<p>Accepted to 1 in state college (Cal Poly SLO) and 3 out of states (Case, RPI, RHIT), though not really excited about any of these colleges. RPI and RHIT are more expensive (more loans) and Case's FA package had around the same number of loans (~10k/year for an EFC of ~1.5k) as Cal Poly.</p>
<p>The catch is that I applied for MatE at Cal Poly which I'm not as excited about because they didn't have my preferred major (ChemE), which I applied to for all others. The other upside to Case is less people (4k vs. 17k).</p>
<p>I can't decide whether it's worth it to take out the loans for either or just go to community college and transfer because I've worked hard in high school (2200 SAT/4.0 UW) and it seems a waste to end up at a CC.</p>
<p>My vote is to go to community college for 2 years and then transfer. You’ll win financially and may end up at better schools if your grades are really good.</p>
<p>Tough to answer. I don’t know how much you’d be borrowing, and my crystal ball can’t predict the difference in outcomes between doing a 2+2 vs. going straight to four year. I believe going straight to 4 year is valuable enough to warrant a premium.</p>
<p>It looked like you were suggesting that you would require a $10k loan each year. That is not likely possible. Federal direct loan limits are $31k for undergrads at graduation; the first year limit is $5500, second year $6500, and each additional year is $7500. Your parents will have to take out loans in their own name to make up the difference.</p>
<p>I realized my parents would have to take out loans which is why I hesitate to go straight to a 4 year rather going to CC for 2 years and transferring.</p>
<p>What do your parents say? With an EFC of 1500 how can they afford $11K per year? Does that $11K include the Stafford loans you would likely have to take?</p>
<p>The loans already include the Stafford loans and direct Parent loans. We have some savings, but not much. My parents want me to do whatever I want to, but I don’t want to put debt on them. I guess the only solution would be CC and transfer.</p>
<p>Is that $11,000 in loans total for four years, or per year (meaning $44,000 in loans total)?</p>
<p>If you choose CC, use [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) to plan courses to transfer to UCs (B, D, I, LA, R, SD, SB) and CSUs (P, LB, SJ) with chemical engineering. Note, however, that Berkeley chemical engineering is often a five (instead of four) semester program for junior transfers, due to the unavailability-at-CCs of some courses normally taken during sophomore year. Check each school’s chemical engineering department for recommended course sequences for junior transfers.</p>
<p>$11,000 each year. $6,288 of Cal Poly’s loans are Parent Plus while $3,914 of Case’s are Direct Parent loans though they expect a $1,500 parent contribution a year.</p>
<p>Case Western (preferred major, smaller) vs. Cal Poly SLO (in-state): both ~$11,000 loans (EFC: $1.5k)
or
CA CC to UC transfer</p>
<p>$6,288 of Cal Poly’s loans are Parent Plus while $3,914 of Case’s are Direct Parent loans though they expect a $1,500 parent contribution a year.</p>
<p>I would go to Case Western then unless the $1500 will be an excessive burden. Also, you must consider travel costs back and forth. You worked to hard to go to a community college and you have two great choices. CPP is respected in CA and just because you didn’t get into a UC right off does not mean you did not do well. That said, Case is a top notch University in the entire country and well worth the same cost.</p>
<p>Between the two four year schools, CWRU wins if they cost the same and it has your preferred major while Cal Poly SLO does not.</p>
<p>However, the real choice would be CWRU with $44,000 in debt at graduation versus going to a local CC and transferring as a junior to a four year school. To assess the CC option for comparison:</p>
<p>a. Figure out which local CCs you need to attend to cover the major prerequisites you need (see [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) ).
b. Figure out costs at the CCs, including commuting costs, CC course fees, books, and living expenses (much smaller if you live at home, but you still eat food, use water to wash your clothes, etc.).
c. Figure out the costs of two to two-and-a-half years at a UC or CSU as a transfer student (use the net price calculators on the web sites for estimates).
d. Check whether the CCs in question are overflowing with students and offer enough of your needed courses (many are cutting back due to budget costs, which can delay some students – the situation is apparently much worse at the CCs than at the UCs where it appears to be much less of a problem than what out of staters claim). The UC Transfers forum here may be a place to ask about such things.</p>
<p>You need to take a look at what is included in each aid package. Do they have the Stafford Loans already in there? Then you can’t take one out to help meet that 11k. Is there a work-study component of the aid package? Then you can’t use work-study to help meet your 11k, and you probably aren’t going to have enough free time left over to find a second job to help meet the 11k.</p>
<p>How much can your parents come up with each year? Can they afford that EFC of 1.5k? Can they afford a tiny bit more? If they borrow parent loans the first year, will they still have enough credit available to borrow again for each of the remaining years? Tuition and fees will increase about 5% to 7% each year. Will your grant money increase each year, or will your parents be expected to absorb that increase each year? As a rough figure, Case will leave your parents with about 12k in debt. How long will it take them to pay that off if for some reason you can’t?</p>