<p>I live in Maryland and I'm assuming I'll get into UMDCP, but the Room is more than the price of tuition. I live an hour away so I can't just pay 20k a year for a school when my parents don't wanna pay for high school. The threads I see about this stuff are more condescending because your parents have thought this through, but my parents have more debt than savings. I have tried that EFC stuff and I'm obviously not eligible for a Pell Grant. My parents probably have more debt than the money to just pay for a year of College Park. I can probably commute to Towson if all else fails, but was looking forward to having a good college experience</p>
<p>Filing the FAFSA will get you at least 5K in gov. loans. You should be able to make another 5K working/year. If you decided to commute, there are several park-n-ride lots around the state where UMd will pick you up and drop you off everyday. This will allow you to study/read during your commute and save on gas. When will you be starting college? class of '15, '16?</p>
<p>Analyze all of your mass transit options and map out a 4 year plan. If you could live on campus for at least 1 year (frosh) I would do it if it didn’t involve taking on ridiculous debt. After that if you can use mass transit time for reading, studying etc. it could work out well for you. A one hour commute isn’t ideal but it does leave room for taking the best option year by year instead of an all or nothing approach.</p>
<p>College Park is a great school - congrats!</p>
<p>UMaryland</p>
<p>In-state tuition and fees: $8,416<br>
Room and board: $9,599 </p>
<h2>Books and supplies: $1,076 </h2>
<p>Basic costs…about $19k </p>
<h2>Estimated personal expenses: $2,268 </h2>
<h2>COA …about $21k </h2>
<p>Towson</p>
<p>In-state tuition and fees: $7,656</p>
<h2>books/supplies: $1000</h2>
<p>basic costs…about 8700</p>
<p>Plus transportation and personal expenses…so about $12k total.</p>
<p>If your parents aren’t going to contribute much/anything, then College Park will not be affordable.</p>
<p>Towson will BARELY be affordable if you get a 5500 student loan AND a job to net over $5k to help pay tuition, books, transportation, and personal expenses.</p>
<p>I know that you wanted the “full college experience” but the truth is that families pretty much have to pay for that. For that reason MOST kids do NOT have that “sleepaway” experience…most families cannot afford it.</p>
<p>Screw it my parents will prolly find a way to pay</p>
<p>LOL…</p>
<p>Well, sit down with them and talk to them. Paying for college is a 4 year deal (which some people seem to forget). Your parents know what their income/debt situation is.</p>
<p>If they don’t have money saved for college, and they have to pay our of “current income”, then for UMaryland, they would have to pay about $2,000 per month for the next 4 years. </p>
<p>If they have too much debt, they may not qualify for loans.</p>
<p>Sit down and figure this out BEFORE you commit or decline any schools.</p>
<p>Do state schools give any need-based. I know I’m not seriously in need of anything, but do they offer partial?</p>
<p>And I’m bad with financials, they are paying off some credit cards from a few years back - that’s debt though, right.</p>
<p>What was your FAFSA EFC?</p>
<p>Yes…that’s debt.</p>
<p>Have you spoken to your parents about this subject and how much they’ll pay?</p>
<p>If you start at your local community college, you can transfer to either of those two universities in two years. Towson offers automatic transfer admission to all students who graduate from a Maryland CC with a full AA or AS. UMCP has formal articulation agreements for some majors with some community colleges, so you would have to ask the transfer counselors at your possible CC(s).</p>
<p>I know you’d like to be able to spend all four years on campus, but sometimes that just isn’t possible. There is a lot of useful information available for you about the Maryland universities and CCs at [url=<a href=“http://www.mdgo4it.mhec.maryland.gov/]MDgo4it[/url”>http://www.mdgo4it.mhec.maryland.gov/]MDgo4it[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>*I don’t understand the college money stuff. If my parents make 70k per year does Miami give need-based aid or would they still accept me for 40k and then just expect me not to attend since my parents would have to just fall over dead to pay for it :P</p>
<p>I’m not talking scholarship although I am going to get a 2200 SAT and 90 Unweighted GPA. The GPA is bad so I guess I’m not eligible for scholarships.*</p>
<p>Are you a junior in high school? If so, try to finish this year with as strong of a GPA as you can.</p>
<p>Since your parents make about $70k, then you probably will have some need…HOWEVER, you still need to carefully select schools that will either “meet need” or will give you big merit for stats…otherwise you’ll be gapped.</p>
<p>How do you know what you’ll get on the SAT? What did you get on your PSAT? </p>
<p>What is a 90 average on a 4.0 scale? Is it about a 3.6?</p>
<p>Creeper…</p>
<p>And I already calculated that 90 as including my Jr. year. Fr/Soph were 88’s and this year I have a 92 
In harder classes… which I’m kicking myself for now. Oh and I got a 2030 first time on the SAT withmy math score at 600 and I view that as easily unraisable.</p>