<p>Yeah, I live in entitlement city, too.</p>
<p>And I happen to be a big fan of the community college to state school route, but in the state of Illinois, this isn’t doable. </p>
<p>The four year universities are too expensive.</p>
<p>Truly they are. Even for two years.</p>
<p>Where I live, one can be in one of the richest neighborhoods in the country, but interspersed are areas in the county where things aren’t so good. I live less than a mile from a “guest worker” pick up site. Then you cross into the Bronx where Mother Therese felt were plenty of the poorest of the poor.</p>
<p>The problem is when you live in a podule where the families are all making more than yours, you can feel pretty danged poor in contrast. I’ve had issues with my own kids with this sort of thinking.</p>
<p>Okay, I see she has good offers. I’m wrong.</p>
<p>If the state school is Polarscribe’s, shame on that state, as I have stated. But we are looking at a situation where a family making $130K can’t come up with the $30K for State U…I don’t see where any state or financial aid from any college will subsidize much of that. I think it’s one of those situations where there is expectations for that free ride. and it’s not gonna happen except at the school where the student gets merit. </p>
<p>Where the issue can get painful is if the family is recovering from some financial crisis, or as Jazmine alludes, when there are family issues outside of the nuclear family that come up and money is so used. But we can’t start including a lot of that in the formulas simply because the money is not there to do so. Private schools can do what they please, and if they really want a kid, might work out something, especially with merit money. But for pure financial aid, too many of us have stories. I have my stories too.</p>
<p>Cpt-
I thought I stated it before, but maybe I didn’t- my state school would cost me roughly 30k a year. My first choice was a private liberal arts school, but it is too expensive and I accept that, and I haven’t brought it up. I knew that I most likely wouldn’t be able to afford it, but there was a chance so I applied and was fortunate enough to be accepted. I haven’t been whining or complaining over not being able to afford a school that costs 62k a year, but my state school, which I happily would attend if it was a cheaper option. </p>
<p>I didn’t mean to complain, only to say my situation. Yes I am upset that I can’t afford my top choice but I dealt with it and it is what it is. I keep bringing up particulars if my situation because some keep attacking my family as if my parents are stupid for not making better financial decisions. They’re not perfect but you are in no position to judge. Maybe I’m just being overly sensitive, but I was kind of hurt.</p>
<p>Anyway, to the poster who wrote about becoming an RA, thank you- I planned on applying for an RA position my sophomore year if I believed that it would be a good fit for me. I don’t want to do a job that I’m only doing to get free room and board- I wouldn’t be as effective if I did.</p>
<p>I think the true problem lies in the cost of college tuition.</p>
<p>If NEU is a school on your list, I hear through the CC grapevine that there may be a lot of job openings next year. But you had better make your rounds if you get that job. </p>
<p>You can see very clearly how I stand about state schools that cost $30K a year and the price increases in the state schools, in one of my posts. I say, Shame on them, and I mean it. I feel grateful that I am in a state where the state schools are at the $20K level with room and board and still feel that they can do more to bring the price down and make them accessible to more of the students there. </p>
<p>But that would not help you anyways if your parents are not going to pay anything.</p>
<p>And 0123, that is a problem, but when we are talking private schools, they can charge what they want and discount as they please too. No one is ENTITLED to a private school, not for Kindergarten, not for highschool and not for college. The private colleges get too much of our public dollars as it is.</p>
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<p>I think this is just the basic, unavoidable truth.</p>
<p>The problem lies in the cost of some colleges’ tuitions. The ones in my state, the public ones, for instaters is reasonable, imo and make going to a local state u or community college an option for most everyone. The room and board, … that’s a whole other story. Some state schools, well, that’s another. As for private college tuition costs, I agree they are outrageously high, but that’s their right. They are private. I swear, I’d cut federal grants, loans and backing of loans from them in a heartbeat if I could.</p>
<p>My confusion is that I don’t see people saying or acting like they are ENTITLED to a private school education (or that the college OWES them money). Yes, lots of folks are upset and frustrated that a private school won’t work for them because they would REALLY REALLY LOVE a private school education, but that’s different than believing that they’re entitled. This is where I think sometimes people take what someone says and interpret it in the worst way possible.</p>
<p>Jazmine, I remember you from the Macaulay thread. To the average person, I don’t think you come across as whiny, complaining, or entitled. You’ve been open to sharing your situation, and it’s been a positive contribution to the conversation. You seem mature and level-headed, and I bet you’ll do great wherever you end up.</p>
<p>Macaulay?? Isn’t that a NYC school, part of the CUNY system?? What are you doing with Macaulay?</p>
<p>Jazmine, I am confused. You say you are from NY and are accepted to SUNY-Albany. Their COA is about $20,000, not counting books, if I read the website correctly. Are there other costs not listed? </p>
<p>I’m sorry you didn’t get as much aid as hoped for at some of your schools, but you do have plenty of company in your financial difficulties. Lots of people in your situation right now, realizing that the FA offers don’t line up with parent’s ability/perceived ability/willingness to pay. </p>
<p>Since you are National Achievement, someone should have advised you to apply to some schools with large automatic scholarships as safeties. I’m not sure, but some of them may still accept applications at this late date and would have lower extra costs than NEU. People always talk about Alabama. They specifically include Nat. Achievement on their page. They still pay first year rm/bd costs, and the fees are also covered, which NEU scholarship does not (I think.) You would have to pay rm/bd after freshman yr., but could work summers and pt time at school and have time to figure out where to get rest of money.</p>
<p>When we were at ASU last week we met an NMF doing an overnight who hadn’t applied yet and they were still going to accept her. At ASU the rm/bd (which you have to pay) is kind of pricey, $12,000, but just saying to illustrate that you can find options <$20,000 and certainly <$30,000.</p>
<p>I applied to Macaulay and was accepted- that was the full ride that I mentioned in an earlier post. My original order of my schools was Wesleyan, WUSTL, NEU, UMBC, Case Western, and then Macaulay because I’ve had multiple issues with the CUNY system, and Macaulay(particularly with administration.) Because of my issues with Macaulay and its location, and other smaller issues, I decided that I prefer NEU over it since those were the two most affordable options, however I may go to Macaulay anyway because of finances, depending on if my parents can get the 5k per year together for Northeastern, so I will take out federal loans and get a job to cover the rest.</p>
<p>I would be in a specific program that requires more money.</p>
<p>Fosterte-</p>
<p>Thank you. I think that I will show this thread to my parents and go over what we should do next. I thank all who gave helpful advice, and even to those who did not. I don’t think I’m going to post on this thread any longer as I think I have stirred up controversy which is not what I intended- I’m sorry.</p>
<p>Gah, she might well live down the street from me. SUNY/CUNY do not cost $30K a year which is what threw me as she said her state school cost that much. I thought she was from IL and that her state U and her first choice private both came to $30K out of pocket.</p>
<p>Good luck Jazmine. It looks like $5K is the final obstacle here, not $30K, and I think you and your family will find a way to get that.</p>
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I feel grateful that I am in a state where the state schools are at the $20K level with room and board and still feel that they can do more to bring the price down and make them accessible to more of the students there.
