@happymomof1 I do think that SF weather is generally great! I decided not to dwell on the weather too much when I’m making my college decisions. I tend to be very weather-tolerant, and I might as well experience different climates while I’m experiencing new locations! The thing that I may not be able to tolerate is the gloom! Even SF’s notoriously gloomy Sunset District (I grew up there for a bit as well) isn’t as gloomy as what I experienced at UIUC :’( I think transportation shouldn’t be an issue. There are shuttles from UIUC to O’Hare for a decent price. My dad was asking about it when we visited, and he seemed pretty impressed. I do know it’s easy to get to the airport from UMN, though! I took the lightrail from our hotel near campus to the airport. The lightrail is really convenient and inexpensive. I liked it a lot more than our local BART system!
@ucbalumnus Thank you! My school counselor told me to look into Parent loans, but she was unsure of the details herself, so it’s great to have information. My parents are actually extremely well off, but my mom basically said she doesn’t want to sacrifice her vacation plans for my education if I’m not going to MIT (to which I didn’t apply). I get it and respect it, as it’s her hard-earned money, not mine. In this case, would you say Parent loans are a decent plan?