<p>*I don’t know where I made it seem like I was desperate or in a “only hope” situation anywhere. *</p>
<p>Are you kidding? </p>
<p>*How the hell? </p>
<p>How the heck can I pay for college.</p>
<p>So basically loans and private scholarships are my only hope?*</p>
<p>Are you one of those people that others wish they had a tape recorder running all the time because you don’t like owning your own words? </p>
<p>I don’t know what your major/career is, but I doubt it is one where your success will depend on going to JHU over a UC. Really doubt it. Really.</p>
<p>What do your parents pay for your high school? Do you go to a private high school or do you go public? Do you commute or do you board? Most kids who go to college, continue to live with their parents and go to a state school nearby. The tuition is usually reasonable for those schools especially if you work part time and take out a loan. Whatever your parents are able and willing to pay, expand your options that much more.</p>
<p>UCBerkeley & UCLA are pretty prestigious, if that is what is important to you.</p>
<p>But, you are correct, most families, even those making $200k a year do not know how to come up with a new $55k private school tuition expenditure out of their budget. In a perfect world you parents would have saved $75-100k for your college and be able to pay the rest out of pocket, but people don’t always save, cannot always save as much as they should, sometimes they invest the savings in the stock market and it drops precipitously, maybe a job change, salary cut, maybe the current salary is a new thing, whatever the reason, if your budget is $30k, find your best choices at $30k. That is no small sum!</p>
<p>It does not feel fair that a “poor kid” could go to, say Princeton and get full aid, no loans, whereas a middle class (whatever that is now) might have to take $100-$200k in loans, but no one said any of this college stuff is fair.</p>
<p>Having been in the circumstances of not being able to afford my EFC at a private especially when the finaid package included loans, I understand your frustrations, but that does not help you find a choice.</p>
<p>if you want prestige for $30k out of pocket, pick UCLA/CAL
If you want a private for $30k out of pocket, pick a slightly lower tier school and hope for merit aid (Baylor/Whitworth/Gonzaga/Reed/etc) You might even be able to wrestle there.</p>
<p>There is thread with many people listing mid-tier merit aid options, any one know the link?</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, middle class and rich kids are much more likely to be able to graduate from high school and attend college than poor kids. :D</p>
<p>Yeah I agree, Garda, the ‘poor’ kids I know who got full aid at Ivy type schools were kids you would assume were middle class with middle class attitudes and family upbringings and focus on education who just happened to have a low income. They were technically poor, but had rich family lives and support and were successful in those top schools.</p>
<p>JHU is a great school, but so are a lot of others. With all the excellent colleges and universities in this country, you could probably find several where you would be happy. If you do not have the $55-60K a year, then it’s good to have several options. Rather than saying, I must go to JHS, you might consider a range of possibilities, including some privates that might offer merit aid and have possibilities for wrestling. You can still get out some apps. Good luck.</p>
<p>UCs for half the price of JHU - prestige and an excellent education! This is a great opportunity that most of us in the US could only dream of - you’ve got it right there!</p>
<p>JHU got nuthin on the top UCs - go for it! You will be happy, guaranteed.</p>