<p>Friends who have done the same and most of my research has told me that in my home state of California, I don't need to worry much about the cost of the school itself. Colleges and universities seem to like older transfer students and even with budget cuts, it seems like financial aid continues to be generous.</p>
<p>How do you afford everything else? Almost anywhere I go on the west coast has a higher cost of living that my current city. Rents are higher, food is higher, gas is higher. The economy being what it is I don't even have a job right now. How am I supposed to save up for a move if I can't find work? </p>
<p>Getting into school doesn't worry me. Paying for tuition doesn't worry me. Being able to afford to live wherever my new college is seems to be impossible.</p>
<p>Attend a university you can commute to from your current home. If you’re in California and not in a really rural area, there’s a Cal State campus within commuting distance of just about anyone.</p>
<p>When I moved away from the Bay Area as a transfer student out of CC, my parents helped me out a lot with tuition and books and I used loans plus student jobs to cover living expenses. If my parents hadn’t kicked in, I wouldn’t have been able to afford moving out and would have ended up commuting to SF State or something.</p>
<p>My parents really don’t have the money to continue to support me. It’s a burden for them now, and placing that burden on them for the next 4+ years (while I finish my transfer requirements and after I move on to do my B.S.) isn’t fair. I’m not sure how old you are, but I’m 26 right now. I don’t want to be reliant on them as a 30 year old.</p>
<p>I do have a Cal State nearby. But it’s CSU Fresno.</p>
<p>I’m 27, and was 24 when I transferred out of CC.</p>
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<p>So? A perfectly good school. You’re acting like it’s a leper colony or something. Will the name impress the Joneses next door? Probably not. But who cares? You can afford it, right?</p>
<p>You need to build a budget - how much financial aid can you expect, how much does tuition cost at the schools you’re interested in attending and what is the cost to move out and live elsewhere?</p>
<p>I get that you have the urge to move out. But if neither you nor your family are in a financial position to support that, then you may have to wait.</p>
<p>“So? A perfectly good school. You’re acting like it’s a leper colony or something. Will the name impress the Joneses next door? Probably not. But who cares? You can afford it, right?”</p>
<p>Well, actually…</p>
<p>I’ve looked in to CSU Fresno. They really don’t interest me. I know I can get my undergrad education anywhere and still go on to a good school for my graduate work, but Fresno State is practically everything I don’t want in a college. I also don’t hear much about their research opportunities and for a bio major planning to go onto grad school yes, that could put me at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>“You need to build a budget - how much financial aid can you expect, how much does tuition cost at the schools you’re interested in attending and what is the cost to move out and live elsewhere?”</p>
<p>I haven’t laid out a solid budget yet, but will when I’m closer to transfer. I have however looked at tuition, likely financial aid, and rental costs in other areas.</p>
<p>“I get that you have the urge to move out. But if neither you nor your family are in a financial position to support that, then you may have to wait.”</p>
<p>The thing is my family is also not in a position to continue supporting me. They will but it is a heavy burden on them. Continuing to rely on them is not going to be a sound 4-6 year plan. There are also various family conflicts at play, and the hopes that my girlfriend and I might be able to get a place together soon. Living here in the long term really isn’t going to be an option.</p>