I have one child in college right now and two more in high school, so at some point I expect to have three children in college at once.
How do you think your parents got that house you’re living in? They went into debt. If they have a 30-year mortgage, they’ll still be in debt long after you move out of there. If going to a “top” college is important to you, you and your parents should discuss how much of the cost they’re willing to accept, and how much debt you’re willing to take on.
If you don’t like the numbers you get, you can find a school that awards scholarships based on merit or go to the public university in your state that has the best science program.
If you aren’t comfortable with that, then you’re going to have to consider some sort of antional service program (whether the military or something else) that will pay for college, or find an employer with a tuition reimbursement program and settle for attending classes part-time.
If you’re smart enough to get into the schools you mentioned, I’ll bet you’re resourceful enough to figure out how to pay for the privilege.
And if you aren’t familiar with terms like FAFSA, it’s time to talk to the guidance counselor at your high school. Based on my experience, about 1/3 of her college counseling responsibilities were on helping students pick a school, and 2/3 on helping them look for financial aid.
More than likely, you’ll have to put together a patchwork of things: loans, scholarships, help from your parents, working or a work/study program, etc. Yeah, it sucks, but it’s doable.
I second what many people have said. Take a lesser under-grad and work. You’re fortunate your parents are agreeing to pay for part of your tuition, and to think the government (or some other body) should pay because you want to go to a top-notch school is unrealistic. You should be willing to pay your part in any way you can. Face it - when you graduate high school, you’re considered an adult. You have to take responsibility for making something of your life.
Since your parents are willing to contribute at least part of your tuition, it’s likely that they’ll also consider co-signing on a loan. If you can’t bring yourself to look for scholarships at less prestigious schools, this may be your best alternative, along with work-study, part-time jobs, etc. I believe you value more what you have to work for, rather than what’s given to you. Good luck.
I’ll echo what everyone else is saying … definitely try and find a school in state because the tuition is VASTLY cheaper than if you want to go out of state.
And remember this - I work with people who went to UIC (Chicago) who make the same as me. I went to Northern Illinois University, and paid an annual tuition of about $5,000. It may seem prestigious to go to a big name school, but is it worth an extra $88,000 over four years? If you’re at the top of your class, you’re at the top of your class. Don’t let the school name speak for you, do the speaking yourself.
Oh yeah, and student loans are the way to go! Only 10 more years and I’m done!
I know several people that have volunteered for a year. For each year of service, you get about 5K in tuition money or you can use the money to pay off student loans. Check out the program in your state, I also believe that many paid jobs qualify for AmeriCorps as well, but I am not sure. FYI, 5K will cover a year’s tuition at many good state schools.
I agree with the other folks who have posted that you should think long and hard about why you want to go to a big-name college. If you’ve visited the school, sat in on classes, and genuinely like the atmosphere, that’s one thing, but if you’re attracted to the name and reputation … think twice. There are plenty of reputable state colleges with excellent resources. (Note that the college in question needn’t be in your own state; in some states you can become eligible for in-state tuition after a year or two of continuous residence, provided you work and pay taxes locally. Check out the local laws.)
For the record, I applied to Brown and Swarthmore and was rejected. In retrospect, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I must admit that I was attracted to both schools because the students sounded like they would be “my sort of people” (liberal, interested in the arts and humanities, serious about academics and politics, and, incidentally, solidly upper-middle-class). It didn’t even faze me that the interviewer at Swarthmore said a number of things that were certainly a bit nutty and probably unethical – I was sold on the idea of being surrounded by people just like me.
As it turned out, I ended up at a state university with excellent academics and a much more conservative student body. Learning to get along with my classmates was a struggle, but I learned some valuable life lessons and also had the opportunity to study abroad (which would have been out of the question, financially, if I had attended a private school). No regrets at all. I’m rambling, but the point is, private universities sometimes come with hidden educational disadvantages; it is a rather insulated environment, and the money you spend can’t be put toward other opportunities.
Hey, remember also, that as the years pass, you can become eligible for more federal aid. I only got student loans (about $1000 in total!) last year, and this year I can get around $2000 in loans and $2000 in work-study programs. Not that I would accept the loans, I don’t need them, but I appreciate the extra money work-study would give (paying for summer school when my scholarship and waivers won’t cover it).
