My son would need to take loans out to go to Cal. that would total around 60k-70k for 4 years.
He has been offered spots at lower Tie 2 schools that he would need to take out as little as 25k total.
If he commuted 40 miles each way to school he could go to Cal State Fullerton at No Cost or Loans.
He is looking to go into Business. Our family is from Southern California.
I would love to get some Opinions on this. I have a fear of that loan payment of $800 a month for 10 years after coming out of Cal. but dont know if I’m just being Overly protective.
Commuting to college sucks though - it’s harder to make friends, harder to participate in campus activities that make you a well rounded person, and you don’t learn how to be an adult with your peers around you. If he didn’t commute, how much would he have to take out in loans to go to CSUF?
Your son can not take out loans in that amount so you would have to co-sign for those loans. In the event that he was not able to pay them back for whatever reason, you would be on the hook for them. Of course this is a very personal decision that each student and family must make and there is no right answer without knowing more about your financial situation. We refused to co-sign for any loans for our children. I don’t think most kids really understand the impact of an $800+ monthly payment for 10 years after they graduate. It could make a huge dent on their lifestyle and could limit purchasing a house, starting a family, or taking out more loans if they choose to continue in a graduate program. I don’t think you are being overprotective at all. You are very prudent to be concerned about this high level of debt for your son. If your son chooses to stay in Calif. after graduation, the high cost of living here would make that loan even more overwhelming!
45 minutes in that area could turn into a lot more than 45 minutes during rush hour. One of my best friends lives in Anaheim and it’s a nightmare for her to get to/from work sometimes which is technically only 20 min away with no traffic.
Is CSUF the closest four year school? 40 miles in southern California seems like an awful commute. Please note that commuting costs, food, and utilities for him living at home do have a nonzero cost, although typically much less than living on campus (but car and car insurance costs can be substantial for a young man who drives a lot).
What are the net prices of various schools, and how much can you (parent) contribute?
it wouldn’t cost $18k-23K to rent a room or apartment in Fullerton, would it? and CSUF would not be no cost because 80 miles 5x per week will be a small fortune in gas. i would check out rentals and then he can come home on weekends to restock the fridge. commuting to CSUF would be the cheapest option but man, that would get old really fast.
And sometimes, depending on the student, having to commute through traffic 80 miles every day could mean that they get home and don’t feel like doing any of their homework because they’re just so damn tired (and maybe they’ve wasted 1-3 hours of their day on the commute/looking for parking. Speaking of which - parking passes are a small fortune too.
Why not attend the local CC and then transfer? CC tuition is a lot lower and there is a well defined transfer path. I have a number of friends who have done so. You don’t get the full ‘college experience’ but he would only pay 2 years of UC tuition and living expenses. Haas might have different requirements, so I would check first.
Recruiting is going to be a lot better at Cal vs CSUF so that should be a consideration as well.
I am from the east coast and a 40 mile commute is quite a distance to travel one way. In SoCal it must be horrible! The biggest benefit of commuting to school is that it prepares the student for the working world since most people will ultimately be forced to commute to work. It gets them used to the longer day. Resident students can roll out of bed and walk to class. That is not realistic to continue after they graduate. Forty miles seems like an awfully long way to go.
If nothing is closer then he will have to stay away at school and borrow money.
Look at all the pros and cons on the commuter school and the other lower cost options. More info on this thread will help get input on the financially most feasible options.
Agreeing with everybody else- your son can cover on campus at Fullerton with his own $5K loans and some summer jobs- but adding extra emphasis that kind of debt for a business degree is a particularly bad idea: a business undergrad degree is differentiated a lot by what you do in terms of internships, etc.
sorry, brain cramp on my part. duh. of course the $18K-23K would be over 4 years.
so, let me make sure i have this right. room + meal plan at CSF would run about $5K per year? that seems pretty low. does he have a scholarship for full tuition + extra $$$?
Don’t ask anyone to commute 40 miles across the LA basin for college. That is cruel and unusual punishment, and may well be the difference in success in college or just giving up after a while.
The answer depends on your financial situation of course, but to me, a degree from Berkeley is worth stretching a bit (not too much). Sounds like you are talking about an extra $10k per year to get a degree at Berkeley over a degree from Cal State Fullerton (if he lived on campus). That is worth it, IMO, unless you are really, really financially strapped.
That would be with us paying some and a Track Scholarship. So he would only have to cover part of the cost and that would be about 20k over 4 years to stay on campus at CSF.
So we are looking at it as if CAL with 40k more for 4 years. CSF 20k vs CAL 60k.
Most people have been telling us and he its a no brainer. That you will more then make that up the cost with being a Grad from CAL and have many more doors open for you?
CAL does seem to have a great program for Academic support for there Athletes.IE Tutors,Sports Academic advisors and getting you the Classes you need to be done in 4 years.