<p>Hello all, I need some advice - I'm in a bit of a predicament. </p>
<p>Well, first off I'm from Florida and I got accepted to UCSD for biomedical engineering (Yayy me!). My parents are a little iffy about me going so far, but they're supportive. The only problem I have right now is the financial aid. My folks are willing to let me go, but UCSD doesn't seem very affordable at the moment. Basically, they're giving me $19, 190 to cover some of the $51, 468 tuition - they suggest the remaining $32, 278 be covered by an assortment of loans between me an my parents. </p>
<p>On a brighter note, I got accepted to Boston University's BME program yesterday (aren't I something?). They weren't really at the top of my list, but they are an option. Boston's being a little more generous. They're offering me $56, 250 (around 45k disregarding the loans) to cover their tuition of $39, 314. This is AMAZING and my friends are like "*** GO TO BU FOOL", but I honestly really have my heart set on UCSD - I'm actually really afraid of telling my folks about BU and what they're giving me because it would be a done deal.</p>
<p>At this point, I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to go to UCSD without having to endure an absurd amount of debt. One of my pals recommended I call up UCSD's financial aid office and say something to the effect of "BU's giving me $56, 250, is $19, 190 the best you guys can do?" (Though I hear it is.) I'm really not ready to give up on going to UCSD yet. I'm sadly a bit too selfish to take the obvious choice and run with it. =[</p>
<p>Any comments, suggestions, advice, etc is appreciated.</p>
<p>If you called up UCSD and said exactly that, they’d wish you good luck on the east coast. </p>
<p>At this point you guys are blank slates – schools might fight over professors and [to a lesser degree] graduate students, but they’re not going to go out of their way to recruit undergrads. </p>
<p>Visit both and see if it’s really worth the financial burden to attend UCSD.</p>
<p>Haha, thanks. Calling them and trying to reason didn’t seem too viable to me either - good to know why. I will see if I can visit, though . </p>
<p>Can anyone clarify how claiming residency works for OOS students? Apparently there’s a pretty nice price cut that comes in when I’m able to do that. I think it says after 366 days I can petition. I’m wondering if the cut is available to me after the first year or first two years?</p>
<p>You can petition, but you also have to show proof that you’re able to support yourself through college. They’ll do the math – if your income/loans/scholarships don’t add up, they’ll presume you’re getting under-the-table handouts from your parents, which could be grounds for revoking your residency status. </p>
<p>(CA has especially stringent residency requirements – this is why I never gave mine up, not even after attending a NYC school for 4 years)</p>
<p>Unless I write scholarship essays for dear life (don’t think I’ll have the time since I hear Revelle is a little rough?), there doesn’t seem to be any way that I can get out of UCSD alive. </p>
<p>Honestly, it’s kinda interesting. I was sure that getting in was gonna be the only thing impeding me - not true. </p>
<p>I wish I could say go with your gut, but financial woes are real…look up scholarships now? California’s in quite a budget crisis as you probably know, so there’s not much aid out there. Explain to your parents, see what they say or can offer? Both are great schools, but where will you be happier?</p>
<p>There are a lot of student on the waiting list to be admitted. If you do not like what they offered, they might say " good luck to you" and bye…bye.</p>