<p>I'm referring to the "Freshman Experience Fee" ($620) the "Personal" item ($2176?! Wut?!) and the Transportation ($1326). Also, does the $4450 board fee just include meals or is there something more?</p>
<p>I received 55k in financial aid, so if I end up at Vandy it'd be swell if I could eliminate something and not have to pay that 2k extra ;D</p>
<p>I'm not sure what the Freshman Experience Fee is, but I believe it is a way to avoid having students who never got to live in the nice new dorms pay for them. In other words, the cost of housing rose with the construction of the Commons, but current sophomores, juniors and seniors are still living in the old dorms. The Freshman Fee is, I think, a way to restrict the additional cost to those who are benefiting directly.</p>
<p>Transportation is a guess at how much you will spend to get yourself to and from Vanderbilt from wherever you live, a couple of times during the year. Some schools do not include this estimate in the COA, so be careful to subtract it from VU's cost if you are comparing it to a school that is less inclusive of total COA.</p>
<p>The board fee includes meals on the meal plan, but if you don't use up all of your meal plan money, some of it can be converted to off-campus restaurants. I think, but I'm not sure, that some of it can be used for a few other things, but you'll have to get the details from a student. (I am a parent.) The meal plan cost can be lower in subsequent years, when you are not required to buy the whole plan (19 meals?).</p>
<p>Personal items are the incidentals of college life--that is, life away from home where your parents are buying everyday things for you. Again, a lot of schools do not include this sort of thing in their estimated COA, so be careful when you compare.</p>
<p>Midmo is correct. Many schools do not include the miscellaneous expenses & travel in with the costs in their award letters. It might look like Vandy is more expensive than other schools - but if you take out certain info, it's easier to see the real picture.</p>
<p>Here is my suggestion: Take out the tuition, room, board, any fees. Add that up. Add up your grants. Subtract grants from the total of t/r/b/f. That is the actual cost to you - the amount you will have to pay when the bills come due. It is quite possible that you will find your aid package is enough to pay your direct costs. If not, you are eligible to borrow up to $5500 in an unsubsidized Stafford loan (6.8%). You can use the loan to pay for any direct costs you still owe - and/or you can use it to pay for books & miscellaneous expenses. If you have work study, there are lots of jobs available, and you can save your wages for books & miscellaneous instead of blowing it - that will keep you from having to borrow.</p>
<p>I think freshmen have 1 meal per meal period - that's why it's so expensive. Sophomores can drop to 19 meals/week, and jr/sr can buy an even smaller plan. The really good thing is that meal money rolls over when you miss meals and is added to the flex money you have ($200/semester for freshmen, I think). My D rarely eats breakfast in the dining hall - she has a fridge & microwave. She can eat at a number of good places with her meal money - she likes TGIFridays, the smoothie place, the bagel place, the health food minimart (which has fruit, etc), and the pizza place that delivers to the dorm. It has been much more economical than we thought it would be (although still more expensive than food at home!).</p>
<p>For this past year, the Freshman Experience fee, I believe covered the cost of Freshman Orientation (room and board, activities, etca). Freshman have a mandatory 28 meals meal plan. As freshmen, they do not get rollover money for missed meals. The 4th meal period is midnight to 7 AM (I think) - not much is open, so they stock up from the munchie mart.</p>
<p>I believe the Freshman Experience fee are the costs of all the programming/entertainment associated with events during orientation, the VUcept program and the beginning of the year.</p>
<p>Sorry - I didn’t realize freshmen couldn’t roll over missed meals. D transferred in as a sophomore.</p>