<p>$25k in loans each year for four years is $100k. That is way too much to borrow. Run the loan repayment repayment calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) to see how much you would need to pay back each month, and sit down with a loan officer at your bank or financial institution to find out if you and your family would evenbe able to borrow that much. There is a thread right now in the Financial Aid forum discussing the option available for a student whose parents have not been allowed to borrow any more money.</p>
<p>Pick up the phone, call BU and arrange to defer enrollment. Take the year off. If you can’t travel abroad with Woof, look for similar opportunities in this country. Rodale used to take volunteers at it’s research facility in Pennsylvania, and there certainly would be other options around the country.</p>