<p>I been debating whether to go to Hunter or Geneseo. I am planing to major in the pre-med area and I really want to go to Geneseo mainly because of the academics and to able to live in a dorm (want to get away from home =p) . However for Hunter I receive a full in-state scholarship and for Geneseo my financial package require me to pay $11,000. I know it's cheaper for me a stay in Hunter, but I just don't want to stay in the city and I don't have enough money to pay for Geneseo. What should I do? </p>
<p>Can you detail what your financial aid package is like for each school - ie., list (tuition + Room&Board) - (scholarships/grants) =?
When you say your financial aid package requires you to pay $11,000, do you mean your contribution and your family’s would be $11,000 - ie., for instance, $5,500 federal loans + $2,500 work study + $600 summer job + $3,000 parents’ contribution = $11,000? Or do you mean that AFTER loans, student contribution, and work study, you still have to come up with $11,000? Which you don’t have?
If you don’t have the money, then it’s simple: you can"t go to Geneseo.
If you got scholarships and grants to cover Geneseo except for $11,000, it’s doable with federal loans, work study (or a job), and a small contribution from your parents.</p>
<p>For Hunter because I live in NYC I don’t need dorming so the tuition is $5,000 a year and I was given a full scholarship hence I don’t need to pay for anything. Geneseo tutiton is 8k and the housing is 12k and around 3k of indirect cost. My financial package said that I need to pay $11,000 from federal loans of $5,000 and $5,467 from my parents’ contribution. My mother want me to go to Hunter, but is still willingly allow me to go to Geneseo if I really want to. I heard that Hunter is very crowded in the class room which made me reluctance to go. I don’t know what choice should I make. </p>
<p>So the out of pocket, immediate costs would be $5,467 for your parents and yourself. You should offer to work and take care of the indirect costs ($500 over the summer + about $750 per semester - that adds up to fewer than 10 hours of work per week during the semester, which is very doable). That leaves about $3,500 for your parents. Can they afford it? Are they willing to spend that money on your education? If so, I’d go to Geneseo. The education there is excellent and you’d get the whole experience of learning how to live on your own, managing your time, plus residential life really benefits you both academically and generally, which is why many colleges make it compulsory for freshmen to reside on campus. it’s part of what makes college the first step into adulthood and not just the continuation of high school (as living at home/going to class/going back home is likely to feel and often “mentally” continues to be for some students.)</p>
<p>This is a commuter vs residential on campus choice. I agree with MYO, thoughout my UG career I did not gain any friends when I moved out of the dorm and commute to the Manhattan campus. It was low cost, but socially deprived.</p>
<p>Thanks MYOS1634 for your feedback, I appreciated it. =D </p>