How’s it going guys and girls. I came here seeking advice as I just recently got accepted as a transfer (sophomore) to SUNY Binghamton for the Spring 2017 semester. I currently attend a CUNY known as The City College of New York and it’s great academically but the student life is definitely lacking and that makes sense completely considering it’s a commuter school. Anyhow, at City College I pay nothing as financial aid covers all the costs. After checking my financial aid package for SUNY Binghamton, it looks like I’d get roughly $8,964 (which includes the Federal Direct subsidized and unsub loans) per semester, or at least for the Spring 2017 semester. The tuition comes up to $23,619 (2016-2017) so I’d definitely have to take out an additional loan to cover the roughly $5,700 that’s left over or acquire some scholarships which I am in the process of looking into. I’ve never had to take out loans or anything like that so I just wanted some insight from people who have and know more than I do. With that said, here are my main questions that I hope one of you might be able to answer.
1.) What are your thoughts and/or suggestions, should I transfer from the current CUNY I attend to SUNY Binghamton considering that I pay nothing to attend the CUNY?
2.) Are there any considerable differences transferring for the spring semester rather than the fall semester?
3.) Are scholarships scarce for the spring semester or is it the same all year round?
I’d really love to attend SUNY Binghamton but I am worried if that would be the right decision or not. Any help or input is appreciated, a million thanks in advance!