paying for college

devdas

sarNie Egg
im not sure if there was a forum on this or not but i couldnt find any

i just wanna hear some of your experience and story of how you paid for college like financial aid, loans scholarship etc

i did some research but im still alittle confused like does final aid pay for your full study if your qualify? this is all new to me

i want to find ways to pay for college because my family is in a tough situation right now and im trying to do all i can to put things together
 

ChenrukNote

Goddess
Well financial aid varies from state to state but usually if you QUALIFY it does pay for all expenses. There's different levels of qualifications too. Again it depends on which state you live in but remember financial aid is given out based on financial need. To calculate financial need, you should fill out your FAFSA which requires info about your parents assets and your own. If you happen to qualify for some aid but not all like me, then you have to rely on scholarships/loans and also money from your own pocket. Usually after financial aid/scholarships/loans I have to cover like a couple grand out of my own pocket and I pay for all my own books too which can get expensive so you gotta be smart about where to buy. Also don't let money be a reason for holding you back from attending college. There's plenty of ways you can pay. Talk to your high school counselor. They're resourceful (hopefully) but that's what they're paid to do. Apply for scholarships that you qualify for. Even if the scholarship is like a couple hundred dollars. Every little bit helps. When I was in high school, I snubbed the couple hundred dollar scholarships because they require so much effort for so little money but you don't realize until you feel broke a** in college how helpful those couple hundred dollars can be. It can save you from slaving your life away or bothering your parents, especially since you said your family is facing tough financial situations right now. Also, do you work? Some work places offer scholarships for their student employees. It's safe to ask because like I said every little bit helps. And check into the scholarships that your prospective school offers for undergraduate students (I'm assuming you're going to be an undergrad). Apply for those too if you qualify. If you must take out loans to make ends meet, calculate how much you need (usually your school will give you an overall estimation of total fees/expenses). Never borrow more than you need because repaying them back is not fun. DON'T FORGET to do your FAFSA. That gives you an estimated amount or EFC (expected family contribution). If you qualify, your EFC might be ZERO dollars and that'll be super fantastic. College is stressful enough without having to worry about finances. Good luck!!! :)
 

myx

sArNieZ
when i was in high school i was so scare that i will be in debt if i attended a university or state college. so i decided to go to a community college. i qualified for the cal grant, and qualify to receive a free waiver (base on my fafsa). i also got pell grant ($1,3?? each semester) base on how much unit i took this semester. so basically i didn't have to pay for any of my classes or books. i even have a little left to spend. the FAFSA is really important and it can help you out a lot if you're going to go to college.
 

darvil

sarNie Adult
fill out FAFSA like Nai says and see what support level are you in.

Smart thing to do is to go to a local community college and take all the general classes. At least do a year there because you will end up saving alot of money. Just make sure the credits WILL transfer.

If you go to a CC, you will most likely NOT have any school debt at all. Everything will be paid for and you might even get a little spending money. This is the best route IMHO. Even if you end up doing a bit more then 2 years depending on the credits, the amount of $ you will save is so much you might as well do it. Of course some people want the big school experience so in that case you will have to get in debt early on.

I know you wanted to do the physical stuff/nursing right? there's alot of transfer program for that I think from CC. So consider that initially while you wait for the financial situation to improve. There is nothing wrong with doing it this way. I think half of the graduates in the US do it this way. Why? Cuz its smart.
 

devdas

sarNie Egg
thanks everyone i appreciate it

yes i was thinking of doing 2 years at CC and then transfer because like u said it saves money

on the fafsa does it show u all the things u get? and for example what if the money is not enough
do u use fafsa to apply for federal loan or does the report shows u only what they give but u have to apply separately for federal loans? i don't know if it makes sense
 

darvil

sarNie Adult
Well the money depends on your need and you will get a value after you register with fafsa. If you get the lowest, I'm pretty sure you will be completely covered. You only need to apply for loan if you can't get the financial aid or if you need more money to pay for school. Talk to your school and ask them a question.

Of course you should do your fasfa asap to see your ranking.
 

devdas

sarNie Egg
thats wat i was thinking i was thinking of using the financial aid i got and apply for federal loan to cover the rest of the cost but im not sure if thats the best way to go
 

ChenrukNote

Goddess
No one can really tell you if applying for federal loans is the way to go. It's up to what you decide and what your family decides as well. And yes there are more parts to applying for loans than just filling out your FAFSA. Check out this website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/applying.html You typically have to do a loan borrower's agreement form which requires you to list info about yourself (name, age, school, address, blah blah blah) and emergency references that they can contact if you don't repay your loan, view videos about borrowing loans (entrance counseling) and electronically sign a Master Promissory Note (eMPN). The MPN is required for first time borrowers. These things are usually supplied by your school once you are accepted and decide to attend that school.
 
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