kittycatwindow

I'm going to start off with this: I know that getting scholarships, grants, etc. can make any school inexpensive, but my parents are still stuck in the mindset that expensive schools will always be expensive and the less expensive ones will always cost less than them.

Right now, I'm being pressured into going to Rutgers University in New Brunswick. I can admit that it is a good school, but it's not what I'm looking for. I've visited, and it just doesn't make me feel like, "THIS IS IT!"

Schools that appeal to me currently are Bucknell University & Boston University. I haven't visited, but I know this type of school is the type I'm looking for.
If you look at their prices, though... Ouch. That's $20,000 more than my sister is paying. There's no way I could get enough scholarships to pay that, and I don't want to be saddled down with student loan debt for the rest of my life.

This is getting too long. What I'm trying to say is I need some cheaper options that are similar to schools like Bucknell and Boston U.

I don't want to go too far. I live around the NYC area (but in NJ), so it was hard for me to even look at Boston University because it's about 4 hours away. (I know me saying NYC may prompt some "NYU!!" responses, but they don't allow me to do the double major I'm seeking. Plus, they're around the same price as both the BUs.)



If you're too lazy to read all of this, just read the following:

What are some inexpensive schools in this area that are on the same level as schools like Bucknell and Boston U? Do they even exist?

Thanks!

ECAdmStudent

Just curious - did you mean midwestern, the Atlantic states (NY, MD, NJ, etc), or the Middle East? :P

kittycatwindow

How embarrassing....

Basically anything from Virginia up.
I'm not sure what to classify that as.

ucbalumnus

Perhaps this list may be of interest, if you do not expect to get any need-based financial aid?

Less expensive (list price) less obvious schools that attract "good" students

dodgersmom

Mid-Atlantic?

mom2collegekids

What are your test scores and GPA?

What are your double majors?

How much WILL your parents pay? Will they pay the full price of Rutgers? If so, are they saying that they'll pay about $26k per year for wherever you go?

noimagination

The SUNY system for sure! Buffalo and Stony Brook are excellent universities and Geneseo is a good LAC.

BobWallace

I would look at the SUNYs and CUNYs and see if any interest you. They would only be a little more than Rutgers even paying OOS tuition.

Bucknell and BU are private colleges - you are not going to find private colleges comparable to those without a high sticker price.

But really, you need to not focus on sticker price, and get your parents to do the same. If you like private colleges, the best way to attend one at a reasonable price is financial aid, either need-based or non-need-based, depending on your family's financial situation.

spanky12

TCNJ sounds like a great option. Its tuition is probably similar to Rutgers', and it's obviously close to home. The campus is beautiful too.

kittycatwindow

Test scores: They are bad. I've only taken the SAT. CR: 610, M: 530, W: 610. Total: 1750.
My GPA is really good, but my test scores will hold me back from a lot of the highest level scholarships. I'm retaking in October, but I can't hope to achieve a drastically higher score.

GPA: This year, it was 4.0 weighted. I went to the guidance office for my unweighted GPA, and they said they don't calculate it & that colleges will only see my weighted GPA. I'm not sure why they'd do that, but it's better for me, I guess.
With my other two years averaged in, it would be AT LEAST a 3.75. It's probably higher, but my school doesn't let me access my older grades online, so I can't calculate it accurately.

English (with teacher certification) and Theatre

I don't think my parents will be paying much. I will be reliant on financial aid. That's why I want a cheaper school; I don't want to have to take out so much in loans that I'll be paying it off for the rest of my life.


I've been checking them out, and they seem promising. Thanks!


I knowww
I don't think my family will be paying for much tuition, so I'm pretty much completely reliant on aid. I don't want it to consist of a bunch of loans. My financial situation isn't horrible, but it's also not great. I will have 2 other siblings in college at the same time as me which might give me some extra aid, but we're not so bad that we're going to get free rides anywhere. We're basically in the middle, where we're not going to get many need-based scholarships, but we can't pay for school out of pocket.

I just don't want to get accepted to my dream private school only to find out that we can't afford it once we get the financial aid finalized. That's my biggest fear. I don't want to be shoved into Rutgers because it's the cheapest.

I've looked at it, and it's a great school, but it doesn't have a theatre program. Since that's going to be the second half to my double major, I ruled it out.

Thanks for the help, guys! If anyone has any more advice, feel free to impart your knowledge to me!

BobWallace

You should take the ACT. Math is your weakest area, and it's less of a factor in the ACT score. The ACT is an odd test, so work some practice tests in advance if you plan to take it.

You need some hard numbers as to the amount your family will be able/willing to pay each year.

mom2collegekids

Rutgers isn't cheap. Neither are SUNYs for an OOS student as you won't qualify for NY state aid. Yes, these schools can be reasonable for a family intending on spending $25k per year.

For a student with modest SAT scores and a family that can't pay much, choices will be more limited.

Most schools do NOT give great aid. most schools will expect your family to pay most/all costs.

You need to use some Net Price Calculators on various schools' websites to determine how much your family would be expected to pay.

You also need to ask your parents how much they will pay each year for your college costs. Loans will be part of your FA pkg so, you won't be able to use loans to cover what your family is expected to pay.


YOU can't borrow much by yourself. YOU can only borrow 5500 as a frosh. That obviously won't pay for much.

kittycatwindow

I plan on taking the ACT because I get free fee waivers, so why not? But science is also a part of the ACT. When I took the practice ACT test (I think it was called the PLAN test?), I didn't know anything on the science section, because it was Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Science-ey stuff. That was two years ago, before I took Chem and Physics. I haven't taken Earth Science, though, because there is no advanced option in my school, and the general class is just WAY too slow and tedious for me to sit through. Lack of Earth Science knowledge would definitely mess up my score. Plus, the teachers for both my Chemistry class and my Physics class were inadequate. Math and Science would both mess me up, so I can't rely on the ACT for getting better scores. I'm just bad at standardized tests. Unless there's a free way to drastically raise my scores, I'm going to have to stay that way.

I can't give that information. I have no clue how much my parents are going to contribute. They've never discussed such with me. It will depend on the cost of the school & the amount of aid I receive.

Yeah... Every time I tell my family that Rutgers expensive for a public school, they don't really care.. My twin's top choice is 50k per year, so I guess they think anything under that is fine. I know it'll be tough on us financially if we're both at expensive schools like that, though, so I'm trying to find cheaper ones.




I really did not want this to turn into a thread about financial aid. I posted this so people could inform me of cheaper options for school near me. Every time I post a question similar to this, I get people who want to discuss financial aid. That's not what I was asking about. I just want to know if there are any inexpensive colleges that I may have overlooked.

Thanks to all who have contributed. If anyone can name some inexpensive schools that are in my preferred location, please tell me!

BobWallace

"Inexpensive" is a relative term. That's why we ask the question. Many people consider $20,000/year cost of attendance "inexpensive", but it's not inexpensive if you can only afford $10,000/year.

kittycatwindow

Alright. To my family and myself, it's all expensive. I guess, for the purposes of this thread, inexpensive is anything cheaper than In-State Rutgers, which is around $27,000.