<p>^agreed</p>
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<p>Like many other posters, I am amazed that high school students get anywhere near their senior year without realizing the true financial state of affairs when it comes to paying for college.</p>
<p>Unfortunately there is a lot of misleading information (most of it generated by the college admissions process and all the schools and private businesses that feed into that as well as much printed and published information) the myth goes something like this “millions of dollars in scholarship aid go unclaimed” leading the hopeful student and their family believing that there is indeed some sort of “tuition fairy” coming to their rescue if only they submit the correct form.</p>
<p>Public high schools (as well as private high schools) in my area are not equipped to move beyond the basics of financial aid with students and families. They are equipped to counsel students about academic choices and financial basics, but they are not financial planners; with the current cost of a college education, many families seem to need much more financial planning assistance leading up to senior year. Or a strong commitment to self education in the real world - not the hype of fastweb or the false encouragement of admissions officers to boost applications.</p>
<p>It looks like the OP is receiving about $8k in work-study and loans, which implies that the loan package from UNC is on the order of $4-5k a year. Not so bad, especially when part of that is subsidized loans. </p>
<p>OP, I think you have a choice. You can dig up a lender somewhere for that $15k each year–ask the UNC Financial Aid office for help with this. Keep in mind you’ll probably not be able to afford grad school until many years after you receive your bachelor’s degree, since the interest clock won’t stop ticking on private loans. You will need to get a job after undergrad to start paying off that debt. Study abroad is also probably unaffordable. </p>
<p>Alternatively (or if you can’t find a lender), find a cheaper path. Community college for two years followed by a transfer to UC. Or take a year off, find what work you can and save whatever you earn, reapply to UCSD and/or San Diego State, and live at home (except for your study abroad year). You will still need to take out loans, but your total indebtedness will be significantly less than if you attend UNC. Or follow the suggestion to search for significant merit aid after a gap year. This might mean being willing to attend a school with a weaker academic reputation. </p>
<p>It’s unfortunate that none of these options is all that you’re hoping for, but each of them offers something. Think hard about what is most important to you, be it grad school, going away to school right now, the possibility of a free ride, or whatever. Then remember the old Rolling Stones line about how you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. Best of luck.</p>
<p>*The COA Chapel Hill for her is probably equivalent to the COA a UC school. *</p>
<p>The COA for Chapel Hill as an OOS student is higher than as an instate student at a UC. The OOS cost at UNC is about $38k. The instate COA at a UC is about $30k.</p>
<p>Plus, she lives in San Diego…if necessary, she could commute to UCSD.</p>
<p>This is a student who probably has the stats that she could have gotten big scholarships from several schools. I’m guessing that she has high stats because she applied to ivies and other elites. </p>
<p>If the parents did try to talk to their child, the child may have refused to listen to reason.</p>
<p>Look into joining the National Guard or the Reserves. You can go to school and they will pay you. You could do the training in your breaks. They do have programs that help.</p>
<p>The only loans I know that you can take would involve a co signer with good credit. Perhaps your parents can help you. Or better yet, can they take out a PLUS?</p>
<p>This can be heartbreaking I know. Thousands of kids are picking out their dorm sheets and some kids are having the magic of college become a disappearing trick. </p>
<p>I don’t see how this student can pull this off. I can imagine the depression and devastation that is coming crashing down. </p>
<p>In sympathy (not righteousness), I tell you: no one has died here. You have your brains, your health, and your parents. If you are like most teens, you may also have some good friends, some teachers that liked you immensely and perhaps even a pup or a kitten to absorb your tears. You’ve been knocked on your Axx. </p>
<p>You get to cry for three days. After that, the nose is swollen and tender and the Kleenex supply is exhausted. Then do what people do: get up off the floor and find a new path (not bank robbery!). You are not alone. The economy is in the toilet and there are LOTS of worthwhile people who are struggling. This can make you – don’t let it break you.</p>
<p>So you are $15K short. You may want to have your parents apply for PLUS If denied that would net you another $5K almost. Are you working this summer? Like triple shifts? You are young. Work a restaurant, cleanup, nursing home and start stashing the money. My kids are making about $5K this summer. One summer my older ones made over $10K with private lessons, parking cars, on top of life guarding and bussing at a country club. It was no fun, but they made that money. And they didn’t have such a great reason to do this. They wanted their own cars which they were not going to get any other way. They busted their butts and made the money.</p>
<p>Also do talk to financial aid and see if anything else can be done. Let them know the story. And another sit down with your parents are needed. Your being away is going to save them some money. Yes, you cost money. And are they getting some tax benefit having you? Can they scrape up a little bit more? Have any relatives that can come up with some money too? </p>
<p>A garage sale, a big one with stuff attractively displayed, heavily advertised and made clear that it is a college fun garage sale. Any American girl dolls or other stuff that can make some money? Can your parents rent out your room? </p>
