<p>@Scienceguy1. Definitely select UCSD or UCI if you can transfer. Both have excellent pre-med programs. I really don’t think Rutgers would give you any sort of advantage over either campus. Of course, this is just one Californian’s perspective.</p>
<p>Well the hate has started to build up on here. </p>
<p>The only thing I am going to address is the reason I went to Rutgers. If your family is making a toxic environment for you you are going to want to leave, plain and simple. Toxic as in yelling and screaming, breaking, lots of conflict between parents. It had nothing to do with financials. It was purely between my parents. My life was a mess when I went to community college I was depressed and I didn’t know how much longer I could take the abuse from my job or my parents. I chose Rutgers because it was far away it is 23k a year in tuiton, which no is not near the tuition of a highly ranked private school. There were other factors that I cannot disclose fully due to the fact that its personal. I wanted to get away start my career on the east coast I felt the best way to do that was go to an affordable decently ranked public school. Turns out it wasnt all that affordable when my dads business tanked. It tanked in late Jan, it is now back up and running. If I plan to go to medical school getting my requirements done at a university is far more favorable that much is obvious, that also contributed to my choice to go to Rutgers. I was unaware of the fact that I would be put on a credit cap. I chose this because I wanted out and I wanted my pre-med reqs done at a university.</p>
<p>I am sorry that you feel what I am doing is wrong, I really don’t see how this is anywhere near wrong. I am research if I should feel as though I was wronged or if I need to grow up a little. And I came here and found out it was a little of both. There is is no problem with that. I hope you realize that everyone uses the internet for justifying their feelings a lot, worries, doubts etc… </p>
<p>I agree UCI and UCSD would be great. Rutgers will likely be held against me if anything. I have managed to do some good things here and secure some great letters of rec, and some awesome volunteering experience, that much I am grateful for.</p>
<p>What I’m starting to wonder, is it uncommon for someone to graduate with 100k in debt?</p>
<p>Thank you all for your points of view.</p>
<p>Many students graduate more than $100,000 in debt. </p>
<p>According to the NY Times, 67% of graduates have debt. According to the NY Times, 3% of these, or about 2% of all graduates, graduate with more than $100,000 in debt. <a href=“Student Loans Weighing Down a Generation With Heavy Debt - The New York Times”>Student Loans Weighing Down a Generation With Heavy Debt - The New York Times;
<p>If about 1,500,000 students graduate from college each year, about 30,000 students graduate more than $100,000 debt each year.</p>
<p>This is sad and crazy.</p>
<p>I only see excuses and justifications in your response. You address the fact that Rutger’s tuition is lower than that of a private institution. You gloss over the Public UC’s in California, which charge under 13K in tuition alone. Soul searching is fine, but to do so on this website is short-sighted. Anonymous and one-sided posts is not research. What you need is therapy. I can tell you for a fact that you will not get what you are looking for here, because you can not post all the important details that you have to share. That being said, it is rather short-sighted to call what you are doing “research” when all the facts are not laid out on the table–nor, is it appropriate to do so on a college information board. No one here hates you, and I don’t believe that some of the parents here are hating on you. What you are doing is inappropriate for this forum. Your questions should be addressed in a safe environment where you can disclose all details. In that way, and only that way, will you be able to seek answers for the questions that you have. The first rule in therapy is that you have to disclose everything in order to benefit. You are leaving things out for the sake of anonymity, and no significant research should ever be conducted with partial information. Good Luck to you, I hope you find peace.</p>
<p>Yes, some students do end up with $100,000 or more in debt for their undergraduate degree, but the vast majority don’t. That level of student debt ruins lives.</p>
<p>As for opting to do unpaid volunteer work rather than bringing in $100 or so each week that you can use toward your expenses, all I can think to say is “Are you out of your mind?” You should have a paying job. Period. Five hours a week, ten hours a week, whatever it is that you can fit into your schedule. You should be paying for all of your “fun stuff” and as much of your books, materials, travel, and personal expenses as you can cover. Taking a long hard look at the kinds of loans that you are considering, you may be best off attending Rutgers part-time and working full-time.</p>
<p>Whether others end up with $100K debt doesn’t address whether it is a GOOD thing, nor whether it makes med school more challenging (or even possible). It would seem to be a good idea to re-evaluate getting a degree from some CA in-state U and THEN applying to med school with the least possible debt.</p>
<p>Debt is a very heavy burden and will follow you for a very long time. Educational debt is NOT discharged even in bankruptcy! $100K is much more than many people make in two or three years, even BEFORE taxes! It is a crushing amount of debt. Posting this is NOT hate, nor is it trying to put you down in any way. It is trying to have you see the deep pit you’re digging for yourself.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree with you more, and $400 dollars a month is not something to be dismissed. It is like I have said earlier, we don’t know the whole story. In accruing $100K in undergraduate debt from a non-ivy league school is just not a sound financial decision.</p>
<p>OP, you’ve made a lot of bad and financially-costly decisions. Your parents may have seen this ego-driven boondoggle in the making, and perhaps they do not want any part of it.</p>
<p>I think it is reasonable for them to pay the EFC portion. Then, if that is not enough, with grants and scholarships, to go loan free, then you should pick a different school. $120k+ in loans is nuts! Sounds like you are taking out a bunch of extra loans beyond the usual. No college is worth that.</p>
<p>If your parents are divorced, there might be something in the court order from custody and child support and all, that orders each of them to pay some portion of the tuition. I see that a lot these days. You should go look.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses. I have worked out a way to pay only around 60k with loans even if I stay at Rutgers. Got some of the support I need from my parents.</p>
<p>I’m going to stop responding to this thread.</p>
<p>Although your parents aren’t obligated to pay for your school, I feel that if they have the money to help you out, then they should. As a parent, I can’t even imagine not helping my child pay. It wouldn’t even occur to me to do that.</p>