<p>OP:</p>
<p>Coming from someone with a student on the other coast - since you say finances are somewhat tight, have you considered the costs of him traveling coast to coast? Figure possibly - getting there initially, Thanksgiving break, Winter break, spring break, summer break and repeat each year. That’s a fair amount of travel costs. He may end up not doing a trip for all of them but they can add up. Add in the costs of family members possibly traveling a few times for visits.</p>
<p>If you really want to look at class sizes, you can look at on-line class schedules:
[CU</a> Directory of Classes](<a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/]CU”>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/)
[Home</a> Page - Online Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://schedule.berkeley.edu%5DHome”>http://schedule.berkeley.edu)
<a href=“Student/Class Info”>Student/Class Info;
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<p>Engineering majors will typically take about 25% of their courses in math and science, and about 20-25% of their courses in humanities and social studies breadth, for a total of 45-50% liberal arts in their curricula. It is not like a Berkeley engineering student (or one at other schools) will be lacking in liberal arts courses (whether they pay much attention to them is another matter).</p>
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<p>Her S may consider doing what I and many other similarly situated students far away from home did…cut down on traveling home somewhat. </p>
<p>While I was a 17 yr old freshman in college, I figured it made no sense to go home for Thanksgiving as finals would just be a couple of weeks away so many who felt the same way stayed on campus during those 4 days to put in some extra study/research time, walk around the quiet campus, and visit our professors at their homes if they extended an invitation. </p>
<p>Since Winter break was only a few more weeks away at that point, in my view…better to wait until finals were out of the way and then I can fully enjoy the break. </p>
<p>I also took opportunities during fall and spring breaks to go on road trips with other classmates to visit other cities/friends where the costs were extremely minimal or “treated” by those with vehicles.</p>
<p>Ok, summing up the net prices:</p>
<p>Columbia: $10,200 (EFC = $7,200, ESC = $3,000)
UCSD with Jacobs (3.6 GPA): $0
Berkeley or UCSD with Regents (3.0 GPA): $8,750 (EFC = $8,750, ESC = $0)
Berkeley or UCSD without Regents: $17,250 (EFC = $8,750, ESC = $8,500)</p>
<p>But you mentioned the medical insurance issue – how does that change the prices? Travel costs may also have some effect.</p>
<p>Have your figured out your AFC (actual family contribution) yet? It looks from the previous posts that you are not sure.</p>
<p>An ESC of $8,500 would typically be met with a Stafford loan of $5,500 and $3,000 of work or work-study earnings. But if you or he is not comfortable with that, then the ASC would be less.</p>
<p>Frugalization opportunities that can reduce the actual cost may vary from school to school (and may be possible to cover the gap between ESC+EFC and ASC+AFC). Is he a naturally frugal type with money, or not?</p>
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<p>And the truth comes out at last . . . :)</p>
<p>Write each school on a piece of paper and put them in a hat (not Pomona- they don’t have his intended major so that would eliminate that one, IMO). After he picks one, don’t let him unfold it. Ask him “Which one are you really hoping that paper says?” Usually, there really is a favorite. </p>
<p>I’ve gotten to know Columbia pretty well since my daughter started at Barnard and am loving the experiences she’s been able to have being in NYC.</p>
<p>When schools figure out COA, do they not take travel into consideration? I am surprised that CA schools do not require work study. I thought schools would usually require 2-3K of student contribution.</p>
<p>Bernardmom - your daughter was very sick recently and I believe you said she was very well taken care of by the school.</p>
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<p>The Regents’ scholarships at UCs replace the ESC with grant/scholarship money. So the net price = EFC in the Regent’s scholarship case (at least for in-state).</p>
<p>Without the Regents’ scholarship, the normal UC in-state financial aid offer leaves an ESC of $8,500, typically as $5,500 Stafford loan + $3,000 work study. So the net price = EFC + $8,500 in the non-Regents’-scholarship in-state case.</p>
<p>(UCs calculate EFC using federal methodology; this appears to be $8,750 for the OP.)</p>
<p>Yes, she was. Barnard and Columbia do have separate health services, but the Barnard health service people made sure that she got the treatment she needed. Barnard students can use Columbia’s health service when Barnard’s is closed. The health insurance plans are different. She got top notch health care in NYC with a renowned specialist. On that note, it was tough to have her so far away while going through that and I did end up making an emergency trip to NYC. I am a 10 hour drive away. If I had been in California, it would have been even more difficult to do so. It’s a consideration and there is part of me that really wants to encourage my son to stay within a 3 or 4 hour drive of home.</p>
<p>My daughter has also informed me she intends to stay in NYC next summer ('14) and will not be moving back here … she is in love with NYC.</p>
<p>If you already have health insurance that covers the student and the college allows for a health fee waiver if they’re already covered adequately by insurance, then it seems that the health insurance cost variable would be out of the overall cost equation. My kids never used their university’s health services since they were already adequately covered by insurance and could see who they wanted. Their campuses all had hospitals and medical schools so finding a doctor, emergency room, etc. has never been a problem.</p>
<p>I agree that travel costs can be reduced by…not traveling…but even if one skips Thanksgiving they’re less likely to skip Christmas, Spring, and Summer unless they’re substituting traveling elsewhere. There’s also a reasonable chance some family members might want to visit the student a couple of times at least.</p>
<p>After 8 pages, I think dodgersmom is correct! I really don’t want my kid 3000 miles away. Why should I when we have a great engineering school right in my area with plenty of employers willing to hire him when he gets out? Barnardmom’s experience with a sick daughter just confirms my feelings.</p>
