Hello!
So, I am currently a Junior in high school, I live in a small city in the mid west, and I really really really want to go to a bigger city on the East for college..My top 3 schools at the moment are NYU, BU, and Drexel University. I think my chances of getting into these schools are pretty good because my ACT is a 30 (and I plan on getting it up to a 33), my GPA is in the 3.7-3.8 range (unweighted), and I'm enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program. I am also planning on taking the SAT subject tests for Math II and Physics.
However, after doing some research on paying for college, I am starting to realize that it is going to be extremely impractical to attend a school that costs $30,000+ a year. My family makes between $150,000-200,000 a year, but they refuse to pay for my schooling, especially if I choose to go to a more expensive university. With that said, I have basically eliminated BU and NYU off of my list because they don't offer very many students merit-based financial aid, and because of my family's income, there is no way that I am going to be eligible for need-based financial aid.
So, basically, my two options are now: Go to Drexel University and still rack up a lot of student loans OR Go to college in state for undergrad school. I haven't completely ruled out Drexel yet because my chances of receiving merit-based financial aid are decent. Plus, they have an incredible co-op program and their science/engineering/math department is great. Unfortunately, it still will cost a fortune to go, even if I get some scholarships. So should I just suck it up and go to school in state for now? Would it be completely impractical to go to Drexel? Are there other ways to get scholarships that would help cover most my expenses? If I can't get scholarships, would going there be worth the hassle of paying off student loans for the rest of my life?
I know this was long winded, and I apologize! I hope I get some useful insight :)
↧