UVM is a fine school if you are in-state and/or your family can comfortably afford it. Since neither of these appear to apply here, whether UVM is ranked 258 or 125 or 6 is irrelevant.
OP- I think you need a sit down with your parents. You’ve got to get a handle on a realistic budget which includes:
How much can they afford every month (you multiply that by 12 to get their annual contribution); how much is in savings which they can liquidate, and how much can you afford in loan payments going forward. If that number is below what you need for any of these out of state options, then you need to re-evaluate Florida.
Can you get aid somewhere? Probably. Will it be at a college more prestigious than UVM? Maybe. Is it going to be enough to push you all into the comfort zone financially? That’s for your parents to determine.
Heck, there are Florida schools ranked better than UVM. I don’t know that they were thinking when selecting UVM for its ranking.
Again, Florida is a huge long state where one region is VERY different from another region. It can be like going OOS when attends school in another part of the state.
Our son will probably end up going OOS, but I don’t get the resistance to Florida schools either. Florida universities are one of the few things Florida does relatively well, imho, especially for in-state students.
We live in SoFlo which is very far (and different) from Tallahassee.
Maybe I’m missing something but I’ve never thought of UVM as being anything that spectacular (??). I would not go into, or stay in, debt for an UG degree from UVM. JMO.
UVM is one of the most expensive schools for OOS students, with tuition about $36000. Travel to the school is expensive because it is in the middle of nowhere. Transferring to almost any other school, without financial aid, would be cheaper. Tuition at Florida or FSU would only be about $7000 if you paid full price.
If your mother wants prestige, she’ll have to pay for it (although I think she’s paying a lot for a school that many do not think is prestigious). Have you checked at UVM to see if there are any scholarships you qualify for? A department scholarship? If you get into the honors college, would you get that scholarship?
@mom2collegekids Thank you, I will consider those schools. My sister also got the same amount of aid from Vanderbilt, but chose to attend Michigan instead, so my mom also wants me to try to transfer to Vanderbilt since it’s a school we know will give good finaid.
@powercropper For the loans, my mom and dad will work to pay them back. My mom will never do something like not fill out FAFSA, she wants me to stay in school. So she will do whatever it takes. But she is counting on me paying her back when it’s all done. I’m basically just looking for a way to lighten the financial load for them.
@mom2collegekids My sister and I have the same financial situation and it worked out for her (Mich and Vanderbilt), so that’s why for at least those schools I feel like if I’m able to transfer things would work out.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek The original decision was between UVM and a very not prestigious local school ranked in the 500s or something, but cheaper. My mom refused to let me go there because of prestige reasons. So since my mom is satisfied with Vermont, for a cheaper transfer school I’m looking for something on the same level but more prestigious would obviously be better in her opinion. Also I know those schools are competitive but I heard Michigan considers legacy, so I will try there for sure.
I’m not sure about the amount of debt honestly, my family is sort of impulsive and it gives my mom a headache so she refuses to talk about it sometimes. It’s difficult to deal with.
My mom told me as a final resort she will take on home equity or sell the house that we rent out. She will probably have to do that if I stay at UVM for four years. So yes we can afford it but with sacrifices.
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For the loans, my mom and dad will work to pay them back. My mom will never do something like not fill out FAFSA, she wants me to stay in school. So she will do whatever it takes. But she is counting on me paying her back when it’s all done. I’m basically just looking for a way to lighten the financial load for them.
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What???
You say that your parents will “work to pay” the loans…but THEN you say that your mom is “counting on” YOU to pay HER back. THAT IS CRAZY.
Your parents have no business insisting that you attend any particular school if they expect YOU to reimburse them for the crazy loans that THEY are insisting on.
Impulsive? That’s an understatement. You need to be the adult here (since they’re not), and make decisions that won’t come back to haunt you.
@mom2collegekids I applied to some other schools in-state but in the end UVM and the 500 ranked one were the only ones I got into.
@SouthFloridaMom9@twoinanddone I applied to UVM because we went on vacation in Vermont and saw it, so that’s why we considered it. I like going there but I know it’s not worth the high cost, especially when my parents are paying much less for my sister to go to UMich.
