<p>I am a Senior in high school (2.45 G.P.A. and 18 ACT score) and I have been accepted into 8 schools so far (I am still waiting to hear from a couple more).. I remember posting on here some time ago, people on this forum told me I would not get into ANY schools.. LOL, but anyways moving forward: my 3 top choices are Chaminade Univ, Hawaii Pacific Univ, and Regis Univ. </p>
<p>I have already received my Award Letter from Chaminade Univ and everything looks great, except the school wants my Dad/Mom to take out a Parent Loan around $12,000!!! I am devastated seeing that Chaminade is my top choice! There is also an additional $3,000 fee for a Summer Program I am required to attend..</p>
<p>I am applying for tons of scholarships so I am hoping that I can get enough through outside sources. I wouldn't mind going to Hawaii Pacific, but the dorms there do not look very comfortable, and the housing app's deadline is SO SOON (March 31st)! I am waiting for the other award letters to come back.</p>
<p>I am trying to get all of this college stuff figured out before April 20th. I plan on making my final decision by then. Graduation Day is June 3rd, 2011 !!! Can't Wait :)</p>
<p>Do you guys have any suggestions on what I can do to come up with the extra money? I was wondering about writing a letter to local businesses and companies explaining my situation.. My Mom has also taken on a 2nd job so she can help my in school next year! Any respectful advice is accepted.</p>
<p>Is there a school you can commute to? That would cost less. If your family is not comfortable borrowing $12,000 a year, which is absolutely understandable, you really need to consider a school that will cost less. </p>
<p>What other aid packages have you received? Are there any schools that meet your need without all the parent loan expectation?</p>
<p>Yes, I have received my Award Letter from another school an hour away from my hometown. But, I have to consider other factors such as safety and comfortably because I am a “different” type of student who is in a major target group. I am still waiting to see what the other schools are going to offer me… I REALLY want to go to one of my top choices… But, in reality whoever gives me the most money is the school I am going to attend.</p>
<p>It sounds like you will have some options in terms of schools, which is great. But yes, most of us have to go with the affordable option. You will make it work, I am sure.</p>
<p>If the reason you are in a target group is orientation, it may help to find the appropriate support services on campus. If the target group is ethnic, there are often groups on campus where you can find others who share your culture. Fortunately, colleges often offer better support services than high schools.</p>
<p>Do remember that it isn’t the amount of money offered that is the bottom line. It’s what you have to pay including loans. Congratulations on your acceptances and awards.</p>
<p>One other option is for you to attend community college & then transfer after the first few years, where you have finished your general ed requirements. That reduces the number of years you will have to pay for college. It is a strategy that worked well for our D.</p>
<p>University of Hawaii is probably one of the most economical 4-year schools in the US. I don’t see it on your list. They also have dorm housing, with some recently renovated dorms.</p>
<p>Don’t know anything about Regis U–is that in HI? HPU is a very sprawling campus, with lots of the classrooms spread throughout the downtown city area and not as much of a “campus life” as you might hope for. I’d strongly suggest you tour before you make any commitments to them, including possibly sitting in on a class or few. Chaminade is a lovely campus but has very limited course offerings because it is a fairly small campus.</p>
<p>In your cost estimates, please include transportation. If you’re going to be attending college thousands of miles from your home, you will need to budget for plane tickets which can easily run $750-1000/round trip between Oahu & CO. If you attend Chaminade, does your estimate include housing–on campus or renting a room/apartment?</p>
<p>Wherever you plan to attend, consider if you also need to budget for transportation to get to/from class, especially if you will live some distance from your classes. HPU does have a shuttle, but I don’t know its schedule or frequency. I know that many of its classes are a considerable distance from its dorms (30-60 minute drive).</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: I called HPU a couple weeks ago, the lady whom I spoke with said they should be mailing Award Letters now. I just found out I did not do the Selective Services portion of the FAFSA, so I have to go back and complete it before I can get anymore Award Letters. My parents can only pay about $2,000 a year together. Together they only make about $38,000. They both have bad credit as well… (I am a “different” type of student who is in a major target group) means I have a characteristic about me that has caused me to be harassed up to this point in my life. I am trying to find a place where I will be accepted entirely.</p>
<p>HImom: Regis Univ is in Denver, CO. I live in Missouri. Univ of Hawaii is a great institution, but I am looking for a smaller school. I wish I could afford to visit each school that I have applied to, but unfortunately I cannot. My family lives beneath the poverty line of our state. I did however visit Regis and I loved it! The transportation thing is not a big problem for me because my Mom started her 2nd job so that she can pay for my flights. But I am considering it, seeing as how I would only be able to come home for Christmas and Summer. Chaminade did include my On Campus Housing in my Award Package (Which is probably why it is SO HIGH!) </p>
<p>mom4college: You got it! I am from Missouri. I am desperate to go to college in Hawaii. Regis is in Denver, CO. The school closer to home (Univ of St. Mary) is cheaper, but it is in a small town I am afraid that a small town will not accept me in anyway. There have been cases of “people like me” getting murdered in small towns! I need to find somewhere that my family and I feel is safe and comfortable for me. Hawaii is know for being very accepting and I am looking for a totally NEW beginning! I have faced much oppression here in my hometown. I honestly feel if I don’t get away form this place the outcome will not be good for me. P.S. Thank for the archive! ;)</p>
<p>Here is my Award Letter from Chaminade in detail</p>
<p>Budget: $33,072
EFC: $0
Need: $33,072</p>
<p>Grants: $6,500
Fed Pell: $5,550
Fed FSEOG: $600
Fed Dir Sub Loan: $3,500
Fed Work Study: $3,000
Fed Dir PLUS Loan: 11,922 (Yikes!)
