<p>I see what you’re saying but besides schools like UMich, what does Michigan have going for it?</p>
<p>I would say still try and figure out if Michigan State can be affordale, also look into Western Michigan University located in Kalamazoo. If you can commute to GVSU then WSU might be commutable as they both are located in the western half of the stae.</p>
<p>habala, it has you & me for starters! :)</p>
<p>Coolbrezze, wmu would definitely be a pain if i were to commute (it’s over an hour away), but i’m hoping msu will work out. Just out of curiosity, did you apply to U of M? I thought your username looked familiar lol. </p>
<p>kelsmom, True that!!</p>
<p>One more question:
can i expect my financial aid package for next year to be similar to the current one for state? even though i’d be making less than half as much money as i do now? or will i get more aid next year?</p>
<p>Oh, I do not like The University of Michigan and it is clearly an over rated school (feel sorry for all of the out of state students). Though I did post on umich forums in the past etc… but my name might also look familiar from other college forums like Michigan State that I post on ( live just minutes from the school).</p>
<p>Do you know if WMU would give a better financial aid pakcage, or even Kalamazoo College (LAC), if you want to continue on attending a smaller school. Though being a transfer at MSU I am sure you could easily fit in, since it is such a large school.</p>
<p>Yea i’m still waiting for a reply from them! idk i swear they do things just to be different than everyone else. Oh and their focus on “diversity” is just crap. Their diversity consists of asians. It is an excellent school though. why don’t u like it?</p>
<p>
Yes the university does that too and that helps other people buy into it. I just don’t like the school it is overrated despite its poor quality. The school is just really good at making itself look good and that’s it. Being a Michigan resident one reason I heard it joined common application is to drop acceptance rate by increasing up numbers in applications.</p>
<p>Coolbreeze, a lot of schools are good at making themselves look good, including UMich, MSU and probably my school GVSU. Still, I have said this before and I’ll say it again, UMich being more selective is great for the schools below U of M in the foodchain, MSU and GVSU. Those schools can take the qualifed U of M rejects (State moreso than GV, but the stats might change for GV since it is half the size of MSU.) Therefore, since it benefits my school and other colleges in Michigan it is good that U of M is being more selective. Also, believe it or not, for how high U of M is ranked (#30 overall or something like that) it is probably was too easy for in state students to gain acceptance. As for going to MSU or GVSU, they both are really good for premed. I can’t blame you for not wanting to commute, but either option is good. As for going to SVSU or NMU or even WMU I wouldn’t recommend that unless they give you a full ride or something like that. Also, I highly doubt GVSU will match the grant aid offer but you never know. Since so many people go to GRCC and other community colleges, GV has a ton of people wanting to transfer there. Good luck in your decision.</p>
<p>Furthermore, even though you live close you could live in an apartment in Allendale or something if you really don’t like commuting. With gas prices the way they are, it might not be such a bad thing. Also, GV’s cost of living is low, MUCH lower than MSU’s cost of living. You could be living somewhere for around $320-$500/month. If you’re wondering cost of living at MSU (from what I hear) is about $450-$700ish/month. The $450 would get you a pretty crappy room in a house or very crappy apartment (I’ve seen them).</p>
<p>I agree that off campus living at GVSU would be a lower cost option than on or off campus at MSU. I would bet it’s not too hard to find students looking for off campus roommates.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict what MSU’s aid will look like for you next year.</p>
<p>To the students in this thread: Let me assure you that U Mich doesn’t just “look good” - it’s just plain for-real good. It’s an excellent institution, and you are lucky to have such a great school in your state.</p>
<p>I have no affiliation with this wonderful school. But I wish that I did.</p>
<p>habala…</p>
<p>On Monday make some phone calls to MSU to find out if there is any other aid available. You need to find out soon, so that if it doesn’t work out, you have time to come up with a workable Plan B. </p>
<p>If the other schools don’t provide you with enough aid, I really don’t see how you can possibly live away from home. Even “cheap rent” is going to cost more than commuting.</p>
<p>Yeah i’ll give them a call for sure to set up a meeting. Would it be better if one of my parents comes with me? Do i need to bring any paperwork? Thanks guys!</p>
<p>If you got your financial aid costs from the financial aid page at MSU I would say to wait a while. The financial aid pages are just now being set up and may change a lot in the next month or two. They may be adding grants and scholarships on in the next couple of months so don’t freak out. You don’t have to choose a college right away.</p>
<p>Habala , I agree with you that the situation you have is unfair. You barely miss out on the PELL and state options at this point mean loans. You have gone as far as you can with community college which means you have to go to a 4 year school to move on.</p>
<p>You can talk to both Grand Valley and MSU and see if they can come up with any better options for you. I cannot blame your parents for not wanting to take out those loans. It could put them in an untenable situation. Your family EFC is such that I could not recommend that they take that financial risk.</p>
<p>In your particular case, if your parents will not take out PLUS, you may ask them to co sign on a loan for you. In most situations I would say taking out a loan burden of the sort that you need is not advised, but in your case, it may well be the only way to go. If you have to buy a car and commute, those costs have to be added to what you will need to go to Grand Valley and it may be close to what MSU will cost. </p>
<p>I hope some better options appear for you, but if not, take care, and do the best you can. Let us know what happens here.</p>