I agree with Opus1, you should look at merit-based scholarships to non-Top 29 schools. Especially if you’re going into a field in which you’ll probably do postgrad work because that’s what employers will look at instead of your undergrad studies. Plus, if you get good grades pretty much anywhere that looks good. I hear the SUNYs are good for physics, my friend will be studying it at Stony Brook next year, and you’re in-state so it’ll probably be easier to get a merit based scholarship.
Oh, and if you don’t know already (you probably do) but colleges are getting increasingly tougher to get into because all the Baby Boomer kids are starting to apply. Just lettin’ you know.
For a smaller, less-expensive, state school with a quality undergraduate physics program may I suggest the College of William & Mary? (its a Virginia state school). It only costs $17k + 5k room/board, and it is affiliated with the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, nearby NASA installations, and many military research facilities. AND TA’s are not allowed to teach class! The price, IIRC from my college days, is extremely comaprable with SUNY schools. There are MANY students there who were quite quaified to enter top private schools, but could not afford it. (The academic environment can be intense at times).
I forgot to add, W&M is the #6 ranked State school, to SUNY-B’s tied-for-#28 (US News & World Report).
Another school to consider is Rice University. It is a very selective university that is more well known in the South and of course, Texas (its located in Houston). Rice University is tied for 12th among all universities (with Northwestern, a good school for drama and journalism, which doesn’t sound like you.) and is known for its superior engineering programs. Only costs a cool 16K, and beats out Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown (among many others, of course) in the rankings.
Looking for a geeky, yet playful atmosphere, the school I like to call “Stuyvesant High School, The College Years.” Yep, that’s Rice.
You mentioned “whorin” in your OP. Can I assume that you’re not averse to “shakin’ your money maker” to disgusting, drunken slobs one step removed from former Jerry Springer guests?
You need to familiarize yourself with one term: FASFA. Every college requires that you fill out a FASFA form, which asks questions about your family income and comes up with a formula about how much you need to pay for tuition. The number may surprise you (http://www.usnews.com has a worksheet in its college section – a great resource for getting any college information). The college is supposed to try to find aid so that you don’t pay any more than that amount.
The aid can be student loans, but it can also be various scholarships. Ivy League schools are especially good at coming up with the money; Columbia, for instance, finds money for you to pay 100% of the difference between the FASFA amount and tuition (you can find information like this at the US News site). The Ivies have a large endowment for these purposes and it seems that they keep their tuition high as a prestige matter (the tuition is hardly ever the amount you pay, unless you’re Bill Gates’s kid).
There are also hundreds of scholarships available, both from the college or from local or fraternal organizations. There are sites that list these, and you should ask any college you’re applying to for a list of all scholarships. They are often for off-beat people. You owe it to yourself to check these out. In addition, there are national scholarships given for essays and other things; they’re well worth pursuing.
Something no one else has mentioned is that you can defer your undergrad loans as long as you’re in grad school full time. Of course that only delays the inevitable.
As for work study programs, it can be a great opportunity to gain experience as well as money, but make sure you’ll be able to get one that’s good for you. Sometimes it’s hard for a freshman to get one, or it’ll be in a completely different field.
In defense of highly ranked schools, going to MIT was the best thing I ever did. Of course, the first thing I say whenever somebody’s parents ask about it is that it is not for everyone. I also know some great engineers who went to San Jose State, which is unknown outside of this area. In the end you need to pick a place that is good for you, prestigious or not.
Financial aid will come somehow - for most of the people I went to college with, they had partial financial aid, some grants and some loans. Many of the larger schools have comparatively larger endowments, and can therefore give out more scholarships. It won’t hurt to apply to several schools and pick the best financial aid package. You can even bargain a little bit if you’re first choice doesn’t have the best package, and having other offers helps.
Another thing I failed to mention…
I was also able to get a bit more financial aid by working with the financial aid office once I was accepted and notified them that I planned to attend. I sat down with a financial aid counselor and once I explained some unusual circumstances regarding my financial situation (I had been in an accident and had major medical expenses that weren’t covered by insurance), they increased the amount of aid they awarded me by about 5K a year - made all the difference in the world! So if you HONESTLY feel that the aid package is unrealistic, then discuss it with the school, they may be able to work with you.
All I have to say is God Bless Georgia. They have the HOPE scholarship there, which pays all of your tuition at any state school as long as you keep a 3.0. I was able to go to the best state school in my state (at least, IMHO)…all for free.
Loans sound scary but they really aren’t. I don’t have them, but everyone I know does. If you’re going into physics, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting a job after graduate school. And don’t worry about graduate school. If you do it right, you shouldn’t have to pay squat.
