It's that time of year, when eager Seniors find out if they're accepted to colleges and universities from across the country. Getting accepted by a presitigious univeristy is the dream of every determined and hardworking student, and while very difficult to accomplish, getting accepted over thousands of applicants should be the difficult part.
Unfortunately for many families, the cost of attending a quality intitution could mean taking out extravagant loans, and placing a heavy financial burden upon the entire family. It has been surprising to me, being a High School Senior, to find out that colleges with so many more resources for funding, from wealthy alumni, a rich community, and endowments, can't afford to give deserving students the financial assistance they need. My first choice college, for instance, is expecting my parents to take out $33,000 in loans for four years. Even if my parents were willing to allow me to take on that burden, our bank will only allow us to take out $70,000 worth of loans, which would only cover two of my four year education.
I know that my plight might seem like complaining, but it is a difficult issue facing many students, who have worked so hard throughout their school career, to have to give up their dream school due to financial constraints. How are highly competitive institutions expecting to remain competive with increasing numbers of college freshmen opting for less-expensive, and less-competive schools? There are students in my graduating class that were accepted at Boston University and John Hopkins who are going to attend the University of Washington (which isn't a bad school by any means), becaue their financial aid packages aren't what they were hoping for.
There are even more students whose parents make so much money that disqualifies them from most governmental aid, but won't help them finance their education. Or students who live independently form their parents, yet FAFSA requires them to claim their parent's earnings to the government. I believe that colleges need to re-evaluate how they designate financial assistance, in order to allow the most qualified students attend their college/university, which is the real goal of any school isn't it?
Harvard has stepped up to the challenge. I read a few weeks ago that students accepted from families with a yearly income of less than $60,000 won't have to pay. In addition, students accepted from families that make between $60,000 and $80,000 only pay a small portion of the tuition.
I do understand your bind. I am in the process of trying to fund my legal education and even while I am not required to claim my parents income, the task is still quite daunting. I wish you the best of luck. If the money fairy plants a lucrative tree in my backyard I will definately shoot you a line :)
I wish that I were eligible for more financial aid (my school is 50K a pop), but I know that there are those who need it more than me.
I go to a school in West Virginia where the tuition is cheap by far compared to major colleges, I fill out FASFA every year and they cover all of my tuition and part of my books. I feel that most colleges are too expensive, loans are nearly impossible to payback!!! I wish the government would help us out more.
I wish college just costed less so not everyone would need to apply for financial aid. My college is going to cost about $23,000 per year for tuition. FAFSA says thatthe amount they estimated my family could afford to pay was around $12,000 per year, which is definitely more thanis realistic. $12,000 is a quarter of my single mother's entire annual income. I'm really relying on scholarships and unfortunately many student loans to pay for my education. Most college graduates end up paying off student loans for years after they graduate. There are very few people who can actually afford full tuition.
I would like to point out the University of Washington is ranked as the 45th best school, while Boston University is ranked as the 60th best school, from USNews.com college ranking system. JHU is 13th, and I feel all are darn good schools.
* I never meant to imply that the UW isn't a quality school, just that my friends were accpeted to even better schools, and chose UW because of financial restraints. I am proud of where they're going, they are all capable and intelligent people.
Seriously. FAFSA expects my mother to contribute nearly $14,000 this year, even though she only made $24,000. This aside, she has totally refused to help me pay for college (her words were: "no one ever offered to pay for my college, why should i offer to pay for yours?" yeah, well, you were one of eleven kids in a small brooklyn neighborhood; i think there are some differences here...).
Too bad we don't live in Russia; they pay for college if you pass exams with high enough grades. :(
My parents always tell me "it's just a bachekors' degree. You don't need to go to $40,000 or more a year. Wait until you get your masters." I guess, they're right. Nowadays, a bachelors' degree is nothing. Many people now are working their butts off to get a master. Some can't go for a master becuase they can't afford due to the fact that they went to expensive schools and own a lot of money.
The college that i'm attending this fall is Queens College which is in the CUNY (City University of New York) system. CUNY doesn't have dorm. Since I live in the city, I don't need to pay for my dorm and living fee. Therefore, I am only pay 4,000 dollars a year for tuition. It's very cheap huh? Yes, it is. My friends who are very poor can go any CUNY school for free. Why? Because FAFSA basically convers the entire cost of education. Plus, Queens and other CUNY schools are great in terms of academics.
The cost of attending college can be harsh (idn if that's the right word to use). Think about students from foreign countires (like me). Many private colleges expect them to have 40,000 dollars or more. My family doesn't have that kind of money. So CUNY school is the best option. I don't have to take out loans or anything.
Wanna know more about Queens College: http://www.qc.cuny.edu/nis/Releases/viewNews.php?id=176
go there
I'm glad that although the school I'm going to is private, it's only $20,000/yr. That is definitely more than my family can afford, but it's pretty cheap considering other private schools are double the price.
It is definitely getting more and more difficult to come up with the money for college. Going to New York on Wed. to see if we can get any more money, (crosses fingers).
I think people need to get the idea out of their head that only certain colleges provide a great education. I am going to a school in our state system so it is only 5-6,000 a year.
The cost of college is outrageous and don't they want the future generation to be educated and not on welfare?
It is way too expensive now. It's sad when someone can't go to a place where the will be happy and excell just because they don't have enough money. But that's why if you really want it you have to work hard and get academic scholarships. you can't ever slack off!