There are a number of places where you would be able to study Arabic during the summers if you don’t need to be holding down a job. It might be possible for you to get into one of those still for this summer - and if you borrow the sophomore federal loans right now, but don’t spend them on housing, you’d probably have enough money to pay for that summer course with some change left over.
@HelloImChelsea, you last checked in to CC on 4/20, but haven’t posted here since 4/15. Any updates in the situation regarding college?
@CTTC I got an extension on when I had to submit my enrollment deposit to Richmond - today.
Neither Mount Holyoke nor Richmond adjusted my aid packages, but Richmond is $3,690 cheaper.
I want to go to Richmond, but I’m getting cold feet… Now that I have a summer job, Richmond’s affordability is not as much of an issue.
MSSU is comfortable and familiar. If I graduated from there, I would be in no debt plus I would have roughly $15,000 in the bank. However, I stayed, I wouldn’t be independent and I probably wouldn’t be able to pursue my desired career.
My IR professor suggested I obtain a Ph.D in international relations with a concentration in foreign policy analysis. I would love to do that, but most programs only accept 15-30 students per year.
My Econ professor, on the other hand, thinks a Ph.D in economics is the way to go, but I don’t like Econ enough to pursue it further than a bachelor’s degree.
My mom has made me question my ability to attend a college 1,100 miles away. I’ve never been away from home for more than a week and I’ve never even set foot in an airport.
The flights I looked at all had 5 hour layovers in Dallas. What would I do?
Plus, if I went to Richmond, would I like it? I know I wouldn’t be able to participate in traditions like Pig Roast or Beach Week since I’ll be working…
I have 12 hours to decide. The deposit is $600.
It’s also finals week at MSSU and I have a test in two hours…
It sounds like you already have decided.
Difficulty affording Richmond, lack of support from your parents, distance requiring plane travel (which is unfamiliar and also adds to cost) are real obstacles.
If you don’t need to work all summer to afford school, what activity could you do to help set your application apart when it is time to apply for PHD programs?
You are still in college for two more years, you might not know yet what career you might enjoy.
And finals week is not a good time to have to decide.
Boy it sounds like your mom has undermined your confidence–stay strong and logic it out. If you can manage to go, it will be a lifechanger in the best way. You will be fine away. You are 20 now, your mother should not act like you are 13.
- work/study may only assign certain hours (the school gets reimbursed from the Govt. But if you get a regular job, and campuses often have then as well as off campus, you can work whatever hours you are able (but working more than 15 hours isn't recommended unless you are doing something that you can study during.) My daughter's school had everything from assisting profs, to calling alumni for donations in the evening, to off campus babysitting, to quiet library jobs where you can study.
- student loans have some options for income based repayment if you can't make the regular payment.
– airpot layover: get a snack, read a magazine, use the restroom, walk to the next terminal. It is nothing. Certainly not an obstacle.
@mommdc My mom has to go to a conference in Florida the first week of August. We are driving down, but we might be able to visit Richmond on the way back.
I really don’t want to stay at MSSU, but graduating from there would be essentially stress-free.
My mom reminded me that I’ll have to one day attend my grandparents’ funerals and I’ll be all alone in Richmond.
It’s too late to apply for internships, so I’m not sure what I’ll do. I don’t even know if I’d have a chance of getting into a Ph.D program.
Again, I’ve never traveled or lived by myself. I think attending Richmond would increase my independence.
She has almost enough money for the first year, $6,500 sophomore loan, $7,500 junior loan, $8,000 saved =$22,000
But that is still a bit short and does not take into account any increases, also it wipes out all money earned so far and this summer. The initial numbers included a contribution from both parents, but if they are not willing to contribute then even paying for first year will be hard. Chelsea will still need to get to school and buy books before she gets any work study money. Then she will use that for ongoing expenses and books next semester and any travel home.
For senior year she only has for sure the $7,500 loan. Summer earnings and if mom gives her the $2,500 tax credit might add another $4,500. How is she going to come up with the remaining $10,000 +?
@BrownParent I have a $1,500 work study, but Richmond says students should only work 6-8 hours a week.
Hopefully, I can get a second job on campus, but it would be interesting to work in the city.
I think my mom has scared me into wanting to stay at MSSU. She said that there is nothing easy about my going 1,100 miles away. I’ll have to get myself out there, get to the campus, unpack my stuff, and do again at Christmas. Plus, I won’t have a support system.
Should I confirm my enrollment and see how the summer goes?
For either path, you’ll need real life experiences to get into and have the career you want. What many adults on CC tell us is that their own successes were less a matter of where they went to college and more about their vision, determination, and the hard work/steps it takes to build a career. Many of us did not choose our work paths so early. We tested our interests, got a little experience, etc, learned what’s really out there and started to prove ourselves. At this point, you’re still talking about a college and major. We don’t know what experiences you’ve pursued, out of the classroom, that are building whatever path it is. When making the college choice, don’t forget what it really takes.
