miriamleo:

This discussion, as you can see, is really slowing up..

I was accepted to Pratt this year but am deciding to go to the University of Michigan. In my mind, Pratt seems overpriced and second rate, as compared to other similar schools of the same value and with similar acceptance rates. That said, I think the program could become better with new chair, Will MacDonald, after understanding him a bit more. That's just my opinion. I have never been to Pratt, but think that it's location has a lot to do with it's popularity among applicants. I do know a student there now and I think he likes it. He is concentrating on Maya and doing less hands-on work.

I don't know anything about schools up in Canada, but I'll be half way there in Michigan

Good Luck!

cpnorris

Actually, if you qualify for the Grad Plus Loan you can receive up to $12,000 more per year. I qualified for $33,238 total in federal loans. Not sure if I will use it all but it is possible to qualify for more than just the $20,500.

miriamleo- I'm sorry. I saw your post and figured someone else would answer, and then.... they didn't! I'm clueless about Canadian schools as well, but am turning down Pratt in favor of University of Washington. So I too will be more than halfway to Canada, and you'll be in good company if you turn down Pratt. They just couldn't justify that exhorbitant cost, and frankly pissed me off with all their admissions bullshit.

So what's the deal with the grad plus loans anyways? How are they different than Staffords? Is the interest rate higher? Do you have to start paying while you're in school?

yep, no PLUS loans for me! Thanks Gin. Good to know what's up with these things, even if they turn out to be not applicable.

Ah yes, I will be taking out PLUS loans as well. Eh, it's OK.

Apparently I'm eligible for a butt-load of PLUS loans, but I'd prefer to work and not take on the debt.

yeah i knew you could get a PLUS loan as well but its not nearly as good of a deal as the regular federal student loans. it seem like its comparable to a private loan.

Yeah, the interest rate is not much better than a private loan but it has the payment flexibility and forgiveness of federal student loan.

I think the interest rate on PLUS loans is capped around 8%. Remember to shop around before accepting your financial aid....don't just go with your school's "preferred" lender. A good place to start is with non-profit loan lenders......two good sites are The Education Finance Council and Simple Tuition.

Wow....

Dean of Admissions at MIT resigns

I might have told you guys about this a couple of months ago, but this lady was on NPR in a story they did about the increasing pressure that students are under to be perfect and apply to top schools. Well, it turns out that she, herself, lied on her own resume.....she didn't even have an undergraduate degree!

This is kind of a big deal. Marilee Jones was fairly well known in the university community. An excerpt from the article:

"Since last fall, Ms. Jones had been making speeches around the country to promote her book, “Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond,” written with a pediatrician, Dr. Kenneth R. Ginsburg. The book had added to her reputation as a kind of guru of the movement to tame the college admissions frenzy."

So....yeah. I wonder if any of you who got denied by MIT can appeal the decisions!?!

PS. Kalyani, thanks for those links. I already sent in my application for my Stafford loans, and I just went with Great Lakes (who I had been with for my last loan). However, I need the Stafford AND the PLUS loans.... Do you guys know if, when you are applying for the PLUS loans, you can specify one of the non-profit load lenders in that process? Or do you have to forgo the PLUS loan process completely and start a new one with these other lenders?

actually they should teach courses in resume padding.

I had heard Marilee Jones on NPR a couple of times, too. I thought she had a very refreshing take on the process. I thought that is was really unusual for someone at such a presitious school to be trying to make the process more holistic and less about prestige, but now that makes a little more sense.

fyi i am a college graduate and can prove it!

I have already gotten my package and sent my 1st loan app back in. It has done a lot to quell my nerves.

i got stafford loans all four years of undergrad (and i started in august). and it all came in before classes started. i think i only did the paperwork a month in advance. i don't remember having any issues...

It all came from my school. The fin. aid office there really seems to have their sh*t together.

At my school they are not beginning to deal with aid until may 15th. Contact your schools financial aid office...they should know best.

WonderK: you can shop around for lenders with all loans whether they're federal (like Stafford and PLUS) or private. I will be taking out both Stafford and PLUS loans since I'm so damn poor! I'm confused, though, on what you mean by applying for PLUS loans separately. Weren't you already awarded PLUS loans in you financial aid package? Usually you shop around for the best rates after the school has sent you your financial aid package.

tumbleweed, not sure if I understand your predicament but give it a go, why not....

Kalyani.....my financial aid package basically said, "congratulations, you are eligible for loans amounting to *this boatload of money* since USC is so expensive." Then it said, next steps: 1. apply for your Stafford loan first, here, 2. then apply for your PLUS loans here.....I have done 1 already but not 2 yet. So I guess this application is like the formality? This is all very new for me, having never had to do it before, so I'm just doing what they tell me.

Hmm, that's weird.....normally you fill out a FAFSA (and any forms the school has) and then they send you your financial aid letter with everything broken down. For example:

Federal Stafford Loan (subsidized): $$$
Federal Stafford Loan (unsubsidized): $$$
Graduate PLUS loan: $$$
University Grant: $$$

They didn't give you a breakdown? I've attended both private and public schools and it's always been like that.....maybe USC has a different system?

Well, yeah, I filled out the FAFSA, and filled out a special form. And they definitely gave me the breakdown in the letter they sent. I'm eligible for everything. But I still (then) had to fill out an application for the Stafford Loan, and pick a lender. It was just a one page thing and I faxed it over there already. Makes sense to me.

