Hey, I have a unique situation that I need help with.
I am currently an out-of-state undergraduate at the University of Vermont double majoring in Chemistry and Physics.
I slacked through highschool and botched my college applications so I ended up with only 2 colleges:
University of Vermont and a local low ranking cheaper in-state university.
My parents made the decision of going to the University of Vermont because it was higher ranked and easier to transfer from, however it is much more expensive and my parents have a hard time affording it.
Now, I have two options: Transferring to a university with a similar reputation (or better) that is cheaper, or obtaining scholarships and additional aid to help pay.
I understand how hard it is to transfer, however since I’m not getting much need-based aid I have to rely on merit aid or scholarships.
UVM doesn’t offer much merit aid as is and I’ve attempted searching for scholarships and most of them do not fit my demographic (white, male, no extra talents)
So which do you think is a better path for me? We truly feel stuck in making a decision
Also what are some good resources and recommendations? Searching up scholarships and talking with a finaid adviser at UVM didn’t help and I’m not sure what schools are both of the same reputation as UVM but cheaper.
Which state do you live in? Instate tuition is usually much cheaper, even without merit.
Scholarships are usually more plentiful for fresh out of high school students.
@mommdc Florida
But tbh I would rather go to school out of state because I’m sick of Florida
How much can you and your parents afford to pay each year for your remaining years?
Are you a freshman?
Well if it’s affordable that’s one thing, but if it’s not then you have to find an affordable school where you can pursue your major in Florida. What is your GPA? Do any Florida schools offer transfer scholarships?
For Chemistry and Physics you should focus more on the program than on the prestige.
@Madison85 Yes I’m a freshman, and I would have to ask my mom, but I also have an older sister in school (her school offers full need-based tuition but my parents still pay for room and board) and my parents told me that they can still afford UVM but we have to sacrifice things like vacations and both my parents have to work a lot harder for me plus pay back loans after. It’s only because I messed up college applications that I’m stuck in this situation. Our income bracket is in the 60k range if that helps
@mommdc Does it have to be in Florida? Are there other schools that offer good need-based aid? My sister transferred and got full tuition from her out of state school but it was more selective also
GPA is 3.83 for my first term of college (high school GPA was much lower)
Not sure about transfer scholarships, but I can check that. Thanks
And for Chem/phys you mean if I transfer look into the program rankings rather than overall?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/934239-best-physics-colleges-in-florida.html
here is a thread that talks about good physics programs in Florida. Your goal should be to find a program where you can do substantial research, for grad school you can still look at OOS schools if you do well in undergrad.
Most state schools should have good chemistry programs so I would focus on physics.
There is no reason to rack up debt for undergrad programs. Find a school that is more affordable, and do not look at rankings. Focus on whether the physics/chemistry departments can meet your needs. My D is a chemistry major and chose a school that has a ACS approved chemistry major. Her school is not highly ranked on the national level, and that is okay with us.
Your college education is mainly guided by your effort. You have to reach out to professors, you have to apply for research jobs, you have to find summer internships that will make you more interesting to future employers. Once you get your first job out of college, the name on your diploma becomes very unimportant.
You’re not likely going to get scholarships as a transfer that will cost less than what OOS Vermont costs.
How much will your parents pay each year?
@mommdc @powercropper Thanks. It didn’t really answer my question though. I already knew these things.
But doesn’t prestige help to get into a better grad school though? Same with applying for summer opportunities, finding good professors, etc.
Even given those things, my mom made me choose UVM over the other school because of prestige and opportunities. She personally will not accept a “downgrade.” So even if prestige doesn’t matter in general, it does to her.
So I guess my dilemma is to find other schools to apply to besides University of Florida and my sister’s school, or to find some possible merit scholarships.
You aren’t getting into ANY grad school if you have to drop out of undergrad because UVM is unaffordable.
So either you guys can all make UVM work financially or you can’t. And if you can’t-- time for a reality check.
@mom2collegekids I understand that. Scholarships probably not, but UVM need-based aid isn’t very good. Maybe there are some schools out there that have better aid that I don’t know about (like my sister’s school).
I am not sure how much my parents are willing to pay because honestly, we can afford it now with loans (meaning me dropping out isn’t something any of us are considering). We are making it work now. I just want us to be loan-free though. That is what the issue is. (@blossom)
Your sister likely transfered to UNC or UVA, because other OOS publics would not have given much/any aid…
Unless you’re able to get into those 2 schools, you won’t get the aid she got. Where does your sister go?
Florida is a long, big state. If you live in the southern part, then the northern part is very different…and vice versa.
Don’t be stubborn about Florida. Likely, it was short-sightedness that got you into this situation, so don’t make it worse by digging your heels in again.
Transferring at this point would require your high school grades as well.
Do your parents own a business?
What do you plan on doing with your degrees? If you plan on graduate school, UG research, top grades, and GRE scores and recommendations from professors should be your priority vs rankings. (I agree with @powercropper that debt for UG is unnecessary. My physics and math majoring ds is attending a lower ranked school on scholarship. He is very active in research. He is making great grades. He has good relationships with his professors. Those are the things that matter to him for his future.)
@mom2collegekids She goes to Michigan. I’m thinking of applying there because I think it would count as legacy
My dad owns his own business. My mom does real estate. Both take commissions so they’re both freelancers. We don’t have any other relatives for support.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I plan on grad school. I agree with you but I just talked to my mom and she wants the school to have a heard-of name as well. She won’t support anything else.
Yes, I should have included UMich with UNC and UVA because they also try to “meet need” with OOS students.
Because your sister attends a RARE OOS public that gives need based aid, you assumed UVM and others would as well. UMich, UVA and UNC are VERY unique…mostly because they have very large endowments, and getting accepted is very hard…so the aid has a “merit” component.
99% of OOS publics do not give much need-based aid because your family doesn’t pay taxes there. It wouldn’t make sense for them to charge high OOS rates and then have to dip into their limited FA funds and cover the high cost with need based aid. Right?
Apply to UVA, UNC and UMIch …plus some FL instate and see what happens.
If you stay at your current college for all 4 years, how much student loan debt will you accumulate? And will your parents pay all of these loans back, or do they expect you to pay some/all of this debt?
If your parents are the ones pushing the rankings/prestige issue, and they are willing to sacrifice and pay off the student loans, then you might consider staying where you are now. If, however, you will be stuck with most or all of these loans after you graduate, then you have to decide if you want to stand up to your parents’ demands.
If you will be paying off any student debt, please do the calculations and figure out what your monthly payments will be. And for how many years you will have to make payments.
If you are talking about $20,000 or so of total debt for undergrad, that is one thing. If your parents are borrowing $100,000 to finance your undergrad, then you definitely need to wake up and pay attention. Parents can’t force you to attend a college that is going to cripple you financially. They can, however, refuse to fill out FAFSA info and refuse to cooperate and you could be left with no way to attend college. So you have to decide how you want to handle this situation.
If you don’t know who is going to have to pay back your student loans, now is the time to ask your parents. Don’t assume anything.
I would be concerned about how CSS profile schools are going to calculate need when both parents are self-employed.
I don’t pay much attention to rankings, so I just looked up UVM. Based on what I read, I am not sure why the focus on rankings now. UVM is not a top school. Its physics dept is ranked 258. http://physics-schools.com/university-of-vermont There are a lot of schools between 258 and Michigan (#3), UNC (#58), and UVA (#30). (Applying to those schools as a transfer student is going to be extremely competitive. That, in and of itself, is going to be a hurdle.)
Again, agreeing with @powercropper How much are you talking about in terms of debt?