<p>UCSB is a great school and is near the beach but I don't want to incur all of that debt due to student loans. Fresno State is whatevs since I live in the Central Valley but doesn't cost as much as UCSB does and has numerous majors unlike UCSB.</p>
<p>I know I have one month to decide but I'm torn between the two.</p>
<p>Go where you can afford to.</p>
<p>Do you know the net cost after non-loan financial aid at each school?</p>
<p>What are your intended or possible majors?</p>
<p>Are you eligible for Blue and Gold Opportunity at UCSB (financial aid grants topped up to cover at least systemwide fees for students from families with income under $80,000 per year)?</p>
<p>Hi Crossbones,
I think you’re wise to think about debt. My son is currently at Fresno and he really likes it. I know a number of grads and all say good things about the school. If you go to Fresno, would you live at home or could you live in the dorms to feel like you are “getting away”? There is quite an active campus life (though I’ve heard that the food in the dining hall is not that great). There are many apartments close to campus if you don’t want to do the dorm thing. Some of them are new and quite nice.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus - I put Political Science but don’t know what to do career wise and I am eligible for blue and gold plus going to have a part-time job wherever I decide to attend. The net price calculator for UCSB calculated that I’ll have to pay $9,500 after Financial Aid.</p>
<p>Calla1 - At home since that’s what all of my siblings did when they attended Fresno State</p>
<p>How much is the net cost after non-loan financial aid at Fresno State?</p>
<p>But you’ll want to see the official financial aid offers from each school before deciding.</p>
<p>Crossbones…what is your EFC? Is it low enough that you’d get Pell? Do you know if you qualify for Cal Grants?</p>
<p>On CSU Mentor, it says $4,344 after Financial Aid and that’s true. I just don’t want to be those students who have staggering debt that they’ll be paying off when they’re in their 30’s.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids- EFC is 0 since I’m poor and parents are campesino or field workers. Yes and I submitted the GPA verification form for the Cal Grant.</p>
<p>this may be late notice but maybe not… have you considered Cal State Bakersfield? Their admissions are usually open past the cutoff and they give very good financial aid - particularly for good students.</p>
<p>I think that if you get a great aid pkg for UCSB then you should go there…even if there are student loans in the FA pkg. </p>
<p>I think a UC education would be best.</p>
<p>However, If you do decide to go to a UC, then BE VERY careful with course selections, try not to change your major, and graduate ON TIME…aid cuts out at UCs.</p>
<p>What is your intended major or career?</p>
<p>In your situation I would recommend UCSB. I think living on campus, attending a bigger school with more majors, more options, and a better reputation would offer you a more enriching experience, and more opportunities.</p>
<p>So you should get Cal Grant which will take it down a bit. I say wait until you see the award letter from both schools. The UC Cal Grant is more than the CSU so you may not have as high a difference as you think. </p>
<p>Also, consider the different systems. UCSB is on quarters and I believe Fresno is semesters. More cost with quarters (books) but some students prefer that syle of learning. Experience wise…UCSB all the way.</p>
<p>Calla1 - I believe the admission period ended in November I believe.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids - I put Political Science since the UC EAOP counselor told us to put anything other than Undecided but I really don’t know what to do career wise. I was thinking of taking GE classes freshman year and then settling on one specific major.</p>
<p>katliamom - True and that’s why I want to attend UCSB plus it’s near the beach. I guess I just want to leave the Valley and go somewhere far.</p>
<p>bus52- That’s what I’m planning to do but the prices on Collegeboard and the net price to attend intimidate me due to not knowing how to live with debt but I’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next two weeks when the rest of the UC’s tell us if we’re admitted or not.</p>
<p>I think in your situation, going away to college is best. You need an academic atmosphere.</p>
<p>I think you’ll get enough aid, but you will have loans. You can minimize some of that by working over the summer. You’ll also get some work-study, so be sure to do what you need to do get a work-study job…sometimes those go fast.</p>
<p>As for taking GE classes…that’s fine. But here’s a tip…</p>
<p>First take the ones that will apply to any major. That way you won’t run into a problem when you choose your major and then find out that X classes won’t work. </p>
<p>Are you coming in with any AP credits? If so, do you know how the UCs will accept them? Will they apply them to GE…or will they only use them for elective credits (I seem to get mixed info from my UC nieces and nephews…lol)</p>
<p>Did you apply to any other UCs?</p>
<p>Try to figure out if you’re more of a humanities/liberal arts kind of person…or a science or health career kind of person. People who are science/health kind of people often have to take the harder GE classes.</p>
<p>I’ll just have to wait till they send me the Financial Aid package offers they send me and well only 1 AP: Spanish Language which I received a 4 on. Our school only offers 3 AP’s and Spanish fitted into my schedule last year. I have to research more about that and yes to LA, SC, and Berkeley.
I think I’m a humanities type of student since I’m not that great at math which is why I decided not to take Calculus this year.</p>
<p>To add to post #16, if you are undecided on major (regardless of what school decide to attend), map out the course requirements for the possible majors that you are considering, so that you can take those courses early enough so that you won’t find yourself in a situation like being in your fourth semester or sixth quarter, wanting to do some major, and figuring out that the sequence of prerequisites is too long or the number of required courses is too great to allow you to graduate on time.</p>
<p>In terms of math, a social studies major will likely want or need to take some statistics or major-specific quantitative methods course (for example, a political science major may want to do statistical analysis of poll and election results). But that typically does not require heavy math, unless the major is economics.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus - Thanks for the advice 
and my school didn’t offer any courses such as statistics which is why I stopped at Pre-Calculus.</p>
<p>Crossbones998: To be honest with you i’m in the same boat as you! I too need to chose from UCSB or Fresno State… well first of all I have only been admitted to Fresno State cuz my admission decision for UCSB is still pending… but if I were to get accepted to it I really want to go! But there’s other things I got to consider which, like you, is financial aid and major! Such a hard decision… I am from the central valley too, like 1 hour away from Fresno State… but Idk if I want to go there yet… still I registered for dog days and if in the end I get accepted to db and go there ill just drop my classes at state!
Btw you said u were from the central valley too so I would recommend that u take advantage of the db offer and go there! Lucky you if u already got accepted… I think its nice to try new things and if they have ur major than the loan should be worth your education!</p>