how about going to Alabama and then getting your MBA at Kelley? That way everybody on this thread goes home happy and we don’t have to hear any more zany schemes that have you passing up full-tuition scholarships to go to community college.
or, you can have the last laugh on all of us and just go to U of Illinois.
TN parent here – I was just browsing around IU Bloomington site, and it does not appear to give any grant money to out of state students. OOS students get loans for financial aid – which is fairly typical for a public flagship, to dedicate financial aid resources to in state students. Now perhaps someone has some other personal experience as a an OOS student, but according to IU’s financial aid website, an OOS is eligible for merit aid and loans, but no grants. So OP should not count on financial aid that would not be loans.
“There are only there to party and don’t care much about their education”
I am deeply offended by this because the demographics of party goers, geek, poor, rich, normal is not that different from many other state schools in general.
^^^
but then again, if he goes to IU he will be apparently be as successful as Mark Cuban, just like everyone who goes to Kelley, so there’s that.
Wouldn’t it be fun if we could get Mark Cuban to answer this exact question? I.e., what would he do under the same circumstances?
What does billionaire IU grad Mark Cuban recommend? Exactly what I stated. Start at a CC knock out prerequisites and minimize college costs.
@LBad96, I’m trying to figure out how somebody with 2200 posts in a little more than two years on CC received such bad advice about applying to and choosing a college. Good luck to you–if you’re already $29,000 in debt after one year, you’re going to need it. (You call that “a little bit of debt”? Why am I guessing you’ve never calculated how long it will take you to pay that off and how much debt service you’ll pay on it. You do realize there’s interest on those loans, right?)
@ScreenName77, you seem like a smart kid. You’ve likely received far more advice than you ever expected or wanted. I would encourage you to “consider the source” of that advice and draw your own conclusions!
It sounds like you’d really like to go to IU; I hope it works out to be affordable to you (i.e., requiring no more than Stafford loans). But, if not, there are worse fates than a tuition-free degree from Culverhouse. And since we’re throwing out ridiculous outlier anecdotes–it was good enough for Marillyn Hewson, the Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, whom Forbes named “one of the world’s most powerful women” in 2014. 
And regarding Mark Cuban, you can twist yourself in knots to extrapolate @ClarinetDad16’s conclusions (which BTW aren’t even accurate since choosing community college will erase your merit money at IU!) or read Cuban’s own words as shared in #94.
Then he would be a transfer student not eligible to receive any scholarships given to entering freshmen. Sometimes these recommendations are counterproductive.
^^ Yes, and it’s been pointed out OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
I just spoke with Cubes. Yeah, we’re tight. He said, “Pass up full-tuition at Alabama for community college? That’s crazy! If I could have had a full tuition at Alabama instead of going to community college, I’d be a TRILLIONAIRE by now!”
Are you serious? Did you use twitter?
The fact remains that OP himself could only borrow $5,500 to $7,500 per year in student loans.
Is his Dad going to agree to cosign the rest of the loans?
twitter? man, that’s for the general public. i got Cubes on speed-dial, and NEVER go to voicemail.
hey, somebody’s got to walk the dogs and feed the tropical fish when he’s out of town.
@LBad96 and others: Let me give a few reasons. Actual stuff, not hyperbole or stereotype, from people who have actually experienced the school.
Students are quite smart and dedicated, especially within the honors college. These are kids that are double majoring, doing joint undergrad/masters, earning Fulbright, Rhodes, and Goldwater scholarships, winning national competitions. Many were national merit scholars, as UA has more of them all but 3 public schools in the country (3x as many as Indiana). They are going on to top law schools, med schools, masters and PhD programs, and getting multiple job offers around the country, everything one would hope for when attending college.
The people are incredibly, disarmingly friendly, from students to staff to waitresses in town. Everyone is warm and welcoming to the more than half the students (and parents) from out of state. The school spirit is second to none.
The campus is stunning. Sure there are nice campuses all over, but no one could argue that Alabama’s isn’t among the nicest. Off campus housing is also excellent, with many new complexes built the past few years.
The school is flush with cash. Those football dollars are being put to good use. They pay for student projects and club activities that most schools don’t. They are adding buildings and hiring new professors. Most schools have budget cuts, Alabama is expanding their spending.
The support from administration and staff is amazing. You don’t think about this when you’re a high school kid, but it matters. Even more amazing is the support from a huge network of parents. Not just on CC, but there are Facebook groups for UA parents, including separate groups for various majors, dorms, hometowns, etc. These groups are extremely active, with parents constantly giving help to other parents and students. Aside from advice on this or that, total strangers have given rides to stranded students, helped students in the hospital whose parents weren’t there, assisted with medical issues, even arranged job interviews. It sounds corny, but it really is one big happy family. I haven’t seen anything like it at any other school.
I’m still chuckling to myself at LBad96 accusing others of excessive boosterism while extolling UNC Wilmington at every opportunity. Still, it’s nice that he is happy with his choice and wants to recommend it to others.
@ScreenName77 there are great opportunities at Bama if you work hard and take advantage of all the college has to offer. If you don’t want to work in Alabama after graduation then seek out internships elsewhere. Here’s a couple of recent Culverhouse graduates who have done rather well.
it’s been fun but i gotta run. Cubes put in an emergency call for some almond biscotti and probiotic gummies, so I have to make a Shark Tank studio run.
I think that, given financial constraints, the Alabama offer is probably the one to take (unless IU comes up with additional funds). However, the problem I have with Alabama boosters is that it doesn’t seem to matter to them if the finances go the other way. For example, in this thread, http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1866428-university-of-minnesota-or-university-of-alabama-p1.html
you will find the same general group of posters more or less trying to convince a student who has a better financial offer from University of Minnesota in a field in which UM is more highly ranked than UA and who, moreover, prefers the area that UM is located in, that Alabama might be a better choice because of weather, dorms, possibilities of STEM MBAs etc. I just think that a little perspective is necessary and that the UA boosterism sometimes gets out of hand (as it does for many of us about our schools to be honest).
okay, you and I may disagree on where this OP should go, and that is fine. But to say that I received “bad advice” on where to go to college is disparaging and, quite bluntly, insulting and even perhaps a bit ignorant. If you read my thread at all, you would have read that UNCW was (and remains) the best fit school for me. The best fit school is absolutely worth some debt. UNCW was by far the best value for me out of ANYWHERE I applied to, much less was accepted to. It’s not about the cheapest school for your own convenience; it’s about the best bang-for-your-buck. I wasn’t going to settle for an academically inferior school just because it cost less or because my parents selfishly wanted me to stay closer to home. My admissions coach, right here on CC, would tell you the very same thing. I would tag him, but I’m unsure of bringing him into this argument.
Cuban said:
"The class of 2014 and beyond now has to prepare a college value plan. What classes are you going to take online that enables you to get the most credits for the least cost. What classes are you going to take at a local, low-cost school so you can get additional credits at the lowest cost.
Then, with your freshman and sophomore classes out-of-the-way, you can start to figure out which school you would like to transfer to , or two years from now, which online classes you can take that challenge you and prepare you for the areas you want to focus on. If you have the personal discipline you may be able to avoid ever having to step on a campus and graduating with a good degree and miracle of miracles, no debt.
For the smart student who cares about getting their money’s worth from college, the days of one school for four years are over."
^^That is the (only) way to go for many students who don’t have a major scholarship offer