<p>Isn’t the gap less for UCSB?</p>
<p>Yes…he probably doesn’t even have a gap at UCSB…or if he does, it would be the “student contribution” of a very small amount from a summer job and/or work study.</p>
<p>The UCs have been super generous this year for low-income students. Many packages have covered all but EFC and maybe a small parent contribution. Yes, the FA package will have Stafford and maybe a Perkins loan in it, but the coverage is likely very good.</p>
<p>His mom will not likely be expected to get a Plus loan for UCSB.</p>
<p>Bedouin is quite wrong. UCSB is affordable for this student. </p>
<p>Bedouin, the student wrote…</p>
<p>*My EFC is 0, so besides the [student] loans for UCSB, everything else is paid for with the Cal Grant and other Federal Grants plus a university grant. *</p>
<p>Both schools have student loans…the PROBLEM is that NYU expects an ADDITIONAL $20k (times 4 years) of Plus loans. Quite the big difference.</p>
<p>UCSB is affordable…NYU is not.</p>
<p>I’m just gonna poke my head in here and say that cowman REALLY, REALLY needs to check out the current climate regarding law school and lawyer job prospects. It’s an unrelentingly grim forecast.</p>
<p>[The</a> New York Times > Log In](<a href=“Downturn Dims Prospects Even at Top Law Schools - The New York Times”>Downturn Dims Prospects Even at Top Law Schools - The New York Times)
<a href=“http://www.qfora.com/jdu/[/url]”>http://www.qfora.com/jdu/</a></p>
<p>I understand you’re dedicated to becoming a lawyer. That’s why you need to think long and hard about the debt you’re going to take on. You have a winding and uncertain road ahead of you and you do NOT want to accumulate 100k worth of debt before you even hit law school.</p>
<p>cowman- please watch this story of a student who turned down a full ride scholarship and ended up graduating from NYU with $300k in debt. Says his American dream has turned into an American nightmare. Scary.</p>
<p>[Cost</a> of College – amFIX - CNN.com Blogs](<a href=“http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/category/cost-of-college/?hpt=C1]Cost”>http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/category/cost-of-college/?hpt=C1)</p>
<p>I decided on SB. </p>
<p>Lets me say something though. The attitude of a few people in this topic was nothing to write home about, with the snide remarks. I know, I WAS wrong, but there are better ways to let me know than saying “frankly I’m surprised you even got into UCSB.”</p>
<p>Also, I fully understand the nightmare situation with law. I don’t really care though, I want to study law so that I can help people, I don’t need to get paid exuberant amounts.</p>
<p>Good choice cowman. It is pretty hard for a young student to understand the concept of how cumbersome a huge debt will be. Doubt that I would have understood it at 18-19 myself (though that is a little far back for me to remember :)) I think you will be really glad in four years that you made this choice. Good luck.</p>
<p>I really do understand what debt is and how bad it can be. I just didn’t have all my information straight to make the right decision.</p>
<p>Glad to hear that you’ll be going to UCSB :)</p>
<p>Also, I fully understand the nightmare situation with law. I don’t really care though, I want to study law so that I can help people,* I don’t need to get paid exuberant amounts.** *</p>
<p>And, if that’s the case, then that’s another reason to avoid big loans for undergrad and law school - otherwise you’ll need to get paid exuberant amounts just to keep your head above water… </p>
<p>Although, keep in mind that if you borrow $200k for law school, you will need to make good money to pay just that amount back. That’s like a second house payment ($2500 per month) in addition to your own real house payment or rent and all your other living/personal expenses.</p>
<p>When you go to UCSB, take part in all of the fun “ice-breaker” activities that are planned during the days before school starts. Join some clubs - maybe there’s a pre-law club - and make the best of it. It’s in a lovely location.</p>
<p>Well there is a program where if you do public service (3 or 7 years) in law your law school debt is forgiven, which I plan to do since if I go to law school I’m shooting for Harvard/Yale. Thats a matter to deal with in 4 years</p>
<p>Yeah SB is a nice spot, but I live right in between the big city and the beachfront in LA and I prefer the city half. I’m working on transferring, so I hope my time at SB won’t be too long.</p>
<p>Good luck at UCSB and glad to hear that you’re already award of public service loan forgiveness. Remember this usually applies only to federal student loans so don’t take on debt without carefully checking the details of the loan and whatever program you’re hoping to qualify for! And, since programs have a habit of changing, keep an “ear out” for updates!</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Very good point that ONLY federal student loans are forgiven. So, the max a student can borrow for undergrad and law school is…$138k for federal loans. </p>
