(Untitled)

[eranim]

Mmkay. I've been stupid as hell and put off making my college decision until the absolute last second, which is now. And, even better, I'm missing a part of my financial aid application (the non-custodial parent form), and so I'm going to have to make my choice of college without knowing how much aid I can expect

Comments

[anonymous]

Given what you say about your family's financial status, you should not assume that Oberlin will be any (or much) more expensive than UNC. Oberlin meets the full financial need of every admitted student, as determined by the FAFSA info, which sometimes even makes it less expensive than a state university. And certainly you should not make this decision without hard facts about what the financial difference (if any) would be. DON'T rely on guesswork or second-hand information. Tomorrow, call the Oberlin financial aid office, ask to speak to a counselor, and tell them exactly what you've said here. They will work with you on this--they want to make it possible for you to attend.

[procris]

You will learn far more from your peers than you will from your professors. Part of picking a college is picking who you want to be surrounded with. Yes, you can pick your friends group anywhere, but the general atmosphere of the place will be functionally different.

That said, One of the differences between a large school and a small school is accessibility of professors. You won't have a class taught by a grad-student who also has three papers of her own due the next Monday (unlike my students today down here at X State College). Professors at Oberlin have the most amazingly open office hours, and they're not distracted by teaching Grad studetns. They're there for the undergrads and that makes a HUGE difference.

So do what the anonymous poster recommended. Call Financial Aid. They want to talk to you. I'm betting they've seen your situation before. Oberlin attracts all types.

[springheel_jane]

Do you remember your parents expected contribution on FAFSA?

[eranim]

Yeah, our EFC was $0.

[tevs]

What the first poster said -- CALL. Talking to you about this is, you know, their job. They don't bite! :) The office's # is 800-693-3173.

Also, if it turns out you can't afford Oberlin, don't get too down about it. UNC-CH is still a really great school -- congrats on getting in both here and there!

[anonymous]

if it were me, and i knew all my financial aid facts and it was many thousands of dollars cheaper to go to unc, i'd probably at least start out there and see if i was happy. bigger schools can offer research and internship opportunities, networking opportunities, and a deeper breadth of classes to take, people to meet. oberlin was great for me, but i'm 20k in the hole, even after oberlin covered 3/4 of my tuition. i can't put a price on what i got out of there, but i definitely wish i had done a year or two of undergrad at a less expensive school. i don't think there is any BA that is worth this much debt.

everything everyone has said is true about oberlin reaching out to help the non trust fund circuit, and i've heard many stories of people calling finaid, saying they couldn't go to oberlin unless they got more money in their financial aid package, and actually getting it.

good luck!