Whomever figures students loans out needs to die...
 

I go to check the amount I am getting for school this semester to find it's a little over $2k. I should be thankful to be getting anything I guess. But I make next to no money and received 3 times this last year (both semesters) for school so I could work part time, pay for school, and use some of that to cover bills since I will only be working full time.

I just don't know what to do now. I am still going to school but I need to find some other type of funding that will make it so I can concentrate on my studies and work part time.

Ugh... I dunno who figures out a students need for loans and grants but I'm pretty pissed off.

Just thought I'd see if anyone had any other ideas I can pursue to help me pay for school?

There's no way $2k is gonna pay for spring at VCU either. I just don't know what to do... grrr.

Just apply for bursaries and scholarships.

My brother got $1K in bursary for writing a letter stating he needed the money to finish up his degree and guess what, he got it.

Bursaries and scholarships are out there, but not a lot of students tend to apply for them. Most of them are too lazy to write an essay, letter, or complete some sort of assignment in order to gain an opportunity to receive additional funding.

And remember to check your school to see if they provide automatic scholarships for certain academic achievements.

Best of luck.

i am in the not rich enuf to fully pay for school , but not poor so i can get enough financial aid to pay for school category. both my parents work and make decent salories, we are lower-upper-middle class. once i ge my grades up again and get my shit together ill look around for scholarships and stuff hopefully get more $$ for school so shit will work out. thanks for the ideas. but i still dont know why some colleges cost so damn much!

I don't know what year you are in, but my freshman year sucked money wise, my parents did not give dollar 1 to my school. However the student loan people used thier income to figure out what i needed. My parents make a nice income and so thier calculated that my parents were giving me 35,000 a year. WTF? so my first year of student loan money was like 3000 for the whole year. This goes on untill you turn 23 or 24 something like that. After that you only use your income tax return to caculate your need. Or so its been explained to me by the finc aid people

Currently, my parents are paying for my education. However, as soon as I finish school and get a job, my priority will be to give them back all the money.

I got $2,500 in Stafford Loans from the government my freshman year. My sophomore year (which I'll be starting in August) yielded better results; I got $3,500. In North Carolina, it goes up like that. Freshman year you get $2,500. Sophomore $3,500. Junior as well as Senior years in college get $5,500. THESE are NOT grants, they are simply loans. I go to Appalachian State University which is about $7,500 per year. Needless to say, I had to find other funding. I went to a private loan organization and applied for their student loan. I was awarded $5,000. Of course, all of the money I've received is a loan, not a grant. I have to pay all of it off when I get out of college.

If the government could give you a negative grant, they would to me simply because of my parent's income. It's not fair; what if the student isn't receiving financial support from their parents? My parents make a combined income of $150,000 per year, but refuse to help me at all with my college (or anything else for that matter). If it weren't for that private organization, I wouldn't be in college.

Getting scholarships is much harder than most people portray it to be. Many believe that if you apply for it, you'll most likely get it. Wrong. I applied for a dozen scholarships and grants before I started ASU. Did I get anything? Hell no. It sure doesn't hurt to try for scholarships, but just don't expect them to come through.

Don't worry, you're not the only one out there in college with financial woes. I'll have a $40,000 debt on my head when I get out of college. Oh well, I think it's worth it for getting my B.S.

-Lasereth

here's my sit.

UT costs about 15k/yr and i'm gettin 5k in aid (and thank god for that 5k, all from the state govt).

so, that leaves about 10k left. havent quite figured it out yet...parents...loans...

two major things
1) Appeal!! every year I have appealed the financial aid awarded, and every time it has gone up. (probably averaged more than 100% too) For some reason the appeals process helps you out a lot.

2) to late for this year, but get an accountant (well actually convince your parents to get one) and tell them specifically that you are aiming for financial aid in school. There are actually accounting specialists who do this for a living (I know my parents hired one) And they will probably pay for themselves 10 times over.

heh, you'll remember this semester fondly when it comes time to pay it all back.

Annual Loan Limits for federal stafford loans

Dependent Student Independent Student
Freshman $2,625 Freshman $6,625
Sophomore $3,500 Sophomore $7,500
Junior/Senior $5,500 Junior/Senior $10,500

Private lenders will often offer student loans up to 25k based on credit, but you'll have to pay a higher interest rate than a federal loan. Good luck.

graduate school limits are nice

$18500 per year, federal.
unlimited private loans.

could be because grad school is 300x more expensive...BASTARDS!!!!!!

More true words have yet to be uttered.

cant wait till i get a student loan...i'll prob blow it at the bars
hahaha

Just remeber, going to college is a blessing, not a right. Be thankful you have the opportunity to go and do not waste it.

Im currently working on my MBA. Working 40+ hrs/wk, taking 12hrs of classes and will be done in Dec...thank goodness.

There is always an appeal letter you can write explaining why you need more money. Thats how my bro did it and he got the maximum allowed. You just have to write a letter.

Thanks for the info. In regards to parents making too much money.. there is also a sort of appeals process for that so students that aren't funded by parents.. and their parents make too much money can also get financial aid.

At first I thought I was screwed out of it because my parents kicked me out at 16, don't give me a dime, I'm not 23/married/or have kids... BUT, I was able to get paperwork which allows every year I receive financial aid ..called an independent student verification override. If it weren't for that I wouldn't be in school at all.