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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: College Tuition  (Read 6011 times)

tweek

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College Tuition
« on: November 06, 2006, 10:10:21 PM »
Well, I've cleaned out my savings and my dad is pulling $800 out of nowhere but it looks like I can pay off this semester's tuition and register for classes next semester.  To make me feel better about not really being able to pay for college, I would like to hear some stories about how you all managed to get by (cost saving measures, working two jobs, etc...)
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Anyanka_was_framed

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2006, 10:19:37 PM »
My undergrad was "cheap".  I graduated this May and it was $16,000...a year.  Not per semester.  Pretty sweet deal considering how much my psych program is currently pwning other programs in comparison.  Some financial aid (work aid, worked in the I.T. dept and was indoctrinated into the wonderful world that is the intarweb), some of Grandma's $$, and making sure I graduated ontime definitely helped.  Some people I know took courses at nearby community colleges over the summer that were cheaper and would transfer to save time and money.

I just read an article saying that my current school leaves its grads with the 5th highest debt in the nation.  Ouch.  Don't go to Pace kids, it's not worth it *starts looking into other grad programs*.
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Prowlingtiger

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2006, 10:47:11 PM »
That's scary. Which one did it say was the highest?
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Chris

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2006, 10:49:32 PM »
I'm currently attending this community college. It's about 1800 per semester. It's supposed to be one of the best community colleges in the United States.

I'm working one full time job right now in order to pay it off, and it sucks. I don't have any loans as of yet, but once I transfer to a 4 year school to get my bachelors, I plan to go into debt rather quickly.
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pbsaurus

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2006, 01:04:03 AM »
I worked an average of 60 hours a week.  One of the jobs was food service.  This paid like crap, but I got free food.  Something to look into if you're starving.  I used to work about 30-35 hours here usually 3-4 hour shifts.  My other jobs were with Unitrans, the student run transit service.  I took the morning dispatch shift for 3 hours.  This started at 5:30 and since I just had to check people in and monitor the radio, it gave me plenty of time to get reading done and work on projects.  The other 15-20 hours a week was done driving buses, tram tours, and shuttles.  Usually 1-2 hour shifts.  I paid for my entire education after the first year, by doing this.  I did end up taking out a few emergency loans through the school every now and then.  It was tough, but it definitely built my character.  Because my parents continued to claim me as a dependent, I wasn't eligible for financial aid until after I got married (which I did right before my fifth year).
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Crystalmonkey

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2006, 02:30:15 AM »
I go to UMass Boston, and I've gotten a couple of scholarships. Brings the cost down to roughly 2k a semester.
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Socrates

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2006, 08:04:20 AM »
I made it by attending a state University plus I worked for the Univ while I was attending.
My parents had me working a job early (12) and saving half of every paycheck for college so I managed to only need loans for the last 2 years, out of 5.  When I was in cost was about 11k a year, including everything.  I think my freshman year was 9k and it was over 11k by the time I graduated.

The cost of college these days, especially where I work is insane.
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milifist

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2006, 08:52:12 AM »
My first two years were at a community college. I worked full time, but my tuition was entirely covered by Pell and a NC grant, and I usually got an extra $400 per semester extra.

I then transferred to a small liberal arts college. I got a $4500 Stanford for each year (total of two) and the rest was covered by a grant from the college (tuition at the time was $10,000 a yea, I was a commuter.). It would have been much cheaper for me to go to a state school, but my car couldn’t handle the long drive at the time.

That was quite a while ago, but our UNC system is still very cheap ($3,813.00 per semester for resident commuters).
« Last Edit: November 07, 2006, 08:56:43 AM by milifist »
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tweek

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2006, 09:01:09 AM »
Today I'm heading in to meet with a financial aid person again.  The loans didn't work out so apparently I can get more aid if I show my parents income doesn't help me at all.  I'm looking for, hopefully another, $2500.  I'll take it anywhere I can get it.  Oh and my tuition runs about $27,000 a year.  In the end I only pay about 6k due to grants ($9k), loans($3.5k), and scholarships($8k).  Hurray for small private schools!  Seriously, if I can't work something out by the end of the year, I'm thinking about state schools.  I like the small classes and most of my teachers, but do I really want to leave school over $15k in debt?  If I have to take out more loans that's going to start increasing. 
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tweek

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2006, 12:22:19 PM »
The guys in financial aid are awesome.  Andy (my new hero) can get me an automatic $4000 a year added to my Perkins loan just because my mom was denied for one.  Then I can get my EFC (Expected Family Contribution) down to $0 by having my parents explain that there income is much much lower than what their taxes state.  I get to stay in school! 
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Socrates

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2006, 12:29:40 PM »
Most schools want the Undergrads to stay in school.  Especially if you are actually trying and not goofing off.

Good show tweek
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TheJudge

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2006, 01:01:59 PM »
I got trought it by saving a little in advance, by working the entire time I was in college, by relying on student loans, and by being the recepient of my parent's generosity.
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sociald1077

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2006, 02:04:30 PM »
The Reserves pay 100% tuition. But thats not the route for everyone. Now that I am done with active duty, I am trying the reserves out for the remainder of my 8 year commitment. If it suits me well, I might do it for the length I'm in school. At the same time I can draw on my G.I. Bill and get grants. Like I said, this isn't a route for most people, I'm just letting you know my plan.
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hackess

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Re: College Tuition
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2006, 10:17:56 PM »
My parents stopped claiming me as a dependent so I could get enough financial aid to not have to work three jobs. I still worked two jobs most of the time. My first year and a half was funded almost entirely by two scholarships and costs minimized by my commuting to college. Then I moved to Madison and actually needed financial aid.
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