<p>No I am not from a very low income family… I am middle class. But still, my dad is the only one that works and I feel very thankful for having a dad like him. </p>
<p>He is an engineering and he has his PhD. </p>
<p>Part of me thinks that I worry too much… but idk if this debt is worth it for anyone? whether you are super rich or not? </p>
<p>I am not super rich at all! I dont have my own car and I dont feel the need to have one etc. </p>
<p>Also no, I did not get a Pell grant.</p>
<p>Also… I do not know anything about my dad’s income and all that. He would not tell me, he said I should only focus on studies.
I just know his occupation , not how much he earns.</p>
<p>Rutgers is a good school for science major. But you should post the financial questions over Rutgers and Bryn Mawr board to get more feedbacks from their students before making the decision. Wish you all the best</p>
<p>Is Rutgers in commuting distance?</p>
<p>Frankly, I would stay at Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>If I read it correctly, 2010 COA for a commuter at Rutgers is $20,380. That is slightly more than Bryn Mawr AFTER the current financial package. For on-campus the cost is $27,720. </p>
<p>Aside from cost, the diffenence in teaching style is vast. You stated you are doing well now, think carefully about the adjustment.</p>
<p>Have you considered TCNJ where the classes are smaller and the style is closer to Bryn Mawr? TCNJ does not appear to have scholarships for transfers (at least not on the website).</p>
<p>Rowan has some good science programs and I believe is cheaper than Rutgers.</p>
<p>I am not discouraging you from applying to Rutgers, but I do not see how it will be cheaper. To put your mind at ease, apply to Rutgers and one other NJ state school and then compare the financial packages.</p>
<ol>
<li>If this is your dream school, don’t give up. Find a way. You will be an idiot if you walk away from it.</li>
<li>Try negotiating again. You never know.</li>
<li>What dorm are you in?</li>
</ol>
<p>I just went back to some of your old posts and see you were accepted to both Rutgers & TCNJ last year – What were the financial packages like last year for those schools versus Bryn Mawr?</p>
<p>If last years packages included scholarships then I suggest you call the schools directly and inquire transfer scholarships. As I said, TCNJ website does not show any scholarships for transfer that I saw.</p>
<p>Many folks on here are a great resource, but some out of the region do not realize the cost of NJ state schools nor the commuting costs. If you were to need a car, call your parents insurance agent and price the cost of insurance before making a decision. My co-worker in the Central Jersey area (which gets lumped with Philadelphia) is paying $2,600+ for her 19 yr old son’s insurance on a 12 year car (car is in the parent’s name).</p>
<p>I did not recieve any aid from Rutgers and TCNJ last year except the student stafford loan of $5500. </p>
<p>If I had gone to Rutgers it would have costed me $26,000… TCNJ would have been a little less than that if i dormed. The thing was… I do not mind commuting but my dad wanted me to dorm … he said i needed to learn to be independent. </p>
<p>My dad values my education alot and I am soo thankful for both my parents <3.</p>
<p>Initially I did not jump to going to Bryn Mawr just because I was accepted… just their aid was much better other than the Loans… but my dad would have to take a loan for me to go to Rutgers as well. In fact I was going to Rutgers pretty much until it all changed i n June. I even took my placement exams and everything for that school. </p>
<p>I realize wherever I spend my first year I would have gone through this problem but if i Was already at Rutgers I would have just commuted from then on. </p>
<p>THank you all for your comments and help. Man I feel like crying sometimes and i yearn to be 8 again instead of 18…i am applying to scholarships and hopefully there will be merit scholarships and such available… <em>sigh</em>…</p>
<p>to NovelNova2010:
I live in Denbigh!
