Hey Allison,
Fellow Upstate New Yorker, and, RIT Packaging Alum. I think I can offer some tips and tricks to make RIT a bit more affordable.
For context, I paid for RIT myself, granted this was a few years ago, and, I've seen some eye watering price tags at RIT recently. If I was to go to RIT today here's what I would do. I would look for a 2+2 program. That is, I would go to a local Community College or SUNY School to get an Associates Degree. I recommend MCC just down the road from RIT. Since you're instate you'd get a break on tuition. Then I would transfer over to RIT for the final two years to get the Bachelors Degree in Packaging Science. This approach can cut your cost in half if not more. With good grades you unlock academic based aid which can be even more helpful when you transfer to RIT. The 2+2 path requires planning ahead. I'd recommend a call to whichever local school you choose and a call to RIT's admissions to ensure that your credits would transfer. This https://www.rit.edu/admissions/transfer is the transfer admissions URL at RIT. I do know that MCC in Rochester NY had a nice program with RIT which a few friends utilized.
Additionally, and if possible, I would get yourself off of your parent's tax filings! I might even do this before going to the local Community or SUNY school to land financial need based aid. You mentioned that you don't qualify for financial aid, I am guessing that is due to your parent's income? If you can become independent then you can become eligible for need based aid assuming you don't have a lucrative business or side hustle yourself! This will take some work and I would chat with your parents and whoever does taxes. I did start to file independently and opened myself up to sizable aid packages, including a Pell grant which covered the cost of local community schools for a year. I also negotiated with RIT for aid once I received my initial offer. ChatGPT or even a google search for an email template on financial aid negotiations goes a long way!
I would also reach out to Dan Johnson dpjeie@rit.edu who is the Packaging Department Chair at RIT, to learn more about the Packaging Departments scholarships and grants. RIT alums can also recommend you for small scholarships that are only available to you via a recommendation letter.
Once you're ready to start at RIT I would recommend contacting Alexis Rich alripk@rit.edu who runs the Dynamics Lab. It's great experience, and, good pay for a college student. You'll be running packaging tests on real product for a lot of companies.
You may or may not know but RIT requires several paid internship blocks be completed as a graduation requirement. That may not mean you need to wait until you're a student to take advantage of this. Reach out to the career fair folks, or the Packaging Department and see if you can get a list of contacts from businesses that show up for the packaging departments career fair, then network early and often. See if you can land a co-op/internship before you start at RIT! A few friends had part time jobs with local Rochester companies that doubled as a co-op.
If you wanted to go to Michigan State the trick would be to move to Michigan for however long it would take to be considered a local resident then apply for instate tuition. This a long game but it pays off! Then I would recommend the above tax tip, and, applications to financial need based aid, then work toward academic performance based aid.
Best,
Nick
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Nick Freudenvoll
Rochester NY
(585) 568-7284
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