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<p>cpt, I’ve gathered you’re from New York, and so I am. I truly don’t think SUNY can do any more to bring the price down. They simply can’t. They’ve been hit too hard since 2007 in the state budget. For the past five years, their funding has either been cut or held level. Meanwhile, they’ve had to find a way to absorb all of their increased expenses. In-state tuition at the 4-year and above schools, in that time period, has gone from $4,350 to $5,570. It might seem like a lot percent-wise, but I think it’s actually quite reasonable for a 5-year change. Many of the schools have seen an increase in enrollment, thereby allowing more students to have an affordable college option, but even with that, there’s a limit as to how many more students can be served within a campus’s current infrastructure before there are negative consequences for especially the students (e.g. tripled dorm rooms, crowded classes, etc.). </p>
<p>I believe the SUNY campuses are doing as well as they can given the circumstances. I think the state has to do a whole lot better supporting the institutions and hence students that enroll at them. I don’t know much of anything about how the CUNY schools are faring.</p>
<p>Like you, though, I feel grateful to live in a state that does have so many public options at relatively reasonable rates.</p>
<p>[Hmmm. I did a search on how to quote and gave it a shot, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. Oh well!]</p>
<p>Fosterte, I have no complaint about the tuition, but the room and board is expensive, especially in the outlying SUNYs where the prices and real estate are not so expensive. </p>
<p>I’d also love to see the system be given a boost and attract more OOSers and more of our top in state kids. </p>
<p>As I’ve said in other posts, I’d like to see the federal and state money being given to the private schools diverted to the state ones to bring prices down, shore up the basic local schools and work on making the main universities more desirable, on level with the CA, VA, MI flagships.</p>
<p>Yes, and the mandatory fees, typically between $1000 and $2000 a year, need to be considered as well. But with the historically low tuition and especially with the recent cuts in funding, it’s not surprising these other costs are as high as they are. I would LOVE for SUNY to have more name recognition across the country, but it’s tough to pick “favorites” (i.e. flagships) in a system that’s always treated the campuses as equally as possible.</p>
<p>OOSers are an interesting population. They are good for the colleges in that they bring in higher tuition dollars and increase diversity, but then you run into the controversy of whether or not they’re taking spots from NYers, who especially in this crazy economy really need them. </p>
<p>While S isn’t an elite student, I think he’d generally be considered a top student. My beef with the SUNY he applied to is that we’ve never felt like they give a darn about having him. Other schools (both private and out-of-state public) have called him, personalized his acceptance letter by making specific references about his interests, hand-written him notes, sent him a holiday card, etc. And they send him e-mails on a decently regular basis. His SUNY school? Not a thing. And even though his stats are exceptional for the school, they haven’t recognized that in any way whatsoever - not a token merit award, not an invitation to apply to their honors program, nothing. There’s been essentially no communication from them at all. Not surprisingly, and unfortunately, it’s ended up being his last choice. I feel like they know they’ll get enough enrollment due to their being cheaper for most NYS residents, so why put any particular effort into it? </p>
<p>I have heard through the grapevine that a few of the SUNY schools, though, are very good at reaching out to their accepted students, and I hope it’s something the others will someday try to learn from.</p>
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<p>Be careful what you wish for cpt!! Michigan is definitely on a very high level academically, but from a financial standpoint it’s very hit or miss, especially with merit money. Our D1 had great stats (IS, 3.99UW/4.2W/36/2400) and was offered a one-time $1500 scholarship. OOS students will often get offered $10K per year, but with the high OOS tuition rates that doesn’t even cover the difference between IS and OOS. The Shipman Society offers a competitive full-ride to a small number of students, but they’re very hard to come by.</p>
<p>Their basic approach seems to be that they don’t need to offer a lot of merit money, as there are plenty of kids (OOS in particular) who will pay full freight (or slightly discounted at best) to attend. They have one of the largest endowments of any public university in the nation, so you wouldn’t think availability of funding would be too much of an issue. They’re not wrong in their interpretation, but many IS families think U of M is starting to “read its own press clippings” a little too much.</p>