<p>My parents told me they wouldn’t mind cosigning if it isn’t too much. It’s likely that I would only have to take out some private loans my first year there. I hope that would be manageable.</p>
<p>Oh I forgot, I will have around twelve college credits + any AP credits. The college credits were 115$ per credit hour, while mizzou’s rate would be 749$ per credit hour I believe. That would save ~7600$.</p>
<p>Read post 9 again…and discuss this with your parents. They may NOT be willing to leave you off as a dependent on their taxes. Also, you will need to pay four housing during that summer,many find yourself a job there.</p>
<p>I’m not sure gaining that instate residency is as EASY as you think it is. If it were THAT easy, most OOS students would be paying instate rates after their freshman year.</p>
<p>Find an ABET accredited university that is affordable either because of the cost, or including guaranteed scholarships.</p>
<p>Many OOS students seem to think that they will easily be able to qualify for instate residency after their freshman year. That is simply NOT the case.</p>
<p>It is fun to assume and hope for the best when making future plans, but one truly has to also prepare fro the worst. Well, maybe not the absolute worst, but, what I am saying and others here as well, is that you cannot count on getting in state rates. You cannot count on getting out with an engineering degree. You cannot count on engineering or such work being a fit for you even if you get out. And you cannot count on getting a high paying job in engineering right off the bat, or even for a few years thereafter.</p>
<p>You can count on those loans coming due. Oh, yes, they will. And if they are the cosigned ones, let there be no mistake, their terms are harsh when you can’t make them. They often have heavy duty penalties and not the flexibility that the Direct loans do. You also cannot count on your parents qualifying as a cosigner on them, as they do look at credit report, job history and income. The PLUS Direct Loans are generally a lot easier to get for low income families, as income is not in the picture for those loans And the cosigned loans go right on both parties, parent and student, credit reports, so it’s not like the parent dodges that bullet by cosigning rather than taking out the PLUS. </p>
<p>If Mizzou can give you a package that is doable, and I mean doable with the Direct loans; maybe if your parents apply fro PLUS and are declined, you take out the extra you are then permitted, so you are about $50K in debt rather than the usual $30K; maybe that is a stretch worth doing. </p>
<p>IMO, with parents who are PELL eligible, taking on any more debt that you have to, is a bad risk. You are simply not going to get monetary support from your family like a lot of kids will, so it is not a level playing field for you. The aid from families does not usually stop after school is over, either. Most kids need a little time and help to get on their feet and settled, even in the best scenarios. You need to understand that you are not going to get that, as the money simply is not there, and you really don’t want to be even more of a financial need to your parents than you absolutely have to be. It’s tough enough for them. Being served up with hefty loan payments after graduation is a big stress factor. </p>
<p>Life is not smooth and simple, and things don’t always work out as planned. So having financial leeway makes things a bit easier or simply less painful. My kids had some rough stretches, but at least they did not have that loan hanging over their heads. Makes a big difference. If you have to borrow to go anywhere, you do have the automatic Student direct loans, but beyond that, you are really stepping into some nasty much and mire–quicksand if things don’t go right job and paywise. </p>
<p>So, yes, make sure you have some schools on your list that you can truly afford. Local commuter state schools are a good bet, and then see if any fin aid packages make the other schools doable. But in your case, taking out a lot of loans based on future plans is not a good idea.</p>
<p>Another thing I am considering doing is studying pre-engineering at Southeast Missouri (automatic full ride with my stats) then pursuing an actual engineering degree at mizzou or elsewhere. SEMO lacks engineering degrees.</p>
<p>Nick…there are plenty of affordable,schools,where you can get an engineering degree. They are NOT all located in Missouri. You are sounding like you MUST attend college in Missouri. Why would that be?</p>
<p>To be honest, I would NOT waste my time on a “preengineering” degree.</p>
<p>Sorry I didn’t clarify there. Since semo doesn’t offer engineering, they have a 2 year pre-engineering program (taking prereqs and gen ed) with easy transfers to mizzou and missouri s&t. And it would be free to attend. And what affordable schools would you suggest? I’m having trouble finding some where I would only be 10-20k in debt after 4 years.</p>
<p>Potentially affordable schools:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-2.html#post15889078</a></p>
<p>Addressing some of the colleges on the first list (personally I don’t think I would be a good candidate for the competitor ones):
Alabama: an option, but my mom won’t even talk about it due to distance. I could probably come up with some way to pay room, board, expenses, travel with the extra $2500 without having to take out loans other than federal. </p>
