<p>Hey everyone. I'm kinda freaking out about transferring. I <em>think</em> I've been accepted to UC Merced (obvious safety heh heh), and I was reading up on the Blue and Gold program and I thought for sure that the program covered housing, books, etc. Reading up on this forum I've come to realize that this is not so.</p>
<p>So my question is, how do you all plan on paying for housing when you transfer? I guess my question is geared towards those who (like me) have no family contribution (read: 0, zero, nil) and will be unemployed once you transfer. Do you plan on making it through with every possible loan? I went and made some changes to FAFSA to apply for work-study. I hope whatever institution I end up going to will allow me to reason with them that my EFC is too high since I will be unemployed when I get there (and $14k/year is chump change in Los Angeles anyways).</p>
<p>I have an EFC of 0. I used Berkeley’s finaid calculator and it said I should be awarded $19,000 in non-loan aid, which will cover my housing costs considering I won’t have a car and will be living off-campus. If the calculator is wrong, I’ll be taking subsidized loans – which are a great deal, even if you don’t need them. </p>
<p>Worst case scenario, I’ll take out federal non-subsidized loans. </p>
<p>My major is computer science and engineering, and we earn $70k on average after graduation. A little debt isn’t the end of the world, just try to keep it below what you expect to earn in your first year of employment. </p>
<p>Also, if money’s a really big problem, you could start taking out subsidized loans now at community college and saved them (they don’t accrue interest until after you graduate, I think).</p>
<p>i have applied for 15 scholarships, some are in the $1,000-$5,000 range and the others are $500</p>
<p>plus blue and gold </p>
<p>cal grant</p>
<p>pell grant</p>
<p>work study? idk if i want to work my first quarter or semester at UC</p>
<p>jane – wow, that’s very impressive. Your post makes me realize I’ve been slacking all this time. I mean, I work as many hours as I can but I should really sacrifice the little income from my job and instead focus on scholarships. Otherwise I’m really screwed (I don’t want loans since I plan on going to grad school)</p>
<p>arenaninja- check with your Community College Financial Aid office, and your majors Department office.</p>
<p>ask if they have scholarship information. my school is giving out A TON of scholarships because they have a foundation specifically for that.</p>
<p>some require letter of recommendations, if you want PM me and i can give you some tips on how to ask for them from your professors.</p>
<p>i too do not want loans.</p>
<p>Thanks jane.
PM’ing you right now</p>