<p>I got some financial aid estimations from my top choice, and they equal to about $30,000 (including the Staffords). This leaves about $10,000-S15,000 more that still must be paid. I really don't want to touch private loans, and since my mom's going through a divorce, I'm not sure how much can be paid through her, to be honest. On the paper, it says nothing about a work-study. Does this mean I'm not elligible, or did they just not mention it? Since my EFC's about 600, how much could I make up to? Although I plan to work this summer, I don't think it's going to add much. If I can't get a work-study, I don't think I'll be able to get a job, because I don't plan to bring a car. Do you think I can do it? I really want to go here, because the other school's don't really have my major, so I don't know what to do...</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between $10,000 and $15,000. Summer earning will garner you a couple thousand which should cover your books and alittle spending money so you need to figure out what tuition/fees/room/board total. Look up the college and figure out just what the cost of attendance will be. If you are not within driving distance you need to calculate and add what it will cost to travel back and forth at Christmas and the spring or summer. You can also call the finaid office and ask about work/study. With an EFC of $600 it means that your family doesn’t have many financial resources so you do need to have a talk with your mother. Do have a Plan B that you can afford if the $10-15,000 is insurmountable.</p>
<p>There’s an estimated $4000 more for books/travel stuff. Since I’m 1.5 hours away, it shouldn’t cost me $1000+ for travel. </p>
<p>I haven’t gotten any acceptance letters from my other schools yet, but I’ll see how my financial aid is for the other school, which doesn’t have illustration, and is farther from home, and I’ll probably travel a lot more, but might not be bad.</p>
<p>Also…
I don’t think I got the financial aid I could have, because I turned it in late, since I found out about the school after FAFSA was due. I’m getting $6000 for need based aid. Also, their art scholarship can go up to about $17,000, as opposed to the academic $13,000, so if I can get that, that would add a lot on. So, when I visit the school, should I discuss the possibility of more aid next year? I can deal with one year of having to pay a lot, but probably not 4.</p>
<p>Or, I can go to my state college. Instead of focusing on art, I can go for a dual degree in special ed. I have worked with special ed children before, though, and it was depressing, and I do NOT want to regularly remove glue from a child’s mouth. Maybe this isn’t the field for me, becuase I can’t deal with special ed kids. Also, I’ll give up my dream of doing illustration on the side. This, however, is a more depressing thought than all the debt.</p>
<p>By the way, I want to go into elementary education and illustration.</p>
<p>With your EFC, you will be eligible for the PELL grant. That with some subsidized loans will pay for you to commute to al local state school. That will probably be your best option, unless you can find a school that will give you grants for the gap. With your family going through the upheaval they are right now and with a low EFC, you cannot reasonably expect them to be able to shoulder loans for you and you don;t want to indebt yourself heavily. Staffords are usually the limit that most undergraduates should take if they don’t expect to have family help in repaying these loans.</p>
<p>Thanks, but maybe education isn’t for me, seeing as I envy the friends of mine that are going to art schools…I think I just really just want to be an artist, and always have, and am having trouble giving up on my dreams.</p>
<p>Thanks, you’re right, cptofthehouse. The thing is, though, after this year, our EFC should be higher, since my mom was injured a lot last year, plus my grandma will probably be moving out, and we lost custody of my brothers, so it should be higher. But still…I know I should commute, but it will kill my GPA if I do (since I can’t tolerate living at home anymore), I’d need a car and gas, and it’s an hour and back every day. And I can’t focus on art as an elementary ed teacher there, and I GUESS I don’t need to be an illustrator on the side, and probably won’t be, anyway. I guess I’ll just have to settle…</p>