Need advice for my specific case -- paying for sons college -- what to do/not to do?

Parents Forum
21

@dad3sons

it was just an idea. here is an interesting article i came across:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marybeth-gasman/being-white-at-a-black-college_b_1713729.html

the only reason i mentioned it is that it was a school that offered ChemEng, he could still apply for in time for Fall, and offered a full-ride for his SAT. but, i don’t know if they still have the scholarship money available for students applying now for the Fall. you might ask the financial aid office.

you were willing to pay $15K per year. he could take the full ride, start this fall, and you could give him $7500 a year, and pay yourself the other $7500 and invest it for your retirement. but that only works if they still have scholarship money available for students enrolling for the Fall. the enrollment deadline is May 1.

FYI the white enrollment is 7% … but then again i am assuming that you’re white.

22

Miss State Univ is also a very good option. They have extensive eng’g facilities.


[QUOTE=""]
my son seems like already decided to go to UC which we can't afford.

[/QUOTE]

Well, tomorrow is Friday. After school is the time to tell him that your limit is $15k per year, and you’re not borrowing. He’ll have a meltdown, so let him get upset and then get over it.

I don’t know if you want to mention the possible risk that he may change his mind about ChemE at some point so paying more to start at a UC with ChemE may end up being a waste of BORROWED money.

Have a list of options to present to him…

Gap year and retesting. (what is his Math SAT score and what is his Critical reading SAT score?) While his total score is a “good score,” explain to him that higher scores mean more money/merit is awarded.

Taking the June SAT and see if he bumps that enough to get big merit to UAH or Miss State.

Starting at a CC, see how he does with ChemE, and then he can transfer to a UC for junior year…using the “savings” from the cheap first two years.

Likely, he and classmates have been talking about, “Im going to _____” and everyone is excited. He likely won’t be the only one who won’t be going where the student first thought.

23

@dad3sons

hold on. this is getting really interesting. so here is a page from the FAMU website that lists the schools and colleges at the university:
http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?academics&CollegesandSchools

now notice the one you want is listed as:
College of Engineering (FAMU-FSU)

FAMU-FSU?? does this mean what i think it means? lets click on it and see what comes up:
http://www.eng.fsu.edu/

it says Florida A&M University - Florida State University College of Engineering.

go to the website for Florida State University, search for the College of Engineering, and it takes you to the exact same page.

conclusion: your son can get a full ride plus a free laptop by attending FAMU, study Chemical Engineering at the Florida A&M University - Florida State University College of Engineering, and get his BS degree from a top 100 National University.

so is your son interested in studying Chemical Engineering at Florida State University on a full ride from Florida A&M?

24

@mom2collegekids

do you know what kinds of scholarships might be available from Miss State?

25

I’ve mentioned to him many times that ChemE is not an easy major and that he may change his mind eventually. I even gave some real life example of known people in our community that took Chem ang changed their mind later. He cannot wrap around his mind what else could be an alternative. I suggested business administration focusing in supply chain and logistics. He’s still thinking about it.

26

There are a lot of schools for engineering that have full or almost full scholarships. Those mentioned of Miss State, FSU/FAMU, but also La Tech, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, NM, SD School of Mines. If the family is from California, the student is eligible for WUE and tuition at 150% of resident rate. Many engineering departments also have additional scholarships.

27

I guess I need to do more research and that would help a lot. I will do my part of the puzzle and you guys gave the pieces. All I need now is to connect the pieces together and see the whole picture.

28

Let me just say that as a parent, a Californian and an engineer, I feel your pain in this dilemma. There is no guarantee that your son will get into the same schools in 2 years as a transfer student If he goes to the local community college and there is no guarentee that he will love chemical engineering if he attends UCSD. There are a lot of kids that start engineering school and realize it’s not for them. I’m not a person who thinks that gap years are great because of the opportunity cost for this. There is no guarantee that a year from now, these guaranteed programs will still be there or your son will get the required SAT scores or even want to go to one of these schools. I can tell you that the Cal Poly schools are excellent and also at a lower price too than the UC schools and their graduates are highly recruited. I would skip CSUB for freshman year since it doesn’t have his current intended major and sending him there is like saying I don’t care what you want to do with your life and money is more important than that. Perhaps the Community college system would be the best? It would save a lot of money so he could transfer to his favorite school junior year since you would be saving so much going to CC. You could evaluate how he does in the freshman pre-req engineering classes. You could also look into these other schools for transfer. He could get a job and help out. Just a suggestion and I wish you and your family a lot of luck in this tough decision.i don’t at any point recommend you going into huge debt.

