Price tag on Berkeley

RoLaReveuse
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:16:07 +0000

So like many others, I have a bit of a college dilemma.

I really would like to attend Berkeley, but as an out-of-state student, I’m looking at $31K out of pocket a year. We really don’t have that kind of money, (single parent income $17K/year) and taking out such huge student loans as an undergrad isn’t really a pleasant proposition. With that being said, my Dad doesn’t see the price tag as a deterrent, insisting that I should follow the path I want to and attend the college with the best academic reputation.

My other options are UCLA (very similar fin. aid), UW (full tuition provided in grants and loans w/ the majority being loans), and Boston University (49K financial aid out of 58K COA). I didn’t apply to any colleges in state because I didn’t like any of them (not to sound picky or fussy).

I guess I should add this bit of info, I was well qualified for and applied for the Gates Millennium and was a finalist this year. I probably should not have put all my eggs into one basket seeing as I didn’t receive the scholarship, but feel proud to have even made it this far. The rejection is a sting though, because of the financial implications. I’ve been rejected by most other scholarships I’ve applied to.

I’ve also been waitlisted for three schools, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, and Yale University. Knowing that the chances of being picked out of the waitlist are incredibly slim, I’m not considering them as options at this point, but still have my fingers crossed!

What should I do? I just need some advice, I honestly feel like I have no one else to turn to. And who knows, maybe this will help someone else too.