<p>So, if you’re going to be borrowing about $30k for undergrad, that only leaves about $100k for law school. That’s not enough for many law schools - especially Harvard/Yale which have a COA of $70k per year. So, you won’t even be able to borrow enough (from the feds) to cover 2 years of law school. So, if you then have to borrow the rest (more than $100k), that part won’t be forgiven and you’d have a hard time paying that back while working in public service for several years.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that most of that the private loan debt is not subsidized, which means that debt grows while in college and at a higher rate. (and, most of the fed loans aren’t subsidized either, but that wouldn’t matter if those fed loans are forgiven)</p>
<p>Current COA for Harvard Law (which will be much higher in 4 years)</p>
<p>2010-2011 Standard Student Budget (9-mo. academic year)
Tuition $ 45,450
Room/Board/Personal $ 18,832
UHS Health Fee (mandatory) $ 1,166<br>
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Fee (waivable) $ 1,788<br>
Optional Student Dental Insurance (estimated) $ 262<br>
Books and Supplies* $ 1,150
Travel Allowance $ 1,350<br>
Stafford Loan Fees $ 102 </p>
<p>TOTAL BUDGET $ 70,100</p>
<p>Good luck, Cowman. I am a bit of a college snob (something I am working on and am having kicked out of me, as well), and I can honestly tell you that UCSB is nothing to put one’s nose up to. (Wow, bad grammar here, sorry). It’s a great school. It’s it’s in the top 50 of the USN&WR list with NYU not far away in those ratings, to give one spin on it. For the cost differential, it truly would have been insane to have gone to NYU. I doubt any law school is going to be weighing those two schools differently.</p>
<p>Sometimes, it is a close call, difficult choice, no truly good answer, worth the cost when it comes to picking a school. This did not even come close.</p>
<p>First, congratulations on your decision to attend UCSB. I know you faced some disappointment this application season, but it is a fine university and the many students I personally know who attend love it - you may find that you end up loving it as well.
Cowman, I didn’t say that I was “surprised,” I said that you were lucky to be admitted - and you were. You have been making disparaging comments about UCSB (a school I happen to love) as though it is beneath you to even consider attending, but the truth is there were plenty of students with similar profiles who were rejected from UCSB this year.</p>
<p>As far as better ways to “let you know,” I (and many others) have been attempting to “let you know” with carefully worded, supportive posts since last January when you posted on the USC forum that you had been accepted in the scholarship wave and your package was on its way. You paid absolutely no attention to those carefully worded, supportive posts. If I hurt your feelings, I apologize, but if my blunt remarks are part of what helped you see things more clearly I am glad I made them.</p>
<p>If you are still considering transferring after sophomore year, keep in mind that USC accepts approximately 1,700 transfers every year, and gives the same financial aid to transfers as to freshmen. Because UCLA gives priority to community college transfers, you may find that your transfer chances at USC are better than at UCLA for transfer from a UC. You would not have Cal Grant concerns at USC - because though it seems likely that Cal Grant will at some point no longer extend to private universities, USC has told students they will replace the Cal Grant for USC students.</p>
<p>Again, sorry if I hurt your feelings, and congratulations on your decisions and plans for the future - best of luck.</p>
<p>What was his aid package at USC?</p>
<p>USC denied me…</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Too bad! USC probably would have been just as good as UCSB as far as aid is concerned…unless there’s an NCP income that would have been a problem. If that’s the case, that problem will still exist as a potential transfer student.</p>
<p>Oh - I said in my earlier post that USC “accepts” about 1,700 transfer students each year - I meant to say they enroll about 1,700, which means they *accept *far more. Sorry for the error.</p>
<p>If the student doesn’t have any NCP issues, then USC may be a good place to transfer to.</p>
<p>More good news from USC:
[USC</a> Financial Aid - Applying & Receiving Financial Aid - Undergraduate - New Students](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/applying_receiving/undergraduates1/newstudents.html]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/applying_receiving/undergraduates1/newstudents.html)</p>
<p>(I love USC!)</p>