<p>They’re redoing the meal plans for next year (which a lot of the upperclassmen aren’t thrilled about…) but apparently the cheapest plan for freshmen is now $1525 per semester, which is 225 meals/semester (~14 meals a week) plus $150 food dollars which can be used in Benson, Subway, and Starbucks. I had 14 meals as a freshman which was plenty for me, but I had a car and would go off campus and get stuff from the grocery store to eat, so you’re still spending a little money to feed yourself those days. So you might be able to shave about $800 off the board cost.</p>
<p>You can’t do much about the room cost, but you can save a lot by not buying your books from the bookstore (the biggest ripoff there is). It’s a little hard to do it your first semester unless you don’t mind being without your books for the first week or so - yall won’t register until about 3 days before classes start, but you could always borrow a friend’s book if needed. I spend maybe $250 at most per semester buying my books online and that’s only because I usually have a bunch of science books to buy.</p>
<p>I believe you can also appeal the aid package they gave you, because that does seem like a lot of loan money. If they refuse to move on the loans they give you…honestly, UNC is not a terrible school. I love Wake, but I’m not sure that that burden of loans makes it worth it, especially if you’re looking at pricey grad schools later on.</p>
<p>So we HAVE to pay for food as part of the costs?</p>
<p>I honestly don’t eat much at all. I could survive off of ramen and mac&cheese.</p>
<p>Buying books from the internet seems like a good idea. Does it really matter that we won’t have books the first week or two? (the time it takes for the online order to process and be shipped) Could we just hang out in the bookstore and read it, and not buy it? Haha.</p>
<p>Thanks juba2jive. Does anyone else have any tips on how to shave off more money and/or a good way to negotiate aid? Anything will be helpful! I really like Wake and I want to attend so badly, but I cannot be chained with that much debt just for undergrad.</p>
<p>Well, it depends on your classes as to how crucial it is to have the book when class starts (like if you take math your first semester you’re probably going to have homework due before your book gets there). But as freshmen, you can probably find somebody in your dorm that’s in your class or that you’ve met during orientation that will let you borrow their copy. Once I was beyond my first semester, I would usually email my profs over the summer/during winter break to ask what book we needed and then go ahead and buy it. I’ve found that prices are a lot better online if you don’t wait until you go back to school and see the book list in the bookstore…because then every other college student in America that needs that book is also looking to buy it on Amazon, and the price goes up.</p>
<p>And yeah, unfortunately, they make you buy a meal plan…</p>
<p>wjh-- I agree w/ rockerguy-- Go heels! Save as much $ money as possible and then get a masters (does Wake have grad school?)-- you’ll need it if you want any jobs in corporate, academic, gov’t. Also it’s not fun to be so straddled for cash, when so many of your peers will not have that problem. You are probably bigger than that but the demographics & socioeconomics will be more diversified in a public school U-- where most of the kids are very comfortable with complaining about not having extra$ for springbreak, etc. </p>
<p>I am surrounded w/ corporate elite friends/bosses who say it’s not where you go but how motivated you are.
One way to keep expenses down, alot, is to become an RA in junior year. It’s a great gig and will save you from taking out more loans. Do it wherever you go.</p>
<p>Also your Dad maybe able to qualify for his undergraduate degree if he speaks to the college where he went and they might apply his own “life skills” to college credit if he writes a couple of papers on it.</p>
<p>Wake is no different than the vast majority of schools in counting loans as part of their need based aid. Only a few schools with huge endowments are able to offer no loans up to EFC and a few more cap the total amount of loans. Wake is not one of those huge endowment schools. Wake’s committment of meeting 100% of need based aid and counting the loans as part of that is not exactly deceptive, it is simply business as usually in the university environment in general. </p>
<p>Need based grant aid will be down at a lot of private schools this year with finanacial aid packages carrying a heavier loan component. University endowment income has taken some major hits with the financial collapse, just like ordinary citizens’ retirement accounts. </p>
<p>So, what to do now? Since you are a North Carolina resident, is there any way you and your father could actually go to Wake and talk with a financial aid officer? Talking with financial aid on the phone would be okay but face to face is more productive. Yes, I have known of students who were very committed to Wake who were able to get a little more in grant/scholarship aid by discussing it with Wake. Decide how much you would be willing to take out in loans for Wake. They won’t give you a free ride. They expect that if they are willing to take a chance on you, you will be willing to commit some amount of money in loans for them. $56,000 IS a lot of money. But, do you think you would be willing to do $35,000, $20,000? That’s the price of a new car or a good down payment on a house. Is a Wake education as valuable to you as a new car or a down payment on a house? Know this before you talk with them. </p>
<p>At Wake, I believe you can be an RA your sophomore year. That is always a good option. However, it is not guaranteed as you can’t always count on being selected. Keep this in mind before you make a commitment. Also, you cannot opt out of a food plan if you live on campus any year. Wake sets the minimum you must buy. It is a smaller amount for the apts with kitchens (not available to freshmen) but then dorm costs of those are higher so it could be a wash financially. </p>
<p>Getting your hopes up would not be the best idea right now and you do have a really good backup - Way to Go! But, if you and your Dad talk with them and they won’t budge, you won’t be any worse off than you are now. They may not be able to offer more grant aid until they see how their acceptances are going so it could take a couple of weeks but if you want Wake that badly, I would certainly give it a try. Can’t hurt and could help make this possible. Good Luck!</p>
<p>zixxa, Thank you for the post. Just wanted to note that on Wake’s Financial Aid website, they said that they do MAX loans at 4k/year for families making 40,000 or less. I know my family made more than that in 2008, but not by much. That is why I was under the (I guess false) impression that loans for people making 50,000 or so should probably be around 6-8k a year if they max loans at 4k for people making 40,000 a year.</p>