<p>I'm a second semester freshman in the Honors College at St. John's University trying to transfer to Fordham College at Lincoln Center in the fall. I got in last year, but declined because it would have been $36,000 a year as oppose to St. John's being $26,000, but now I realize that Fordham is worth FAR more than a St. John's education. That being said, the Fordham admissions office said that they typically only give merit aid to freshmen. Last year, I was offered a $8,000 scholarship and a $12,600 grant.</p>
<p>But here's the thing: I really underwent a paradigm shift in the last semester of high school, and got straight As for the first time in my HS career, bringing my GPA up from 3.46 when I applied to Fordham to 3.55, which was enough for me to crack the top 25% of my graduating class, which I also wasn't when I applied to Fordham. I'm in the honors college at StJ, which is significantly more rigorous than their other classes, and I have a 3.8. Oh, and 1990 SAT.</p>
<p>I tried going to my financial safety school, and realized it wasn't worth it. I've done well, so it just really worries me that I may have to pay far more than I did last year. The school really is everything I want, a Jesuit eduction in the middle of Manhattan. If accepted with little to no aid, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, because I don't think I have it in me to decline admission from them TWICE. My EFC is about $17,000, and $36-39k would be a huge stretch for me, but I could do it. I'm just worried about what I'll do if the cost of attendance cracks $40k</p>