Fed Dir Unsub Loan: $2,000</p>
<p>BD, if your parents’ income is at that level, it is really asking a lot to have them contribute to your education. You are PELL eligible which probably means that you can commute to a local state school for no cost. Most college students do that. They also work part time. Your best bet for a college is one that is a low cost state college. Perhaps junior year you can transfer to one and borrow the money if you do not take loans in earlier years. You can then get your residential experience for two years without borrowing way too much. I agree that asking your parents to borrow $12K your freshman year is unreasonable.</p>
<p>While HI is a wonderful place, it has its problems like everywhere else. I would NOT expect problems to just vanish–people here have some prejudices and it can take a while to find the right group of friends that accept you and help you feel comfortable.</p>
<p>If “people like me” means mixed ethnic background, yes, HI has MANY people of various ethnic backgrounds and cultures, which works out pretty well for many of them (tho there are folks here that are prejudiced like everywhere else). If “people like me” means different sexual orientation, that can be found at many larger cities and universities; it is not necessarily specific to HI & some folks here have their prejudices as well.</p>
<p>I too would be very concerned about all those loans–nearly $12K PLUS, $5.5K federal loans. That means that more than 1/2 your costs will be loans + $3K in work study. This is unreasonable for 4 years (while somewhat more do-able if you go to a less expensive school for 2 years while commuting & then transfer). Asking your folks to borrow $17.5K when they live on so little as it is is clearly unreasonable, especially if you would be asking them to borrow more each year. You would also be asking them for transportation costs of $1.5-$2K/year to get between where you live in HI for Christmas and summer.</p>
<p>Sorry, much as I like Chaminade & have a niece currently getting her masters in teaching there, it does not sound like the finances will work out for you attending there for 4 years.</p>
<p>BDancer, I’m sorry to say you simply cannot afford that school. Even if your parents could get approved as cosigners, you would be looking at upwards of $80,000 in student loan debt - a crippling burden by any measure. You need to look at more affordable schools. Have you applied to your in-state publics? Missouri has several very good ones, including Truman State, a well-regarded public liberal arts college.</p>
<p>BDancer: You sound super motivated to attend college, so I suspect you will find a way.</p>
<p>What I suggest is looking at a community college in St Louis or Kansas City; there are 7 community colleges in St Louis alone. This is a larger city where there are more people and likely more diversity. You will not stand out in a larger city. </p>
<p>Advantages include: your PELL will pay for most of the tuition and books. The CC may have additional grants. Your parents may be able to help you with $2000 a year which would mean about $200 a month that you could use for rent. I am sure you can find a roommate or housing situation near one of the colleges. You can get a part-time job, if need be.</p>
<p>Look at the St Louis community colleges or the ones in Kansas City. Call the Guidance Office and ask to speak to a counselor. Be very forthright about your situation, for example:</p>
<p>“I am a blue haired Martian and have been targeted before. Is there a student club or group for blue haired Martians at XX school or do you know which campus would be friendly toward my kind?”</p>
<p>AFTER two years, you can then apply to Hawaii or wherever, and at least two years of college debt will be less than four. </p>
<p>The above post is a great suggestion! Please take it to heart! You and your family simply cannot afford to pay 4 years of schooling at $18+K/year after aid; it is just too much.</p>
<p>I third the suggestion to explore community college options. I took that route and found a supportive environment and a great springboard for the future.</p>
<p>I will definitely look into the CC idea, but I still have options … Oh, and make that 9 schools! Just got my acceptance letter from Alaska Pacific Univ !!</p>
<p>Also…keep in mind that if your mom takes on a second job, your EFC is going to rise…which will mean less Pell Grant money in the future. You may end up losing all of it at some point. </p>
<p>As already mentioned, your parents probably are not going to qualify for these loans. These loans are waay too much for them and for YOU.</p>
<p>BD: I think the term Award Letter is misleading. The letter is making you and your parents an offer of how to afford the school, which is not completely realistic nor is the majority of the offer “an award” so much as a suggestion to borrow money. UNLESS APU has offered you very near to a full-tide, then it has all of the issues that the Hawaii schools present. </p>
<p>You can find like-minded people or people who are accepting of you AND in a school where your parents’ taxes have ensured your in-state tuition eligibility.</p>
<p>Have you ever been to St Louis? Look at the Wildwood campus; it is a green campus and has a program in biotechnology and an honors program. You can apply online and I am sure if you apply for financial aid that they will send you a letter explaining how your Pell Grant will be applied to tuition. ($123 a unit, so 12 units would be about $1500 give or take with other fees, plus books.) </p>
<p>I cannot go to a CC in St. Louis… I live in Kansas City. I hate it here!!! I want to leave as soon as possible! There is nothing here for me, but sadness and oppression. People assume because its a city it is accepting… It NOT! KC is stuck in the 1930s. I have been discriminated against almost on a daily bases… I don’t really have a strong support system either. Is there nothing else I can do??? I am looking seriously at the CC option, though I don’t want to stay in KC… It seems the most reasonable. But like I said I’ve got 9 choices so far.</p>
I am afraid that a small town will not accept me in anyway. There have been cases of “people like me” getting murdered in small towns! I need to find somewhere that my family and I feel is safe and comfortable for me. Hawaii is know for being very accepting and I am looking for a totally NEW beginning! I have faced much oppression here in my hometown. I honestly feel if I don’t get away form this place the outcome will not be good for me. P.S. Thank for the archive! ;)</p>