<p>BUMP!!! 10 CHAR!!! Keep the posts coming… give me your opinion!!! Is it worth sacrificing “the community” I wanna be with, for money?</p>
<p>Have you and your mother drawn up a budget? Do you know just exactly how much living in area A so that you can attend college A will cost the two of you compared to living in area B and attending college B? What would your overall budget look like if mom lives in area C on her own while you live in area D and attend college D? Until you work through the numbers, you can’t begin to evaluate how much of a “sacrifice” you might be dealing with.</p>
<p>There are any number of books on personal finance at your local public library that have model budgets for families, students, you-name-it. If you can’t find anything useful there, here is the website of one personal finance author with links to model budgets. [Michelle</a> Singletary - Resources & Links](<a href=“(WFsites) - Page not found”>(WFsites) - Page not found)</p>
<p>Dear HappyMomof1,
Thank you so much for your advise again. BTW, where did your son/ daughter go to college? and what did u had to sacrifice or why did you chose that college?</p>
<p>Happykid is at our local community college. I ran the FAFSA calculators when she was in 9th grade, and it took me until when she was in 10th grade to accept that that number was what the colleges and universities would expect us to pay (at minimum). Our EFC is four times what we can pay out of current income, and we don’t have any college savings for a number of reasons. Happykid did not have the kinds of grades and exam scores that would have earned her the types of scholarships that you have been offered. In order to keep our debt load down, we gave her the choice of our local CC or the one in the next county which also has a good program for her major.</p>
<p>She is very happy at our CC, and as luck would have it, she was awarded a 15 credit/semester tuition and fees merit scholarship. This means that this year we have only had to pay for books and credits over the scholarship limit. To keep her scholarship, she will need a 3.5 at the end of the year. However, since we set aside the money this year for her costs, we already have one year’s worth saved up. If her scholarship isn’t renewed for 2011-2012, the money is in the bank.</p>
<p>We will almost certainly have to borrow some money when she transfers after completing her AA, but we are fortunate that her in-state public options are good. Our EFC is just over what the COA is at the public Us so unless there is some surprise merit-based aid, we will be full pay. I expect the break down to be 1/4 from current income, 1/4 from savings (because she had the scholarship at the CC) 1/4 from stafford loans for Happykid, and 1/4 from Plus loans for us. </p>
<p>The sacrifice that we made was that early on we knew what was affordable, and what wasn’t, and that meant that Happykid didn’t even look at institutions that were “better” for her major. Some of her teachers were surprised at first, but as soon as we talked about money, they were on board. One of them wrote the letter that got her the wonderful scholarship that is making her first year almost free.</p>
<p>Happykid has a very cheerful and practical nature. She likes her teachers and classmates, but to be honest, she’d like them where ever she ended up.</p>
<p>What you get out of college is mostly up to you. You really can be happy, and prosper academically, wherever you end up. Don’t feel bad about choosing the affordable option!</p>
<p>Bump 10char!!!</p>
<p>Bump bump bump…</p>
<p>The reputation of your undergrad school does not play a huge role in grad school admissions. More important is what you DO at your undergrad school. I think that at CUNY you will be able to get good grades and get good recognition, and perhaps even win some awards. I think can do research at either school. You should not feel that going to CUNY will hurt your prospects for grad school.</p>