noname87, this is actually a very convincing point, I certainly don’t want to end up back at my parents house because of the debt and for just two short years living at home I could get the same education but for less and then transfer.
Thanks guys these answers are good and making me feel better about making the smart (though not 1st choice)
So you think it’s worth $75000 in debt to go to a four year college? Please think long and hard about this. It will be at least $800 a month payments for ten years to assume this level of debt.
It might come down to having to live with your parents when you graduate and get your first job…if you can’t make ends meet.
Yeah I feel that way somewhat but I also understand how impractical it is. It’s also hard when other classmates say they are going there and going to just deal with it later which doesn’t make sense but is still tempting
What state are you in? I’d attend a cc first, then find an inexpensive in state college to commute to the last two years so I could graduate with as little debt as possible. If you don’t like living at home now, imagine what it would be like as a twenty something who has so many loans you have to live with mom and dad just to make ends meet. If you really want to get out soon, get a job and try to find an apartment near the community college in your area. Generally, the less debt you have as a new grad, the better. Good luck.
Pennsylvania
One more personal anecdote for you…
When I was a sophomore in HS I shared a table in Art class with a cute girl and a senior football player. I noticed that she seemed to pay a lot more attention to what he had to say on Fridays - when he wore his game jersey to school. Three weeks into the season I approached the JV football coach about joining the team. I can’t remember if he laughed out loud, but he told me to get a physical and show up for practice the next day. There were only 13 other boys on the team, which presumably made the decision an easy one for him. I wasn’t in the best of shape, had never played tackle football before, and had missed all of preseason conditioning. You can probably guess how much playing time I got and how miserable my experience was as even the smallest, weakest kids on the team were able to push me around. I wasn’t prepared and did it for the wrong reasons. Think of CC as a way to get yourself into shape for the university. You’ll have a much better chance of being successful and a much better overall experience if you put in the work first.
Thank you for that story and although I feel ready to go I ultimately know after graduating college I will be relieved that I chose the smart option and chose to save money. Thank again for the advice greeninohio it helps a lot!
Well, I think you should stay at home and do the cheaper CC route but take every weekend to go visit one of your friends at the “big” school. You will get everything you need on the weekends and will probably get sick of it after a while. The only investment needed is a decent blow up mattress.
As far as kids who take out 75K of loans…well, all of the ones I know (approaching 30) are still paying them. They are getting married, having kids, and still saddled with those loans. One I know could not buy a cute house she found that was way below market value because she has too much debt. She’s living in her boyfriend’s dad’s house now, at 28, and still owes a boatload, because jobs for new graduates do not pay as well as those you can get when you are 40.
Any one of them would do it differently if they could go back.
Would you do anything like join ROTC for the scholarship? That’s another way…
I commuted to our local cc (many years ago) from my parents’ home and graduated with no debt. Then I transferred to a 4-year in state private school and lived in a dorm, but only stayed a semester because I didn’t like the debt I had to take on to live on campus. I got a job and an apartment, then finished out at a 4-year public. When I graduated I had minimal debt (I think it took me a year to pay off, but this was many years ago). It was a mishmash of experiences, I suppose, but I liked it because I got to try different things (I’ve been to cc, a private university, and a public university, and I’ve lived at home, in a dorm, and in my own apartment while in school). Just because you start with cc now, doesn’t mean you can’t try other experiences later.
reedpoodles, I have looked into ROTC but from what I have heard from some members there is that just because you do ROTC doesn’t qualify you for a full ride.
it’s worth applying. they are tuition scholarships but you can also get a living stipend. you do work for it, however! National Guard is another option for making some money to help get that debt down.
I thought you might be talking about Penn State. If you are, please know that since the students who attend a branch campus the first two years are automatically accepted to Univ Park for their last two years, it’s much harder to transfer in from community college. If that’s what you’re planning, call the admissions office to find out for sure.
Yes this is why I referred to the branch campuses that were close to my house so I would save on housing costs. Just wish main campus wasn’t so expensive seeing as it’s IN-state for goodness sake but oh well
Yeah, as you said, it’s a quasi-state school. Only about 7% of its budget comes from the state. My daughter was accepted to the Altoona campus and was really tempted (her dad and I went to PSU and she loves the place) but in the end chose a state school where she could stay on one campus for four years. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s about $10,000 a year cheaper, either.
What is this really about? Sex? Drugs? How loud the Rock and Roll can be?
$65,000 is a lot of money, especially when you don’t have too strong an idea of how much you will be making (if any, I saw) to pay it off.
There is a lot to be said about a quiet, warm study room in a house with dinner on the table.
Yeah Brandywine is closest to me. Temple University is also an option seeing as I’m from Philadelphia and could commute for a year before getting a house in philly and living there.
JustOneDad, well maybe if you read the rest of this conversation you would know what it is about.
I already read it and what I saw was "freedom’. Freedom to do what?
Brandywine is closest to us, too. She applied to altoona because they have dorms.