This doesn't make sense to me...help! - Page 3

[AndrewsMother]

Originally Posted by lazzybee

Say whaaaat? What sort of program? At a university? That's the strangest thing I've ever heard! You say two year so I wonder if you are talking about a specialized program?

I second the notion, though, that it's always possible to work. Waiting tables a night or two a week takes little time and pays well (relatively). Most undergrads work, and those that don't almost always accumulate loan debt (unless their parents are paying for their living expenses).

It's not easy. In fact, it sucks. I wanted to quit so many times during my undergrad! But it [typically] gets easier after the BA, when you can teach and get a stipend. My h is a PhD adjunct and we live off his teaching stipend now and it's pretty good (though he does teach 5 classes, so, it's no joke).

Yes, I am at a university working on the final two years of an undergraduate degree.

If grades, and needing time to study, sleep eat and care for a family, are factors, working is not feasible. Graduates from past years began the first semester working, but found that it was difficult to maintain a respectable grade point average so they were forced to quit their jobs.

However, the tuition is surprising low. I attend the top university in the state, a respected school across the country, and the tuition is 1/3 what I paid at another school in the same state. The yearly cost of attendance is 25K more than the cost of tuition, so it is possible to receive loans, grants and scholarships that will cover living expenses for a small family if one other person is employed.

[cschick]

Originally Posted by AndrewsMother

Yes, I am at a university working on the final two years of an undergraduate degree.

If grades, and needing time to study, sleep eat and care for a family, are factors, working is not feasible. Graduates from past years began the first semester working, but found that it was difficult to maintain a respectable grade point average so they were forced to quit their jobs.

However, the tuition is surprising low. I attend the top university in the state, a respected school across the country, and the tuition is 1/3 what I paid at another school in the same state. The yearly cost of attendance is 25K more than the cost of tuition, so it is possible to receive loans, grants and scholarships that will cover living expenses for a small family if one other person is employed.

When I was an undergrad, I was in a program where you could work and maintain a decent grade point average. My last trimester though, I did hose over my gpa a bit too much because I was working too much to try to cover everything I needed to cover. (My father had lost his job, and there was no support at all from my parents any longer).

But I knew people in the hard sciences and the school of engineering who were in class and labs basically 30-40 hours a week, and the majority of their time outside class was dedicated to studying. My university also warned those going into those majors that work outside school was probably not going to be possible, if they didn't want to be flunked out.

[BetsyS]

In nursing school the majority of us that worked had jobs that were related to our major in some way. A lot of students worked 2 twelve hour shifts every other weekend, so 4 shifts a month, as a nursing aide or secretary at the hospital. This schedule is pretty doable even with an intense schedule (and nursing school is one of those "be available M-F 8-5" sorts of schedules). It wasn't easy, though, and I didn't have children at the time (so my rent was like a ridiculous $200/month--easily supported by a part time job). I can see that doing it with children would feel a lot more impossible.

[MaddieMay]

Undergrad, I had very good scholarships and parents who had saved early for my education so I was able to graduate without debt. I did, however, have to work to help fund living expenses. I worked part time during the school year and full time (plus some) during the summers.

For graduate school, I simply chose a state university over a private college. Tuition was reasonable ($200/credit hour) and I plugged away a class or two at a time. I also worked full time, then went to part time the semester I did my final project. We paid around 10K total for my graduate degree and it paid for itself within a year of working. We also took advantage of federal and state tax credits available to us.

[2xy]

I have two more years of school. I will still be working this year. Next year I have to do 32 hours a week of clinicals in a hospital, plus 1-2 classes per semester. My kids are older, but we homeschool and DS2 still needs me. I plan on not working next year and hopefully living off of loans. One person's silliness is another person's reality. If I was 22 and had parents to support me, things would be different. DH cannot pay our bills by himself.

[JudiAU]

Work and take out loans. And expect the FA package to get worse every year you are in school. The first year is always the best.

[imbarefoot]

Originally Posted by gabbyraja

Can you please tell me more about how he has used trio to get scholarships/grants? After you mentioned it I visited the website, and it appears they offer grants to SCHOOLS that offer the money to their low-income students. I'm trying to find better info.

I'm a post-bacc student (already have one bachelor's, going back for my second, unrelated, bachelor's) and therefore I do not qualify for Pell, etc. I get only loans through my school. I want to explore more free money, as I'm SO tired of debt. But I'm a SAHM to almost 5 kids, so there is NO scenario where childcare would pay, so there's no working more than the tiny bit I do work online. TIA!

