Savannah

My First List

• Understand the cost of attending. As the "out-of-stater", you may be paying higher tuition than your "in-state" counterparts. Especially if you go to a state school. Tuition is usually the same at private schools for in-state and out-of-state students. Check with the financial aid office and/or the school website for the break-down of tuition and fees for the out-of-state student. In some states, your status can change to "in-state" based on certain criteria. Check out the rules so maybe beginning your 2nd year or so, you could be paying the lower in-state tuition. Also, consider the job market, both on and off-campus if you find yourself needing to work to cover any costs, including the cost of fun. I stayed in-state because the out-of-state private school I got into, and really wanted to go to, did not offer enough financial aid. Better grades and a better score on the SAT could have gotten me a bigger scholarship. My in-state school offered me a scholarship based on my much better ACT scores, which the private school did not accept at the time. Food for thought. :-)

Savannah