Student Loan...

[dfuze]

Get a job that offers tuition reimbursement; get on the job experience and let them pay for it all. That's what I am doing.

 

[Hacp]

Get a job. Sell your plasma. Eat raman noodles. It isn't that bad.

 

[sjwaste]

You're talking about $1500 in loans per semester? I'd take the loans if that is truly the amount. Even if you did that for 8 semesters, that's 12k in loans. Sounds like a lot now, virtually nothing if you graduate with a comp eng (or other useful) degree.

You could get a job too, and pay the loans as you go, but the last thing you want is money pressure in college if you can avoid it. Your folks are helping you out with tuition, which is great (mine did too). You might be the first in your family to go to college (I was) - so it's probably really important to them that you do your best. It's not like you're in a worthless academic program.

So take the loans out, make sure you're covered, and get a part time job that works with your schedule. At no point should you be putting work ahead of school, though. My answer might be different if you were talking about taking out full private school tuition, but 1500 a semester is nothing.

 

[SP33Demon]

What is that website where people will loan u money personally?

 

[Bignate603]

$1500? I'd take a loan and just work during the summer to pay that back. That's a very manageable amount.

 

[crashtestdummy]

Get to know the people in your university's financial aid office. As in, literally walk in and see who you can talk to. Explain your situation to somebody with some leverage. You'd be surprised at what they'll do for someone they feel they have a personal vested interest in.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Get a job you lazy bastard. Hell, even delivering pizzas part time can get you way more cash than you need for the semester. I know, I've done it, and it was the easiest money I've ever made in my life.

And what do you mean you "don't have time to work"? What else are you doing all day besides school? Your parents only make $45,000 combined and they're still helping you out. I'm sure the least you could do is come up with the rest of the money yourself instead of adding on debt from Day 1.

 

[Miklebud]

Get a job, ya bum. School M-F, Work Saturday and Sunday. That's how I made it through high school and college - by never having weekends available...

 

[heymrdj]

What is that website where people will loan u money personally?

http://www.prosper.com/

 

[JS80]

$100/hr? What student job did you have?

Don't you know everyone on ATOT makes $200k?

 

[alkemyst]

I am 18, living on my own, paying my own shit, yada yada. Well I am a Computer Engineering major and don't really have time to work, and quite frankly want to avoid it in general.

My parents to be honest are low class (together make ~$45,000) and can't afford to give me much more. I just need maybe $1500 to help with bills (not tuition) this year.

Does anyone have any info for this? Any good/bad experiences?

Can I even get a loan? Thanks.

If you are living on your own, your parent's income doesn't count against you...however; you have to be paying your own taxes/etc...

see your financial aid dept. They are the best resource. There is a lot of cheap money out there for students that qualify.

 

[Born2bwire]

If you are living on your own, your parent's income doesn't count against you...however; you have to be paying your own taxes/etc...

see your financial aid dept. They are the best resource. There is a lot of cheap money out there for students that qualify.

It still counts against his reward. Even if he is rightly declared a dependent for tax purposes, the FASFA still considers your parents as being able to provide for your education. It's only in specific instances where they will allow an undergraduate to not include their parents' contribution. Barring that, he would have to get his own financial aid office to acknowledge that his parents will not provide for his education.

 

[moshquerade]

I am 18, living on my own, paying my own shit, yada yada. Well I am a Computer Engineering major and don't really have time to work, and quite frankly want to avoid it in general.

My parents to be honest are low class (together make ~$45,000) and can't afford to give me much more. I just need maybe $1500 to help with bills (not tuition) this year.

Does anyone have any info for this? Any good/bad experiences?

Can I even get a loan? Thanks.

my advice: get a job. you have time to work. I know and have known quite a few engineering majors. they worked weekends at least.

 

[alkemyst]

It still counts against his reward. Even if he is rightly declared a dependent for tax purposes, the FASFA still considers your parents as being able to provide for your education. It's only in specific instances where they will allow an undergraduate to not include their parents' contribution. Barring that, he would have to get his own financial aid office to acknowledge that his parents will not provide for his education.

Not necessarily true which is why I told him to see his advisor.

If you file for majority/independence, get married...have a kid etc...you are separated at that point. What happens more than not though is the kid thinks he is independant, but the parents are still claiming them or providing for more than 50% of their living expenses.

 

[Born2bwire]

Not necessarily true which is why I told him to see his advisor.

If you file for majority/independence, get married...have a kid etc...you are separated at that point. What happens more than not though is the kid thinks he is independant, but the parents are still claiming them or providing for more than 50% of their living expenses.

No, the FAFSA has a different definition for dependence. It is not predicated on the level of income provided to you by your parents. I looked into it myself since I was an independent claimed by myself and my parents but that did not remove the expected family contribution. The FAFSA has an online worksheet if you want to take a gander.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before015.htm

If his reasons for being an independent are solely based upon the amount of money he gets from his family, then he has to apply for it under special circumstances and get his university's financial aid office to confirm it.

 

[alkemyst]

No, the FAFSA has a different definition for dependence. It is not predicated on the level of income provided to you by your parents. I looked into it myself since I was an independent claimed by myself and my parents but that did not remove the expected family contribution. The FAFSA has an online worksheet if you want to take a gander.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before015.htm

If his reasons for being an independent are solely based upon the amount of money he gets from his family, then he has to apply for it under special circumstances and get his university's financial aid office to confirm it.

QUESTION ON YOUR OWN LINK:

Are you, or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence at the time you received the determination

Like I said above as well. That answer as YES would = independent without any other need to answer YES to other questions. However, most do not qualify as they are getting money from their parents still. If the OP is not and truly paying his own way he should file for emancipation and his advisor can guide that.

I know what the FAFSA includes and excludes, thank you.

 

[Born2bwire]

QUESTION ON YOUR OWN LINK:


Like I said above as well. That answer as YES would = independent without any other need to answer YES to other questions. However, most do not qualify as they are getting money from their parents still. If the OP is not and truly paying his own way he should file for emancipation and his advisor can guide that.

I know what the FAFSA includes and excludes, thank you.

The OP isn't emancipated and he can't file for emancipation because he isn't a minor at his age, so he can't answer yes to that question. He would have to make a special petition with his financial aid office first before he could have his FAFSA properly processed with him as an independent. The OP cannot be independent since he has already admitted that his parents are paying for part of his tuition. So even if he qualifies as an independent for taxes (lives on his own, receives only a minority income from family), he hasn't given any indication that he would qualify as an independent for the FAFSA.

 

[xrax]

I had about $20K of student loans when I graduated college. I was on the 10 year payoff with about $300 a month payments until I refinanced at a lower interest rate 5 years ago. My payment is $60 a month for the next 5 years. I make too much to write off the interest on my taxes.

 

[alkemyst]

The OP isn't emancipated and he can't file for emancipation because he isn't a minor at his age, so he can't answer yes to that question. He would have to make a special petition with his financial aid office first before he could have his FAFSA properly processed with him as an independent. The OP cannot be independent since he has already admitted that his parents are paying for part of his tuition. So even if he qualifies as an independent for taxes (lives on his own, receives only a minority income from family), he hasn't given any indication that he would qualify as an independent for the FAFSA.

ok I get it...why don't you become his financial aid advisor?

OP, go see your school's officials and figure out the real deal you need to do/follow to get your expenses covered.