<p>Ok well the big deadline is coming up and I still haven't committed to any schools yet. I am a NJ student and I got into Rowan, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Ramapo. I got an 18,000 scholarship for 4 years to Fairleigh but the only way I could attend there was by commuting and paying off the 16k that is left. Rowan is now out of the question because my family could never afford to pay for 4 years dorming.
So Ramapo has been my top choice. I wanted to dorm there and commute if I had to but my parents financial status is complicated. My dad makes about 100k a year but he works through an agency who takes around 30k out of his paycheck as he is a contractor and then he loses another 11k paying for health insurance out of pocket. To top it off they are in 10k credit card debt and I have two younger brothers. Ramapo gave me no money at all but I applied after the December 15th priority which is my own fault. For the past several weeks I have been anxious and depressed over not knowing where I am going to end up when people ask me the dreaded question. Where are you going? I still don't know but dorming at Ramapo for one year would put me around 55k in loans after 4 years. I wanted the college experience but I have no idea what to do. I have asked countless people what I should do and I have received various answers such as just take loans, join the military, go to tradeschool, go to community college, and take a gap year. Please I only have 2 days and I would appreciate any advice or insight.</p>
<p>What is your family’s EFC? How much CAN your family afford to support your first year of college? Will you have a job for the summer, and if so, how much do you expect to earn? Did Ramapo give you any finacial aid other than loans?</p>
<p>Have you and your parent gone over your choices? What do they think you should do? If indeed, you cannot get the money needed to pay for any of your schools, you should look at other options as you have listed. The money is not going to materialize from thin air. If your parents are truly not in position to make up the monetary gap, either through savings, income or co siging/taking out loans, then if you want to go to college, a local state school or community college are the most affordable choices, commuting from home if you indeed want to go to college.</p>
<p>A gap year is something to consider, if you truly know that there are some issues that you can fix in a year’s time. Otherwise you’ll be in the same place a year later. Military and trade school are not commitments to make unless you are ready to follow through with that course of action.</p>
<p>Unless you commute to Ramapo it is more $ than Rowan for tuition and r/b. Did Rowan give you any $?</p>
<p>Sounds like an associates from CC and transfer is your best bet. If you do decently at CC and get your associates you are pretty well guaranteed transfer admission to Rowan and Ramapo, not sure on FD.</p>
<p>Can you afford to deposit with 2 of them (might be non-refundable)? That will give you time to make the right choice. Making the RIGHT choice might be worth one lost deposit. OR, call and see if they can give you an extension. If so, get the person’s full name that grants it.</p>
<p>ALSO, if Ramapo means you live at home, then going to CC is almost a no-brainer. Why pay all that $ to commute when transferring gets you the same degree? IF you are an engineering major you might want to try hard to start at the 4-yr school. IF you are an education major and want to transfer to Rowan, you need to get very strong grades at CC. I know zero about Ramapo and their programs.</p>
<p>I have had a job since the end of September and I expect to keep it throughout the summer. I don’t think any schools gave me any scholarship money. Basically I have the loans and the pell grant and NJ tag thing which gives me about 2000. I have considered community college even though I would seriously prefer not going there. It means I will have trouble making friends, not be part of the college life, and have to transfer after two years and still be in the same position albeit with less debt.</p>
<p>Who would co-sign your loans? </p>
<p>YOU can only borrow 5500 by yourself. To borrow more requires cosigners…and it doesn’t sound like your parents will do that.</p>
<p>How much will your parents contribute?</p>
<p>I’m surprised that you qualify for Pell. What is your EFC?</p>
<p>04610 is my EFC</p>
<p>Pell Grant Estimate - $900.00</p>
<p>Direct Stafford Loan Estimate - $5,500.00</p>
<p>Please help I am running out of time. I don’t know what would be the best option for me</p>
<p>If you and your parents cannot come up with the money for your choices without putting yourselves in financial trouble, then the best option is to check out your local state schools and community colleges and enroll there. You can’t borrow more than your Stafford unless your parents apply and are turned down for PLUS. ANd they just might qualify for the loans, but not be in the shape to take them on. You don’t want to hurt them financially and cause them stress. You don’t even mention what they have to say or offered in this situation when it is really their load. Parents are the ones responsible for their kids’ college. So they are the ones who have to make the determination, but as a responsible, caring person, you should have an eye on their well being too.</p>
<p>We have no ideas as to where you can get more money, and that seems to be the obstacle. Make the affordable choice.</p>
<p>I could commute to the local state school which is Ramapo but its about 35 minutes away with no traffic. Thats still about 10k a year I don’t really have without loans.</p>
<p>What have your parents said? Can they and will they contribute anything to your college? You cannot afford Ramapo, you say, so it’s off the table. What do you have that is closer? Are there any community colleges near by? That is where you need to start, if you have nothing other than the Staffords, PELL and NJ grant. You can borrow all you can of the Stafford for two years in a row, saving it for your last two years at Ramapo or other State school. If you work, save and ask your parents to do the same, you might be able to get those 4 years done without a lot of debtl-Staffords only. If you can’t afford your least expensive of the options you presented, they are not options at all.</p>
<p>I was intially adamant against going to community college because I wanted the college life and I feel like it is gonna be really hard to make friends.and I still do but that would require taking out so many loans. I told my mom I would be better off going to community college and she got ****ed off because he tried to force it on me at the beginning of the year but I was deaf to her because I didn’t realize our financial status. Now she is saying just go to Ramapo and take loans.</p>
<p>Tell her that YOU cannot take out the loans beyond $5500. You need for her or your dad to commit to taking out the differential. It’s pretty clear that you want to go to Ramapo, and I don’t blame you. It’s nice to be able to go away to college. But it is expensive and is something your parents have to pay if that is what they want to do. </p>
<p>You are allowed $5500 Stafford loans in your own name. ANything else has to have your parents sign as well and they are equally on the hook as you are regardless of what happens to you or them. It will be on their credit report. So if they will borrow the money and pay for you, or pay from whatever source they may have, you can go where ever that will buy. It’s like your mother wants you to buy a new car when you don’t have the money or the credit to do so.</p>
<p>Sit down with both of your parents and have a calm conversation about your choices-community college or Rampo.