<p>IPFW- not considering, I have better options ; heard it was a suitcase school and degrees come not from neither Purdue nor Indiana. </p>
<p>Troy: don’t even know if they have engineering or where it is</p>
<p>Howard: dc, historically black, not for me</p>
<p>Northern illinois: if I could get that 23500 that would be an excellent option, but they don’t have the major I am interested in, but I might be able to live with that</p>
<p>Not a huge amount of good engineering schools on that list</p>
<p>Troy doesn’t have eng’g.</p>
<p>I don’t like the transfer idea because even if you had instate for the last two years, you’d have to pay all costs…no merit for transfers. The COA for Mizzou for instate would be too high to cover with fed loans and small parent contribution.</p>
<p>Your stats are too high to start at SEMO, which is likely a commuter/suitcase school. </p>
<p>While your mom may not like the distance to Bama, with air travel, it’s not a big deal time-wise.</p>
<p>Like I said upstream…you seem fixated on attending college as an out of state student in Missouri. Could you please explain why that is the case…especially when it now sounds like you will not consider schools OOS elsewhere?</p>
<p>Start college at a school where you can get an engineering degree. Do NOT waste your time on a PRE engineering program elsewhere. Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>Also, you are getting excellent advice here…but you don’t seem open minded about that information at all. </p>
<p>Please…explain why going to college in Missouri is a top priority for you.</p>
<p>I would think that I might still qualify for some financial aid, even if a transfer student. I will try to discuss Alabama a little more with her and see if we can reach an agreement or compromise. I agree with the stats thing, but it is absolutely free haha. So it is an option.</p>
<p>Are you in the midwest? Mizzou participates in the midwest exchange program.</p>
<p>“I would think…” </p>
<p>Well, you can think as you please. But the reality is that transfers come LAST in terms of getting finacial aid. FIrst the incoming freshman to build the new class, then the returnees and then the transfers. Yes, you’ll qualify for the entitlements, but a lot of colleges give zip, zilch, zero of their own funds, especially grants to most of their own students, and transfers are at the end of the line. Look and see the % of kids getting full need met at the schools you are considering. And those are the kids that ACCEPTED the offers, not the ones that said, forget it, can’t afford it. Most schools gap most students. And the aid offered often includes loans and work study. Which means those loans (Direct Loans) and work hours cannot be used to pay your EFC. You can get sewn up pretty tightly that way. </p>
<p>As I have repeatedly said, go right on ahead and apply any and everywhere, but spend most of your time focusing on some schools you know you can afford.</p>
<p>So what if that school is absolutely free. It is PRE engineering, not engineering. If you really want to major in engineering, go to a school that has engineering as a MAJOR. Otherwise, you are churning your wheels.</p>
<p>Sorry…you need to keep looking…with an OPEN MIND for affordable colleges that have YOUR major…with the option of transferring to a different major just in case engineering doesn’t end up working out.</p>
<p>And look beyond Missouri. There are plenty of colleges in other states. I’m still not certain why there is a “must go to Missouri” feeling by the OP.</p>
<p>I have looked at that, but mwse doesn’t do engineering majors, and mizzou is out of it fall 2014, which happens to be my entering semester. I thought about trying to go there summer 2014 so I could lock in the rate, but since they don’t offer engineering with mwse it is useless</p>
<p>Well, it is my first choice… So idk why you are raging. And I am considering others. The thing is, with my needs (engineering school with either good financial aid or merit aid), there just don’t seem to be that many options. I might be applying to Notre dame and wash u due to their high tuition high aid models.</p>
<p>At semo I would be taking almost the same classes I would at mizzou for the first two years (few specific engineering classes).</p>
<p>*I would think that I might still qualify for some financial aid, even if a transfer student.</p>
<p>I will try to discuss Alabama a little more with her and see if we can reach an agreement or compromise.*</p>
<p>the only aid you’d get as a transfer student is the small amount of Pell that you might get. You wouldn’t get merit. </p>
<p>Schools give the BEST aid to incoming frosh because their RANKINGS are based on the quality of their incoming frosh class. Transfers don’t help them at all with rankings.</p>
<p>Get your mom to visit Bama. Once she sees the campus and sees that air-travel between Illinois and alabama isn’t a big deal at all. There are some direct flights.</p>
<p>Thank you mom2collegekids for BEING HELPFUL. I REALLY appreciate IT. But really, I do appreciate it.</p>
<p>So am I incorrect in thinking that schools still give some institutional aid to transfers?</p>
<p>According to Collegeboard, SEMU is a commuter campus. I can almost assure you that you will hate that once you’re there. Everyone will be going home at night and on weekends. The school doesn’t likely have enough going on during weekends to keep kids there.</p>
<p>*A medium-sized, 4-year, public university. This coed college is located in a large town in a suburban setting and is primarily a commuter campus. *</p>