<p>stat:
MD resident
Accepted to ECE for UIUC (FALL)
Accepted to UMD (SPRING) but didn't get into the major I wanted, which is engineering
EFC $2,317</p>
<p>My parents and I are new to all this financial stuffs so I've been doing some research on what all the loans and grants meant but I still couldn't understand them fully. </p>
<p>This is my financial aid for UIUC (COA : 47,170)
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/dwprE.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://i.imgur.com/dwprE.jpg</a></p>
<p>and this is for UMD (COA : 22,235)
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/770Az.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://i.imgur.com/770Az.jpg</a></p>
<p>My parents said I should go to the school I want and I want to go UIUC but I think it's too expensive. I don't like UMD because I have to go in spring + I didn't get into the major I wanted. Also $22,235 for in-state is pretty high I think. </p>
<p>Can anyone give me some advise or opinions?</p>
<p>thanks,</p>
<p>$47K is even higher. See if you can’t take some local state college courses in the fall and head to UMD in the spring and work towards getting into Engineering. A lot of kids drop out so there are usually openings in the next year.</p>
<p>Your FA for UIUC includes $24,000 in Parent Plus loans per year - while your EFC is only $2300 - this is not good! I hate when schools include parent loans as part of an aid package - it makes it look like you are getting adequate aid - when in fact - your package is more than 50% loans.</p>
<p>Go to Maryland. You can do Freshman Connection for the fall and take classes - it just has to be in the afternoon or evening. See what is involved to transfer into engineering.</p>
<p>Four years at UIUC means your parents will have at least $100,000 in Parent Plus loans after 4 years - please don’t do this. You will also have the maximum amount of Stafford loans yourself - which would be somewhere around $26,000 - plus there was another $2000 loan in the package (per year) - bringing your loan total to $34,000. This is way too much debt.</p>
<p>OP, how close are you to CP? Can you commute?</p>
<p>If you weren’t accepted into the major that you want at UMCP, stop by your local community college and talk with the transfer counselors there about any articulation agreements they have with UMCP. You may be able to do the first two years of that major at your community college and then be guaranteed transfer into the program at UMCP or one of the other MD public universities. That is what Happykid is doing.</p>
<p>Don’t forget, your community college will give you the Pell and Staffords that you qualify for, and may have work-study money too. It also may have some merit-based scholarships as well. I know that Montgomery College does, because Happykid got one.</p>
<p>dasani, your family EFC is under $3000. HOW will you pay for UIUC? The amount is close to $50K per year. Even with your pell grant portion and the Stafford loans, you will be tens of thousands of dollars short of meeting the cost.</p>
<p>UMD is a terrific school. Are there other instate MD schools where you COULD study engineering following a successful time at a MD community college? Check and see.</p>
<p>Man, that $47k attracted my eye. Very different that what I see here ($40k): [College</a> Navigator - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](<a href=“College Navigator - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign”>College Navigator - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)</p>
<p>Uggggh, looks like UIUC is roughly 17% more expensive than I thought. Dammit, this process is gonna be hard …</p>
<p>After reading all the comments, I decided to go to to a community college for fall and go to UMD in spring. UIUC is just too expensive.
Thanks everyone</p>
<p>dasani, make sure you talk to the Community College folks about your major interest. They will likely be able to direct you to courses that will help you achieve your goal.</p>
<p>Our daughter enrolled in her university as an undeclared arts and sciences major. She wanted engineering but she also wanted the particular school and knew her application was not competitive for admission as a freshman to the college of engineering. Her school DID allow students to declare engineering as their major IF the student had fulfilled the coursework required before asking for the change of major. Our daughter took ALL of the same math/science courses required of freshmen engineering majors and did well. She asked to declare her major as engineering and was allowed to do so.</p>
<p>I don’t know if UMD allows this but it’s worth asking. Your community college advisor may know as well.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Wise choice. UMD is a very fine school.</p>