Community college-you can take out a Stafford and afford if you commute
Rampo-Stafford and your parents paying out 5Kof their pocket/year
You need to apologize for your stubbornness to accept the fact your family cannot afford for you to stay on campus.
Ask them if they can give you 5K/year of the family resources to go to Rampo and continue to live at home.
You need to talk to them so you can accept Rampo.</p>
<p>I know they will also be taking out the loans in their name . But dorming at Ramapo for just one year would leave me at nearly 60k debt by the end of the four years. I was hoping that I could perhaps become an RA.</p>
<p>You have to be at least a sophomore or junior to be eligible for RA positions.
Don’t count on things like that because RA positions are highly prized and competitive.
You apply for it like a job with interviews and recommendations.
Bottom line:
Your family cannot afford for you to dorm.
Also:
They may not be able to afford Ramapo if they cannot get loans.
Your reality:
CC may be your only option.</p>
<p>I know I meant dorming Freshmen year to make friends and such and after that trying to become an RA. Without loans I can’t afford anything. I know Community college might be my only option but I get a little disappointed and depressed when I see that all my friends are going off to wonderful colleges with not a care in the world.</p>
<p>The answer is very simple. You can only go to a school where your parents will pay. If they agree , you can go. Otherwise, you have to go to cc or take off the year and work. You need money and you don’t have it; you can’t borrow it without your parents. Your mother can yell and cry and curse, but that doesn’t bring forth the funds.</p>
<p>I bet that more of your classmates (maybe not your best friends) are going to CC than you think. You aren’t alone in your financial position. Ask your guidance office how many are headed to CC (this assuming you’re in public school.)</p>
<p>I commuted to college all 4 years. Since I was about half hour away I spent my free time in the student center. We had a commuter lounge and even a commuter club. I met some good friends. One did move on campus second semester and it was nice because I got to stay over and make friends with her dorm-mates as well. </p>
<p>What is the closest 4 year NJ public college to your closest NJ Community college? That is where most of the people you attend CC with will attend. You will all transfer together and take any CC friendships with you. It is not as bleak as you think, it will just be different. Please do have a talk with your parents about their expectations if you live at home. We really lightened up on our son’s rules as we knew if he had lived away he would come and go as he pleased. Once he turned 21 he was allowed to drink in the house.</p>
<p>Remember that you will also have time to go away and visit at your friend’s schools. Maybe you will find one that you really like and will be glad you saved some $ by going to CC. Maybe when you are a junior you can transfer to one of their schools and get an apartment ( often cheaper than dorm).</p>
<p>So you see, starting at CC really just keeps options open. Commuting to Ramapo doesn’t mean you won’t make friends, it simply means you might have to put a little more effort into finding them. Maybe you’ll find someone to carpool with…another thing to ask Guidance Office (if anyone else going to Ramapo.)</p>
<p>You’ll see friends have elaborate weddings without a care in the world. They’ll have beautiful houses without a care in the world. They’ll have children they send to private schools without a care in the world. THey’ll get jobs they love without a care in the world. I’ve seen all of that, and I’m lucky to get any of it with lots of stress and worry. Life doesn’t work the way you want it to, and you are lucky when it isn’t a slammer into something really crucial, like health, life itself, injuries, true poverty.</p>
<p>My cousin commuted to Ramapo for most of her college years, made terrific friends, and had a great college experience. She was able to take a year on the west coast at a college there in exchange during her four years as well. After she graduated she moved out west close to her brother and sister-in-law, she comes home to visit when she can and her parent travel out there when they can to visit. Commuting now does not mean you will never leave home or NJ. </p>
<p>It may seem like everyone else is going away, but that is not the case. Many students live at home at first while they commute to college. There are ways to get involved on campus even if you do not live there.</p>
<p>If you and your family cannot afford Ramapo with your commuting, look at the CCs in your area. They will likely be less expensive than Ramapo.</p>
<p>If you have high enough stats for guaranteed merit at OOS/ private schools where you and your family can make-up the difference you could take a gap year and re-apply to schools with high merit next year. </p>
<p>There are options, even though it may not feel like it now. </p>
<p>:)</p>