Posted 04 May 2006 - 02:24 PM
I'm paying for mine, and I'm getting financial aid. IMO, you're taking out a lot of loans because you're talking about $45K when you graduate, and that will blow up with interest. You'd better have a bankable major, that's all I have to say. Make sure that college experience is worth the money.
As for help, scholarships and internships are good, and so is work study. I'm in work study, and every work study program that I've seen is very flexible with decent (depending on school and area) pay. You can usually choose from jobs available, and they're usually easy jobs. They also design these programs for students, so they're very understanding if you have to call in because of a test or sth. Take the work study, it's not demanding.
I would also highly recommend looking into off campus (online) classes. They're convenient and a good way to get rid of easy elective requirements that would otherwise be stealing your time. Also, they can shave off a lot of money off your bills. In my case, I saved hundreds per class, which amounts to a lot at the end of the semester. Plus, some of the classes don't require books or else give you online books, etc., so that's more money saved.
Are you dorming? Maybe you'd like to look into commuting or off campus housing? Depending on your circumstances, it may be cheaper. You want to avoid loans wherever possible because most students don't find jobs straight out of college and those loans start accumulating interest just six months after graduating, even sooner in some cases. Start paying the loans off while in college. Absolutely do not wait until six months after graduation to start paying off loans. That's what many students do, and it's a very poor financial decision. Start chipping away while in college because, again, it increases later.
