Student Stories
Sally Peach ’09
Bessemer City, N.C.
Major: Biology
I received a full merit-based scholarship from a state school, but only a small grant from MIT (which doesn’t give merit-based aid). For this reason, I was leaning towards the state school—until I visited MIT during Campus Preview Weekend. I just felt like I belonged here; everyone I met was so interesting and smart, and every moment was so much fun.
My parents split up when I was eight, and I knew that the conversations surrounding the financing of MIT were not going to be easy ones. At first my dad basically said, “This is how much I am giving you,” and the amount clearly wasn’t enough. So I had to ask him to fill out a bunch of paperwork and then try to find a way to make it work.
Dealing with all of the forms (not to mention all of the family members!) in a divorce situation isn’t easy. It was a very difficult and delicate process. In the end, my family and I agreed that I’d take out as much as I could in student loans (this year, $6,600) and also help to pay back some of my parents’ loans later on.
Right after I’d made the decision to come to MIT, I found out that I’d been chosen to receive the Byrd scholarship, which helps a bit and is also renewable. My mom took it as a good sign and said, “See? Everything is going to work out.”
In the end, I know I made the right decision. Even on the really bad days when I’m totally stressed about the money, I still know that nothing could ever compare to this place. I’m from North Carolina, but I really feel like my home is here now. (Let’s hope I still feel that way when it starts snowing.)
| Financial aid package (2007-08) | |
| xxxx | $2,479 |
| Student loans | $6,625 |
| Outside scholarship | $2,900 |
| Total aid package | $12,004 |
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