<p>Pitt is my dream school, and I would love to be able to go there. The thing is, my parents are unable to help me pay for school, so including the money I got from Pitt, it would go up to around 24,500 per year. Is this too much to be putting into student loans? I got into my state school Geneseo which would be 15,000 a year. I would much rather go to Pitt however I contacted them and they said no more money would be allotted. I have no idea what to do I am trying for scholarships but they can only do so much. Help. :/</p>
<p>Have you tried FastWeb? I found a good number of scholarship opportunities on there. Some of them are small, but it adds up, and you can use the same essay multiple times. Also, you could always attend your state school, work and save up, and transfer sophomore or junior year. Or you could accept Pitt’s offer but delay your attendence for a year and take a work-study gap or something. If you can’t find a way, I’m sure you’ll be happy at the state school as well. I hope everything works out for you!</p>
<p>Pitt is gaining prestige every year. So the advantage of going to a school that is growing academically is that it will be more highly regarded when searching for a job. Therefore, I think the extra nine thousand a year would no hinder you too much after graduation because you are likely to land a much better job from Pitt. Also, I am not sure where your state school is, but Pittsburgh gives you many resources. Just some things to consider!</p>
<p>HI there, I am a mom and I just want to caution you about loans.
Are you saying you would have to pay the full 24,500 per year for Pitt vs 15,000 per year for Geneseo? Meaning, an additional 40,000 in loans over the four years?
I beg you not to do this. As hard as it might be, you might want to consider going to Nassau community college honors college for two years and then transferring to Pitt.
If you get good grades at Nassau you would probably get some transfer merit aid for Pitt.
In the end, you would still have a BA or a BS from Pitt but less than half the loans.
The money really matters. I know it’s hard…just a mom’s opinion. GOod luck to you wherever you go, I am sure you will make friends and do well.</p>
<p>I agree with marjb36. Give very serious consideration about the debt you are about to take on. Think about it. You’ll owe $100,000 - and that’s not even putting a roof over your head and wheels under your feet to get you to a job. Hopefully you’ll land a great job and that won’t be a problem. But what if you don’t? That’s a very big gamble that you shouldn’t take lightly. Go to a community college and then transfer after two years. You’ll be much happier when you have that degree in your hand and owe half of what you would otherwise.</p>
<p>Some good things to consider, however I am considering studying law and want to go to a really good grad school afterwards so in that case should I try to keep undergrad debts low and go to the state school or would going to Pitt not matter in the long run and help me get into a solid grad school. My mom has been harping me (Much like @Marjb36) to go to the state school as I would have to pay 550 a year for 20 years to go to Pitt. However I was thinking if I moved back in with my parents for 1 year after school and got a $45,000 job, took home $30,000, would I be able to just drop $25,000 into my loans and get 1/4th paid off? That doesnt seem as hard as others make it to be or am I over analyzing it?</p>
<p>z-
Son is in law school. It does not matter if you go to Pitt or Geneseo to be admitted to grad school. </p>
<p>Law school admissions look at LSAT (Law school entrance exam) and GPA. Everything else is minor. IVY vs Pitt or SUNY… the Ivy may give you an edge. SUNY vs Pitt, no difference whatsoever.</p>
<p>Do not take out any more loans than you must. Depending on your college GPA and LSAT, you may get a fair scholarship to some law schools and good scholarship to lesser tier law school. Either way, it sounds likely that you will need more loans. </p>
<p>(Your plan to work a year after college to pay off some loans is not a bad idea at all. After taxes, you will need gas money, spending money, healthcare, car insurance… It will likely be harder than you think to save as much as you’d like to. </p>
<p>Geneseo is a great school. Maybe not exciting sports or town, but once you make friends,(anywhere you attend college) you will be happy.</p>
<p>(By the way, my current Buffalo son picked UB over 15 schools he was accepted to. Great program and cost effective. Very happy there!!)</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Zcongress-- I have to agree with crazed and pittsmom also. We live near Geneseo and it is the best small SUNY school. It is true you won’t have the same experience that you would have at Pitt, you’ll have a small school experience which can be wonderful also! I know many kids that went to Geneseo and loved it, and I myself went to a small school and had a great experience also. Taking on that much additional debt just doesn’t make good sense.</p>
<p>Geneseo is a pretty fine school. With your cost difference, you may want to go there unless being at a smaller school would drive you bonkers.</p>
<p>Thank you! That is great info. The only reason I am avoiding going to Geneseo is because I really only applied because of the cost benefit and had no true intention of going to a small school because I am big into sports and excitement. I suppose I will end up going to Geneseo even though its not my ideal choice but hopefully if I can do well enough I can go to a huge grad school. Hopefully a school like Duke or UNC. I don’t know it feels like I’m just settling but I guess those are the breaks for having college be a business…</p>
<p>Why don’t you look at UB instead of Geneseo?</p>
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<p>You want to take out $100,000 in loans for UNDERgrad without even considering that law school is going to be another $300,000 in loans?! I’m sorry but-- I’m going to agree with the parents here, that is quite ridiculous.</p>
<p>Forget paying back the Pitt loans over 20 years, you’re going to be paying back EVERYTHING for the rest of your working life at that rate. And like pittsmom said, that doesn’t include future costs like a house, car, or family (who would also go to college).</p>
<p>Law school is expensive, I have quite a few friends go through it, and it’s much harder to get a good scholarship for that than you think. Also-- the market for lawyers right now isn’t so great (who knows if it will change in the next 5-7 years), so…keep that in mind too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. This is just hard to swallow as Pitt was my dream school. I guess things happen for a reason though…</p>
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<p>I couldn’t afford my dream school and went to Pitt instead. Couldn’t have been happier. Trust me when I say you can make the most out of ANY college that you go to.</p>
<p>Alright thanks for the confident boost, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time at Pitt. :)</p>
<p>Ugh, I feel your pain. I would love to go to Pitt but I really can’t afford the OOS tuition. I think I’m going to go to the University of Georgia, which is a good school, but known for its parties and football moreso than academics.</p>