hi! I’m currently torn and stressed out about where to go for college. i am a first-gen, low-income, psych/neurosci major. my only options are rutgers or community college. i live in nj and i am way too broke to go out of state. im currently on the nyu waitlist as well but i highly doubt i will get off (even tho ive been relying on this, i just don’t think it’s happening) if i do then i will literally have no other worries bc i qualify for NYU promise and im commuting. due to not being as informed as i should’ve been about the college process, i didn’t apply to as many schools as i wanted to and i regret it sm. rutgers hasn’t came out with their financial aid packages yet so im not sure how much i would be paying, either way i have to pay for dorming so that might be a bit much. so at this point im just considering going to cc for 2 years then transferring to another college i actually like with all my pre reqs finished.
literally ANY advice is appreciated i honestly dont know what to do anymore lol.
To me it sounds like you should wait and see what sort of financial offer you get from Rutgers before you decide what to do.
Rutgers is a very good university. Over the years I have met a number of Rutgers graduates, and they have all made the university look very good. Three of them I met when they and I were graduate students at Stanford. Others include a former boss, some former coworkers, and some people I know in another way. They have all made the point that you can do very well with a degree from Rutgers.
However, you should wait and see what sort of financial offer you get. Starting at community college and transferring (very likely to an in-state public university) is another reasonable option.
Also, life is not a race. Taking a year off and working and reapplying for next year is also an option.
You should keep in mind that with a bachelor’s degree in psychology or neuroscience some sort of graduate degree is common. As such it would be helpful if you can to minimize or avoid debt for your bachelor’s degree.
And as @timeagain1 has suggested, there are a lot of ways to do well in life. This will work out one way or another.
thank you!
i would love to take a gap year off to be able to apply to other schools but my mother will NOT let that happen, she thinks i’ll get lazy and not go back to school… i actually am also thinking about monmouth if you’ve heard anything about it. they’re giving me amazing aid, their psych program is great and the campus is beautiful. but, i’ll take your advice and also wait on rutgers! thank you
You might as well see what happens with Rutgers’s offer, but I just want to assure you that if you start in community college to save on costs, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and it has worked out well for many people.
Rutgers is a top college, despite the fact that, for some reason, the people of New Jersey think that it is somehow inferior. For what its worth (which, TBH, isn’t much), USNews ranks it as #40, between Boston College (#39), and Tufts (#41).
So it is a T-50, it is a state flagship, and it has worldwide recognition. It is also a Colonial College, meaning that it was established before 1776, so it one of the oldest (founded before Dartmouth), as well. It is an EXCELLENT option for studying anything you want.
If, however, you cannot afford Rutgers, attending a CC and transferring is also a great way to go. Many of my kid’s classmates went that route to save money.
That’s not a bad thing at all. And trust me when I say this…it’s REALLY common for this to happen. But the kids that DO decide to go, won’t typically post it on these forums. We’re in the EXACT same situation as you. The financial aid package came up pathetically short, and our daughter reluctantly chose community college. There are some real advantages. You can be basically debt free for your first 2 years. Love it! You’re going to save a ton of debt going there.
We have 2 Rutgers graduates here. What would be the plan to pay 2 years from now? I have a couple of my kids go oos with merit that brought costs close to Rutgers, but they also had higher acceptance rates. State schools are not very generous with financial aid for oos students. What are do you live? We live 10 miles west of nyu, it still takes longer to get there than to commute to Rutgers (room and board are around $15,000 a year).
It’s really hard to wait but don’t despair, put on your armor and wait like the watcher on the tower waits for the morning and the end of the watch - focus&hope. You will hear and you will know. Don’t give up, don’t stress yourself out with worry.
It’s normal to be stressed out when such a monumental event is happening- going to college, perhaps the 1st in your family, your life changing - It’s a big deal and it’s normal to feel stressed out and confused. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.
I know this because you already did the most difficult part: all thr work for 4 years in HS, the application process - and you got into not just a 4 year college but your highly ranked state flagship.
You got this.
I would prioritize a 4-year college over a CC because you’ll be with a cohort of classmates/ who will become friends so it’ll be more supportive, all of you trying to graduate with a BS (this won’t necesswrily be true at a CC) and the best FA typically goes to freshmen. In addition, transferring is an added hurdle that you should try&avoid if you have the opportunity. Rutgers comes through financially - should be this week, right?
If they’re not affordable, would either NYU or Monmouth be affordable without parental loans or even without any loans?
Have you sent your LOCI (letter of continued interest -highlighting new grades, new honors, new achievements…) to NYU?
Is Monmouth’s deadline June1?
Don’t have this mindset. Believe that the best will happen.
I can’t emphasis this enough. Stressing really won’t help or do anything. You have been accepted and you should be happy about it. Even if you have to go to community college, which is not a problem at all.
Rutgers comes through financially - should be this week, right?