Hey so I am struggling with deciding on what college to go to . I was accepted to all 11 schools that I applied to. I live in North Carolina. My top choice was spelman. The only problem is that I did not receive any financial aid and the school is close to 55k a year. My family is in the position where we don’t really classify as need base but they also do not have that much to pay that kind of money every year for the next 4 years. My parents told me that they can get me through the first year but if I don’t receive more scholarships then I will have to transfer. So my question is should I go to a school that is less expensive that is in my state or should I go to my dream school and at least try to receive scholarships so that I can stay. I honestly can’t see myself anywhere else. Also keep in mind that I am trying to go to med school after I graduate.
Trying to find scholarships to fund years 2-4 that you don’t have in year 1 will be almost impossible. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
Go to a college that is affordable for all four years…not just one year. It is unlikely that you will get additional scholarships.
Finances are part of most people’s college decision-- and many people cannot afford to attend their dream school
Freshman year is your best chance to get merit scholarships. And transfer students do not get much, if any, merit aid.
Did any of your other schools give you merit aid?
How would you get more aid than the first year? Where would you find it?
Your best chance at getting funding is when the school tries to attract you by providing funding for all 4 years during your admission cycle.
You cannot afford this school. Your parents cannot afford this school. Go to an affordable school.
I would have to agree with all of the above replies. Besides, your going to be much better off saving more money now and going to a different college than by going to your dream school and putting yourself into a large hole of debt you wouldn’t be able to dig out of for a while, especially since your trying to go to Med school. What are you going to do if you wanna go to Med school but don’t have the funds to pay for it? College is only 4 years of your life, your career is going to be your whole rest of your life. It’s going to much more beneficial to you if you invest in your desires and passions, rather than throwing money at a label/college. Just saying
Spelman is terrific. However, very few schools, dream or not, are worth that much money, including Ivies, especially if you are going to med school later.
Lots of people find themselves in your position. They end up being pleasantly surprised when they stay in state, meet all new people, and underestimated how great it is to go to another choice. It all usually works out in the end.
I think the consensus is to continue to look around. Maybe tell Spelman financial aid you aren’t able to afford Years 2-4 and see what they do. If they don’t budge, consider the next choice that’s affordable. You don’t want to be in a lot of debt with four years of med school ahead of you.
“if I don’t receive more scholarships then I will have to transfer”
Getting any significant new scholarship is exceptionally unlikely. I have never heard of this happening at a level that would matter in terms of the overall cost of the school.
You do not want to spend an enormous amount of money in one year just to have to transfer away to a different school. Taking on debt and then having to transfer is also not going to help your chances of being able to get accepted to and then being able to afford to attend medical school.
You would be far better off to start at a university that you can afford to attend for a full four years.
UNC is a great school. If you were accepted to 11 universities then I am expecting that you have some other affordable strong options also.
Spelman is a terrific school but its hard to imagine that out of 11 acceptances there isn’t a single one that competes with it for similar students. Did you apply to Livingstone?
You have so many affordable options and fantastic school in NC. Don’t think you guys realize that. For med school it’s all about the GPA and Mcat. Go to your best affordable school (if you list them and what you would be paying it would help) since medical school is very expensive. Look that up first how much you will need to borrow for that and adding another $200, 000 on top of that is insane. Also by the time your out of your residency etc medicine has been going through a change the last 5 years and that will continue. Meaning less pay in general. More NP and PA taking doctor positions. Make sure you can afford your loans after. Many doctors after 20 years are still paying off their loans.
@futuredoctor5324, I have watched Spelman students talk about their financial struggles affording college since I attended Morehouse in the mid-90,s, and that was when the cost of attending Spelman was 18K per year. You will not find anyone on CC that would advise you to take on that kind of debt and the fact that you are looking at Medical school means you will most likely have a huge debt load that could hinder you for many years. I have seen friends with huge debt loads make choices around getting married, buying a home, and starting a family that those without large debt have trouble comprehending.
I understand how special Spelman is to young women, because I have that same connection with Morehouse, but I could not in good conscience recommend looking for more funding as you complete year 1 at Spelman. I saw your scenario work out for a student once at Morehouse, but the circumstances were very unique (That student ended up being one the top students in my class at Morehouse and another scholarship student just happened to drop out after freshman year). Which of your dreams is more important if you had to choose (becoming a doctor or attending your “dream school”)? Good luck as you weigh your options and let us know what you have decided.