Paying for Barnard

Name: Bella Pori 

Year: 2015 (Junior)

Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Major: American History and Human Rights

Clubs/Organizations/Jobs: Tour Guide for the Admissions Office, Office Assistant for the Office of Financial Aid, Tutor with the African-American Male Initiative, The Philolexian Society, Whitewater Kayaking Club and WBAR Radio Station

Hello prospective students! I am your resident abroad Blogger, writing to you from beautiful Rabat, Morocco. I'm so thankful that I chose to come to a college that not only has a Human Rights concentration, but also allows you to fill classes for that concentration while abroad.

I love being a Human Rights major, but I'll be honest, it wasn't the reason I chose to attend Barnard. I came to Barnard for three reasons. One, the discounted Broadway tickets. Two, the statistic on the tour that 25% of female Congresswomen graduated from women's colleges. And three, Barnard offered me the biggest financial aid award.

The last one was actually the deciding factor in my decision to attend, and I imagine it will be the deciding factor for some of you as well. Through a combination of grants, loans and an excellent work study program (all three of my jobs either started as work study jobs, or are currently work study jobs) Barnard does an excellent job of making its education affordable. And if you ever have problems, the people in the Office of Financial Aid are always more than happy to help.

I know that for me, the biggest stress of college was not where I would get in, but where I could afford to go. I hope throughout your decision process, many of you have the same positive experiences with financial aid, and with Barnard in general, that I did!