# How The Hell Am I Gonna Pay for College? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514 "2002-06-29T02:50:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/41 "2002-06-30T15:13:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DMark \* > \*\*Have you thought about any European universities? > Some have no tuition, or minimal. > Granted, it is not a snap to get in…you need at least one year of junior college to get in (they basically start at the equivalent of Sophmore in college) and depending on your major, it can be tough to be accepted, but if they do accept you, you can use that money for room and board and round trips to the USA and still come out ahead. > Plus, a degree from a European university wouldn’t look bad when you are applying to the grad school universities you are already considering. > Just a thougt… \*\* Thats a good idea except that my parents wont even let me consider colleges in California (like UC Berkley), so Le Sorbonne or Oxford are similarly out of the question (for undergrad school at least.) ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/42 "2002-06-30T15:15:10Z")
Oops, I should clarify, I can’t consider those colleges because they’re too far away. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/43 "2002-06-30T16:18:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Fretful Porpentine: I’m curious, what “nutty” and “unethical” things did the interviewer say? Pretty clearly unethical, IMO: After I told her my SAT scores, she said “Well, with those numbers, you’re DEFINITELY in.” I wasn’t. Just plain odd: Interviewer: What unique perspectives do you think your gender or ethnic background has given you? (N.B. My ethnic background is Polish-Irish-Scottish-English-and-maybe-Dutch-American, not exactly the stuff gripping hardship stories are made of, so naturally I seized on the gender thing.) Me: Well, um, I don’t think gender should really matter in the classroom – I believe education is one area where men and women should be completely equal, because I think they basically think and learn in the same way… Interviewer (interrupting and glaring): THE LATEST RESEARCH shows that they don’t. I’m not a social scientist and I have no idea what research she was referring to or how valid it was, but I cannot imagine that it was compelling enough to justify shooting down a seventeen-year-old interviewee for expressing an honest opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/44 "2002-06-30T21:43:00Z")
Take a good hard look at the [University of Toronto](http://www.utoronto.ca/). I think you will find that several of the better ivy league schools may be on par with Toronto. 😉 If you wish to speak to someone about physics there, try Toronto’s Faculty Association President and physics prof George Luste, or Princeton’s Sara Seager who did her undergrad at Toronto and her Ph.D. in astrophysics at Harvard. (But call them quick, for each tends to paddle in the arctic during the summers.) At Toronto, tuition for a foreign student such as yourself in your first science degree would be about CDN$11K per year, which would be about US$7K. Similar savings due to the exchange rate would be had for living expenses. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/45 "2002-07-01T15:09:43Z")
Ok, I wrote this post last night but the evil hampsters [sic] ate it. So I’m going to reiterate: I don’t think anyone is saying that any of the top schools you have named are not good matches for you. I’m certain that you, like many high-achieving HS students, have thoroughly investigated these schools, and taken them on their merits and not just their “name.” What others in this thread (and I join them) are suggesting is that there may be other schools of equal quality but much lower price tag that you have not carefully considered. I have listed a few suggestions below. The College of William & Mary University of Virginia Rice University University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill McGill University (Canada) There is a huge middle ground between Columbia and SUNY-B in both price and quality. ---
**Author:** ![KaelaKitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@KaelaKitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KaelaKitten)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/46 "2013-07-08T00:57:32Z")
Im going to community college and idk how im going to pay for it. My family isnt poor but we arent rich either. Middle class kids are screwed when i comes to a college education. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/47 "2013-07-08T01:08:26Z")
> [@KaelaKitten](#): > > Im going to community college and idk how im going to pay for it. My family isnt poor but we arent rich either. Middle class kids are screwed when i comes to a college education. Did you EVEN look at the FRAKKING date stamp on the OP!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:😕😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/48 "2013-07-08T01:13:59Z")
Study hard in high school, be very critical in choosing colleges to apply to, take any and all scholarships, don’t expect to graduate sans loans (and therefore, have a plan for tackling those loans once you graduate), and study something that will support those plans. I did not qualify for need-based loans and I graduated from a $40,000 a year school with 20,000 in subsidized loans. My secret was not blaming being middleclass. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/49 "2013-07-08T01:17:22Z")
> [@Qwertyasdfg](#): > > Just so you know, although I would very much prefer a top school, I’m also looking at lower rank cheaper schools. For example the State University of New York at Binghamton, and Boston University, which I could probably get a half-tuition scholarship to. Don’t rule out top tier private schools. They often have a lot of financial aid (not federal but institutional) to give out. I ended up paying less to go to a very expensive private school (in Boston) than it would have cost to go to my local state school (a SUNY school). Many students assume they can’t afford expensive private schools but don’t realize the quantity of aid that’s available. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/50 "2013-07-08T01:22:59Z")
Damn. Missed how old the OP was. ---
**Author:** ![Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schrodinger_s_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/51 "2013-07-08T01:24:11Z")
Some universities give discounts or reimbursements on tuition to staff. If you find one, try to get some menial job there and get your tuition reimbursed. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/52 "2013-07-08T01:29:01Z")
Sadly, if your parents earn above a certain income level ($180k?), their income will disqualify you for a lot of the subsidized help. Neither of my children qualified for federal grants or scholarships. Ditto for subsidized and deferred loans; in our case, if we borrowed money, interest would start accumulating the minute it was borrowed. So, I’ll second the advice to ask your parents to fill in the FAFSA now to see what you qualify for. If it’s basically nothing but a secured loan, with interest due immediately, then my advice is to not try and divide whatever your parents have saved by 4 years; instead, front load the money into the first years to delay interest from accruing as long as possible. In subsequent years, that means they’ll also have fewer assets to report, which might change what you qualify for. If your parents have a line of credit, ask if they will loan you money for reduced interest. Work as much as you can to defray expenses. Live off campus as soon as possible. And, finally, I agree with the others to think long and hard about the return on your investment. To come out of college with $75-100k in college loans is a hard way to test out independence. It may be in your best interest to forget about the top schools. You wouldn’t be the first person who couldn’t afford something they wanted. Congratulations on making outstanding grades and good luck to you! ---
**Author:** ![Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schrodinger_s_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/53 "2013-07-08T01:29:22Z")
Oops. Well, either he figured out how to pay for college, or the zombies ate him. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/54 "2013-07-08T01:41:00Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Did you EVEN look at the FRAKKING date stamp on the OP!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:😕😕😕😕 She’s NEW. Give her a break. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/55 "2013-07-08T01:42:54Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Did you EVEN look at the FRAKKING date stamp on the OP!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:😕😕😕😕 Chillax. Jesus, did a zombie thread steal your teddy bear when you were a child or something? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/56 "2013-07-08T02:01:08Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > She’s NEW. Give her a break. New NOT illiterate! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/57 "2013-07-08T02:10:52Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > New NOT illiterate! And not against the rules to revive a zombie, so take it easy. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/58 "2013-07-08T02:23:01Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > New NOT illiterate! It’s not against the rules to revive a zombie thread, so dial back the outrage a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/59 "2013-07-08T02:30:21Z")
Strong suggestion - take your first year or so at a community college. Do your academics, like history, English, foreign language, etc. They are much cheaper and the credits will transfer to your four year degree school, where you can finish out your degree. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514/60 "2013-07-08T14:01:34Z")
Hell’s bells, I usually notice that they’re zombies before they lure me in! I wonder what the OPer did do. Can someone track him down like a bloodhound and force him to report in, please. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-hell-am-i-gonna-pay-for-college/116514.md?page=4)