<p>M2K – I am not the poster with DD12 and DS14, but I think (s)he meant HS class of 12 and HS class of 14. I read it the same way you did at first glance :).</p>
<p>annasdad, that income is adequate in NYC, but leaves pretty much nothing for extras like college costs above CUNY.</p>
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</p>
<p>Living in Bergen County is a CHOICE.</p>
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<p>Somehow half the population manages to survive on half that, or less.</p>
<p>Somehow half the population manages to survive on half that, or less.</p>
<p>If half the population is sending their kids to schools that cost more than CUNY then no wonder admissions is so selective!</p>
<p>Annasdad, you said 134k was double the national average,hiwever when COLA is is taken into account,134k in Bergen County is no better then 1/2 that in Cedar Rapids…</p>
<p>
But they aren’t expecting to pay for expensive private colleges. Heck, half of our kids don’t even graduate from high school.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I read through everyone’s comments. I already finished applications and it seems as if someone found my stats…
These are the schools I applied to:
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Albany
UMass Amherst
American University
Northeastern University
Harvard University
Cornell University (Land Grant)
Boston University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame</p>
<p>All very pricey institutions, though I might add my mom said she would pay if I went to Notre Dame because she’s a religion teacher and very much likes the idea of my going to a Catholic university. </p>
<p>I’m just stuck because I am most certainly not staying home for personal reasons. Also, I live in an area of Brooklyn, NY not close to any subways or public transportation, and it would take me in excess of an hour and a half to travel to any CUNY regardless. I’m just not sure what to do here.</p>
<p>*Somehow half the population manages to survive on half that, or less.</p>
<p>=========
If half the population is sending their kids to schools that cost more than CUNY then no wonder admissions is so selective! *</p>
<p>Excellent point EK4…and of course, half the population in NYC isn’t even currently paying for kids to go to college, much less paying for schools above a CUNY.</p>
<p>Again, half the population can be a mix of retirees, single parents whose kids would get Pell and Tap, singles without kids, etc. </p>
<p>$134k is not a lot for middle-class living in NYC. It doesn’t leave much more than to pay for a public like a SUNY/CUNY.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should add Fordham and St. Johns to your list</p>
<p>St. Johns is extremely, extremely generous. Actually, my D2 found Fordham to be very generous, as well. But Fordham wouldn’t have been free.</p>
<p>I can’t apply to any more; my school won’t allow it. They only give us until November 17th to let them know where we’re applying so that list is final.</p>
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<p>Oh Annasdad, absolutely, it is a choice and I’ve looked over 50 homes in Ridgewood when my company was moving, because it has one of the best HS in Bergen County. And I know where Bergen Couty is, I lived there for 15 years.</p>
<p>Where would you suggest if you have a Harvard hopeful to live and goto HS? Homes in Irvington would be very affordable, but do you wish to live and have your kids goto HS there? Even if you do, do you think they will be educated well enough to get into Harvard? Its like that you have suggested before: South Ozone Park, NY. I know that area well too, as my short stint in a factory was on Liberty Ave.</p>
<p>I think you cannot use a national gauge to measure a local condition, such as an area as complicated as NY Metro. If your kids education is in question, you’d better to come down here and talk to a Real Estate agent before you suggest a home by looking up Realtor.com, as you can never comprehand that by sitting in front of a computer in rural midwest.</p>
<p>*My parents make around 134000 a year, but my mom has outright said that she’s not going to help me pay for my college. She says that even though we have money, she refuses to put financial hardship on herself just so I can go to college. My problem is that financial aid has an expected family contribution, mine of which is around 25000-40000 depending on the school. My mom said that she expects me to cover this entire amount with loans. She said that I should just go to a CUNY school here in New York City and stay at home, but I’ve been in an extreme amount of hard work and it would absolutely break my heart to know that I did it for nothing.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Because there are a couple of rather similar threads, I thought I’d repost your issue.</p>
<p>Can you clarify…are you sayign that she won’t pay one cent towards college? Or will she pay for a SUNY?</p>
<p>I find it strange that she’d pay big bucks for ND (which could have a family contribution of $30k or more), but she won’t pay anything for the other schools? ND doesn’t have that much of a Catholic atmosphere to justify that. and, as a Religion teacher, she can’t be making much for a salary.</p>
<p>SAT: 2110/1430 780M 650CR 680W
[ *] SAT IIs (if sent): 640US 780M1 730M2
[ *] ACT: didn’t take
[ *] UM unweighted GPA: 92/100 UW</p>
<p>There are some Catholics that might still give you a good amount of merit…try…</p>
<p>SLU
Springhill
