Negotiating Guidelines 119
decline. “Well, go ahead and sign the award letter and I’ll see
what I can do.”
Your answer should be, Coach, I don’t mean to be offensive,
but it’s important to me to see if you can secure the increase with
a new Financial Aid Award Letter. If you can, I’ll sign both the
award letter and the athletic tender at the same time. Is that fair?
OR Coach, I mean no disrespect, but I’d rather sign an Award Letter
and the Athletic Tender that both show the additional amount as
awarded. Is that fair? Then be quiet.
If the coach refuses to budge, you’ve lost nothing. Don’t
be afraid that the coach will become angry or withdraw the
offer. (You have the documents in your hands. Signing them
legally compels the institution.) Most coaches expect people
to negotiate and usually respect those that negotiate aggres-
sively, yet fairly.
Belligerence and threatening will accomplish nothing.
Many parents don’t realize that it’s important to a financial
aid counselor whether you attend the institution as it may
affect him or her keeping his or her job. (Another rule they
know and you may not know.) Some admission counselors
have to generate certain predetermined numbers. If they
don’t, jobs can be lost.
Sometimes you may have to appeal the financial aid pack-
age with a financial aid officer. If you feel that you’ve not been
offered an amount that the institution should reasonably han-
dle or if you can cite new or changed financial circumstances
that change your ability to pay, usually a financial aid officer
will hear an appeal. If the appeal is for the former, normally, the
coach recruiting you will prepare you for the appeal interview. If
it is the latter, normally you would handle this yourself.
Remember that the awarding of financial aid is a marketing