Oh good…she’s going to Iowa. Good choice.
@Gumbymom there’s no point bringing all that up. There’s no aid for incoming OOS frosh either. And to mention that its harder to transfer in, just defeats the goal here…and that’s to prevent her from making a serious mistake and going to a UC freshman year. Talking about how hard it can be to transfer in will just cause her to go back to her plan of going to UCSD now…which she can’t afford to to.
@mom2collegekids: Sorry, but from what OP has been posted, it seems like she plans to stay at Iowa for only 2 years (maybe a wrong assumption) and then try to transfer. If I misinterpreted, I apologize.
Here’s hoping that the OP embraces all that Iowa has to offer her.
that’s good to know @LilRussian ! Glad you’ve decided on Iowa.
Does “instate public” also include the cost room & board? Or is it just tuition?
@GMTplus7 third of everything
Not sure if this makes any difference **** but after court yesterday, my dad is now covering the entirety of the in-state cost, meaning approx $23k. UCSD out of state is $56k. I have $13k saved, so combined with dad, that’s $36k, meaning I would now only have about $20k in loans the first year. I did already submit my acceptance fee to the U of IA, but that was before court had begun. Should I still stick to Iowa, which is no cost to me now, or should I take the risk of only $20k in loans (only, comparatively to the $35k I would have had before) and go to UCSD?
And I know people will say “No, go to Iowa because it’s free”, but what I’m asking is, is if the experience and the opportunities I would have at UCSD are worth the extra money? It’s ranked a lot higher than Iowa is, and I’ve heard that where you go for undergraduate doesn’t matter, but I want to create relationships in undergrad and I’m afraid by staying in Iowa, I will never leave. And there’s always a chance my dad will pay it off in the end, but I am not banking on that at all.
Will your Dad or Mom take out a Parent Plus loan for the additional $15K/year since you personally as a student can only borrow $5500 Freshman year? What about the following 3 years since you may not be able to save another $13k each year? Stick with Iowa and come to California for your just job or Grad school. Also OOS tuition is expected to increase an additional 8% over the next few years for the UC’s.
you only have $13k for one year!!!
what was the source of that $13k?
25% of your relationships at UCSD are going to be with ESL Chinese nationals that are here for 1-4 years and then headed back to China. Not sure how helpful those will be. Go to Iowa, save some money. If you do well but hate it after 2 years, you’ll have some money and better options at that point.
Which adult in the equation is taking out the loan on your behalf and has that person agreed ?
Doesn’t matter what we say- you can’t take out enough in loans for even funding your Freshman year in CA, let alone the next three years.
So you need to find a credit worthy adult to fund the plan. And remember that once your 13K is gone it’s gone. So you need a BOATLOAD of loans for years 2, 3 and 4…
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my dad is now covering the entirety of the in-state cost, meaning approx $23k. UCSD out of state is $56k. I have $13k saved, so combined with dad, that’s $36k, meaning I would now only have about $20k in loans the first year
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Do the math…
frosh year: $20k in loans
soph year: $33k in loans
jr year: $33k in loans
sr year: $33k in loans
$120k in loans. That’s crazy. Even if your mom could give you $5k-10k per year, that’s still too much in loans.
Plus, you’d have cross country travel. Plus, each year costs go up, so loans will be bigger.
So your total cost for UCSD would be $120,000? The risk is certainly not worth the reward. A Spanish/Economics degree would have the same weight for U of Iowa as it would from UCSD.
Also, since you basically had to have a court force your dad to pay $23,000 a year, I feel like he wouldn’t want to pay off your $120,000 in loans when you graduate. It would really suck if you get stuck with paying $120,000 in loans
“I’m afraid by staying in Iowa, I will never leave”
You could literally just move to San Diego after you graduate from U of Iowa. Or, you could go to U of Iowa and live in San Diego for the summer time. You could still enjoy California for 3 months and not have to worry about paying for college.
Greentea- there is zero risk that the OP will have to pay off 120K in loans because there is zero probability that a bank will lend the OP 120K.
So worrying about the repayment of the non-existent loans is a non-starter. Unless dad or mom is willing to take out loans, this is a pointless discussion. The OP will need increasing amounts of loans every year once the 13K nest egg is gone; there doesn’t appear to be a co-signer lurking in the background. The amount that the OP can personally borrow is capped.
@notveryzen is absolutely correct. You are dreaming of a fictional university and you have to live there. Good luck! We live in San Diego and not one of my three children, who were all accepted there, were willing to go there.
So not only can you not afford it, you haven’t really seen if sacrificing your dollars will be worth it.
Careful what you wish for.
If you think that UCSD will be sunny beaches, tanned surfers, palm trees and perfect weather/life, you will be in for a shock.
The school is very diverse, not too many of those surfer types around.
It does not look like a typical “university”; lots of business-like glass buildings surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees.
Its coastal, so it gets a lot of fog that burns off in the afternoon.
Locally, it has always been known as UCSD (University of California for the Socially Dead). The locals know that if you go there, you can be expected to go to class, and that’s about it. No school spirit. So, you should be able to get good grades and a lot of studying done. A number of students here on CC say that it’s become more social, but that is not the gist I get from my son’s and daughter’s friends who attend and commute in. Yes, it is different for commuters, but that’s saying a lot if they really don’t want to stay on campus.
It is not a sports school.
It’s not on the beach.
It is up a cliff. If you want to get down to the beach in a short amount of time, drive down Torrey Pines Road or go to the glider port and glide down.
You had better find a friend with a car, because transportation is a bear.
It will be very expensive.
Your Daddy’s and your own cash will be paying for this experience; are you sure you want to shell out your savings for this?
@aunt bea’s observations of UCSD are really true. We visited once and it’s actually surprising that a school with “San Diego” in its name can feel so isolated from anything resembling a beach.
It seems to be on its own island surrounded by freeways and some huge hospitals. No cute campus town nearby. No frisbees being thrown around a pretty quad. Kind of a humorless feel to it.
If I recall correctly, a few years ago, the administration tried to get the student body to apply for D1 status to raise the sports profile and generate more school spirit - and it was shot down. Nobody wanted to pay an extra hundred bucks or whatever it would be in fees to enhance school spirit.
The students seemed to be scurrying between classes - looking very serious. I know it has a great reputation particularly in the sciences, and it’s a very selective admission to be proud of for sure, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it being somebody’s “dream school.”
Edit to add: I’ve also been to Iowa City … Now there’s a college town! Not to mention an excellent academic school as well.
You still need a huge amount of loans JUST for your freshman year. So…as mom2 noted upstream here…you will still have three more years to cover at a UC. This is NOT sustainable. You won’t have that $13,000 in savings next year.
Even IF all you needed was $20,000 a year in loans…that would be $80,000 in loans. Don’t do it…as Blossom said…you can’t wothout a cosigner. And PLEASE do not ask your mom to get a Parent Plus Loan. She doesn’t have the money for that.
Remember too, the cost of the UCs will likely GO UP every year you are a student…so account for the cost increase.
At this point, your cost to attend another school is fully covered. In your situation, I would take that offer. You just don’t have the money to go to a UC. The UCs depend on OOS students to pay full cost of attendance. They are no longer even offering need based aid to OOS students.
Think about your financial future.
You have a chance to go to college without incurring debt and you have $13k in savings to get you started? That’s a great position to be in. If you go to Iowa, you can graduate with no loans then move wherever you want. And if you work summers, you can probably afford to do some traveling while you’re in school. Many students would trade places with you in a heartbeat.