<p>davnasca and ethan,</p>
<p>when you are looking at your finaid letters, add up tuition, fees (health, orientation, and so on) and deduct from that the grant aid and loans, and scholarships you hold (note to Ethan - can the 20K be used over 4 years).That gives you the amount of money that you need to come up with.</p>
<p>The COA assumes almost 3k for books and personal expenses; my son has never spent that much. You will need to find your own food for Saturday dinner … but that doesn’t need to be that pricey. </p>
<p>House activities are subsidized - you will need to spend some money but not the full cost.Most of the kids in my son’s house, at least, are pretty sensitive to the fact that not everyone has a big budget when doing their own actities. </p>
<p>Feed food is available at many student and university functions - this will be more important to you when you are off the freshman meal plan!</p>
<p>House study breaks include snacks which your RA provides. My son often makes homemade bread for his (made some for us over break - he’s a good baker!).</p>
<p>Clothing - make sure you have a warm coat, gloves, boots. Don’t worry about style until you are a 4th year and interviewing.</p>