@lilaw88, we all understand most students would rather dorm than commute, but Dina’s gap at Stony Brook is $20,000 and they’re a Pell family. How do you suggest she pay?
It's not wise to empty her parents' retirement account.
No pre-med student should try to work full-time if the want a med-school worthy GPA.
Trying to rent on Long Island isn't likely going to be cheap and would require additional money for a deposit, utilities, and transportation (car, insurance, gas or public transportation). Whether she lives off campus or not, Dina would still need money for food and books.
She needs $20k/year to dorm and she can only borrow ~$7k of it. After she borrows $15k for the next 2 years she still needs $26k. Where are you suggesting she get the money she needs to pay to get what she wants?
You stated you live 15 min away but your son lives on campus.
However, your chid is working to earn 1k/month. Why is this?
Is your child working to pay his/her room and board housing expenses? Did your family decide that if s/he wanted to live on campus, s/he would have to pay for it?
. What happens if s/he has a shortfall, do you/your family make up the short fall or does your child simply move back home and commute the 15 min to school?
He worked two days a week plus summers. He made money for his car and personal expenses such as his cell phone. I wanted him to have the college experience so I insisted he dorm
I’ve got to wonder what a post from Dina’s parents would look like… Whether her dad would be talking about taking on another job, her mother would be wondering about how on earth they’ll ever retire or even how they’ll educate any siblings or ever take a vacation.
Your son earned over $1000/month working 2 days a week? Doing what? He’d have to be earning ~$18/hour to make that kind of money.
Your son isn’t responsible for raising $52k to cover his room and board, is he? So his situation is nothing like Dina’s. If he can’t find work or decides he wants to take time off to study for exams, he still has his housing and food covered. Dina would have to work full-time to have enough to cover her room and board and personal expenses. Dorming is a luxury that not everyone can afford.
If your son lost his job, would he have been able to finish his degree at Stony Brook or would he have had to withdraw?
He worked as a waiter. By the way, Stony Brook only cost $20,000 before grants, loans and scholarships. Dina got some of those. She should qualify for Excelsior too.
Excelsior is a last payer award and is for tuition only. So if this student has tuition covered by any other aid (e.g. TAP), the excelsior is not going to add a nickel to her aid.
Stony Brook’s direct cost for 2018-2019 school year is $23,286. This is before she purchases a book, a pen a pair of goggles, a cup of coffee or a tide pod to do her laundry.
Stony Brook’s tuition is $6870 + $2718 in fees
Dina is getting approx 3000 in Tap and PELL. After TAP and PELL pays out, Excelsior will cover $3870 for 2 years. If she does not successfully complete 30 credits a year, she loses the Excelsior with no recourse of as far as having it reinstated.
Dina needs
$2718 for fees (which she needs to pay out of pocket)
She needs room and board $13,698
Indirect $2768
$19,184 that is not covered by financial aid
Should Dina take her $7500 loan she still needs $11,694.
Where is this money coming from?
@lilaw, you are looking at this from a very myopic point to view. You are looking at it from a stand point of your child was able to do this so, Dina should have no problem doing this.
Your family’s experience is not their family’s experience. Your child wanted his own car, you made him have some skin in the game and work for it (I’m not mad at you). IF he did not work, his consequence was using the family car or finding his own transportation.
The $2768 of indirect costs are exaggerated in my opinion and include that laundry pod, books, goggles and coffee you referenced. I was just trying to have Dina find a way to make her dream come true.
I can’t find off campus housing for 700$, this is around 7000$ a year. Also I am planning to visit SBU on Thursday, to see if it is really the place I want to go. Maybe I’ll don’t like it. I’ll also try to talk to SBU pre dental society students and ask them where they came from(which colleges )
That sounds like a great idea Dina. Just make sure that you contact Stony Brook and tell them that you will make up your mind on Thursday. You don’t want to be closed out because tomorrow is May 1. Also, while you’re there, check out the off-campus housing office and see if they have any notices for people who are looking to share an apartment.
@lilaw88 the indirect fees are not some fee that is just made up. They are not exaggerated…they are actual fees that are listed separate from the tuition that all students need to pay…for example: technology fee, health fee, athletic fee, etc. etc.
In addition off campus housing is very difficult to obtain near Stony Brook. It is not a college town, they are illegal residential houses as I’m sure you are aware since you are from Long Island. Most likely, Dinacoltrane would need a car to drive to campus if you obtained off campus housing or be forced to utilize bus transportation which would add to her costs.
Dinacoltrane can take out private school loans if she really wanted to go to Stony Brook…does she realize how expensive dental school is? She should google a couple of schools for reference but on average she will be taking out dental school loans for around $300,000 to $500,000 for 4 years of dental school not including deferred interest payments on those dental school loans. Just a thought.
If grad school or pre-professional school is a must I always recommend trying to graduate from undergraduate with no loans so that they don’t have the burden of adding to their total student indebtness.
Good luck in whatever you decide Dinacoltrane…and remember when you apply to dental school the most important thing is GPA and DAT scores not necessarily what undergrad you went to. Stony Brook while it is a very good school has strong grade deflation in their predental classes and that is something else you need to consider.
All the issues surrounding Stony Brook is why I suggested Bing. The off campus housing is much cheaper than on LI*. I agree SB isn’t doable, so it’s either Hunter or Bing or a SUNY in a less expensive area of the State (but Bing is likely the best of those).
Hunter is decent and if that’s a choice that allows @dinacoltrane not to work more than 8-10 hours a week and not spend hours in transportation, then it’s the right choice. A well-balanced set of classes + enough time to understand 100%, including with office hours and tutoring (which takes time) + enough time for activities = a successful preparation for dental school.
*Average two-bedroom rentals that can thus be shared between roommates would be $700-800 a month near Bing and $2,400-2,800 near SBU.
I agree that hunter cuny is more comfortable and cheap choice, I’m just afraid that dental school Admissions will not take cuny in a consideration. I read somewhere that 3.4 at Cornell ivy is considered 4.0 at cuny. That’s why I think they might choose an SBU student over hunter cuny student.
When you apply to dental, ,edcal or law school the name of your undergrad does not matter. The only thing that matters is your GPA and your DAT. If the choice is between Cornell, hunter and a SBU, they are going to choose the one with the highest numbers. There is no bump given for undergrad.
56: Whoever told you that is WRONG. That is absolutely false. The name of the university isn't even entered in the algorithm that makes the first cut - only DAT and GPA matter. Then it'll all be on you: your activities, your interests, what you've done. All of that takes time and dedication. If Hunter is where you can thrive, then Hunter is good. You have to look at the place that'll be the most nurturing and the most likely to help you achieve your goals (check resources, facilities; think of where you'd have the most time available for everything you'll need to do for dental school. Commuting more than 30mn is a big no-no if you want dental school, for instance).
Where are you planning to work when you get to Stony Brook? Did you get awarded any Work Study? If so, how much a semester?
If you were awarded a Work Study job you’ll have to apply for jobs when you get to campus. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get one. If you do, it will be several weeks until you get paid. Work Study students are limited to 10 hours/week and the pay is $10/hour, so the most you can earn is $400/month – and that’s only until you hit your WS limit. If your award is $1200/semester, that’s all you can earn.
You said upthread that you need to raise $1,000/month to pay the direct expenses for your senior year. If you earn the full WS amount, you’ll still have to raise $600/month (probably more because you’ll need some of that $400 to live on). If you have to go off campus to do it, add the travel expenses to and from work to the total you need to raise. Does working off campus require a car?