<p>Are you saying that SUNY’s don’t waive deposits for Pell students?</p>
<p>The main issue with choosing a school is balancing the strength of the particular programs I’m interested in, and the costs of attendance. If I am unable to perform adequate research in my field of interest during undergrad, I may not be able to attend a decent graduate school for my specific topic that will pay me a decent stipend and possess enough resources to fund my dissertation research. So attending the right undergraduate program is critical to admissions for the correct grad program for me.</p>
<p>all of this is irrelevant since you won’t have the money to pay for Columbia. </p>
<p>What is in your aid pkg for Columbia? How much is UNCOVERED after Direct loans. How much was given in Direct Loans for Spring?</p>
<p>I’m concerned about you starting in the spring because Columbia is going to give you a YEAR’S worth of federal loans for ONE semester (which still won’t be enough money). But, then NEXT year, your loan will get split between TWO semesters…leaving you with a BIGGER gap.</p>
<p>You can get into a funded PhD program from a SUNY…happens all the time.</p>