<p>0!</p>
<p>10charsblahblah</p>
<p>There are many opportunities in this country to become educated. Those opportunities might not include a four-year degree. At our local tech school a person can spend 2 or 3 years and 2,000- 3,000 dollars, total, and when they graduate have a starting salary of 40.000. This is for EEG or ENT type techologists. </p>
<p>Compare those stats to a local four-year state school. How many graduates will get out and find a job making that type of salary? One can always return to school and get a four year degree, if need be.</p>
<p>I think our perceptions in this country are skewed. Is everyone owed a four-year degree? In Europe higher ed is subsidized. For instance in France your university degree is practically paid for, HOWEVER, it is based on merit. Kids in Denmark are tracked in HS toward a trade or university, and the state picks up the tab. </p>
<p>My D is taking classes at our local university because she maxed out of the level of classes offered at her HS. She is appalled at the students’ general work ethic there. She reads the materials. Her college counterparts don’t. She shows for class. They don’t. They come to class hung over or leave mid-way to throw up because of a hangover. I hear stories like this and think, “Taxpayers such as myself are SUBSIDIZING (through financial aid) kids to engage in this kind of ‘learning’.” It makes me crazy. I want my taxpayer money to go to kids who really want to learn.</p>
<p>I have a niece who will get financial aid; she has “need.” She has been accepted into 2 state schools. She attended school in a very wealthy suburb of Minneapolis with opportunities to burn. Her grades are mediocre, her test scores don’t even meet the state average. She has been a party girl through HS. And we will subsidize her college education. I have a problem with this. Send her to a tech school, I say. Let her prove herself there and then move up. But that is not how this system is set up, folks. </p>
<p>My D has no “need.” Has attended HS in a solidly middle income district. Stellar grades and test scores. Passion to burn with extracurriculars that reflect her passion. She will receive no financial aid. Merit, yes, if she attends a given sub-set of state schools, otherwise we pay. We will foot the bill to send her into a LAC and are more determined to do so after her experience at the local state school. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that the above mentioned behavior occurs with every student, but it happens often enough that it makes me question our assumptions about higher ed and what we owe various students, depending on their abilities and motivation level. Yes, our country prospers with educated citizens. The bigger question is what is owed, if anything, to each of us in regards to the level of education provided.</p>
<p>EFC is $1800, my mom made ~$39000 and I made ~$5000 this past year.</p>
<p>EFC 2866</p>
<p>My parents make a combined total of ~54,000… and we live in Florida 1/4 mile from the coast (aka stuff is rather expensive). And I made ~2000 last year working.</p>
<p>We live paycheck to paycheck.</p>
<p>EFC: 0</p>
<p>I’m not too worried since MIT says they give 100% need based aid.</p>
<p>~25000, my parents make >100,000. Honestly, we’re so relieved because we thought it’d be at least 35000.</p>
<p>patc</p>
<p>I agree, a million percent. I have looked into get a Bachelor’s or Master’s and what I have found out is that in my field (nursing) an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) will be making about $50K a year. The Bachelor’s degree they only make like $5K a year more, if that. Master’s degree would only be if a nurse wanted to get into the admin side of it really. </p>
<p>Yes, some government type jobs (state/federal) and private corporations usually like for people to have a Bachelor’s degree, but that is for things like business and computers. </p>
<p>There are a ton of jobs out there, especially in health care that only require a certificate or a 2 year degree and you can make pretty good money. Like you said, then if someone really wants to get a 4 year degree they really could later.</p>
<p>Mine is 2021. My dad was “let go” from his very good job early 2008 and we’re basically living paycheck by paycheck now.
But I’ve noticed it isn’t much help when some colleges just pile you with loans on the financial aid packets. I’m beginning to think the only way to afford college is by going to a community college, working/saving up and then transferring.</p>
<p>Patc, I agree. But there are also thousands or hundreds of thousands of low-income kids who work their butts off in high school AND college, even though they are on financial aid. And there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of kids who go to school on their parents’ dime and waste the whole time. I agree it’s easy to generalize (I am certainly an offender), but sometimes you have to look at the big picture. Our country favors the innocent over the guilty. That means sometimes you pay for a single, working full-time mom to augment her salary with food stamps because she only makes $15,000 and it means that sometimes you pay for a dead beat dad to buy beer every night because he can use food stamps to buy his kids some PBJ.</p>
<p>how do you find your efc?</p>
<p>Look at your FAFSA.</p>
<p>how does it work? is having lower EFC better or it just depends on the school to offer you scholarships and aids?</p>
<p>EFC doesn’t include many assets that the Profile will so it can be a bit misleading, even for schools that meet 100% need! Be wary. Each school has their own formula.</p>
<p>iprincess, your EFC from FAFSA tells school what federal money you’re eligible for (ie. Pell, ACG if you qualify academically) and subsidized loans. State aid may be based on your FAFSA EFC but usually requires an additional application. The school determines institutional aid based on their own methods, but generally use your EFC for any need based aid. Some use Profile to gather additional information to make that process happen. Most only use the FAFSA.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t agree with “most” only use FAFSA. Not the 100% need schools at least. Which makes sense, too many ways to hide big money assets on the FAFSA like the equity in your home etc.</p>
<p>I have an efc of 1432, what does that mean exactly?</p>
<p>^ It means your family will be expected to contribute at least 1432 to your school. It also means you are Pell Grant eligible and have a fairly high need, which can be useful when applying for school aid.</p>
<p>My EFC is -4000</p>
<p>Thats right, colleges actually have to pay me to go to their colleges.</p>
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<p>On a serious note though, I honestly don’t know how to calculate these EFCs. I just know that my family got a Pell grant. I assumed your EFC was the amount of money that you needed to pay for a year of college.</p>
<p>My original was 8000 something, my adjusted was 358.</p>
<p>Folks…your EFC is good to know…but there are two things that are actually MORE important than your EFC.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You need to know how much money your family will be contributing to your college education each year. If your EFC is $5000 a year but your family can only contribute $1000, you will have issues funding college. OTOH…if your EFC is $5000 but your parents can contribute $20,000…well…that is great news for you.</p></li>
<li><p>You need to know whether your college meets full need. Most do NOT. In other words, your EFC is the MINIMUM you will be asked to pay. At most places, you will be paying MORE than your EFC because they have a gap between the financial aid they provide and your out of pocket costs.</p></li>
</ol>