<p>My cousin's son has wanted to go to OSU for a long time. His financial aid package gave him enough aid to bring it down to instate tuition. EFC = $1,000. He has tried private loans, but was told he needs a cosigner, unfortunately which is not available. (After he and his mom moved to North Carolina a few years ago, with the housing crunch and not being able to sell their housing, she filed for bankrupcty. )</p>
<p>Even if he could get the loans I don't think any school is worth $80,000 in loans, even if it is your dream school. I've told them I think they have four options:</p>
<ol>
<li> for him to live with us for a year and work in order to gain instate residence in Ohio, making sure he meets the requirements. I am concerned, however, that if he gets instate residence, he's not guaranteed to get financial aid, meaning the cost could end up being similar to out of state with financial aid. OSU seems to have been more generous with out of staters than residents in the last few years.</li>
<li> apply for an ROTC scholarship.</li>
<li> go to a community college in North Carolina, try to finish at UNC, a superior school to OSU, with good grades, and then try OSU for grad school.</li>
<li> take a gap year and then apply to schools he qualifies for that are known to be generous with financial aid.</li>
</ol>
<p>Option #2 should not be on the table unless he primarily wants to serve our country, but be able to get through school beforehand, not the other way around. Because it sounds like the ROTC scholarship is just to pay for school, I could be wrong, but it irks me that people take ROTC money and not really have their heart in the right place for it.</p>
<p>But no, no school is worth 80K in loans for undergraduate.</p>
<p>They all sound like possibilities that are better than taking on $80K in loans, even if that were possible. You might want to double check that your idea on residency matches Ohio State’s current rules.</p>
<p>Residency often is tied to parents’ residency, unless someone is 24.</p>
<p>Twos years of community college in NC, and do very well. Then look at options. OSU might come back into play, depending on aid or merit (not generally very much for transfers, though) or finish in state.</p>
<p>Getting an ROTC scholarship is not easy. It is a long, selective process. Not only is it something that a person should want to do, there are safeguards in there so that the enthusiasm and motivation of the candidate are noted. He needs a good academic record and high test scores to get the award. He could go ROTC at any school that has a unit and get some compensation, but those big scholarships are true prizes for the top candidates.</p>
<p>You need to look at the Ohio State residency requirements v-e-r-y carefully and find out how they are enforced. If he is under age 24, it could be risky. </p>
<p>IMO, staying home and finding a job, going to school part time at a local school would be the best option. One can see how he does in college and if he finds good direction and does well, taking loans and some major chances to finish up would be a calculated risk. Right out of college, until the kid is tried and proven to be ready to do college work, it’s really a lottery ticket we are buying for them, a very expensive one, to see if it works out. He and his family don’t have the funds to play around with those odds.</p>
<p>Most people get their college degrees, bit by bit, working and on a part time basis at a local school.</p>
<p>I would go for #3. But, does he have great grades and test scores? If so, another option is to apply direct admit to UNC who has a great financial aid program. The Carolina covenant for low income students is an amazing program. In-state admission to UNC is not as tough as in-state, but even in-state you should have minimum SATs of 2100+ and take the toughest course load your school offers with mostly A’s.</p>
<p>UNC is not the only game in the state, and they have other campuses than CH. If he got into OSU with an award, he could have likely gotten something nice in some of the other NC colleges, maybe not CH as they are highly selective but, say NC State or some other UNC campus. My friends daughter got close to a full ride at one of the ancillary campuses but was denied at CH. DId he even apply to the NC state schools? If not, perhaps he should take a gap year, and redo his college apps, targeting what is available instate and locally…</p>
<p>I agree that he has good options in NC, and not just UNC CH. Depending on what he wants to study, NC State has some great programs, as do the other UNC campuses.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if I implied that UNC-CH was the only good option. There many other great schools in NC. I only mentioned UNC as they meet 100% need and the others do not. My impression from the OP is that his award was based on financial need. But yes, the cousin’s son should take a gap year and consider all the options in NC.</p>
<p>I believe he is right at the top 10% of his class. I am not sure of his SAT score but don’t think it is at 2100. Yes, the award was based on financial need. I think he just wants to get back to Ohio; he says he hates North Carolina (well, at least the area where he lives now). Thanks for your suggestions; I just want to help them out.</p>
