How many of us got accepted to their dream college...

[Juno]

i got accepted to my dream school, rhode island school of design but i couldn't afford to go there so i ended up going to rochester institute of technology instead.

i'm happy i made my decision.

 

[JDrake]

I don't have a dream college

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Anyone here come from a family where college was not even a choice, based on income level? Anyone here had the experience of your parents sitting you down after that first "Open House College Day" at your High School and them telling you "Son...we know you want to go to college like your friends...but we can't help you....at all...good luck." ?

There was a day when college was not automagic. When you actually had to fill out forms and stuff (ZOMG! Forms and stuffz!) and go into debt to go to college. Not like now...grants and shiit up the wazoo. It used to be a challenge and an achievement to go to college...now it's a "gimee."

Uh yeah, I know people with degrees up to Phds that went to school in the 1980s. Their tution bill was under $500 a semester.

Dont talk about gimmee, because thats just BS. Tutition has skyrocketed, and financial aid which has existed long before now hasn't kept pace. With grants only 4050 a year and tuition starting at $7k a year for the cheap state schools and $8-9k for the better ones, gimme my ass. The avg student graduates with $15k in debt. Those without the support of parents typically have two to three times that. Lucky for me I have a full ride next year.

In the 1980s college admission standards were ALOT tougher, but its was much more financially feasible than it is today.

<------- Worked 40-80 hrs week for three years while at a community college. Attending Texas Tech on a full ride in the fall. Not the best, certainly not the worst. I dont have to work anymore, and well I'll graduate with $0 in debt. If I went to UT or A&M I'd graduate with $20k+ in debt and would continue to have to work full time.

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: preslove

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Anyone here come from a family where college was not even a choice, based on income level? Anyone here had the experience of your parents sitting you down after that first "Open House College Day" at your High School and them telling you "Son...we know you want to go to college like your friends...but we can't help you....at all...good luck." ?

There was a day when college was not automagic. When you actually had to fill out forms and stuff (ZOMG! Forms and stuffz!) and go into debt to go to college. Not like now...grants and shiit up the wazoo. It used to be a challenge and an achievement to go to college...now it's a "gimee."

Funny, my father and his friends talk about how much easier it was to pay for college back then. You're seriously underestimating the amount of debt college kids go into. Rant about something you actually have a clue about.

Ive had many profs that went to Texas A&M in the 1980s. Tuition was dirt cheap.

 

[halik]

nope, I got accepted to Michigan, exactly where i wanted to go (6K a semester for school where both of my degrees are in top 10!)

 

[Ricochet]

I applied to WSU, UW, and USC and got accepted to all. USC was way too expensive for me. Both my parents were agricultural (seasonal) workers so I couldn't expect anything from them. I ended up going to UW in Seattle and was happy with my choice.

My youngest sister, however, got to go to her first choice school, Santa Clara University. Despite all her loans and financial aid she asked for assistance from all her siblings and parents. She graduated with what sounds like a good degree, anthropology. But that didn't translate to real world application all too well as she had a hard time finding work that pay enough to support her living and pay off debt.

For this sister of mine I spent $10k, not including the Dell computer I bought her for college. She now decided that she wants to go to grad school to be a nurse practicioner. She got accepted to Yale for a two year program. Tuition alone is $56k/yr. My parents and I told her flat out that we absolutely cannot help her. She insisted that she got enough financial aid and private loans and she'll start this coming fall.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: ricochet
I applied to WSU, UW, and USC and got accepted to all. USC was way too expensive for me. Both my parents were agricultural (seasonal) workers so I couldn't expect anything from them. I ended up going to UW in Seattle and was happy with my choice.

My youngest sister, however, got to go to her first choice school, Santa Clara University. Despite all her loans and financial aid she asked for assistance from all her siblings and parents. She graduated with what sounds like a good degree, anthropology. But that didn't translate to real world application all too well as she had a hard time finding work that pay enough to support her living and pay off debt.

For this sister of mine I spent $10k, not including the Dell computer I bought her for college. She now decided that she wants to go to grad school to be a nurse practicioner. She got accepted to Yale for a two year program. Tuition alone is $56k/yr. My parents and I told her flat out that we absolutely cannot help her. She insisted that she got enough financial aid and private loans and she'll start this coming fall.

I think that's generally the case - my parents paid for all of my undergrad (sans housing anyway), but for grad school im totally on my own.

 

[wasssup]

My sister...she got into a few ivy leagues but ended up going to a state college for premed because she got a free ride. My parents pretty much told her that they couldn't afford paying $30-$40k/year or whatever the cost was. My sister was bummed at first but handled this REALLY maturely (no way in hell could I be that mature).

I, on the other hand, aimed low (Rutgers Engineering, a state college), got in and went there. My parents paid for everything.

 

[Babbles]

Back in the day I got accepted into USC and even with a partial scholarship, it was entirely way too expensive for me or my folks so I ended up staying home and going to a smaller local university.

 

[wyvrn]

Yes. I was accepted into Notre Dame but could not afford to go. It was the housing that really was killer, they wanted me to live on campus my first year as part of my acceptance. I ended up attending Texas A&M, and transferring to another college to graduate. I loved both of them, but I'd love to go back to Notre Dame for my graduate studies at some point in the future.

 

[tfinch2]

I was recruited by Harvard to play basketball. I was accepted and got a glimpse at my financial aid package (no athletic scholarships). I wasn't going to be able to afford it, and I didn't want to get myself into debt.

 

[KillerCharlie]

I got accepted to Stanford for engineering graduate studies. Most students in the program (including myself) aren't offered any aid. One thing is for sure: a Master's in engineering from anywhere is NOT worth $100,000 out-of-pocket.

 

[miniMUNCH]

I went Cal St. for undergrad because tutition was about 1500 USD per year which was something I could afford to pay for working part time.

For engineering, most all grad school pay tutition and a stipend for Ph.D. students.

 

[boredhokie]

My dream was Pheonix University, but I just couldn't swing it.. I ended up at DeVry and it's made all the difference. It's a top 10 school for Advanced Technological InfoSystems Analysis majors, according to what my very selective recruiter tells me!

 

[Babbles]

I was just thinking, I wonder if many of you were in a position like I was in that getting accepted and the tuition itself was relatively "easy" but finding housing and living expenses were a killer. So many universities I looked at, including public ones, the tuition was okay (relative to the cost of college tuition that is) but the cost of living was a killer. That had basically everything to do with where I ended up going to school.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: esun
I didn't get into my "dream" schools (CalTech, MIT at the time, though nowadays I don't care so much anymore), but UC Berkeley wasn't a bad choice for EE (we're still #2 I think). Almost a full ride, too, which makes it quite a good deal.

Live in CA? then it's already much cheaper...