<prompt> Human: Hi! Im a senior in high school who wants to get her PhD eventually. I want to get away from home but I dont want to have to pay through the nose, especially when I know Ill be in school for awhile. My dad has offered to pay 10,000 a year towards whatever school I choose.Ive applied to some Universities. I recently found a community college with dormitories and Im thinking it maybe a better financial decision to take the money my dad is offering and put it towards tuition and housing at the community college, since 10,000 would more than cover it. I could get a job while in school then transfer to a University after two years. My mom really dislikes this idea. She says Im wasting my potential by not going straight to University. I am by no means a bad student. I have a 3.6 GPA and a weighted GPA of 3.95. I also got a 30 on the ACT. I just figured since Ill be in school for so long Community College might not be so bad. What do you think? What is the better decision?  <response>: Anyone telling you to worry about racking up student loans for your Ph.D. studies is completely incorrect. If your Ph.D. program offers you loans, that is a rejection letter, and you should treat it as such. Expect tuition to be covered, plus a small stipend to live on. Get your masters as part of your Ph.D. program, if you want one.Going to CC is not a great choice for you either. At a big R1 like the UC schools, juniors are already working in labs as research assistants. You will just be transferring in, and trying to build the relationships with professors you need to secure a position like that from scratch. Its doable, but much harder. CC is, in your particular case, penny-wise and pound-foolish.The advice to look at the Claremont schools is good too. Great track record for getting students into grad school, and although the sticker price is higher, they may have more aid to offer than the UC system at the moment. Your family income may be too high, but you might be surprised. Your folks are putting you in a tough spot if their income is really so high that you get no aid, but are only offering you 10kyr. That will rack you up significant loans even if you start at CC. It sounds like a number based on college costs from 20 years ago. 