I'm wondering if anyone has any advice about attending or not attending a local, cheaper college before transferring to a bigger university.
I'm still in high school, trying to figure out where I want to go to college in the fall.
I've already gotten accepted at my dream university (University of Minnesota Twin Cities <3), but it would cost about $25,000 per year (tuition plus room&board and other miscellaneous expenses), for 4 years. I'm paying for my education myself, so that's quite a lot of money for me... I'm working on getting scholarships and federal aid, but I know it'll still be a lot of money in loans that I'd have to pay. Plus I intend on being an English major and trying to get into publishing/writing/editing, which won't exactly pay off student loans quickly.
So the other option is to attend my local college and stay at home for a year (I've earned enough credit in high school that I'd have a majority of gen eds done in one year). I could work during that time and save up some money, and get the gen eds out of the way. The only problem is I'd miss out on the 1st year college experience and have to stay in my dinky little town where there are far fewer opportunities. Then afterwards I can transfer to UofM.
So I'm wondering if anyone out there has gone path two, and if so, do you regret it at all? What were the benefits for you, and what were the negatives?
Are you low income? Have you seen what your FA pkg is from UMinn??
You can’t borrow much. Do you realize that? You can only borrow $5500 as a freshmen. And really that’s the max you should borrow.
I have yet to submit my FAFSA form (extra circumstances), but will be doing so soon, and I didn’t know $5500 was the limit. Honestly, I’m a first generation college student and all of this is new to me and my family; thank you for that information (because it definitely helps with this decision!).
Additional FA information for the U http://upromise.umn.edu/faq.html
Did you know that Minnesota gets reciprocity with Manitoba (and them with us?) you could pay the equivilant to instate rates up in Winnepeg. I am on the ipad but will switch to acomputer so that I can post some links for you.
I found an older public radio article about the agreement between Minnesota and Manitoba for an overview. Obviously the fees have increased in the past few years but they are still a lot cheaper than the U
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2011/12/12/manitoba-university-reciprocity
This link has the list of colleges that are eligible in Manitoba https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=125
Assiniboine Community College
Brandon University
Booth University College
Canadian Mennonite University
Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology
Providence University College
Red River Community College
Université de Saint-Boniface
University of Manitoba
University of Winnipeg
Here is a link to the page on the University of Winnipeg: https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/future-student/international/manitoba-minnesota-tuition-reciprocity.html
You will need to read it carefully as well as figure out the fee structure, including the exchange rate.http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/fees/tuition.html Remember, you pay the local Canadian tuition and fees, not the international fees.
University of Manitoba http://umanitoba.ca/student/records/international_students/minnesota_reciprocity.html
Keep in mind that if you are eligible for a Pell grant, that cannot be used in Canada. I
Your best affordable option may still be the U.
Certainly an option is going to a Community College with connections to U of M (so you know the courses will transfer). Take your student loan, work, save up for your last two years. Talk to your parents about whether they can contribute anything to help.