I think some schools participate in the Direct Loan program for Stafford loans, which means you borrow money directly from the feds instead of a third-party lender. The terms of the loans are the same, but the process applying for them is somewhat different.

ok, in order.... I have not recieved my aid info yet, but it has been mailed to the wrong address once already, and supposedly mailed to the right address this tuesday, so I'm expecting it any day now.

I would also try pointing out all the years that you *have* lived in CA, especially that you have an undergrad degree from there, and if your high school diploma is from a CA school. Let them know the total amount of years that you have paid CA taxes, because that's really what they care about in the grand scheme of things. Residency is there to make sure that people who live in california are only paying for californians to go to school, not all kinds of other random people, because then we'd be getting penalized financially for having a good school system. So prove that you have contributed to the california economy and tax system.

The stafford loan application is just a formality. The PLUS loan application makes a difference because it's partially based on your credit.

I would kill for a University Grant!!!

I hear ya tumbleweed....my comment was actually for wonderk. however, you should call the school to see when they plan on notifying you....

wonderk: i understand now.....i thought that they didn't give you a breakdown (just told you the total).

rationalist, thanks for your comment.
and congrats on making into UW. I was a BA in Architectural Studies student in UW too.

thank you, thank you.

Does anybody here have experience with getting loans distributed unevenly throughout quarters (or semesters, whatever)? My full expenses are covered for the spring, so I need them to split my loans in two and give them to me in fall and winter, but they want to split them in three and give a smaller amount to me in fall, winter, and spring....? It seems like they should have coordinated this, but I guess it's a bit of an unusual situation. Except for the fact that all the students in the program will have the same problem...

If your voter registration has stayed in California the whole time, you sound like a California resident to me!

you're welcome. That's why I was freaking out about the whole when-to-move question. It was like, well, if I move too late, it'll cost me $15k next year. If I move to early, it'll cost me $2k this year. I know that makes it sound easy, but I really needed all $17k!

I'm now in a dillema about where to live. I'd settled on a couple of neighborhoods that I really like, where there weren't a lot of undergrads, but rather grad students and young professionals sharing houses together, good bars, near some nice parks, and nice bars ; ) It's one neighborhood over from school. Now that I'm seeing postings in the neighborhood immediately around school, they are hella cheap (try $360/month rent!!!), and I'm finding it hard to pass up.

yes, plenty of undergrads in that location. So it's basically a question of whether it's worth an extra $150/month to stay away from the undergrads and closer to the life I think I'd enjoy.

That's disgusting, tumbles.

I guess I'll just pray for something cheap to open up in my preferred location.

wee

Nice job, b.d.f. Here let me help:

woo

huh?

that was an obnoxious comment by me and nearly ruined this board

loan situation resolved. Pretty easy, someone just entered my scholarship info wrong, so when I explained it, they understood what I needed right away.

Just bumping this thread to let all of you 2007 M.Arch's know that Apple released new Mac Book Pro's today. Better processors, more RAM, better graphics cards and LED lit displays in the 15". There is also a hi-res option with the 17". Pretty bad ass.

and don't forget to use your educational discount...

Just curious.....for those that are getting a Mac Book Pro, are you gonna get the 15" or 17"?

I'm going for a 15", but the faster processor, and will have a regular monitor (19" if I remember right) sitting on my desk at home. Best of both worlds: 15" for portability, but then I get the dual monitor setup when I'm stationary so that I can have lots of layout space.

I don't think VISTA will take off for a long while. From what I have heard it doesn't really work on too many machines or with too many schools networks.

I am pretty sold on the 17". Portability isn't that big of an issue since I will be in studio everyday anyways and that Hi-definition upgrade looks awesome. I am a little bummed though now that the only difference between the 15 and 17" is just the display....oh and you get an extra USB port

I thought that you could always get the 15" with the same specs as the 17"? Maybe I just wasn't looking closely enough.

There were little things that were better like you would get a better super drive and a bigger hard drive but now its only the display but still the same price difference. oh well...

I am gonna wait and see what is released next week after WWDC. Hopefully the new operating system....

According to Apple's website, Mac OS X Leopard is scheduled for release in October. However, I think they might be releasing it for beta testing this month.

I'm sold on the 17" as well, with all the bells and whistles... Looks like a pretty sweet machine. Damn thing costs more than my car, though.

yeah, the one thing that's got me a little freaked out is the idea of carrying that computer on the back of my bike. What if the clasp on my panniers breaks, and oops there goes my expensive puter in the middle of the street to get crushed by cars?

oh, and have you guys noticed the "students buy a mac, get a nano free" promotion? Problem: I already have a nano that's engraved with my name and I have no reason to get a new one. But it seems too good to pass up. I'm thinking that thing might get put up on craigslist shortly, or become somebody's christmas present.

I am pretty sure you can just take the money in the form of a mail-in-rebate instead of the nano but I may be wrong about that....

I'll have to look into that cause I certainly have no need for another ipod

i'm 90% going w/ a mac in the fall. i've always had a pc so it's a bit of a leap...but i've never heard a very good reason not to take it.

- rationalist, i'm pretty sure (not positive) that if you have renters insurance it will cover anything...including your shiny new expensive mac book pro. obviously it prob. won't work if something happened outside of the home...but worth checking into at least.

you can get personal articles policies as well if renters insurance doesn't cover it...usually pretty cheap per month and very well might be worth it for the first year or so... for example, i have my wifes ring insured (roughly the same $$ value as the new laptop) and it costs us about 10-15 bucks a month for total coverage.