I'd have to ask him more, but at his school, the CC he was enrolled at had a TRIO office. They helped him apply for scholarships while he attended that school. They knew of all the scholarships that were available, any that had money leftover to anyone who applied basically, and they also knew of scholarships just coming out and would alert my husband and other students who used TRIO ahead of time so they could get their applications in ASAP. Then TRIO helped him apply for scholarships at the college he'll be attending in the Fall. I'm not sure if this college has a TRIO office or not, though.

I would probably check with your school and see if they have similar programs to help low income families get through school. I can see if my husband has any suggestions too.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by cschick

But I knew people in the hard sciences and the school of engineering who were in class and labs basically 30-40 hours a week, and the majority of their time outside class was dedicated to studying. My university also warned those going into those majors that work outside school was probably not going to be possible, if they didn't want to be flunked out.

I went to a selective private university where 98% of students were traditional college students. Many students had parents who provided for their financial needs. One of my roommate's parents paid all of her expenses and gave her $400 a month in spending money. She was a chemistry major, and she considered herself lucky. The other roomie was a physics major who worked 20 hours a week; she now has a PhD.

Most engineering students I know worked. Many of the people I worked with as an undergraduate went to law or medical school. Some of them worked tons in the summer and saved up, but they worked. Even when my mother was at the end of an intensive BSN program, she worked.

I completed majors in 3 fields in 3 years. School was covered by scholarships, but I had to work for car insurance and for spending money. So, work is possible in almost all situations. I've seen plenty of people eliminate all fun from their lives for tough semesters or not work for the semester they had, say, Biology 2 and Organic Chemistry at the same time, but I don't think those are common situations at all. I think the vast majority of people, I would contend far more than 9 out of 10, can work while they are undergraduates.

[Om Girl]

Hello and thank you all for your replies...

things have been tense and stressful as we as a family have been trying to figure out the monetary logisitics of this mommy "going back to school" venture.

so here are the details:
I have completed my AA degree and will be transferring to a private college with 164 credits for my BS degree...I had started my undergrad with an intent to study nursing, but didn't get accepted into the nursing program so this is "Plan B"

My FA award is a university grant for $2800/semester and Federal Pell at $1800/semester...tuition is at $11,500/semester (federal loans would cover the rest) (daycare is $1640/month because we live in an area with extremely high daycare rates)

I currently WOH (but was recently laid off from one part time position) and have to quit the other PT job because the hours that I was currently working are the same hours as my class schedule. My income covered all home maintenance, utilities and insurance payments.
DH's salary (due to a job change & paycut) just covers our mortgage, car payment and his student loans)

The FA package offered doesn't come close to covering daycare expenses and COL. (We don't currently have daycare expenses due to the fact that my work offers daycare on-site)

I hope this information helps clarify things...

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by Om Girl

Hello and thank you all for your replies...

things have been tense and stressful as we as a family have been trying to figure out the monetary logisitics of this mommy "going back to school" venture.

so here are the details:
I have completed my AA degree and will be transferring to a private college with 164 credits for my BS degree...I had started my undergrad with an intent to study nursing, but didn't get accepted into the nursing program so this is "Plan B"

My FA award is a university grant for $2800/semester and Federal Pell at $1800/semester...tuition is at $11,500/semester (federal loans would cover the rest) (daycare is $1640/month because we live in an area with extremely high daycare rates)

I currently WOH (but was recently laid off from one part time position) and have to quit the other PT job because the hours that I was currently working are the same hours as my class schedule. My income covered all home maintenance, utilities and insurance payments.
DH's salary (due to a job change & paycut) just covers our mortgage, car payment and his student loans)

The FA package offered doesn't come close to covering daycare expenses and COL. (We don't currently have daycare expenses due to the fact that my work offers daycare on-site)

I hope this information helps clarify things...

Here is what I would do. It sounds like your school is during daytime hours and your DH is working daytime hours, both are M-F. That leaves many many other hours available for both of you to look for jobs, you a 1st job and DH a 2nd job. Going back to school means compromises for both people. Your DH may need to get a 2nd job and you will need to work a job as well. There are night and weekend jobs. Not working while you are a student is a huge untruth.
Your university alone is 23k/year not counting summer sessions. Thats alot of money for 'plan B'. I dont know how many kids you have in daycare for $400/week but thats a huge amount to factor in as well.- almost 20k/year there as well...

Your tuition does not include books, parking fees, lab fees, anything like that.

If I was in your spot I would be looking for employment and DH would be looking for a 2nd job so we would have the income to cover all the possible expenses.