Eg, you can stay in MO, shine, work your contacts, get the opportunities to assist with research, find a summer job that gives you relevant challenges (not just to pay a higher college cost,) and move forward. You can establish more independence from family via your own routine, contributions, maturity. Then, with some money in the bank, you can join the throngs of kids who, say, move to DC, Chicago, St Louis, etc, and take the next step.
Or, you can move to Richmond, start fresh, experience new surroundings. But to get where you now think you are headed, you still need to gather the right experiences, to have a shot at what you want, after graduation.
Keep us posted.
Oh, and if I attend Richmond I will be $18,250 in debt. $5,000 of that is unsubsidized. Is this feasible?
Surely, if I attend Richmond and graduate with an Econ degree, I’ll be able to find a job on the East Coast… Most Econ majors at MSSU become bank tellers.
-Getting there and unpacking are things every college student does every year! This is not a big deal, just a small hassle. When you go home for winter break you only need to take a smaller suitcase, or just a backpack and use your stuff you left home. 6 to 8 hours is pretty small. Most students can handle 12 to 15 without stress. Working off campus eats up time to travel. You would have to see after you have done a semester how it feels.
The college is a support system. It is completely different than moving to a new city for a job on your own. You have on campus living, dining halls, health centers, advising, all sorts of mentoring opportunities, a career center.....and the friends you will make. You create a support system in a protected environment. They way you create it is to use the resources there and develop relations with faculty and students.
College can be very supportive for students who are more comfortable with their independent living skills and abilty to self advocate. For students who need more assistance or support, it can be a challenging undertaking. Not saying this about the OP, but something for all students to consider when they venture far from home.
@mommdc I could only take out $3,250 in loans this year. MSSU’s financial aid office said I couldn’t borrow the other $3,250 because the fall semester has passed.
My parents are each contributing $2,500. I will contribute $7,360. At the end of the semester, I will have $5,800 in my checking account. I plan on working at Macy’s this summer to make $1,600. Any additional money I earn will go toward my senior year. I hope to earn a total of $2,400 this summer.
Also for my senior year, I have investments of $2,700.
If I could get a job in addition to my work-study, I could probably make an additional $1,000-$1,200. Then I can work again next summer and in the fall of 2016 (there’s a payment plan).
Let’s say that I contributed $7,700 my senior year. After grants, my work study and loans, I have to come up with $15,600. If my parents contribute $5,000, I am left with $2,900. I’d probably have to take out a private loan.
@jym626 I’m very introverted and I would rather make a few close friends than hang out with a large group of people.
MSSU has a large non-traditional population. I’ve gotten to know people, but I’ve never seen them outside of class.
If your parents are committed to contributing that amount and you think it will work out financially then yes it comes down to what you are comfortable with. But a private loan might require your parents to cosign.
Chelsea,it doesn’t matter what “most econ majors” at MSSU do. You don’t want to be a bank teller. But to get to your dreams will take more than working at Macy’s now to afford a more expensive college (and still end up with debt.) You need the relevant experiences. How will you get those?
There is no saying (sorry, but this is how we parents speak to each other,) “Surely, if I attend Richmond and graduate with an Econ degree, I’ll be able to find a job on the East Coast…” You have to present the right experiences and attributes to get hired. You haven’t told us whether Richmond offers those experiences, internships, programs, connections, the level of mentoring, etc, to make the debt worth it.
Btw, I know kids from all sorts of colleges who started as bank tellers. I also know some who worked that into challenging, lucrative, enviable banking careers.
Maybe you could look into unpaid externships or a semester somewhere else (like abroad or DC–that MSSU will allow) since you will have savings from MSSU. Externships cannot be overrated in my humble opinion.
^^^^ MSU for free means that you have enough money left over to buy yourself some opportunities.
The meal plan at UR is expensive at 6k. If she gets upper division housing in the University apartments, they have full kitchens and she can go to no meal plan or start with the plan that gives 40 meals and $940 Dining Dollars a semester for a savings of 3,500 per year. Ad back some for groceries. She will just have to buy cereal, milk, sandwich stuff and make dinner a few nights a week.
I think you should stay at MSSU and do a semester abroad or at another US school. There are hundreds of US colleges that participate in the exchange program. Arrange a summer program in DC for next summer. Do an immersion course in Arabic. Work on a political campaign in 2016.
Richmond is not a golden ticket to the IR world. You will still be graded and judged on what you did, what you participated in. If you are working or if you are unable to afford to participate in clubs, trips, international travel, you won’t have the experiences others do. You won’t have the savings at graduation to move to DC and look for an IR job. It is hard to be the poor kid at college. BrownParent lays out a way to save money on meals but it is lonely to eat cereal in your apartment, to slap a sandwich together and eat alone, meal after meal.
I also think you should embrace your choice of MSSU to get the most out of it. It sounds like you talk to your professors outside of class, and you don’t realize how rare that is. Use them, abuse them, get everything you can out of them so they can help you get into grad school. Design independent study courses with them. Don’t just wait for things to come to you, go after them (which you seem to do as you took the initiative to apply to other schools this year). You’ll have $15-20k at graduation to go to grad school or move to a new city to start a job. If you have a lot of undergrad debt, you limit your options and might have to take that bank teller job just to pay the bills.