^I think she knows it will not be affordable. Her mom thinks they really want her and will give her a lot more money.
NU is sending little gifts and she is getting student calls, Also a fly in visit.
Northwestern offering $21,000; parents saying they’ll pay nothing.
I thought that the ~$17,000 net price at Stony Brook was after applying the merit award.
The $17K quote for Stonybrook was already taking that scholarship grant into account. Actually, if you look at what Stonybrook says its 2015-2016 COA is, the $17K is low. The actual cost would be a couple thousand more.
So is the mother really willing to allow her daughter to not go to college at all? Because that would be the obvious result of a $0 contribution from the parents. Or is she just being ridiculously dramatic? It sounds like there is a problem with communication. At the very beginning of this process I read a book that suggested that families discuss very clearly, ahead of time, exactly how much they can spend on college, and all then parties need to agree to stick with that. It seems like there were a lot of misunderstandings, unclear expectations, foggy plans, etc. in this situation, and they are not really communicating any better now. My guess is they will work it out before May 1st, but with a lot of drama along the way. I know, because I’ve lived this way! LOL. (Thank God I read that book, because it saved a lot of grief between me and my son when he did not get into Stanford and had to choose from the schools we can afford. It still wasn’t easy, but it would have been a lot worse if we didn’t establish a budget beforehand.)
SUNY tuitions are under $9K. Some of the smaller ones around $6K. There’s one at least within commutable distance.
I do not believe for an instant that UBuffalo cannot give a good education for OP in journalism. I;d like the name of that professor. I know the university well, and though it does not have the lustre, the 3 Rs of many other schools, the education provided is very high. With graduate departments in just about every discipline, the sky is the limit. A most underrated school. I initially looked at it to find the flaws. No ceilings there.And I don’t get a quarter or a benefit saying this.
I think the OP’s parents were all over the map in terms of commiting to what they would pay.And OP took the best of what they said. Happens all of the time. I think the parents for whatever reason, were unrealistic in what they thought their daughter would get. A lot of parents think that a school will come up with the money if it wants the student enough. Also, that they have a child getting a free ride has encouraged this thought. When it comes time to pay, the reality of those amounts set in.
THe OP isn’t able to go anywhere to college on a zero budget. Can go locally with the Direct loans and, getting a job if the parents truly cannot or will not come up with the money. THe fact of the matter is that some of the school offers are taking into account a sibling in college and the costs will go up sharply when he is out of school.’’
I wish the OP luck. Not much more to say than that.
The real million dollar question is what did Calicash’s parents do with the million dollars they earned during her 4 years of high school.
CaliCash was expecting that Northwestern’s Debt Cap would make a difference for her, but I do not think it would. The Debt Cap applies only to need-based loans. This family has a $240K income. NU is not going to say they have a high need.
Maybe it IS time to call 90 year old newlywed Grandpa, or is he 91 by now?
Isn’t there a sibling who’s attending another SUNY for $7k (so commuting, I think) who has to repay the parents? I’m not sure she can depend on money from the parents at all.
I think Stony Brook is $22k. The $16k figure sounds like she already subtracted her $5k grant. She may need to choose between a local SUNY (is that the mom’s alma mater?) and taking a gap year to apply to schools with good merit if her scores are high enough to qualify.
I have a very hard time believing this $0 rule is going to last in a family making $240K and with a kid that worked hard to get into college. A kid who likely is no trouble, has clear goals, does her homework then spends hours on CC researching colleges. Wait it out, CaliCash. I’m betting they will come through for you. If anything, you can show how cheap UF is given that NU is 41K.
@austinmashauri She did try for merit which included Alabama. The only thing she can do for better merit is apply to Howard. She has a CR+W of 1300 so she JUST gets a tuition, fees and board scholarship. I don’t think there is anything better than that. But she still has to pay for board. I know all families are different. Maybe based on your culture. But where we are it’s O’k to ask grandparents for help. With a loan and a little help she could afford Howard.
NU is $41K for the first two years, but full pay for the last two years. I hate to say it, but I don’t even think it’s worth going to the fly-in, because there is no way the school is remotely affordable. Why spend a weekend getting a good look at what you can’t afford?
Agreed. I think it’s just drama. Mom sounds like she’s kind of volatile and just throws out statements that she doesn’t necessarily intend to stick to. Her parents are probably upset that the prices are higher than they had hoped/anticipated, but they will come around. Of course that doesn’t mean they want to pay 41k (or a lot more) for NU. But they will probably agree to pay for one of the state schools, since they are much more affordable.
But @CaliCash I’d seriously be looking to take any school they agree to, where you can move out and live in a dorm. Otherwise you’ll have four more years of this stuff. I think you are ready to move out!
Cali, are you wiling to go to Stonybrook, Albany or Buffalo, if it means you can live on campus, away from home? Or are you still hoping your parents will pay for NU?
piggybacking on what cardinal fang is saying, if you do go, don’t get attached and try to use it as leverage for making your 2nd choice school seem very affordable. Because it is, at 240K, I don’t care if you live on Park Avenue and support a family of aliens. Three vacations a year. Hmpf. (yes I’m jealous–I don’t think I had 3 vacations in the last 10 years.)
PS Another thought–when they retire, in two years, what will their income be? NU might be cheaper then–these are questions to ask the financial aid office. “If my income became xx due to retirement, what will her aid package be, exactly?”
If your parents have a normal retirement, it might very well end up being the most affordable options (outside of the SUNYs) over the 4 years.
Throw your mom a curve ball and tell her your joining the military to pay for school. Ok, maybe not.
^You never know. It might come down to that. Shock and awe method.
@dadoftwingirls That idea has already been tossed around. Don’t think OP has any interest in the military, though. It would be an interesting tactic to threaten with, but probably not successful.
Looks like Tuskegee, Alabama State, and Prairie View A&M are automatic full rides with the OP’s stats, according to http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ . Howard is tuition and room (not board), according to http://www.howard.edu/financialaid/grants_scholarships.htm#Freshman .
Since we are suggesting different schools-- CaliCash, why didn’t you apply to U. Missouri? They are highly regarded for journalism, are cheap, and you could have easily gotten an out of state tuition waiver with their diversity scholarship, putting it in the 20K range, stack other scholarships on that to make it even cheaper. There are other schools as well, where I feel you could have come out $$$ in the SUNY range, but better for journalism.