<p>Ever since I was young, I've wanted to go to uconn or Penn state. Those have been my choices forever.
I dedicated my high school career to buffing up my transcript to get into these school, and believe myself to have a good shot at both.</p>
<p>As my senior year is rolling
around, I need to decide where to go.</p>
<p>Since a family member is big at cortland, I've been prodded since I was a child to go there. I don't want to though. I would basically go for free.</p>
<p>Financially - I cannot afford Penn state/uconn and would have to take out loans.</p>
<p>I want to be a pharmacist. So basically my question is:</p>
<p>If you were in my situation, would you go to the one your family wants you to, or the school you've always dreamed of.</p>
<p>I don’t think this is a matter of ‘dream school vs. where family wants you to go’- this is a financial situation. You’re saying you can’t afford Penn State or UConn… what exactly do you mean by loans? Are we talking about $5k a year or $35k?</p>
<p>A full ride at Cortland is a great option. Take a quick look around these boards and you’ll see hundreds of people wanting to know if they should make the sensible financial choice, or take out massive loans to go to their dream school (I had the same problem… most people do).</p>
<p>That’s true, it is for that reason too. I can’t afford them, and I’d probably be looking at 20-25k loans per year. But my heart has been in both forever.</p>
<p>My cousin went to cortland, she said she liked it and there was a good social life because of all the other colleges around and they are really big on sports.</p>
<p>But just see how much aid you get from pennstate/uconn. Again this is your dream …</p>
<p>OP - can you postpone attending one of those schools until grad school? What about transferring in after 2 years at Cortland? This may be a compromise your family is willing to hear. </p>
<p>Are your parents willing to take out PLUS loans or private loans? You will not be able to take out $20k/year without a co-signer of some sort. You should be able to get 5,500 in your own name in federal loans but that will still leave a sizable gap. I would also ask about Perkins loans. The FA may allow you to take additional loans if you need it. </p>
<p>I would not write off these schools automatically. Apply, review your FA packages, but set realistic financial limits. </p>
<p>I understand wanting to reach your goals, but please consider how crushing $100K of debt will be before grad school (which I’m sure you’re interested in for pharmacy). Paying back 80k worth of loans at a 6.8% interest rate would leave you paying $900+ back a month for 10 years. The FinAid calculator estimated you would need to make between $75k-110k annually to pay off your loans. This isn’t including any loans you may need to take out for Pharmacy school. </p>
<p>I’m sorry if I come off as horribly preachy. I hope you are not offended. At any rate, I hope you find a school/plan that works for you. Finding another safety may be an option you want to look into. A perfect safety is a school that you can get into comfortably, reasonably afford, and that you like! Cortland may not be that school for you, but it does sound like a good back-up choice at the very least.</p>