Q&A with the Director of Financial Aid
Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Q: Are there any myths about financial aid at Harvard-Westlake that you’d like to dispel?
A: People often think that only truly needy families can receive financial aid. The reality is that our families represent a very large range of incomes. An independent school education is a costly proposition, and in Los Angeles, the cost of living is so high that even families with income levels considered upper middle-class can have trouble financing one. We have tried hard to keep our tuition as affordable as possible, but the full cost of a Harvard-Westlake education is beyond the financial resources of all but a small percentage of families in our area.
Q: With the current state of the economy, will you be able to help families who are facing new economic challenges?
A: When families have a sudden and unforeseeable change in their income level, we try to help them as much as possible. We’ve already seen an increase in the number of current families who have come to us for assistance. As is true with all the top independent schools in the country, we make a huge commitment to financial aid, but we have to be prepared to do more if the current economic problems persist.
Q: Does financial aid only cover tuition?
A: Thankfully, no. We have student assistance funds that help address the real costs of a Harvard-Westlake education. We cover necessary items such as books, but there is money to help with things like bus fees, lunch cards, and class trips as well. We have a limited budget for study-travel trips. It’s a very special thing to provide a student who has never been out of the country to not only travel, but participate in an immersion program in a foreign culture. Not all schools are able to help families meet the full cost of education, but it is the way the best schools operate.
Q: Has the school’s commitment to financial aid evolved in recent years?
A: It has always been strong, but with a green light from the Board of Trustees, our admission office has been able to really step up their efforts to bring even more bright, talented and motivated students to the school from all socio-economic backgrounds, and we have clearly become a more diverse school. We like to say that no student should ever be prevented from attending Harvard-Westlake because their family can’t afford it. In my experience, that is a true statement.
Q: Why is financial aid so important at a school like Harvard-Westlake?
A: The reality is that students receiving financial aid enhance every program on our campuses. They are athletes, musicians, actors, artists, academics, and school leaders. The school is a richer and more exciting place with students from different socio-economic backgrounds who possess different kinds of talent and who often bring a very different perspective. Without them, we would be a good school. With them, we can be a great school.