What Should I do?

<p>Yes - What are you all talking about…</p>

<p>My older kid just graduated with CS degree and all of his classmates had jobs lined up upon graduation. Salaries are 65 to 75k (West Coast). He has CS friends two years out of school now making between 75 - 125k. One friend is two years out and is now making about 140k. This kid paid off his 50K in loans in 18 months.</p>

<p>I think how much one should borrow is highly dependent on your major and an honest self evaluation of your ability to achieve the degree. CS is good - prolly the best right now, Musical Theater not so much.</p>

<p>Adjust you plans accordingly and be a rock-star programmer! Money can/will follow.</p>

<p>Don’t use the standard rule of thumb. Do the math. </p>

<p>The PLUS loan if 10 years at 7.8 is $148.66/mo, that’s $1800 for the first year. He can easily earn that in the summer and then some. By his second summer, he can earn in the $7K range. </p>

<p>It increases each year, but they are going to lower the student loan rate if you read the news. If that happens, reapply at the lower rate and don’t accept the higher one. </p>

<p>Also, his parents will qualify for tax credits to offset some of the pain. </p>

<p>Graduation won’t be postponed indefinitely because worst case he can finish part-time while he’s working at a well paying job. </p>

<p>Going to community college is not going to offer him the same caliber of opportunities as UCONN. This isn’t California. In the northeast, smart kids go to 4 year colleges. I don’t know a single bright kid who goes to community college first. </p>

<p>I think he’s risking having to drive a used car. This is a risk I would take in a heartbeat. I think his parents would agree. There is bad risk, this isn’t it.</p>

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<p>With all due respect, just because they’re not a part of your limited circle of acquaintances doesn’t mean they don’t exist.</p>

<p>As noted, taking on this kind of debt is a risk. Some of us find it an acceptable risk, and others of us don’t. In the end, it’s a decision the OP is going to have to make for himself.</p>

<p>Let’s just agree to disagree, RockerDad. (After all, it may be the ONLY thing we can agree on!)</p>

<p>What I mean is that in New England, it’s very unusual to go to community college first, whereas in other parts of the country, there is a critical mass of students who do that so there is appropriate coursework at an appropriate level. </p>

<p>Because so many students go to private schools, the level drops off rapidly after the flagship school. I mentioned California because I’ve learned on this site that it’s a very accepted practice there to go to community college first and transfer to Berkeley or UCLA. Don’t take offense, I’m just laying out the facts. </p>

<p>I think that this level of debt is very common around here for a lot of people. Also his parents are bearing some of the risk, as well they should. There really aren’t a lot of reasonable cheaper options, and the risk only grows if he continues. As he continues he will know more about how well he is doing at UCONN and if the next increment of risk is worth taking. Surely $1800 for the first year is not so much to risk.</p>

<p>Another data point is that I know a former Penn State engineering professor who told me that at Penn State, there is a huge influx of transfers from the Penn State satellite campuses. He said that they are at a huge disadvantage in competing with the students who started at the main campus at University Park because the courses at the satellite campuses were easier and they are not ready for the competition or the level of difficulty. </p>

<p>So I think the bigger risk of starting at community college in Connecticut is that you lose the opportunity to learn how to be competitive at the flagship and it makes you a poorer student, and you never get those high paying jobs.</p>

<p>I’ll use a baseball example (since I presume you are a dodger fan). </p>

<p>You can either take on no debt and hope to make A or AA ball or you can take on substantial but not unbearable debt with a pretty good chance of making the majors. It’s a lot easier to make the majors in CS than baseball.</p>

<p>The Stafford for 4 years will total about 27k - a little over 300/mo. 4 years of Plus will be around 600/mo. If all OP is doing is looking at first year, fine, $150 for the Plus, starting in Feb or March. </p>

<p>If OP doesn’t find UConn a fit, he/she continues to pay that 150 for nine more years- including while he is figuring out what to do next, kicking around, at a CT cc, or working a low level job.</p>

<p>I’m not advocating either choice, but you’re spending money he doesn’t have.</p>

<p>And, making a great CS starting salary depends on the kid. What if he eekes into 36k and outlay is $900 on maybe $2400 take-home? </p>

<p>And I wouldn’t be so quick to assume CA community colleges are so much hotter than in NE. Again, it is the kid.</p>

<p>I’m not spending his money, LOL!</p>

<p>You can’t eliminate all risk in life, you have to make your best guess with the information that you have. There is a risk in going to UCONN and a risk in bailing. There is however, great upside in following through with the original plan, and the alternative does not have great upside. </p>

