So as of now, I am trying to decide between Baylor or GA State. If I go to Baylor, I would have to take out a $20k loan every year, and if I go to GA State, I won’t have to take out any. Although GA State is cheap, it isn’t that great of a school, and they don’t have my major. Baylor has my major, but it is a 14 hour drive, so I won’t be able to see my family much and I get homesick easily. Do you guys think that it is a good decision to spend money for undergrad? I also want to go to grad school for OT or ST.
What is your major?
Would you have to pay for grad school for OT or ST?
If you went to GSU, can you still go to OT or ST for grad school?
It’s not good to have an $80K loan hanging over your head.
Speech pathology requires a MS. I think you can be a speech therapist with BS. But not sure on that. They are not the same but MSSP is great career path. My sister teaches it at flagship grad school and practices.
You can’t borrow 20k on your own. Who is going to co-sign that for you? What will you do if they can’t get a loan in a future year?
Find a major that works for you at GA State, or take a gap year and apply again to more affordable places.
$80k in loans in just unwise. You will be miserable paying them off. I second @happymomof1’s sentiments: find a major at GA State that works.
Anything over $30-40k is too much if you ask me.
Why not find a state school in GA that has your major?
@bopper My major is communication science and disorders. I’m not sure if I have to pay for grad school because I’ll be a freshman in college next year.
@happymomof1 my parents would take out the loan. GA state doesn’t have my major, which is why I don’t want to go there. Baylor doesn’t do CSS profiling, but after this year, they said that they’re letting students do it so I’ll hopefully be paying less. Also, I plan on becoming a community leader my sophomore year, which would allow me to have free room+boarding
If you are headed to grad school for OT or ST, your undergraduate degree can be in a lot of different things. Check the admissions requirements for that. There won’t be much financial aid at all for OT or ST grad programs, so you need to keep your debt level as low as possible for your undergraduate studies.
GA State U doesn’t offer the specific undergraduate major in communication science and disorders, but it does have an undergraduate degree in Speech Communication that can feed directly into the Master’s program. Here is the Q and A from their website:
“Does GSU have an undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders?
No, but GSU does have an undergraduate degree in Speech Communication within the College of Arts and Sciences. The undergraduate degree is the first degree in a continuum that leads to the Master’s degree in Communication Disorders. The Speech Communication major combined with the Interdisciplinary Minor in Communication Sciences allows students to obtain pre-professional coursework in order to prepare them for a graduate program in Communication Disorders.”
http://communication.gsu.edu/communication-disorders/
If you really feel that you must have an SLP program as an undergraduate, there are two in GA. Did you apply to both of them? https://www.asha.org/edfind/results.aspx?area=ALL°ree=UG&location=GA
If you did and you were rejected, are either of them transfer friendly after a year or two at a GA community college or at GA State? If you didn’t apply to both of them, it may make best sense to take a gap year and apply for fall 2019.
I know that you are trying to figure out how to make Baylor work, but if your parents will need to borrow that much money, it probably isn’t a good idea. When Baylor starts to use the CSS Profile, there is a very good chance that your costs will go up. A lot of things that aren’t considered in the FAFSA are considered in the Profile. Most families find that their Profile EFCs are higher. There also is no guarantee that you will get the room & board money for future years at Baylor.
Strictly depends on whether or not you are pursuing grad school.
$80k for a bachelors is far too much money. That kind of debt could cripple you for many years, especially when you decide to get married and start a family. All it takes is one mediocre paying job and a major expense to cause serious financial problems. Also, if you marry a college graduate, you inherit your spouse’s debt too. The idea of college is to be flexible and go with an open mind. If you get too hung up on one major or occupation, then you severely limit your options. Most people work jobs that are unrelated to their major anyway. Cost should be the number 1 factor in choosing a school.
Let me share what I know about OT, in case your career aspirations take you in that direction (vs SLP). You must have a graduate degree; currently a Masters is the minimum although the industry requirement will be shifting towards a doctorate in the next 8-10 years. There is no specific UG major, just a bunch of classes that will be requirements for applying to grad school. Each grad school has a slightly different set of requirements unfortunately but they generally include Bio, Abnormal Psych, Stats, Anatomy/Physiology etc. Grad school is pricey, and there generally is no financial aid. Fortunately, job prospects are good. I’m going to tell you what I am telling my own kid, who is also potentially interested in going down this path: if grad school is a necessity, you must avoid (or minimize) UG debt at all costs. Incurring UG debt for the sake of prestige may very well prevent you from ultimately achieving your dreams, because taking grad school loans on top of UG loans would be devastating.