This is coming from my father, who wants me to go to a really cheap college or even an open admission community college. I want to go to an OOS university right after HS which, whenever I tell him about it, he says “What’s so good about that?” I’m a snob so I care about where I go after HS, especially since I’m working my heart out now in high school.
Are you a homeschooler? Who is your main teacher?
Get full ride from a good college then it won’t matter what your father thinks. If he is paying then he gets a say. In my personal opinion, college matters a whole lot even though your hard work is what sets you apart in life, not college.
Free rides aren’t easy to come by. What’s your financial situation? The best aid goes to freshmen, so if you have competitive stats, it may be less expensive to apply directly to a 4-year school.
How much can your parents afford per year without borrowing? Add the ~$5500/year federal student loan and the ~$3k you can earn if you work summers and that’s your budget. If you want a more expensive school, you need to find one that offers merit for your stats and/or need based aid. Post in the financial aid forum to get suggestions for where to apply.
I’d say it depends entirely what you want to do in life, and what you want out of your education. And as others have said, if money is a problem then by all means apply for FA which could help things
OOS public schools are often more expensive. What is your in-state flagship?
While that statement is generally true for many occupations, it is too broad of a statement. You first need to know where you want to end up for a career. it is very difficult to pick the right path if you have no idea what your destination is. Many occupations need certifications that ensure competency and therefore it is less dependent on your undergrad degree. Businesses are also filled with workers doing tasks that do not relate to their major at all. Just visit any large corporate headquarters and you will see floor after floor filled with cubicles of people doing tasks that often times does not involve what they studied in college. Most likely a college degree was needed to apply but it did not really matter what it was in or from where it came from. They can teach you the task.
If your a hard worker now in HS, then you will do fine where ever you go. There are many different paths you can take. Don’t feel there is only one path.
@#1 Sorry, I posted in the wrong forum.
@#2 Although I am surviving in high school, my performance isn’t nearly good enough to get me a full-ride to anywhere that I think of. They’re only decent. And my father says that if I don’t go to the super-cheap college or open admission community college, he won’t pay a cent towards my education. So I guess if I do go there, I’ll be on my own financially.
@#3 I’d say that my household’s income is around $120,000~$135,000. I’m not sure if I qualify for FAFSA but my father keeps denying it.
@#5 My state’s flagship colleges are University of California and California State University. You may be thinking right now “Why bother going out of state? You have some of the best colleges in yours.”. It’s widely known that UC is a step up from CSU. As of now I’m in an awkward position where I’d probably get rejected by most UCs and accepted in most CSUs (ie overachiever). The OOS university I want to go to is probably right in the middle of my scale where I can probably get in and doesn’t do too poorly academically. It’s pretty famous too, so there’s that for not being mortified about my alma mater.
Thanks to everyone who posted
You can only borrow $5500/year on your own. I think your family income is too high to qualify for a Pell grant. Can you start at a CSU and transfer to a UC?
The problem here is not your options, it’s your attitude. If you would truly be “mortified” about your alma mater being a CSU…I applaud your dad for insisting you go to one.
I’m absolutely not dissing your desire to go out of state - I’m set on it too, and my parents didn’t like it. The state where I live has great schools, but none of them interest me. If you really want to go to this OOS school, you have to be willing to take responsibility for composing a strong application, submitting the FAFSA, and applying for scholarships, since your dad is clearly not willing to assist you.
a lot depends on what OOS college you have in mind. so, what is it?
colleges don’t care so much that you are working your heart out in HS as much as your results. so what does “decent” really mean? what’s your GPA? what’s your SAT/ACT?
i kind of doubt your dad phrased it like, “I want you to go to a really cheap college.” you live in CALIFORNIA for pete’s sake. there are great in-state options for any level of HS graduate. he’s probably thinking, “why pay for OOS when we have so many great in-state options that will be a much better value since this is where we live and pay our taxes.” and frankly i agree with him.
you say you’d get rejected by most UCs – well, since CSUs are apparently beneath you, are there any UCs that WILL accept you? Santa Cruz … Riverside … Merced? what’s wrong with them? and if you don’t do well enough in HS to get accepted into any UC and have to “settle” for a CSU – well, that’s kind of on you.
sorry but your daddy’s not obligated to enable your post-HS snobbery, he is obligated to help you get a good education for a good value, and he is completely reasonable to insist on choosing the best in-state option.
so what is your OOS school?
The answer to your question depends upon what your undergraduate major is. For engineering what matters is whether the program is ABET certified and probably all state flagship public universities are ABET certified. For a major like English or Political Science, where you get your undergraduate degree is going to matter.
I see where your dad is coming from. CSUs are a pretty compelling value at just $7k/year for tuition. (not an insignificant portion of Dad’s annual earnings)
If you aren’t a competitive applicant to UCR or UCSC, I hate to break it to you but, many of CSUs are probably out too. SDSU, CalPoly SLO, Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge and many programs at SJSU and Cal Poly Pomoa even Fresno and Chico may also be out of reach.
I don’t know your stats so, that’s just a guess.
I’d suggest you re-set your sights on the paths that are open rather than focus on those that are closed. A CSU, CC or a cost effective OOS option seem like they are viable. As a CA resident, you can get discounted tuition at many of the public colleges in other Western states (including U of Hawaii) through a program referred to a WUE. Read about it here:.
http://outofstatecollegefairs.org/w-u-e-four-year-universities/
Schools like UNR, Boise State, and Fort Lewis make it essentially the same tuition cost as a CSU (for well qualified applicants). Now, if you won’t consider a CSU, none of them are probably on your list either.
Wanted to add something not necessarily covered above… when you apply to a college you are in many ways selecting the caliber of courses, profs, lab equipment, arts facilities, etc etc, but you are also selecting the network of conections - and even less tangibly, the expectations for learning. That sounds awfully wishy-washy perhaps, but it’s also very true.
The high end schools provide a massively more powerful network of connections for those first internships and jobs… and the other students will either expect you to engage, or to just sort of float… so I would argue that where you go is actually more important than your degree. You are becoming a young adult, and you’ll refine who you are in a place that excites you, or at a place where you can just get by without trying.
(Qualified by the fact that yes, lots of students waste Ivy League opportunities, and lots of others make magic happen at very mediocre schools. But overall, where you go sets part of your path, in powerful ways.)
The task is to find the place where you can become the better you.
this is a tough one - having a degree is better then no degree, that’s for sure. and if financials are a factor, then your dad’s advise is sound. but if money is not an object, I’d go for the best school that will accept me. even a 5% increase in earning power, multiplied over a career will likely more than cover for the cost difference.