Just got the bill for tuition yesturday...

[Fia]

I'm an in state student attending a 4 year state university with a 3.25 GPA and my bill is $9,288 for the first semester! This is of course including room and board. The worst part, they make it due in 10 days. I now enter the world of loans and paying for the next ten years on a monthly basis. I know what you're thinking; scholarships. I'm working on it, but there are very few for someone coming from a white, middleclass, non-union, non-disibility average student. Any suggestions or experience guys? Sorry for the rant, this pretty much depleted my nice little summer job collection.

Scholarships are kind of late to try for at this juncture. If you find any that still have not lapsed their deadlines, good luck. There might be a few. Not exactly true about not qualifying for scholarships if you are white, middle class, etc. If you want to get scholarships you need to start searching and preparing (writing essays) for them in the next few months for next school year. Most scholarships are due in the Jan-March time frame. If you start early and spend the time to write quality essays instead of slapping them together the day before they are due, Im sure you will score some money. Dont forget to look for scholarships offered in your major at your college, local civic based ones in your home town such as rotary, lions, etc. However, I will say that you are pretty much wasting your time for any of those scholarships that require you to fill out a web app only. There will be tons of applicants!!! You best bet is to try for scholarships that require essays. Why? Cause most kids are too lazy to actually write one so your competition will be much lower. Like I mentioned earlier the quality of your essay is huge and as simple as it may sound make sure you answer the question/topic of the essay. Sucks to write one and get eliminated cause you didnt answer the question. Also like I mentioned earlier START EARLY. You will be less pressured and then be able to produce a quality essay. Most students put it off too long and then either run out of time to do one or slap one together. Most of the scholarship readers can read right through the BS.

Of course, there are others ways to cut costs too. What about being a RA? That would cut your room and board cost which is more than likely higher than your tuition at a state school. What about moving off campus and sharing an apartment with a few people? Like others have said, probably going to have to eat saimin and mac & cheese too! :laugh: I doubt your school offers much in need based aid as your tuition is already reasonable and being subsidized by state taxes. Most public schools offer very little in need based aid.

No offense but if you truly are struggling and will have to borrow all that money I think you need to put your cigar hobby in hibernation mode for a few years. You will have to prioritize your spending with your tuition at the top and luxury items at the bottom. Good luck to you.

 

[bpj87]

No offense but if you truly are struggling and will have to borrow all that money I think you need to put your cigar hobby in hibernation mode for a few years. You will have to prioritize your spending with your tuition at the top and luxury items at the bottom. Good luck to you.

Amen. :thumbs:

 

[Bxcigrfan]

Fia hits it pretty much on the head there about the scholarships, you need to start early and apply to multiple ones. but there is still some time with some scholarships because even though the deadline is passed they will still accept applicatins and if they have money left over will award it.

when doing your student loans always go for subsidized first. If you are still a dependent student the feds just changed the regs for this year and you get 2K in an unsub loan off the bat and if your parents are denied a PLUS loan then they give you an additional 4K. the feds also reduced the interest on the SUB loans for the next 3yrs and they are fixed for each individual loan. www.studentloanlisitings.com can help you find a lender. remember no school can tell you, "you have to go with this lender" it is illegal for a school to stear you towards a lender.

federal grants might go up when you hit the magic 24yr old mark because your efc goes down basically to zero because you dont have an income of your own. but the max amount hasnt changed so depending on what your efc is right now with your parents info (if your dependent) then you might already be getting the max

the other thing some have said is to remember, live like a homeless person now so that you may live in the black later

remember the less you borrow now the more you will have in order to pay for grad school because if you think you dont get much now wait till you see the bill for grad school if you decide to go

 

[Rebel Herfer]

Rob, Fia, & Pete's advice are right on target! You would be amazed at the unawarded scholarship evey year. Do some digging. Grateful just cuts to the quick everytime, but he made me laugh. Depending upon your major (and desired profession) there are targeted awards. I washed pots at night for my first two years at UNLV. Temp jobs can be great sources of quick cash - I tended bar at catering events on & off campus(great food after the party), valet event parking, night crew, construction cleanup, etc. One of my Fraternity Brothers worked night crew at a law office building and one night one of the big lawyers chatted him up & the friendship turned into an internship with tuition bennies & he ended up winning a full ride to law school. You could always go the route of my other Fraternity Brother Claude and get a Sugar Momma! :blush: AND he got a convertible out of it too!! :laugh: you'd be surprised at who's watching when you work real hard!

 

[Fia]

remember the less you borrow now the more you will have in order to pay for grad school because if you think you dont get much now wait till you see the bill for grad school if you decide to go

True that!!! Aid for grad school sucks compared to undergrad.

 

[themoneycollector]

Just tough it out. The important thing is that you're in school and that will pay off in the long run :laugh:

 

[Marco-Polo]

I'm an in state student attending a 4 year state university with a 3.25 GPA and my bill is $9,288 for the first semester! This is of course including room and board. The worst part, they make it due in 10 days. I now

Sort of ironic, but the better the school, the easier it is to pay for it - state schools tend to be worse in this regard. For the "due in 10 days" part, go to the Financial office and ask about bursaries. They will have emergency bursaries and short-term loans which can bridge the gap between having your tuition due right now and taking out a a long-term loan/grant/work-study package.

There are also un-used scholarships in the pool. The return for keeping up a steady stream of applications exceeds what you'd be able to earn in a minimum-wage job, and it'll give you something to do when you pull out a nice stogie.

Side advice is that if you think you're going to be in debt when you graduate, you have a really good reason to work like a dog and get the GPA up. You can be poor and in-demand when you graduate, you can be well-off and afford to wait a while, but you're really in dutch if you're poor and not in demand.

 

[Mark Twain]

What's your major?

I've been down this road. Securing funding is not as hard as it sounds. Trust me. There's funding for you if you do the research. PM me specific details if your not comfortable sharing the name of your institution online. I'll try and walk you through it.

-Marc