<p>When we were on our austerity regiment through extreme necessity, I stopped using shampoo, cut back on absolutely everything. Did not spend a dime I did not have to spend. Searched the house for change which went in a jar. Borrowed or asked for things from friends and neighbors rather than buy. Sold stuff that I owned. Went to my kids’ schools and got permission to set up recycling and carted away the pop cans that were sold there. 5 cents a can, baby, an that meant $20-30 a week pure cash for me that went into the bin. Worked, still work at the food pantry, and soup kitchen and brought home the leftovers there. We cut down to the bone so that we could pay our bills. Kids got it too, and really pitched in to cut costs. </p>
<p>I’m not going to kid you. It was horrible. Gave me anxieties and hurt my pride ever so much. I live in a well to do area in a big beautiful house that I couldn’t afford, but could less afford to lose. Had to come up with the priorities and focus on just paying those bills. There was NO extra money at all. NONE.</p>
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<p>My career plan was to become a research biologist emphasis on field research, and I hoped to ultimately go on to graduate school after UNC ( long term goal: doctorate ). I have gotten mixed results from different sources online as to how much I’d make as a research biologist. </p>
<p>The results I’ve seen put it at a range anywhere from $25,000 - $30,000/yr as a starting salary.</p>
<p>That shocked me but if its accurate, then it is what it is. And if that’s the case, I thought to myself, I might as well be, say, a teacher. In CA, that’s around what they make as a starting pay.</p>
<p>But my career goals have changed. At least, being a professional biologist is not going to happen any time soon. Maybe later on in life. (hence, why I said, long term goal above.)</p>
<p>I should clarify something, because it came up in the responses: I DO NOT plan to take out a $15,000 private loan for each UNC year after freshman year. I DO NOT want, nor plan, to take out a cumulative of $60k in private loans. ( Ill explain below where it says Continued )</p>
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<p>Not sure, but perhaps because they knew (and had told me) from the beginning, they cannot pay for my education regardless of what university I would go to, and so maybe they thought they might as well let me choose which ones to apply to. </p>
<p>I suspect if they were the ones paying for my college, they would have chosen where Id go (since it would be after all, their money) or at least, have set a criteria.</p>
<p>Another unfortunate thing about my financial dilemma, is that my parents recently filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy.</p>
<p>So even if their intentions were to take out loans for me, it would be difficult. </p>
<p>(Continued )The biggest scholarship I’ve applied to is one that I completed very recently actually, and that’s the Naval ROTC scholarship for 2011. At this point, Ive spoken several times over the phone with an NROTC Candidate Officer in Pensacola, Florida who has helped me understand the program, explain to me the different fields of the navy, what day-to-day routine is like, deployment locations, etc.</p>
<p>If I got selected for the scholarship, it would pay for my school’s tuition for sophomore - senior year. There is a 5 year commitment to the Navy (active duty) as a commissioned officer after graduation and then 3 years reserve time. 8 years total. </p>
<p>Though I wont be using biology as in officer, it is still an acceptable major for the NROTC Scholarship route. The guidance Officer I spoke with - after having read my personal statements (essays) on my applications to give me feedback before I click submit thought Information Warfare or Cyber Warfare would fit me well, given what I wrote and my math and science background that I detailed to him. It would not be as if Im just abandoning my passion. No. If I can use inquiry, hands-on activity, and
mathematical/scientific reasoning, I am using my passion. </p>
<p>I know I digressed a bit. My point is, that though initially I had a poor and vague understanding of just how serious of a commitment the NROTC scholarship route is. But I have by now put in a lot of effort and commitment towards my decision, hope to get selected, and IF I am selected, 3 years of my schooling is paid for, but more importantly I have a for- sure, and meaningful career awaiting me as Naval officer.</p>
<p>But when will you know if you are accepted or not? If you are not accepted, how are you going to come up with the money you need to pay for sophomore year? It’s great to have ideas, but this is no sure thing. Like slicing salami, you are taking the first slice this year in terms of the loans you have committed to take already, and the amounts that you still need to borrow, as it is unlikely that you will get grant money at this point. </p>
<p>Get a rejection from PLUS, whiich will give you about $5K more. If you knew your parents were not going to pay any money, and you knew what your EFC was, it would have been wise to have some financial safeties, like local state schools to which you can commute and thereby go on the cheap. Meeting full need is not going to help you if your family is not going to chip in anything.<br>
Bankrupt families often can come up with some money since they are relieved of their heavy debt responsibilities. Your parents no longer owe those debts that were weighing them down. So there might be some funds they can spare. It is not going to be easy for anyone to swing this, you reallize.</p>
<p>@Olymom</p>
<p>Thank you. What you said is something I’m going to really take to heart.</p>
<p>If I have to work, regardless of how long, before getting a college education, I will do that. I’m a strong believer in good work ethic, and thoroughness. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we anticipated they would. It happens.</p>
<p>Important thing: perseverance</p>
<p>I just want to say, that, this is a first time for both my parents and I. I don’t have older siblings who went off to college- (I’m the oldest) - so I’ve never seen the process leading up to that be carried out, and neither have my parents.