We live in the Miami area. Also before anyone recommends it, my mom doesn’t like UMiami. She went there and they did not give her much financial aid so she transferred out.
What are some good FL schools? We’re considering UF. I applied to New College but was rejected. My mom wants me to look at Tampa also. We don’t know of any others really. Honestly, my mom’s really into brand names so in-state she only really likes UF. FSU sounds ok to me but because my mom has never heard of it she doesn’t like it.
I called the UVM financial aid, they say they can’t do anything else for need-based aid and none of the scholarships that I looked up apply to me at all, they were all for veterans, etc. If I stay at UVM I’m going to keep grades up for honors for sure though. But what I’m wondering is if there’s anything else, because I can’t find anything.
@Madison85 I think I can because the Michigan aid she gets is all need-based, non merit-based and we have the same family and financial situation.
I am going to ask the question again, since your answer sounded VERY confusing.
Will your parents share the loan debt repayments, or will you end up having to pay for all of the loans that are taken out for your undergrad education?
@mom2collegekids That’s the situation unfortunately… Hence me trying to transfer to a cheaper school or get more aid, while also dealing with my mom’s need for prestige. She will also be ashamed if both her kids don’t go through college.
To be honest she doesn’t keep track of funds so she won’t really expect me to pay thousands back to her, just that I would be more indebted to her once I have my own job. Basically she means that once I have my own job she can ask for stuff and I would have to buy them for her, because she paid a lot for my education and “that’s what I get for not applying to enough schools and leaving me in this situation.” So yeah, trying to fix it now if I can…
My son has not applied to UM (Miami) either . . . not into it even though it’s only 50-60 miles south. We’re sort of “over” the whole private school thing, unless there is significant merit $$ involved.
Where is your mom from that she hasn’t heard of FSU?
UF is a great school, but FSU holds its own. I would say they are the top two Florida state universities, though differences may be more pronounced in certain programs. Keep your eye on application and transfer requirements.
@powercropper My parents will share the loan debt repayments. They will help me out. But like I just said in my previous post I’d be sort of indebted to them more than my sister would be basically (the school she transferred from before UMich also gave her free money per semester from merit-based stuff and that helped pay the bills, so I’m basically the financial burden of the family).
@SouthFloridaMom9 My parents are first generation immigrants so they only know about Miami and UF really. Also some other local schools from the MDC area
You are the student, and you need to keep up with how much student loan debt is being taken out each year for your education. Do not allow your parents’ impulsiveness to make you think you don’t have a responsibility here.
Contact your financial aid office directly to get a better understanding of what you will owe for your freshman semesters. Multiple that by 4 years to get a rough idea of what you will owe if you stay at this school.
If you’re going to be on the hook for loans down the road (even if it’s just “morally” because your mom expects you to pay her back) please do not sidetracked with “prestige” (whatever that means).
This is your life. There is absolutely no reason you can’t get a solid education at one of the good Florida universities (UF, FSU, UCF, USF, et al).
OP said that his high school grades were not great so he got accepted to two schools, UVM and a Florida school. Mom insisted on the OOS more prestigious school. But it is outrageously expensive for you because you pay the OOS premium for tuition.
Did you read the description for FSU (in above thread) and all they have to offer as far as physics goes? Does your mom know you will need to go to grad school? How are you going to pay these loans back?
How much longer will your sister be in school? When there is only one in college the need based aid will be less.
@powercropper I calculated and for four years it would be $22k plus interest.
@SouthFloridaMom9 I would have to tell my mom that but she doubts the quality or something. She also wants brand names for her kids for personal reasons.
@mommdc FSU sounds good for physics but I know I will have to tell my mom and she doesn’t like it and won’t support it.
My mom knows I want to go to grad school but I heard that for science they give you a stipend, so it’s not expensive like med school. My mom’s going to find some way to pay them back, it’s not clear even to her atm but she usually finds a way. My parents aren’t going to change, they have always done things last minute for years
My sister is a junior now but she’s doing an extra year because of all the bachelor’s requirements and double major, so she’s gonna need scholarships her last year as well.
@SouthFloridaMom9 Unfortunately my mom is stubborn and very reactive. It’s very hard to deal with. My sister is trying to help and she has told me about other in-state schools but we both know my mom is a huge obstacle