Question about money and college?

Oy, I hate hearing stories like this. YES, our education system is awful and unless you have wealthy parents, it's just not feasible for the average person to pay for four years of university without going into serious debt. There are excellent options out there, but you have to be willing to alter your standards a bit. Just hear me out: I was in the same situation as you, except I knew long before I graduated high school that I would have little to no financial assistance from my family. They just didn't have the money, and I sure couldn't blame them for it. It helped that I had a while to mentally prepare myself. I know it's hard for you to look at that dream school and realize it's not reasonable for you to go there, but start getting used to the idea and try to be solution oriented.

I recommend the path I took: Attend your first two years at a community college. If you're a great student take 16-18 units per semester. Be smart about it and fulfill all of the general education requirements you need before you transfer to a university. All universities require the same general two years' of courses, whether you pay quadruple at the big campus or much less at a community college. Same thing, I swear. In addition to being cheaper, community college classes are usually smaller, easier to get in to, and have profs who really love to teach. University professors are often pressured to publish academic works, which is all well and good, but good teachers sometimes just want to focus on TEACHING.

And then transfer to a 4-year school. You'll have the first 2 years completed, and you'll have a better idea of what you want to major in. If you still want to go to that private college, then do your research, work with the advisers there and at the community college to determine your financial aid options. Take out a student loan if you want this school that badly. Otherwise, attend a state university that costs less because you are a resident (NOTE: if you go out of state and live anywhere for less than a year, the nonresident tuition is about the same as a private university).

If you're really driven, you'll work part time during college, make the largest loan payments you can afford and be responsible about not charging up credit cards. Student debt is manageable if you are smart about it. It could take years to pay off, but it's worth it.

So you asked, and that's what you do: 2 years at your local community college, and then transfer to whatever school you want, depending on how much debt you are comfortable with. Work part-time all through college, preferably on campus. Be smart about your spending. Maybe your parents would be willing to cover one bill for you, like your car insurance. And maybe your textbooks? Mine sent me a $100 check every once in a while, and yes it was just a fraction of my expenses, but I really appreciated that they wanted to help, even if it was small.

Get your priorities straight, and if you're still dying for that school after your 2 years at the CC, then go for it and do your very best. I'm betting you may have different ideas about what's most important to you by the time you get to having to choose a university. I don't know if this is useful, but I have been an adviser to students and I have a happy, full and educated life to back up the choices I made. Feel free to email smvirden at yahoo if you have any questions about my ramble. Good luck!

I got to a private college and trust me I think I'm paying WAY too much for the education I'm getting, my community college was harder than this school. But that's just the one I go to.

There is nothing wrong with going to a state school, a lot of state schools actually offer more and have better education systems than private schools.

So here is my advice. Apply to the school and see what scholarships you get. The school I go to gives out MASSIVE scholarships (most private schools are like that). Usually if your a good student, pretty good GPA and such you can get easily over $5,000 just from that school. Look outside for scholarships too. See how much your parents will help you out. It is okay to apply for loans.

If this school doesn't work out, don't have a negative attitude about other schools. I thought my college felt right, and its not there are many many faults that they did not tell people about when coming there. It's my senior year so I'm going to stick through it. But don't rule out your other options just yet.

Good luck.

You can complete the FAFSA form and see if you qualify for financial aid. But if you don't qualify for aid and your parents aren't willing to spend the money to send you to an expensive private school, then your options are to choose a less expensive school or take on a massive debt load yourself to go to the school that feels "right." Frankly, it's not worth it to graduate with a huge debt hanging over your head for the rest of your life. It's very hard to pay off those loans if you are also dealing with grad school debt, a mortgage, child expenses, auto loans and the other expenses that one generally deals with as an adult. Even going bankrupt won't discharge those educational loans -- they remain with you for life unless you work off that debt by working in certain occupations. So perhaps you need to cast a wider net and look for less expensive schools that will still meet your educational goals. You'll have a lot of company -- many students have had to scale back their expectations.

apply for fafsa and submit it to that school to see the financial aid they give you. also apply for scholarships online and you may get money for it.

if you really like the school there are ways to make everything happen. i dont think you should give it all up just becaus e you dont have the funds. many people cant afford it but there is always financial aid and scholarships!

hope this helps and i hope you're able to go to that school.

also i have a friends that go to NYU (private)and its ridiculously expensive...like 50000 per year. and nyu gives pretty good financial aid and stuff. so there's still hope.

and when i went to ut austin (state school) i got....about 14k per year. not alot..but i was in state so my tuition was pretty low anyways. so im sure you can get more than that if ur EFC (expected family contribution) (on ur fafsa) is low--it'll be low if your parents dont have a high income.

also try appealing to your parents some more. telling them how you reallylike the school...and ull def work hard there and etc!

goodluck!