Santa Clara
LMU
Loyola Maryland
USeattle
UPortland
Fairfield</p>
<p>There are some others that would give you large merit for stats. You’d need at least full tuition, though in order to be able to come up with room, board, and books.</p>
<p>Do you go to a Catholic high school?</p>
<p>Are you a NMSF? If so, there are more schools that would give you large merit.</p>
<p>I do not go to a Catholic High School, but I am Catholic. My cousin goes to Loyola Maryland and I’ve heard a lot about it and I am not interested (too small, I’m coming from one of the top 10 largest high schools in the US ~5500 students) and no NMSF 
close to the cutoff though.</p>
<p>As I said however, my list is final.</p>
<p>I told my parents that SUNY Binghamton would cost about ~20,000 a year and that we could split it half and half. Instead, I was told that I am expected to take out a loan every year I’m in school to cover the entire tuition.</p>
<p>acciocollege -</p>
<p>Do you have to cover the SUNY Binghamton tuition, or the full Cost of Attendance (tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, etc.). If all you need to borrow is tuition, it might be workable. However if it is the full COA, it won’t be. Even if your parents can and will co-sign every year for four years, SUNY Binghamton will leave you in too much debt if you try to attend full-time. If you get into ND, and your mother is willing to pay for it, you probably should go there. If you don’t get into ND, you really do need to come up with a new plan.</p>
<p>You should start with a meeting with your guidance counselor. You need to come clean with him/her about your family financial situation, and you need to get his/her help in creating a list that is more likely to be affordable for you. While I can understand that your HS has a cut-off date for college lists, they must also have a system in place for students whose life situations change after that date.</p>
<p>I can’t recall if this has been mentioned before, but you may want to start creating a Plan B for yourself in case you cannot get in anywhere that you can afford this year. There is nothing wrong with taking a Gap Year (or two or three) while you make a new college list for yourself.</p>
<p>I am a grad of the University of Dayton - excellent school that is also Catholic - and they give really good merit aid. </p>
<p>My DD attends Slippery Rock University. It is $21000 per year, oos with the upgraded dorm if you have at least a 3.0. She is in an LLC - carpet, shower, microwave/refrigerator in the room, plus an art studio and dance studio in her particular dorn. It think that is very reasonable and she is loving her experience there. She is doing exceptionally well. it is in Western PA with an enrollment of 8800. Just some additional input.</p>
<p>*As I said however, my list is final.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>You need to go to your GC and explain your situation. Appeal to her to let you apply to a couple of more schools. Surely she’s not going to want you to end up with no affordable schools.</p>
<p>Explain that when you made your list, you had no idea that your parents would expect you to borrow the full amounts. Appeal to her sympathies…heck, if most of use were your GC, we’d let you apply to a couple of more schools. </p>
<p>Does your mom know that SHE’D have to co-sign all those loans and how unlikely you’d be able to pay those loans back???</p>
<p>I concur with happymom. acciocollege, if the only reason that your list is final is because of school rules, I’d go in and talk to a counselor. You have some extenuating circumstances given your parents’ now saying they won’t pay anything towards your schooling. Please go talk to your counselor and ask if you could add a couple of schools that would be affordable.</p>
<p>You only mention what your mom says about paying nothing. How about your other parent? Do your parents understand that they would need to cosign any loans? Yes, many of the schools you’ve listed are expensive, but some might offer generous aid. I’m wondering if your mother will change her tune once she sees where you’ve been accepted and denied. </p>
<p>I’ll echo happymom’s advice about considering taking a gap year or more in order to get your ducks squarely lined up. Given the travel time you cite between your home and a CUNY campus, it does sound like living at home and going to school would be a false economy.</p>
<p>One other thought–consider talking to your parish priest. It sounds like there are other issues besides the financial one, so maybe this wouldn’t work for you, but sometimes talking to a non-family member who knows everyone can be helpful.</p>
<p>Yes to UDayton!</p>
<p>With your stats you’d get…</p>
<p>$55,000+ for your stats. I’m guessing that you’d get around half tuition or more. And if your mom says that she’ll pay for a Catholic univ, then this would be cheaper than ND.</p>
<p>(I’m wondering if your mom really knows how much ND would cost her. ND does not have generous FA formulas. My Irish SIL used to tell her 4 kids that if they got into ND, she’d pay…but she hadn’t kept up with the cost…and had to say “no” when she actually saw the weak FA pkg. )</p>
<p>We should also remember that it’s December 27th and three or four days before most app deadlines. </p>
<p>My school keeps a very strict policy and it’s highly unlikely that I’ll be able to change it now. Also, if it’s not an amazing school I don’t plan on going anywhere that’s not within a 6 or 7 hours driving distance.</p>