I will try for scholarships and maybe a bigger grant.</p>
<p>You sound like a great son. FWIW, if I made the decision to send my D to college I would not want her to be worrying about my debt. What an honor it is for us parents to have a child who has worked so hard to this point to get into his/her college of choice. We are the parents let us make this choice about our debt- your dad is a phd he knows what’s up and how much sacrifice he can make. If you are not comfortable with your own debt level that is a different story, but let your parents do this for you if they want to. Good luck</p>
<p>–She took 2 extra classes over the summer at her home school and 2 at other schools over the course of the year, but since all the SUNYs have low rates her total qualified expenses are still $4.5K less than her total scholarships/grants and she earned almost $4K from work.–</p>
<p>sk8rmom, it does not matter what your daughter’s total scholarships/grants were, you can still get the tax credit if she received no scholarship money for the terms during which she took the summer classes. 1098 for the summer classes taken at other schools will show tuition cost and no scholarship money, so you base the credit on the summer classes she took and did not get scholarship money for. You could probably get a full refund for the classes taken at the two other schools, as I doubt she received scholarship money from those institutions to pay for the classes.</p>
<p>Bluechic</p>
<p>Given last years financial packages, I say stay at Bryn Mawr. I don’t see where Rutgers commuting could be a savings. </p>
<p>Now, if you want to transfer for reasons other than financial, that is a different story.</p>
<p>I think your parents are paying their Expected Family Contribution with the Plus loan, correct? Wouldn’t that be the same at a NJ state school? I don’t see how Rutgers would be cheaper. You’ll probably not get any need-based aid there vs. the 29K grant at Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr defines your need as $29K in grants and the $5500 max Stafford, correct? That sounds like a good deal for a middle class family. Now if they defined your need as $50K but left your parents to pay $14k/yr in loans, that would not be a good deal. I’m just trying to fully understand the package you received.</p>
<p>I think you need to ask your parents to be open with you about finances so you can make a good decision. This is the first major financial decision you’ve faced, a good learning experience, but you need the facts.</p>
<p>It sounds like the Plus Loan is being used to pay your EFC. That’s very different than it being part of your package. But if it is part of your package, transferring to a school that meets need without Plus loans may well be cheapest of all.</p>
<p>There are times when the state U. is much cheaper than the private university and others when that dollar difference is relatively equal. Given that you had financial aid packages from all schools at the same point in time, it does not appear that you made a financially reckless decision.</p>
<p>You mentioned that your mom doesn’t work. I think you should share your concerns with your parents and see what their view of the big picture actually is; your mom may be planning to go back to work at some point to help pay for college and to start a new chapter in her own life.</p>
<p>I would also like to point out that you are not majoring in something like ethnomusicology or Egyptology where the intellectual thrills far outpace the potential earning power of the indebted graduate. While a BS in physics/science is not a huge money maker right out of the gate, it involves the acquision of skills that can be adapted and modified to work in a variety of careers and the potential to pursue advanced degrees that open up even more job opportunities. </p>
<p>If you feel that worrying about money is something you will not easily be able to set aside, I would suggest that you take the most employment friendly of your study options at Bryn Mawr (the engineering option) and stay put. I would also add that since you were admitted from the waitlist you were not first in line for aid freshman year; you’ve done what you can to re-evaluate your options, but also consider that you are doing well where you are and therefore Bryn Mawr was right to take a chance on you and you on them - perhaps this time around they will be able to help you out a little bit more in the financial aid department.</p>
<p>Thank you Longhaul, electronblue, 2college2college, bchan1 and everyone else!!</p>
<p>Longhaul, you are right. In fact I noticed that the tuiton price increased at Rutgers from the time I was going to attend it last year. </p>
<p>Electronblue and 2college2college. I wish i could explain to you my financial situation more but my parents always told me to focus on my studies and they will deal with everything else. Every time i volunteer to get a job they get mad at me and say I should be focusing on studies. They are starting to open up more and I am trying to convince them that I am going to get a job over summer so I can help. </p>
<p>bchan1 —> I am concerned about the money, not for myself, but for my parents since they have a second child’s education to pay for too. But you are right too, I will talk to the financial aid office and I am applying for scholarships and grants. Also, the engineering was never not an option =)! no matter if I do physics, math, chemistry, I was definitely going to apply to the 3/2 program no matter what ( just in case + another opportunity).</p>
<p>If your mother got a part-time job in retail or perhaps child care (or whatever would be suited for her), your parents could get rid of a good chunk of what is being paid for by the Plus loan without it seriously affecting your need-based grant. I can understand the point of view of not wanting you to work during the school year but there’s no reason for you not to make $2500+ in the summer. While that may not seem like much, every little bit helps.</p>
<p>Oh no … I already work during the school year!
for spring I am going to be a research assistant and I also work at my school dining hall!</p>
<p>also guys I have already applied to RU as a transfer ( just as a back up before it’s too late) </p>
<p>maybe TCNJ will be a good back up too? I am not sure…</p>
<p>What will you save by going to a state school?</p>
<p>How much will it cost for you to go to…</p>
<p>Rutgers?</p>
<p>TCNJ?</p>
<p>How will those costs get paid for?</p>
<p>If the amount that you’ll have to pay for THOSE schools is about the same as what your family is paying/borrowing for you to go to your current school, THEN WHY would you transfer???</p>
<p>Transfer students don’t often get much in scholarships, so you can’t count on those.</p>
<p>I also think you need some kind of clarification from your parents as to who will be responsible for their Plus Loans. Frankly, I think it should be THEM…not YOU. YOU will not be earning enough to pay for those costs.</p>
<p>it sounds like your parents borrowed their EFC. It sounds like they have a good-sized EFC and they borrowed to pay for it. </p>
<p>I know that you’re concerned about your parents paying for your younger sibling, but maybe your mom could work to help pay for the Plus loan and your sibling’s education.</p>