<p>So I live in New Jersey. I applied to 4 schools. Bowling Green, Ohio University's Athens campus, Rider, and Seton Hall. Bowling Green and Ohio U. both accepted me. Problem is, as an out of state student, I have to pay some $13,000 annually. The reason why I picked those two schools to apply to is because their journalism programs are highly accredited. I would've done community college here since it's cheaper but I know I wouldn't work to my full potential at a 2 year university and none of the nearby community colleges have journalism programs. My grades from high school aren't that good either. I have a 2.7 and will probably graduate with about a 2.5 as a result of fluctuating grades from senior year. I really want to go to Bowling Green. I do just fine by myself in places far away from home. I feed off the pressure to succeed, since I'm the first one in my family to go to college, and everyone keeps telling me I'm gonna' run back home 5 months after being away. Besides, me and my family never had a strong connection anyway, so there won't be much for me to miss anyways.</p>
<p>My parents don't entirely approve of my interest in attending Bowling Green (in Ohio) because of the cost but people keep telling me that I shouldn't let money stop me from something I really want to do. Will that way of thinking hurt me in the end? I plan on working once I get to college, and my parents said they'll help me pay, but assuming I have to pay about $14,000 for the '08-'09 school year, how much should I take out in loans? How much should I ask my parents for? I'm poor. My parents make just $54,000 a year combined. The starting salary for the average news reporter, which is what I want to become after obtaining my Bachelor's degree, is $24,000-$26,000. Will loan debt kill me? </p>
<p>Will you not be getting any financial aid? As a "first through" and with parents who aren't poor at all but not rich either you should be able to pull some... You really don't want to be graduating with twice as much debt as you're going to make in a year. Look at the repayment schedule on those loans; it's going to be a problem if you really need to take that many out. </p>
<p>Let's say you end up paying about $24,000 a year, which includes housing/food ($7000), books, tuition ($16,000), etc. I looked up the numbers and this is about right. That is a LOT of money. Even if you work, get some minimal grants/scholarships, and your parents help you out a bit, you're still graduating with about double your expected annual salary in a competitive, nothing guarenteed field. That's not a good set-up. You need to think long and hard about if that's worth it, because that debt is going to be hanging over your head for a pretty long time.</p>
<p>What state are you from? Off the top of my head I know that Marshall has a pretty good journalism school, and their OOS tuition is 5k a year cheaper. If that doesn't sound like THAT much just think that over 4 years thats 20k, and after the interest you'd be paying on the long term loans you'd need that could well be over 35k. Now, if you can get some scholarships and grants you can make BGSU happen. And you can make it happen anyway. You just need to sit down and really consider the burden you'll be putting on yourself in the next 5-20 years and ask if it's really worth it.</p>
<p>It looks like you are getting some aid ($13k to pay vs full price of 24k). If that is too much then you will have to look closer to home or at CC. You can go to CC to get many of the requirements out of the way. You'll have to coordinate with your 4 year school in advance to make sure those classes will transfer.</p>