29

Florida A&M’s application deadline for fall 2016 is May 1, 2016. However, check to see whether there was an earlier deadline for scholarship consideration. If not, that may be a chance to go to college at very low cost (travel and misc expenses) without needing to take a gap year.

Not necessarily a safe assumption for a California resident. Also, CSUB and UCI students are under 20% white (non-Hispanic/Latino), so it is likely that the OP does not object to a school with a low white student population. However, it is true that the student demographics of many of the southern universities (including both the historically black ones and the non-historically-black ones) with the big scholarships are very different from those in many universities in California (with higher Latino and Asian populations, but lower white and black populations).

30

Students attending the joint engineering division will be officially students of Florida A&M or Florida State, and will receive their degrees from the school that they are enrolled in. However, engineering employers should know that they are effectively the same for engineering. Oddly, most of the engineering enrollment comes from Florida State, despite the obvious arbitrage opportunity (Florida A&M costs less and also has better scholarships).

31

I talked to my son at dinner yesterday. He seems to stick with ChemE in an affordable university. I mentioned to him about those Historically Black Colleges that offer full ride scholarships and also other more diverse universities that offer tuition only scholarship. He has no reaction at all. He said he will also look into it and since we’re not familiar with those places, we want to check how safe the surrounding communities are.

I mentioned to him that he needs to take SAT again. His current SAT is Math = 690 and CR = 660 and that he needs to raise it to at least 710 each.

I forgot to discuss with him about gap year.

32

Dad’s trying to avoid the UC tuition of about $14k per year. UC COA is about $35k per year.

He can pay $15k, which is about room, board, and books. Which means that tuition needs to be free or the student needs to go to a CSU.

WHAT SCHOOLS accepted him besides the one UC he wants and CSUB? Did any OTHER CSU or Cal Poly accept him???

I like to write things out in a list to see the whole pic. There are a few issues and concerns:

  1. The dad has recently gone from minimal wage to a high wage. His retirement is underfunded, and his job is not secure and it’s dangerous. Who knows how long he’ll have that job or if there will be a job-ending injury.

  2. The dad needs to be funding his retirement as much as he can NOW, and do more than just his 401k.

  3. The oldest son is choosing a particular UC because the other school that accepted him doesn’t have ChemEng. (

  4. The dad can’t afford the UC without taking out good size loans, which he can’t afford and there are younger children to consider.

  5. Dad can afford $15k per child per year for college…as long as he has this job that isn’t secure and is dangerous. He has 3 children.

  6. Since many students start in Eng’g and/or ChemE, and then change their minds, it’s especially risky to borrow large amounts for a ChemE school. The reality is, there is probably only a 25-50% chance he’ll get a ChemE degree. He may end up with another Eng’g degree, but that can be had at CSUB. (for example, my two sons started in ChemE. My older son did fine in it, but didn’t like it, so changed to math. My younger son loved it, and got his ChemE degree. So, even a student who isn’t weeded out, may find that it’s not his thing.)

  7. The student can start at a local CC, prove that he likes and can do ChemE, and then transfer. A CC will cost maybe $3-5k per year. Dad can save the $10k per year during those 2 years, and add that to this student’s final two years to pay for a UC. The son can work/save during summers to help with costs and/or can take a small student loan if needed to meet COA.

  8. He has a 1350 M+CR which is about an ACT 30 So, his best merit opportunities will be as an incoming frosh at a four year school.

I’m guessing that his heart is set on the UC since he may have friends going there.

I’m not sure if going to a WUE school is best for this student. A WUE school may not be affordable. Paying 150% tuition, plus room, board, fees. books, travel, and misc will be far more than $15k.

However, if a school like New Mexico Tech (or South Dakota Mines, UAH, Miss State) will still award substantial merit, those could work.

33

I was playing with the UC net price calculator and found out that had I kept my low salary, meaning not have taken my new high paying job, we would only have to pay 1k plus my sons self-help of 9k. I have 50k in savings.

I am wondering now that getting laid off might turn out to be just fine. I think I could get my old job back because I left in good terms. Any thoughts on this?

I’m losing sleep lately due to this dilemma.

34

Sorry, but that is just crazy. You’re earning a lot more than the cost of a UC.

It is just not good sense to give up a $170k job and work near-minimum wage just so your child will get a bigger grant.

besides, aid is based on what you earned LAST year.

You need to sleep…you’re not thinking logically.