<p>We all need to be motivated to do well in life. We all need to take some risk. We all need to make mistakes and learn from them. </p>

<p>This seems like a small to moderate risk for a big payoff, and all of the alternatives most likely have a much smaller payoff. </p>

<p>Maybe it will force the OP to study on a Friday night, and not get wasted, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing.</p>

<p>Personally, I do agree. We stuck our necks out for our kids and D1, a recent grad, is proving out. I don’t know much about OP, what’s the right path.</p>

<p>I can’t evaluate this, but can offer it for consideration.
“The Engineering Pathway program consists primarily of course work in engineering, mathematics, and the sciences. This program prepares the student for entry into the University of Connecticut’s School of Engineering, Central Connecticut State University’s School of Engineering & Technology, Fairfield University’s School of Engineering, University of Hartford College of Engineering, University of New Haven School of Engineering, and Charter Oak State College.”</p>

<p>[Connecticut</a> Community Colleges College of Technology - Connecticut State Colleges & Universities](<a href=“Over 60 Programs Available - CSCU”>Over 60 Programs Available - CSCU)</p>

<p>You make it sound like the 4-year graduation rate in CS is 100%. </p>

<p>The overall 4-year rate at UConn is 67%, and I imagine the percentage of students who enter as CS majors and graduate in CS within 4 years is substantially lower than that.</p>

<p>The “risk” here is far worse than what you portray.</p>

<p>CT resident here. The community colleges in CT do have articulation agreements with most of the four year public universities in the state. You could easily take your general education requirements at a CC, commute from home, and then transfer to UConn to complete your four year degree. You would need to talk to a CC advisor to find out which schools have articulation agreements with the community colleges.</p>

<p>Also, UConn has several regional campuses. Many students we know start at the regional campus, and commute from home. The tuition costs are less than the main campus, I think…but you would also save the housing and board costs.</p>

<p>In addition, there are four Ct State Universities in the state with less expensive costs than UConn. </p>

<p>Are your parents able to pay any of your annual college costs? Funding even the instate costs of UConn completely with loans will generate too much loan debt, in my opinion.</p>

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<p>Really? There are ~52,000 full-time undergrads in the CT CC system, and ~54,000 full-time undergrads at the 4-year publics. All of the CT CCs have guaranteed admission programs with UConn.</p>

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<p>Getting in is the easy part. The challenge comes when your peers have been pumping iron for two years, and you’ve been coasting.</p>

<p>Sorry…but there is a CC about five minutes from my house. MANY students attend that CC either to get two year degrees, or as part of their four year course of study. It is a great way to save a lot of money.</p>

<p>My husband did the precursor to the engineering program at a CC and went on to get his bachelors degree from UHart. At the time they had a co-op program which also helped with his costs…and gave him job experience as well.</p>

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<p>Is he in the majors? I am.</p>

<p>no savings?..you should be able to make $4k over the summers</p>

<p>“The challenge comes when your peers have been pumping iron for two years, and you’ve been coasting.”</p>

<p>OUCH! Where do you get the data to indicate that all CC students are “coasting”? Perhaps some are, but those that are hell-bent on getting everything that they can about their CC experience, and determined to transfer into the best possible place for their future goals certainly don’t “coast”.</p>

<p>Classic Rocker…my husband is an electrical engineer project manager. He did course work at our local community college, then via their articulation agreement was accepted to University of Hartford where he completed his engineering degree. He did their co-op program so it took him three additional years…because he went to school every other term, and worked the remaining terms. He got great job experience…and was actually hired for his first job due to his co-op experience. He was able to pay his tuition costs using the money he earned during his co-op terms.</p>

<p>This OP has many options in this state that will be far more affordable than going to UConn and paying completely with loans. I was talking to the OP…and that situation.</p>

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<p>You miss the point entirely. If admissions from CC are guaranteed, your characterization that no one in CT goes to CC first must surely be wrong. Quite a few of those 52,000 CC students must be continuing on to 4-year schools.</p>

<p>You really think that the standard of excellence - what it means to be really good - at the community college will be comparable to that at UCONN? How is that possible. </p>

<p>Why would anybody work hard in HS to try to get in if they could just go to CC and somehow end up as well. Why would anybody go to UCONN at all? </p>

<p>It’s like thinking like your kid is ready to star on Broadway because he was a munchkin in the school play. </p>

<p>The OP has a chance to go to college with some of the brightest students in his state and raise his game to an unbounded level. How is that possible at a community college where the prof has to teach to much lower expectations.</p>