[surrogate]

OM Girl, can you look at different schools? That tuition is CRAZY! WOW! I think the most i have ever paid was 8K a semester at a private school and that was just dumb on my part. I couldn't imagine paying that much for a "Plan B" school. Right now I am paying 3K every 6 mos to WGU for as many classes as I can fit in, all online.

[imbarefoot]

Originally Posted by surrogate

OM Girl, can you look at different schools? That tuition is CRAZY! WOW! I think the most i have ever paid was 8K a semester at a private school and that was just dumb on my part. I couldn't imagine paying that much for a "Plan B" school. Right now I am paying 3K every 6 mos to WGU for as many classes as I can fit in, all online.

Yes, I too would probably look at other more affordable options if possible. I would again apply for every scholarship possible and see what programs the school might offer to help you with that. Daycare is quite expensive in your area! Would hiring a nanny be cheaper? Are you considered low income? If so, I'd look into programs that would help you there as well. But getting a PT job might be what you have to do too. Possibly doing some/all of your classes online?

[surrogate]

who cares? really? I only go to school for the excess check. Wooptey Doo. I have changed my major 3 times. So what?

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by surrogate

who cares? really? I only go to school for the excess check. Wooptey Doo. I have changed my major 3 times. So what?

I would guess that the people who are denied the grant/aid money because it is all gone who REALLY want to go to school to learn would care.

[Drummer's Wife]

Avoiding all the drama (damn, I don't usually do that ), OP, I would say you need to look at your return-on-investment with plan B. Do you have to go to this pricey private school for the degree you've chosen? Is there not online options at other universities, that would mean saving $400 a week (!!) on childcare? Even if your loans and grants covered all your expenses, I'd still be really, really looking into what kind of income potential you honestly will have once you are out of school. I know it's hard to figure that out, b/c of the economy (and who knows what it will be like in 2-3 years), but if your chosen profession is not going to earn you plenty of money to pay the bills you currently have, let alone pay back student loans, I'd maybe consider a plan C. Plan C may even mean going to class in the evenings or weekends, or waiting to go to school until you don't have daycare costs. Best of luck figuring it all out.

[MyTwoAs]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Avoiding all the drama (damn, I don't usually do that ), OP, I would say you need to look at your return-on-investment with plan B. Do you have to go to this pricey private school for the degree you've chosen? Is there not online options at other universities, that would mean saving $400 a week (!!) on childcare? Even if your loans and grants covered all your expenses, I'd still be really, really looking into what kind of income potential you honestly will have once you are out of school. I know it's hard to figure that out, b/c of the economy (and who knows what it will be like in 2-3 years), but if your chosen profession is not going to earn you plenty of money to pay the bills you currently have, let alone pay back student loans, I'd maybe consider a plan C. Plan C may even mean going to class in the evenings or weekends, or waiting to go to school until you don't have daycare costs. Best of luck figuring it all out.

I agree with Drummer's Wife on searching for a Plan C. Online schools don't have to mean private diploma-mill type universities either. I just graduated from an online degree program offered by Arizona State University, one of Arizona's three public universities. No diploma mill concerns, no weird accreditation concerns, online so on my time, and for me in-state tuition.

Thank you also for coming back and replying with an update on your circumstances. It helps me getting a better idea of the big picture with regards to your finances. It sounds like your Plan B is just not doable without student loans and student loans can be such a gamble because you really have no way to know what your income will be like once you graduate.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[choli]

I agree with Drummer's Wife. You can see right here on the F&F forum just how many families are struggling to get by because of the student loan burden. Think very carefully before putting your family in that position.

You could try getting a job at a company that pays for your schooling - ie most major banks. You can work during the day and study at night. I've had many on campus and online courses paid for by my employer, though I never have quite finished my degree.

[Usually Curious]

Originally Posted by surrogate

who cares? really? I only go to school for the excess check. Wooptey Doo. I have changed my major 3 times. So what?

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

I would guess that the people who are denied the grant/aid money because it is all gone who REALLY want to go to school to learn would care.

And hard-working tax payers care, too. Where do you think that Pell Grant money comes from?

It won't matter too much longer because as we fall further into this depression govt. grant money will be slashed to the bone.

[Caneel]

Count me in with agreeing with Drummerwife's good advice. Take a good long look at what you can do with that degree after graduating.

I see lots of students, both traditional and later-in-lifers, going to our local universities for degrees that will get them annual pay that is less than one year of tutition and fees. And then they wonder why they can't pay their student loans.

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