35

@dad3sons

dude.

i just got off the phone with Alabama-Huntsville.

since your son has a 3.5 + GPA and 1350 SAT (CR+M), he is eligible for the automatic full-tuition Charger Distinction Scholarship.

that covers all of the $20K+ per year OOS tuition for 4 years.

to keep it he has to maintain full-time student status and a college GPA of 3.0

and it is available to students who apply and are accepted by August 1 for Fall 2016.

here are the expenses that are left:
Room and Board: $9200
Fees: $850
Books & Supplies: $1650
Total: $11,700

you can swing this. you can save on books by buying used or renting from Amazon. he can get a job on campus for spending money. you can still have some left over for transportation.

http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/merit-tuition-scholarships

he can also earn money doing co-ops, which will gain him valuable work experience. and Hunstville is a great location for future engineers.

and if he changes his mind about ChemEng, there are other majors to choose from.

a full-tuition scholarship from a really good engineering school, that will still allow him to start college this Fall, is a great opportunity for you guys.

i would not wait until August 1, I would apply NOW and get them all the materials they need to process your application, scholarship, and financial aid ASAP.

mom2kids can help you with any other questions you might have about Huntsville AL.

and no, you don’t want to get laid off or go back to minimum wage. your new job is a blessing.

PS if Son 2 gets a scholarship there too, they can live off-campus together rand save even more money.

i would jump on this if I were you. you can still look into other options while they are processing your application.

36

@mom2collegekids

Yeah, that’s why I registered and joined this forum. I need sane mind like yours to straighten my thoughts. Thanks for that very direct and sound advice. I need it.

@Wien2NC

Wow…I was planning to make some calls today as well and you beat me to it. That sounds like a good news. You even did the math for me. As I recall, you were also trying to get one of your kids to UAH, is that right?

Now, just to be clear. My son has until August to apply and its not yet late for fall 2016? Is that deadline for scholarship only or also for admission? I’m sorry to have asked these questions. I know I could research it myself which I am doing now as well but since you had a head start than me, you might be able to answer quickly. I will also do my part.

37

Isn’t Mississippi State the go-to school for engineering in Mississippi?

I just want to comment on the idea of studying all summer to improve standardized test scores. I know a lot of students do this, and it can make a lot of sense when a few points is the difference between winning a full scholarship and being full pay. But when it comes to a rigorous major like chemical engineering, I would proceed with caution. Sure you might be able to test enough times to get a 710 (or whatever) in Math, but realize that you’ll be in classes with kids who aced the math section the first time with no prep whatsoever, so you may find yourself in over your head. I’d have a second major in mind if I were going that route, just in case.

38

A stretch budget with the student taking the maximum federal student loans and working as much as possible to earn money may be able to pay for a non-local CSU (Pomona, Long Beach, and San Jose have chemical engineering), including living expenses, but it may not be financially comfortable for him. A non-local UC may be too much of a stretch, unless he saved money the first two years by starting at a local CC.

The issue may be more that $15,000 per year without financial aid leaves the following more reasonably affordable:

  • Local CSU (Bakersfield) that student can commute to -- does not have student's intended major of chemical engineering.
  • Local CC (Bakersfield College), then transfer to another CSU or UC as a junior -- cheaper first two years to save money for the last two years (but may be a semester or quarter more due to uncovered frosh/soph courses at the CC), probably requires some federal student loans and or work earnings.
  • School with full tuition or better merit scholarship and chemical engineering. With current stats, Alabama - Huntsville, Florida A&M, perhaps Tuskegee would be possibilities, but OP should ask the schools directly if the scholarships are still available.
39

@dad3sons

the lady said that you can apply for admission right up until a week before classes begin, but the deadline for the auto-scholarship is August 1. but i would apply and get all the materials in ASAP – HS transcript, SAT, etc.

you can always keep doing more research. but i think the sooner you have an affordable option locked in, the better you will feel. you can finally let out a deep breath and maybe get some sleep.

also there are additional competitive scholarships he could go for, but i do not know if the deadline is past. it just makes sense to apply ASAP and ease some of the immense pressure you are feeling.

also, with the excellent co-op program, he can make $15 an hour or so while accruing valuable work experience at local companies. thru the co-op he can lock in a great job immediately after graduation. Huntsville is an absolute mecca for engineers and has a wealth of great co-op opportunities. and the money earned from the co-op will help your family $$$ situation.

40

Miss State is THE eng’g school in Miss…not Ole Miss. Total mistype earlier…sorry. Miss State has an entire row of eng’g bldgs, a building for each discipline. Ole Miss is the liberal arts/health sciences school, altho it does have some en’g

UAH is an EXCELLENT option. Very good eng’g. Lots of co-op and internship opportunities within a few blocks o the school. UAH is located RIGHT in Cummings Research Park, the 2nd largest research park in the nation. Plus an int’l airport is 10 minutes away.

Huntsville is very much like a southern Calif city. I know that because I’m from Southern Cal and I moved to Huntsville and is was very much like Irvine, Calif.

HSV is full of transplants because of all the high tech companies there.