<p>NC State also meets full need for low-income, UNC-CH has the Carolina Covenant while NCSU has Pack Promise which also guarantees to meet 100% of need. They are FAFSA schools.</p>
<p>These 2 programs are not just financial but provide additional support for issues that low-income students encounter.</p>
<p>There are 16 campuses in-state and are each very unique. Some were started as teaching colleges, ag and tech schools, liberal art schools and were brought into the UNC system for many different reasons. It is similar to the UC system with the many campuses however, the origins and their respective cultures are very, very different then the UCs. Some are small under 4000 students while others are much larger research institutions.</p>
<p>NC State has engineering, as does UNC Charlotte, and NC A&T all ABET accredited. Some have programs within different colleges at the univeristies that are ABET accredited. UNC Greensboro and NC A&T have a brand new joint venture school of Nanoengineering/nanoscience with a new campus offering BS, MS and Phds. UNC Chapel Hill and NCSU also have a joint degree program in biomedical engineering, with NCSU offering a new degree in Genetics.</p>
<p>UNC Asheville is nestled in the mountains offering a liberal arts expereince similar to some of the more prestigious LACs at an in-state tuition rate that puts the other LACs to shame. The School of Fine and performing arts doesn’t just offer a path to MT and broadway productions but also houses a boarding school for 11th and 12th graders, free of charge to all NC residents. A like corresponding high-school for STEM is housed in Durham, also a boarding school free of charge run by UNC.</p>
<p>There are several HBCUs within the UNC system and have maintained their long-standing traditions and history while being able to offer in-state tuition for about $1500-$2000 per semester. </p>
<p>Between the numerous campuses, there is a plethora of majors, minors and more electives than one can imagine. And for NC residents it is truly a bargain.</p>
<p>I would strongly advise the student to re-examine his options and if need be, and depending on his current stats, aim for one of the UNC campuses. With an EFC of $1k he has so many more ways within NC to walk away with a FANTASTIC education and no debt.</p>
<p>As a single mom with 5 kiddos moving to NC from CA allowed all my children to attend college.</p>
<p>UC in-state tuition and COA was unattainable for us even with financial aid and scholarships.</p>
<p>And even better than in-state undergraduate tuition is the grad school, med school, vet school, law school and business school tuition. The availability of scholarships, fellowships and grants is remarkable.</p>
<p>Tuition for UNC med school last year was $14k for the year. Compare to others in the $55K-$65K tuition per year without room, board or living expenses. ECU’s med school is several thousand per year cheaper. And scholarships are available from these schools. NCSU’s vet school is in the top 3 in the US and again in-state tuition is unbelievable.</p>
<p>UNC’s School of Public Health is ranked #2 right behind Johns Hopkins and ABOVE Harvard’s, which in itself is amazing. And their tuition is lower than the med schools.</p>
<p>So although we benefitted from the amazing opportunities for undergrad, our real motivation was the grad programs, and the professional schools. Literally mind blowing.</p>
<p>Again I moved from CA to NC, and everyday am eternally grateful we did.</p>
<p>Susan, your nephew is likely focused on one thing, which is getting back to Ohio. People get that kind of mindset and tunnel vision and it takes a lot for them to take their sights off of what they have been eyeing and thinking about for a long time. He has a lot of alternatives, but doesn’t want them.</p>
<p>^I agree, and I think there is also the fear factor of having to announce to people that you are not going to the dream school (how many thousands of kids are going through this right now?). They are lucky they have Facebook. I would just go on, make the annoucement and it would be old news tomorrow.</p>
<p>Susan, I would like to add that NC is a diverse state. If he doesn’t like where he lives, there are colleges on the coast, in the mountains, more rural and in more urban areas. The amendment 1 vote is proving much diversity between liberal and conservative as well (much to my dismay since it looks like it will pass). You’ll find most campuses liberal, particularly UNC CHH and it’s town. But many of the UNC system satellite campuses are in more conservative areas. It sounds like your cousin’s son just misses Ohio. But, we have a ton of Ohio transplants. </p>
<p>Great post katwkittens and thanks for the rundown on options and correcting me about NC State. I agree that UNC Asheville is wonderful for anyone who wants an affordable LAC experience. Not only do you save money for college moving here, but the cost of living is much lower. My house which is the same size as my brother’s in CA is $800K less expensive.</p>