<p>I hate to be a Debbie downer here…but please do remember that college financing is a four year deal (at least). Yes, you will,save money by attending a community college (are you considered a CA resident? Because if not, you will be paying OOS costs to attend that CC) if you are paying instate rates. BUT transfer students typically receive LESS aid than incoming freshmen…unless a,school has a specific scholarships for transfer students. I don’t believe NYU does. And again…NYU does NOT guarantee to meet full need. And they don’t.</p>
<p>If there are more affordable options…please make sure those are also on your list of applications.</p>
<p>@thumper1, no I am not a California resident. That’s why I am going to go to community college while stocking up years on my residency. Then I will try and transfer to a UC school or any other school I want to go to. I know… thank you so much for the information! I have taken into account everything everyone has said on here and I see clearly now what my parents’ reasons must be for not letting me apply to NYU. There are plenty other schools out there. Thanks x</p>
<p>Hich. You need to check the residency requirements for the 4 year public universities in CA. I’m not sure all will allow you to establish residency while attending a CA community college…when your parents do NOT reside in CA. You need to check.</p>
<p>@thumper1, really? Yes, that’s right - when I move to the United States for college, my parents won’t be coming with me. I thought that would be okay. I will look into it.</p>
<p>NYC…so exciting, so busy, so crowded, so expensive, so foreign, so far. Unless you are coming from a very large city, most parents would be slightly scared of NYC. Maybe you all should visit NYU and NYC for 1 week; that might either put them at more ease or put you at less ease.</p>
<p>NYU is a very expensive school because they don’t give much financial aid and it’s very expensive to live in NYC. I would imagine that it would be kind of a bummer to live in NYC where the cost of living is very high if you didn’t have a boatload of money. And this is coming from me, a CA resident, where the cost of living is still considered high. Also, coming from a warm country, you need to invest hundreds to thousands of dollars in warm clothes.</p>
<p>when I move to the United States for college, my parents won’t be coming with m</p>
<p>No, it won’t be ok. Your residency will be based on where your parents live and pay taxes. </p>
<p>Also, since you won’t have graduated from a Calif high school, your aid will be very limited because you won’t qualify for Cal Grants or other aid that requires residency and requires graduating from a Calif public. Calif has these strict rules to prevent students from just moving there and getting education benefits. </p>
<p>You need to have a plan that is for all four years THAT WILL WORK. Don’t make assumptions because they’ll bite you in the tush.</p>
<p>What are your stats? How much will your parents pay each year? What is your major?</p>
<p>my parents do not make a lot, and tuition is definitely a thing, but I am fully qualified for many grants, and hopefully more aid. It</p>
<p>You may have a low EFC, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll get many grants or much aid. At a Calif CC, you’d have to pay a good bit as an OOS student, and the most you’d get in “free money” is a 5500 student loan. When you add OOS tuition to housing costs, you’re well over $25k per year for a CC. You’re not going to get anywhere near that in aid.</p>
<p>I don’t think you understand how the aid process works…especially at publics. </p>
<p>At Haas, you’d have to pay at least $22k per year since Cal won’t give aid towards the OOS costs. If your parents won’t pay that, then Cal won’t be affordable. You’ll already have full loans in your FA pkg so you won’t be able to borrow more.</p>
<p>I think you’re looking at the wrong schools since you’re OOS for every public. You need to look at privates that want you because you add regional diversity. What are your stats? </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, Chapman is on my Common App. Why do you bring it up? Do they give out a lot of scholarships? My stats are: I rank #6 in my class overall, 4.0 unweighted GPA, all Honors classes, leadership positions include Vice President of Finance of a local student-made company, President of Future Educators of America… etc.</p>
<p>Chapman used to have very generous need based aid. At one point, they were the only FAFSA only school that met full need. I do not believe that is the case any longer. </p>
<p>OP, you are from Guam. Are you a U.S. citizen residing in Guam?</p>
<p>@thumper1, yes, I am a U.S. citizen residing in Guam. Chapman has always been one of my choices but not one of my <em>top</em> choices. I am now reconsidering it. It looks very generous and a nice school, plus I am looking to major in Economics :)</p>
<p>You should be realistic in your choice of schools. New York’s glamour may seem enticing, but when you have student debt and have to explore NYC on a student budget it won’t look so glamorous.
I know how you feel though, because my parents refused to let me go to the East Coast. I eventually complied with my parents, remembering who I have to come home every year.</p>
<p>Good luck, I believe you can succeed anywhere.</p>
<p>Hichristen, what is the breakdown? That matters. Also, is your coursework mainly honors/ ap with high enough level in each subject? </p>
<p>If you are strong in all, you need to be including meet-full-need schools that would be interested in you for your geographic diversity. If you’re male, that may help at some liberal arts colleges. Try the Net Price Calculators for some of them and, if you can afford them, consider an application. Economics is a very common major.</p>
<p>I’m a female! I go to an all-girls high school. I do have mostly Honors but I have not taken a single AP (my school started offering AP courses in Junior year, but I did not take the two offered). I have had Honors math and I am going to be taking AP Calculus next year. I know I made a mistake for not applying for AP but I’m working hard in my current subjects and also strengthening my ECs!</p>
<p>So does that mean you are currently a HS JUNIOR? If so, plan to retake the SAT in the spring of your junior year. Do some prep for it. Also, you might want to consider the ACT as well. My kids both took the SAT at the end of their junior year, and then the first offering fall of senior year. </p>
<p>Look at the merit ride threads. You have a good while to look for schools that will meet your price point one way or another. </p>
<p>hichristen, please run the net price calculators. If your family is low income, your best bet will be a school that meets full need, not an out-of-state public with lower costs and not a school where you are searching for merit aid. If you are female, don’t forget to look at the women’s colleges because they do try to work with the student. </p>
<p>The general warning we give with Net Price Calculators is that they are not accurate if you have a non-custodial parent or your family owns a business or, sometimes, if you have a very unusual circumstance (like a very low income but huge assets).</p>
That’s why I am going to go to community college while stocking up years on my residency. Then I will try and transfer to a UC school or any other school I want to go to. I know… thank you so much for the information! 
I have taken into account everything everyone has said on here and I see clearly now what my parents’ reasons must be for not letting me apply to NYU. There are plenty other schools out there. Thanks x</p>