<p>It’s working out for you because you are commuting so someone, likely your parents, are providing certain amenities worth about $7-12K, maybe more. You have shelter, utilities, food, sundries, transportation all covered to some degree. A lot kids think they are entitled to go away to college. As a general rule, the tuition for most 4 year colleges, even the public ones, tend to run more in cost. Then there are the living expenses like room and board along with the discretionary and variable costs. Things you just don’t think about when continuing to live at the family home, like the cost to do laundry, getting an internet connection (usually a one time cost in a dorm, but another expense, nonetheless), snacks, meals, shampoo, soap, one has to buy. Costs money. Also when living at home, being at home with family, a lot of things are just given or covered without a thought. When my kids come home to visit, I treat them, they borrow my car, I give them rides, lend them a few bucks, pick up things for them while shopping without giving it a thought. Out of sight, out of mind for a lot of those things. It’s a whole other thing to have to send money specifically for something, which we do on occasion, or send a package, but there is more thought and effort involved and not done as automatically. Parents who refuse to pay for college, won’t pay a dime, they say, often are just automatically covering some costs out of habit and just from momentum when their college aged child is still living at home. Few households have a running tab going for each family member living in the home. When you leave the house, such a tab automatically gets started, and it’s not as easy for a parent to come up with the cash to pay things as they occur in such cases, whereas it’s just going with the usual flow when a child simply transitions to a college student and parents continue to pick up costs they always have.</p>
<p>That’s one factor. As I touched upon, the tuition and fees at a CC tend to be lower. Most SUNYs (our state schools) that are 4 years cost about $7500 a year in tuition and fees. You’d have a $2K shortfall right there if you went to one of them (maybe covered by financial aid if you demonstrate the need). A bit more than the $300 you are paying out of pocket. For students whose parents are so strapped, they really can’t come up with ANY money, transportation can be an issue, as it can be expensive. One student was on this board looking for ways to appeal this cost with his college as he just realized that his monthly commuting cost is going to be at least $350 as he needs to buy a Metro Pass and then a monthly train pass. This is out of pocket money that has to be paid each month. Adds up fast. Some families have found that public transportation options are not working out and that the student really has to have a car to commute, and those costs can really be up there in terms of getting a reliable, safe car, insurance, registration, inspection, gasoline, upkeep and parking costs for a vehicle. Not at all an incidental expense. </p>
<p>In your situation, Brownparent has brought up what could be very important in terms of costs to you. Visit your community college office that deals with transitions to a 4 year school, find out what options, costs, requirements are involved in transferring to get that Bachelor’s. Again, I reiterate, that the tuition costs for the four year schools are usually higher than what you are paying at CC. Also, do you have a local option for getting that bachelor’s, or are you thinking about or have to go board? Here in the US, we tend to have a decent CC network, but not all areas have as ready access to a 4 year college. I know it was a onerous commute for my cousin to go to State U which was the closest 4 year option for him, yet the most cost effective way to get the degree. They were strapped for money and the distance, nearly an hour away, was too far for parents to give him rides to and fro, they could not afford buying a car, so it was quite the process for him to be dropped off where he could get a bus to the school and picked up there, until he made contacts and could get rides from friends, fellow students and arrange his classes to go there only two days a week. </p>
<p>Also, those last two years of college often involve taking specialized, advanced level courses, and can take longer than the ideal theoretical two years. You might have changed your mind in direction which may involve additional courses, you might need more lower level course prep to take a certain course, certain courses may only be offered on a limited bases, etc, etc. You only have a limited amount of Direct Loan money available as a dependent student $31K as an undergrad without having to involve your parents and also dealing with discretionary funds that a college may or may not give you. If the four year degree is your goal, it might be wiser to transfer over to the 4 year school before you get an associates degree, unless it confers some advantage to you to get that 2 year degree. Sometimes it means enhanced job opportunities and earnings when a certification in a needed area comes with that degree and it can also mean getting certain requirements out of the way at CC prices before transferring, but there is always that risk too, that certain courses at a CC may not quite prepare you as well as a specific university conferring a degree in that field would be running certain foundation courses. </p>
<p>Students that end up getting a lot of loans tend to go away to school, go to pricier than CC schools, and they can be getting Perkins loans on top of their Direct loans which nearly doubles that $27K one gets from the usual 4 year student entitlement, there is interest on those loans, maybe an extra term in there, and also if parents are denied PLUS loans the student can borrow yet another $18K on his own, plus there are co signed loans as well as private loan arrangements students may make with parents or other family members. Lots of ways to owe a lot more money than what the simple Direct Loan scenario that you are looking at offers.</p>