aid at Harvard, please visit www.fao.fas.harvard.edu