Starting out my future, I arrive at college. While Stanford is my dream school, it's unrealistic to believe my acceptance is guaranteed, so I'll be going to go North Carolina State University (NC State/NCSU) for the purposes of this project (though I don't believe my acceptance is guaranteed there either).
To get into NC State, I need a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.76 and a minimum ACT/SAT score of 26/1230. I plan to be there for 4 years to obtain a bachelor's degree in computer science. NC State is often regarded as one of North Carolina's best universities for engineering, and computer science falls under that category as well. I would prefer to go somewhere in California, as it would be much easier to relocate to Silicon Valley, but the main issue is that it would be much more expensive to attend any school in California since it is out-of-state. The in-state tuition at NC State is one of the biggest benefits that draws me to the school (notice the financial information on the left), along with its excellent academics in the field that I'm passionate about.
There are other benefits to NC State such as a great campus, close to home, and near a large city, though I generally don't love cities. The crowds in cities are not appealing to me,
so I would generally like to be somewhere more urban-esque. I have previously visited NC State's campus, and I think it's definitely one of the upsides to attending school there.
Another thing NC State brings to the table is their athletic program. I don't play any sports, but I like to observe the ongoing rivalry between State, Carolina, and Duke, though
most of the time it feels like State is the third wheel to Carolina and Duke. Of course, I could be completely wrong since I really don't look into it that much, but other
people in my family are much more invested in it than me. Speaking of my family, going to NC State would allow me to see them more often. My dad works with a lot of college students so he goes
to Duke and State quite a lot, but he generally works with graduate students, so he would be on the other side of campus. While seeing my family more often
would be a good thing, it nullifies one of my strongest reasons for being excited to head off to college: independence.
Finances
Cost of 1 Year
Tuition: $9,128
Room & Board: $12,748
Books: $854
Travel: $200
Other:$3,022
Total Cost: $25,952
Aid for 1 Year
Federal Grant: $3,390
Federal Loan: $5,500
Parent Aid: $12,000
Job in College: $4,500
Total Aid: $25,390
Net Cost for 1 Year
Cost of 1 year: $25,952
Aid for 1 year: $25,390
Loan Total: $562
Cost of 4 Years in 2024
Total Cost: $111,830 (3% Tuition Inflation)
Aid for 4 years in 2024
Federal Grants: $13,560
Federal Loans: $27,000
Parent Aid: $48,000
Job in College: $18,000
Total Aid: $106,560
Net Cost for 4 Years in 2024
Cost of 4 years: $111,830
Aid for 4 years: $106,560
Loan Total: $5,270
Debt After 4 Years
Federal Loans:
$5,500 - Year 1
$6,500 - Year 2
$7,500 - Year 3
$7,500 - Year 4
Private Loans:
$5,270 - 4 Years Combined
Total Debt: $32,270 (no interest calculated)