I was accepted by Stanford EA but dad recently lost his job and my not be able to afford the tuition. I have applied to USC UCLA and UC-Berkeley. I have an excellent chance(I believe) that I might get a merit scholarship from USC and UC-Berkeley UCLA will be cheaper since I live in California. I don’t know that I will be accepted at these schools but if I am would you advise on getting in lots of debt(I have inquired about FA to Stanford-my part is $37,000/yr which is substantial) or picking one of these other schools. If the others, then which one since they will cost less than Stanford?
You should contact the financial aid office ASAP and inform them of your dad’s job loss. They should be able to recalculate your financial aid based on your family’s lower income.
Honestly, I wouldnt say this to those admitted to a lower ranked school, but GO. The return you’ll see will pay it off, not to mention the education you’ll be receiving.
^^^ One of the worst advice.
Getting a huge debt for UNDERGRADUATE will cripple your future after undergrad. If you can’t afford it, then you can’t, and shouldn’t go. While Stanford is an excellent school, no school is worth getting hundreds of thousand of debt after graduation.
Suppose I’m an idealist… check out your state’s flagship OP.
Stanford has tons of money, so tell them your dad lost his job and they will tell you what to send in. Then they will recalculate your financial aid package. Today, call them when they open!
I echo the advice to inform the financial aid office immediately. This is one event for which the FA office will adjust aid packages. Call!
And just in case you find that the money isn’t going to be there before you have to commit somewhere next May, look through this list: http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
No matter what happens with financial aid, get busy with the scholarship applications right now. Many want transcripts, letters of rec and essays just like college applications. Your school may have a list of places to which students have applied in the past. Your school district may have a similar list. Go to the scholarships forum on CC and check what’s there by way of recommended resources. Do it now. A lot of have deadlines approaching. I believe that you mentioned elsewhere that you are Native American - if so, there are probably scholarships specifically targeting high achieving Native Americans like yourself.
Thanks for the input. My dad may have found a job but its out of state. He will take it because he wants me to go to Stanford. I am torn however that my family will be separated but I think he will go because he wants the best for me. However I would be happy with USC UCLA or UC-Berkeley if we could stay together. My dad has vowed that I would not have debt after college but debt is part of life. This is a difficult decision.
@N’sMom I have applied for the Coca Cola scholarship and was turned down. I am now applying for the Gates scholarship. I am looking into other scholarships.
Your state’s flagship (and mine) is Cal. In that case, Stanford is truly not going to make a huge difference in what you’re prepared for. I work with graduates from both, and even have had interns from both. Different strengths and weaknesses, but by no means are the Stanford interns or grads “better” than those from Cal. There are areas where Stanford has an edge, and there are definitely areas where Cal has an edge.
Talk to Stanford - if your dad’s job loss drops your family income below a certain threshold (I don’t remember what it is, but it’s pretty high), they will meet your need, full cost, no problem. Your dad doesn’t need to break up the family for this, and if it were me, that stress alone would mess with my academic performance.
Talk to Stanford but I wouldn’t expect them to just pony up the $ based on not having a job. The OP’s father already has another job offer.
tell stanford what happened to see if you can get more financial aid.
The difference between stanford education and USC/UCLA/UCB can sometimes be huge, but sometimes almost no difference.
depending on your major, make a decision. often the undergraduate programs between these schools are not that different and going to UC would be just as good as stanford
you definitely do not want too much debt, but stanford is pretty cool