<p>So, I just visited Columbia last Friday (on my birthday too!), and I absolutely loved it. I plan on applying ED. The issue? Affording it. Now, I am quite sure I can get good grants from Columbia (my estimated EFC was $3,000), but my question is in regard to living in NYC. I am ecstatic that housing is guaranteed for all four years, however I have been to NYC quite a few times and I know how expensive it can be to do simple things like get around, eat, and shop. I was just wondering how the low-to-middle class Columbia student manages to afford living in NYC? I know that I can get a job, but a job on top of the workload could be disastrous. Also, I was hoping to get an internship later in my schooling. </p>
<p>shopping is cheaper if you leave manhattan but im sure you will survive…millions of ppl do. there is some good food around columbia, pizza, chiptles, chineese, all reasonably priced. I found that shopping for clothes in manhattan is not so nice if you have a budget. but i only visited twice. Brooklyn and the bronks have better prices…from what i could tell from the windows.</p>
<p>exactly. or if you know how to cook…then you should be set. For example I plan on eating the meal plans; however on week ends and fridays i want to cook so pasta with home made sauce [1.5hours] for the whole weekend if i dont share about 15 dollars where i live it would last me a week on my own…but i will end up sharing and it wont last that long. or mushroom stew, stir fry the list goes on.</p>
<p>The MTA recently ramped up subway and bus fare to 2.25.</p>
<p>The cafeteria probably isn’t too bad… and if it is, you’ll just have to live with it.</p>
<p>If you want branded clothing that all the hip kids wear, you could always take a road trip to outlets in Long Island that sell brands like Aeropostale, American Eagle, etc., for affordable prices.</p>
<p>You could always do on-campus work study if working off campus will be too much for you to handle.</p>
<p>@ Columbia2002, you’re wrong. The issue is whether or not I should apply ED because if I will not be able to afford it, I shouldn’t be applying ED in the first place. Whether or not I will be accepted is neither here nor there considering I am telling Columbia I will attend.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that ED is a risk for those who need a lot of financial aid. While Columbia promises to meet 100% of demonstrated need, its definition of “need” might differ from your family’s. Your family might not find the financial aid package sufficient. The only way to get out of an ED agreement is to convince the school that what you’re given isn’t enough, but that’s a very tough thing to do (so I’ve heard). So you might perhaps consider whether ED is the right choice for you even if living in NYC won’t be a problem. Confession: I really don’t know much about financial aid for extremely low-income families, but this is a concern that I’ve seen discussed on CC, so you might want to look into it.</p>
<p>Back to your original question. I think money is an issue for many, if not most, students around here, and it’s definitely possible to enjoy your Columbia experience on a shoestring budget. There are many free/discounted activities on and off campus. There’s an arts newsletter that will tell you about many of these opportunities, but there are also sites out there that post such information. You get into most of the major museums for free with your CUID. Lincoln Center sells student rush tickets to many of its performances (you can get Carnegie concert tickets for $10).</p>
<p>Groceries are more expensive here, but buying and making your own food is a much cheaper option than having a meal plan. Instead of going out to eat all the time, many people cook together with their friends, which is fun and inexpensive. </p>
<p>I think shopping for clothes is actually easier (and not that much more expensive) because you have a greater choice of stores. And during the semester, you probably won’t have much time to spend money on nonessentials anyway.</p>
<p>Many students manage to juggle workstudy/part-time jobs with schoolwork. It takes good time management, which is a skill you’ll need to learn anyway.</p>
<p>my advice is take a job at a franchise store like KFC (i work there hehe). When you work for a franchise store, you get discount at all the franchise stores. For example, i get 50% discount at all the KFCs by showing my employment card. The other good thing is that its really easy to quit for a few months than go back to work when you have more time.</p>
<p>@ demeter, thanks so much for the advice. That reassures me a lot that there are a lot of free/cheap activites. Also, as far as applying ED, my parent’s combined annual income is around $50,000, so I think I’ll get a relatively good aid package. If not, I have wealthy, although cheap, grandparents who would help if and only if it were absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>Even considering the fact that Columbia does determine what typical assets are, I sincerely doubt that the difference between the estimated EFC and actual EFC is going to be that large. </p>
<p>@ OP: Also, if you’re going to be admitted into Columbia, let’s HOPE that you’re going to be able to handle a part-time job/work study.</p>
<p>Yes, they don’t talk about it much, but every year a (very small) handful of ED admittees end up declining anyway, almost always due to finances.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t apply ED if Columbia isn’t your first-choice institution. But it’s OK to apply ED if Columbia is your #1 but you’re worried about money.</p>
<p>If they accept you, they want you - that’s negotiating leverage. If you don’t like your financial aid package you get on Dec 15th, apply RD to a few other places and compare their packages come March or April, then beat Columbia over the head with them.</p>
<p>If I’m not mistaken, our own Vesalvay did just that (despite being from freakin’ Australia) and managed to get them to compromise on Finaid. The FA office is very, very good at enabling people to attend.</p>
<p>My child goes to Columbia and he really doesn’t have to spend a lot on clothing or transportation around the city. We were in NYC just last month and my younger teens did some shopping at American Eagle and Old Navy around the Times Square area and found prices very reasonable. </p>
<p>Re: financial aid—Columbia gave us a package that was comparable to University of Chicago and Cornell. We found in our particular case that our net cost to attend Columbia was very close to our EFC. This year we have 2 in college and Columbia generously increased their package since our EFC is now divided among both students. We do not live in an area that has an inflated housing market, so I don’t know how that will change things if you do live where housing prices are high. </p>
<p>As a freshman, my son did just fine with the meal plan. </p>
<p>My son and many of his friends do manage to hold down small work\study jobs. We do not live close and it has been a bit of a hassle/expense for shipping and storage of his personal items but we have managed to work out some pretty good solutions. </p>