<p>First off my EFC was 0, but I am going to a private school that is around 30k tuition. I only had to pay $2500 for the first semester but I took out $3750 in loans. I commute as well. I do have a small trust fund but without loans it will dry up real quick. </p>
<p>Is it worth it to take out all the loans in the end? Or should I consider a cheaper state school?</p>
<p>ETA : I love my current school! =/</p>
<p>Well…you need to see what the costs would be at your state school. Are you paying $2500 PLUS the $3750 in loans? OR are you loans paying that $2500?</p>
<p>Most state schools do NOT meet a high percentage of student need. It might be that your state school would cost you more out of pocket (I have no way of knowing that). </p>
<p>Is there some reason why you want to transfer besides the money?</p>
<p>I am paying $2500 out of my pocket… (trust fund really), so no the loans are not covering them. </p>
<p>The state school I am considering… probably would not give me enough or any at all. If they did it would most likely be loans. So you are right it probably would not help. Unless it were a Community College but I do not really want to do that.</p>
<p>And no besides money there is no other reason besides money for transferring. I love my school.</p>
<p>Even if you did transfer to a community college, you might have a hard time getting financial aid when you had to transfer again to a four year school.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have good financial aid at your current school…and you love the place. Try to get a part time job during school (many students work up to 10 hours a week and find it actually helps them manage their time better). Plan ahead and see if you can work during school breaks. Summer JOBS…maybe more than one. Do the best you can to conserve your resources. It sounds like you are doing that already!!</p>
<p>college_ruled, thanks for bringing that up, I never thought about that. </p>
<p>thumper1, I just got a work study job actually. It is 10 dollars an hour for about 10 hours a week. It’s not bad. I am saving it up for books and my transportation (I commute) and any left over towards tuition and during the summer I will look for a job as well. :)</p>
<p>Congrats on the work study job! That $100/week will really help you cut back on the loan amount. Talk to your fin-aid people and you might be able to cut back on next semester’s loan and do without entirely next year. If you love you current school and can continue working to minimize loans, you should stay. It’s pretty common for transfer students to be offered a worse fin aid package than incoming freshmen.</p>
<p>What you could do is go ahead and apply to the other school you are considering, but continue as is with your current school. When you complete all the financial paperwork and get the financial aid offers from both schools, see which one comes out on top. Then you can choose between the two offers.</p>
<p>There’s no reason why you can’t at least pursue the process and get the information you need to make an informed decision.</p>