<p>I got accepted to CBS and I was very happy. UMN was my #1 choice because I want to do pre-med but more than that, I wanted that real-world experience within sciences. Plus, I love doing research!! Since I do have plans on attending medical school, I want to keep my debt in undergrad as low as possible. I got no scholarships and all the aid I got was loans. It would cost me 31k to attend UMN. Is it worth going to CBS with getting a loan for 15-20k per year? Also, could a current student or a really well researched perspective student please go in depth on why CBS is a great college? I know it is specifically concentrated at the sciences but what makes it any different than a regular liberal arts school where I can major in the same stuff?</p>
<p>hvsmagic…Do you have more affordable alternatives? What other schools have you been accepted to and what would their net costs be? Our D1 is a sophomore in CBS, and we are huge advocates for the U, but $20K per year is WAY too much debt to incur for any undergrad degree from any school IMO. If you plan on attending medical school (for which there is little or no aid…all loans) you need to complete your undergrad pre-med with little or no debt if at all possible.</p>
<p>I got accepted to a bunch of schools but the financial aid is not working out for any one of them. </p>
<ol>
<li>UMN - Overall cost 31k, need to take out loans around 15-20k</li>
<li>Loyola Chicago -Overall cost 51k, need to take out around 10-15k </li>
<li>University of Illinois - Overall cost 34k, need to take out around 15-20k</li>
<li>Boston University -Overall cost 59k, need to take out around 30k </li>
</ol>
<p>These are my top 4 schools. As you can tell, I was an idiot for not looking at the finances when I applied for colleges. My parents said they could cover a maximum of 20k (per year) for any college I go to but I don’t want to really burden them for undergrad as they have accepted to pay fully for my graduate school. </p>
<p>This was going to be my plan if I went to UMN. So right now, I have around 48 credits from all the AP tests + community college courses I have taken. These 48 credits will make a 2nd semester sophomore according to their credit status. I will try to finish my degree within a time span of 2 to 2 and half years. Which would means that the maximum debt I can have when I leave UMN is around 50k (keep in mind that this is the maximum). After I graduated, I was thinking I would take an year off to get some clinical experience. I have plans to become an ER Scribe and work full-time during that year. The Scribe job would earn around 40-50k, which would cover my college undegrad debt. </p>
<p>Do you think this is a realistic plan or am I getting ahead of myself?</p>
<p>Try calling Loyola and ask if they can bump up your financial aid or offer more of a merit scholarship. From what I have heard, the church related schools are more flexible when it comes to increasing your money.</p>
<p>noimagination, you’re right about using AP Credits to get out of my science classes. I’m actually not doing that. The 48 credits I listed above exclude my AP Biology class and the credits I earned from taking chemistry at a local community college. Most of those credits came from history, lit, and math. I definitely don’t want to skip levels of sciences. Also Kajon, I really wanted to attend UMN. Loyola is like an hour away from my home. I was hoping to get away from the Chicago area and try to look into research-oriented schools. Loyola is really good for pre-med but not as good as UMN for research or real-world oriented subjects in sciences. I will try to approach them and ask them and if it’s a reasonable amount of money, I will definitely consider it but I’m like all for UMN. Plus, Loyola gave me their maximum merit aid (15.5k) and they are giving me a 5k grant too so I don’t think that will change anything. Do you think I can talk to UMN and maybe push them to give me more money as well?</p>
<p>I’m a current student in CBS and I really enjoy it’s competitive and fostering environment. My peers are so dedicated that they encourage me to do better (like every other student is Pre-med, btw). Plus, the faculty has been nothing short of amazing. They also make sure you feel included right from the get-go with a summer camp before freshman year.
CBS also enjoys a great amount of prestige as one of the best undergrad colleges at the U of MN. However, this is all coming from an in-state student who has received many scholarships. 30K for a year is really expensive, weigh your options carefully.</p>