(Really. Don’t worry about graduate school. Worry about getting through the next four years of your life first).
You need to do some research into scholarships. Go for any one, even the rinky-dink ones…chances are no one wants to bother applying for them and that increases your chances. When I was in HS, there was announcement for a city-sponsored essay contest, and only two people in my school signed up for it. Guess who won $4000?
Living close to home also saves money, even if you go to a private school. Financial disasters like having no money for groceries are easily solved by calling up the folks and begging for a free meal (or pillaging their cabinents for when they’re at work).
I think it’s more imperative to go to a good school rather than a well-known one. For instance, many of the kids I encounter at my school (I’m in grad school, far from my hometown) have never heard of my undergrad alma mater. But the people who count–my advisor and the other faculty members–not only know my school, but they recognize it’s high reputation. And like I said, I didn’t have to pay for my college tuition. So shelling out lots of dough isn’t necessarily required to get a good edumacation.
The best piece of advice I was given in high school was that the only “name” that matters on your degree is the last one you receive. Meaning: if you’re going to stop after you get your Bachelor’s, then pick a “name” school. However, if you plan to get a Master’s/PhD/MBA/JD/etc., go for the cheaper undergrad option, bust your ass at that school, and get accepted to a top (“name”) postgrad program.
I did just that, and turned down acceptances at Ivies for a full ride at the best public school in my state. And now I’m doing graduate studies at Oxford with chumps who have $100,000+ debt because they wanted to be at Harvard or Stanford undergrad – just to get into the same program as me afterward.
So, the best thing you can do is check out the less expensive options to find out what schools students get accepted to after they get their Bachelor’s there. If there are people getting into top grad/law/med/etc. programs, why pay tens of thousands to get to the same place at another school?
A recurring theme here seems to be that I might just be looking at these schools because of their names. While this may have made me look at these colleges, I’ve visited all but Chicago, and read about each one and I can say honestly that there’s more consideration than their names going into these choices. Columbia, for example, is my top choice. I’ve visited it, I know several people going there, and I’ve read up on it with outside information which has really impressed me. Of course, the name is nice, but in each case more has gone into the consideration than that. Also, I’ve been looking at lesser schools. I’m just not worried about paying for them. Furthermore, it is very possible that I will not actually have to face this dilemma, since I might be rejected from all 4 of those schools.
If in college I was to change my major from physics to law, or some liberal art, would I still not need to pay for grad school?
Fretful Porpentine: I’m curious, what “nutty” and “unethical” things did the interviewer say?
I’ve heard that Early Decision acceptance can mean that you get less money from a school, since they have you locked in. Is this true? I was planning to early decision Columbia but now I’m faced with a Catch-22: Not get accepted in regular (maybe), or not get enough money because I got accepted early (if I get any money at all.)
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…
This is just my personal experience, but professional schools (law, medicine, etc.) aren’t real big on financial aid (excluding loans). I am starting in the fall, and will be doing some SERIOUS borrowing. I am getting some grant/scholarship money, but it’s less than half the cost. If you’re seriously considering going to a professional grad school, then you should really think about a lower cost undergrad program or you will be in debt up the ying yang by the time you leave grad school. :eek:
No. As a matter of fact, the only way you can get out of an ED agreement is if they don’t give you enough money. If they don’t give you enough money to start out, try and see if you can get a scholarship elsewhere you apply EA and leverage them into giving you more $. You might not even have to do the place EA, maybe just somewhere with rolling admits, or regular, depending on the reply deadline for Columbia earlies is.
It depends on what you switch to. If you switch from physics to chemistry or biology, then you’re still going to get funded. If you switch to physics to Some Esoteric Liberal Arts Subject, then your chances aren’t as good. And going to professional school…forget about it. Expect to take out loans if you go this route.
As someone else above said, it also depends on what kind of degree you’re seeking. MS’s/MA’s will not get funded generally. I know a Master’s student who teaches and she gets her tuition paid for, but she doesn’t have a stipend for living expenses. However, if you go the Ph.D route, you will get a salary usually. Sometimes you have to teach to get funded, other times you get paid solely for doing your magical research. Sounds sweet, but like everything, there are some hidden catches. I’m grateful for my fellowship but when I divide my wages by the number of hours I work during a week, it turns out that I get paid well below minimum wage. So those Top Ramen meals continue well into grad school.