<p>MrBoba... why not just get a job? i dont think cal poly pomona would give you an enriching college experience nor will it look good when or if you apply for grad school. but if youre really financial burdened... then go ahead. im pretty sure though that they gave you the work study option. as long as you go to work theyll pretty much pay it off even if you didnt make that much money. talk to the financial aid office.</p>
<p>Graduate and professional schools usually do not care what university you are from, as long as your application is good overall and you give a good interview. At least, that's the case for my pharmacy plan.</p>
<p>The most important thing at this time for me, I believe, is to get a high GPA, which is much more doable at CSU Pomona than it is at UCSB. Also, I wanted to take the time to volunteer or work in a pharmacy atmosphere, something I think I won't have the time to do when I'm at UCSB if I have to use time to do workstudy just to pay off tuition and housing. It just seems like a better overall option. I'm just thinking about my future, that's all.</p>
<p>I'm still going to give UCSB and chance and see how it turns out. The enriching college experience can be experienced when I get into pharmacy school. I'm even looking to go to the east coast, so if I get in to a school over there, I'd get one of the -best- college experiences.</p>
<p>Besides, UCSB is a "party school," and it might hinder my studies. I need to be the student who studies 24/7.. I've never been more certain about anything in my life before. I need to do this for myself, and to get into UCSF or Northeastern.</p>
<p>And yes, I know the whole "it's up to the student" reasoning that people use to counter the party atmosphere. It's easier to do this if I was simply away from it in the first place.</p>
<p>MrBoba, Cal Poly Pomona has it's own party scene. And while I'm sure the one at UCSB is quite large, I don't think you need to be scared of getting into it too much if you're not a partier. If you're not, you probably will make friends who aren't and voila.</p>
<p>While I understand the financial concerns, as I have very similar ones myself, I think you should give UCSB a good try and not let your fear of getting sucked into partying be such a large factor in your decision. </p>
<p>Good luck whatever you decide. =]</p>
<p>I got a response from the US Dept. of Edu.</p>
<p>It refers to the Direct Loan, which apparently went through.</p>
<p>So both my loans went through, I think.</p>