<p>I do like the hat idea but as I said, each time he visits somewhere, he comes home loving that school the most and since he’s in NY right now, I’d hate to do the hat thing. I think I should strongly suggest he visit Berkeley again especially since he missed Cal Day today. He hasn’t even seen inside their labs and he should just to be fair.</p>
<p>Columbia allows for some travel, enough for S to get there and back and most likely come home for winter break. He won’t come home for Thanksgiving and Spring Break. I won’t be able to fly there to move him in, plus they have some outdoor excursion before school starts so that makes it even more difficult. I won’t be able to go to parents weekend or any other functions of the school. Worse, what about when Barnardmom writes that her daughter “intends to stay in NYC next summer ('14) and will not be moving back here”=YIKES! </p>
<p>ucbalumnus, yes, you are right again about the money. Both UCs include the insurance in their financial aid packages now but we would have to pick up the cost without the scholarships and it goes up every year. It’s ~$1800 for the upcoming year at Cal. However, when you write out the costs like you did above- (EFC = $8,750, ESC = $8,500) then Cal without Regents doesn’t seem as bad as just seeing flat out $17K but really that’s what it is. Can these kids really work and do engineering? Aren’t they expected to do research instead? I thought Engineering was so demanding that they only had time for homework, research and they are supposed to do internships too? If he HAD to take loans, would you tell me that $30K was too much for a Cal engineering student?</p>
<p>Favorite color? HA HA, too bad all the school colors are blue! Not my fav.</p>
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Yes, they can. An on-campus job is ideal since they tend to be flexible on hours. In some jobs one can even get some studying done while on the job - depending on the particular job of course. The money earned can add up and cover a lot of incidentals. It also can help connect them to the uni in different ways as well as give them practical and working experience. </p>
<p>Internships are typically done in summers, not during the year. For engineering it’s best to have at least one internship experience within the area of study. Most engineering internships are paid.</p>
<p>Another factor - there are obviously a lot of opportunities for various engineering internships in the bay area. If he can live at home in the summer while doing an internship in the area he could save up some money. Of course, he could still do an internship there even if he goes to Columbia or UCSD rather than UCB.</p>
<p>Yeah, but Columbia is baby blue. </p>
<p>I still like the beach! (But then I’m a native New Yorker!)</p>
<p>To be fair, we’re from the Detroit area… most young people are leaving when they graduate, even if they do go to college here. This area has had some rebound, but it is still a very tough job market for most professions. I knew she’d never be back when she left. I don’t plan on staying here once the kids are settled elsewhere either. My family has all escaped already…</p>
<p>fido, didn’t you come on here a few months ago with a question about your son’s essays? It seems to have worked out just fine. </p>
<p>Just sit back, breath, and let him make the decision. He is obviously intelligent and capable, let him decide. It will all work out.</p>
<p>Stafford loans only are generally considered ok for an engineering student.</p>
<p>Pretty much every student (engineering or otherwise) receiving financial aid at the UCs needs to come up with a student contribution of $8,500 from Stafford loans, work, and/or frugalization.</p>
<p>Engineering seniors and possibly juniors have an advantage here, in that they may have significant money saved from their summer paid internships.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should try to influence his decision about his life, because you don’t want him far away. That’s unfair. </p>
<p>As for getting sick, I really don’t get everyone bringing it up. My roommate was pretty sick a couple of times. I took care of her, took her to health services. I had to go to the hospital for an emergency and, on a separate occasion, had mono or mono-like virus where I literally couldn’t make it out of bed. Friends helped, and when they weren’t around, I took care of myself. My roommate’s parents were far away. Mine were driving distance. She never expressed wishing they were there. I didn’t ask (and wouldn’t have wanted) my parents to come or get involved. Part of the great things about college is starting out an independent life. Parents showing up to provide care would not have been appreciated and out of place. YMMV, but you may want to ask your son first if he would even want that.</p>
<p>fidoprincess - You sound just like me - I didn’t want my son on the other side of the country either! His mind was made up for USC in engineering but he came back on 4/25 from a weekend visit there and was disappointed. I sent him off to Cal on 4/27, a Monday (he skipped school) and he spent 2 days dropping in on engineering classes, staying in a friend’s dorm room, and talking to the students. He came back home very enthused, just in time to accept at Cal before the deadline. There are so many positive aspects to being close enough that you don’t have to hassle with travel. Also, don’t worry about the triple dorm rooms. My son ended up spending half his time sleeping on the floor of the engineering dorm because all his friends were there. That kind of thing works itself out.</p>
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<p>Heh. If my parents acted that way, my first reaction would be to wonder what I did to make them think I am too incompetent and incapable to the point I am being treated like a young child rather than the young man that I actually was as a 17-21 year old undergrad.</p>
<p>Even grown adults sometimes have medical procedures done that require someone to drive them home from the procedure and monitor them for 24 hours afterward. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether the person can handle it or not. The hospital will not release you from certain procedures without someone present to transport you and agree to monitor you. When the hospital says “You have to be picked up in a car that has a front seat that can completely recline so you can lay flat”, there aren’t always other options. The subway in NYC doesn’t meet those requirements. We’re not talking about the flu, mono or strep throat. Sometimes, you have to have someone present who can legally make medical decisions for you in case you can’t make them for yourself. Medical emergency- not typical illness.</p>