How college financially plays out, was and is very new to me. But now I’m learning, and it starts with a reality check ( as most things in life do, it appears).</p>
<p>The consensus seems to be:
Obtaining a 15k private loan as a freshman undergrad without a cosigner is 1) unrealistic and 2) unwise.</p>
<p>I’m aware I originally said I wasn’t looking to be convinced against my decion.
But seeing as to how many of these responses are by parent-adults,I want to amend what I said. I will truly think things over and consider other avenues.</p>
<p>I am very impressed with your mature response in light of very disappointing developments. I don’t have any suggestions to add to those already given, but hope everything works out well for you.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse </p>
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<p>I believe it’s by April 2011 (long selection process that takes the board members who are evaluating the applications from Aug - April).</p>
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<p>Well, (and I may be incorrect here, so please do correct me if I’m wrong) I was going to continue applying for outside scholarships that I find in websites like FastWeb, and hopefully accumulate enough in small scholarships (which I think are easier to attain) worth say $500 - $1000 each, to use toward my cost of attendance. I’m pretty sure I’ll still have to pay back the interest that was adding up on my loan, but, could I not “return” the unused portion of a loan? ( Perhaps there’s specific terminology for what I’m desribing, but I don’t know what it is).</p>
<p>I was just very recently notified that I’m a recipient of the Roberto J. Duran Scholarship
(Border Patrol Related), but I don’t know how much it is, I didn’t find the amount on the website when I went to apply. Although I imagine it is a very modest amount. But like I said, I just want to continue to apply for small scholarships because they are quite doable if I dedicate myself to them, that could be a way to alleviate the $15k problem.</p>
<p>If I don’t go to UNC, I will continue to apply for scholarships.</p>
<p>On another thread the OP is on the consensus is that these NROTC scholarships are SCARCE for lack of funding. In other words, the advice from those in the know is that this is just another long-shot maybe risk taking venture. Chances are the OP won’t get this scholarship sophomore year (the last window to qualify) and be EXACTLY in the spot we’ve on <em>this</em> thread have been saying: you need a realistic 4 year plan because it isn’t about needing 15K for 1 year, it is 15K X 4.</p>
<p>Another person on that other thread said: “If you are looking at NROTC as a way to pay for school then don’t. The people that make it through are the ones that want to be a Naval Officer above all else. The ones who do it for money fail. The system is very efficient at weeding them out. My son’s unit started with 22 midshipmen. After two years they are down to 4.”</p>
<p>Lalalalala. Some teens just want to learn things the hard way.</p>
<p>The OP on the other thread is the same OP as this thread. And it does seem like a long shot. Not many people have what it takes to succeed in those types of programs.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/949783-nrotc-biology-help.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/949783-nrotc-biology-help.html</a></p>
<p>I dealt a lot with the “$ Emergency” thread, and now I’ve had to move from NYU to a different school. And I’m actually very glad I made this decision. There are schools still accepting people if you want to take that route?</p>
<p>[Space</a> Availability Survey Results 2010](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx]Space”>http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx)</p>
<p>stohare, did you get my pm re: IU? Just wondering.</p>
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<p>It is true that there are NROTC scholarships that are scarce, but it is not the 4 year national scholarship. The Candidate Guidance Officer explained this to me in detail (cont…)</p>
<p>See, a student who is currently not backed by an NROTC scholarship, but is attending a university that has an NROTC unit, can still join the unit as a “College Programmer”. As such, their tuition is not being paid for, and they are not receiving a monthly allowance. But they are participating alongside the midshipmen who have a 4 year scholarship. </p>
<p>(cont…)The candidate guidance officer I corresponded with via phone and email, explained to me the College Program option, but advised me AGAINST it, stating:</p>
<p>"As a College Programmer though, you are only eligible to apply for Officer Development (OD) controlled scholarships, e.g. The Leadership Scholarship and Side Load Scholarships. Each NROTC unit is only allowed to give one Leadership Scholarship per year, and Side Load Scholarships are extremely slim due to direct and indirect effects of the economy. "</p>
<p>College Programmers are not eligible for the 4 year national scholarships, but they can qualify for the above scholarships.</p>
<p>One of the Officer’s suggestion to me was to :</p>
<p>" Begin school at the NROTC affiliated university you would like to attend. DO NOT join NROTC as a College Programmer (see NOTE below). During the first freshman semester, include the first freshman Naval Science course and a calculus or calculus based course in your degree plan."</p>
<p>The “see NOTE below” is the paragraph I quoted prior to ^ one.</p>
<p>So I am not a College Programmer, and will not enroll as one- the scholarships pertinent to College Programmers, are not what I’m seeking.</p>
<p>I applied for the National 4-year NROTC Scholarship.
IF I got selected (and yes, I understand this is abig IF), in my circumstance, it would only cover 3 years.</p>
<p>Oh yes, I did @bthomp. Thanks for that! I didnt respond because I’m on my cell phone and its annoying to type.</p>