<p>Hello,
Basically I have narrowed my choices down to two:</p>
<p>a) Spend my first two years at community college while working in the summer and transfering to NCSU with $0 in loans.
Pro: stay out of debt.
Con: won't be as involved in school because I will be a commuter at a commuter college. Also, it will be harder to get connected later on.</p>
<p>b) Go directly to NCSU while working in the summer, but also taking out about 4k in unsubsidized stafford loans each year (16-20k total).
Pro: live on campus and make more friends. (I don't have a lot of friends and I would like to branch out)
Con: as much as 20k in debt after four years.</p>
<p>Bonus question: How hard is it to get the chancellor's leadership scholarship (5k/year) at NCSU? I have an unweighted GPA of 3.67 and SAT 1900. My parents make 90k/year, so I'm not sure if I'm "needy" enough to bother applying for the scholarship, even though I'm pretty much paying for my own college.</p>
<p>That is a hard decision. I can think of a few things for you to keep in mind. One is that unsubsidized loans start accruing interest immediately, so if you take out $16,000.00 - $20,000.00 while you’re in school, the amount due when you graduate will already be higher than that and growing. You’d be surprised how quickly it grows. Subsidized loans. on the other hand, won’t accrue interest until after you graduate. You might indeed miss out on some things at NCSU by going to a community college first, but many students benefit from the smaller class sizes and also take advantage of leadership and other opportunities at the community college level that they might not have considered in a much larger school. If you work at it, you will still find friends as others will also be in your situation. Also, at a school as large as NCSU, you will certainly have the opportunity to get involved and make friends even if entering as a junior. I would recommend applying to as many scholarships as possible and wait to see what your financial aid package is. Then you can make a more informed decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>Josh,
Since the end result of both options is a Bachelors Degree from NC State, I guess I look at the situation a little differently. </p>
<p>If those are your only two choices, then basically you are asking a simple question: Is it worth $20,000 to make friends and get involved on the campus of NCSU my first 2 years, versus making friends and getting involved on the campus of my Community College my first two years. $20k is alot of money just to be able to say your lived in a dorm and made a few friends. </p>
<p>There is very little downside to go the CC route, transfer to NCSU and earn your Bachelors debt free. You can then start your career (or pursue whatever your passion) free of loan payments. If you want to take out loans, do it for a graduate degree if you want. You didn’t mention what your career aspirations are, but a graduate degree in most careers carries a nicer starting wage, which makes loan payments a bit easier to manage (and pay off sooner). </p>
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