Anyone pay their own way thru college?

[llsteve80]

Maybe some of you remember the post I made about deciding to go back to school, well now it's official, I found out that I've been admitted to Northern Illinois University this tuesday.

Since tuesday, I've been hitting up everything I can, and looks like FSA, or the US dept of education will cover me for about 13,500 a year with a mixture of loans and grants. I have applied for all of this already. Tuition and expenses is going to be between 18-20k. This is with living in the residence hall, which is more expensive than an apartment. I will be living in the dorm for the first year while I get used to school, plus the dorms are paid for by the grants, etc.

I'd like to hear from people who have worked during college, and their experiences. I know full time is not a good option, grades can suffer if one is trying to attend school full time while working full time. Most people who go back to school do the night school thing, I think that would take longer.

I'd like to keep the private loans to a minimum if I need them at all. I think I'll try to take up some kind of weekend job to cover extra food, clothes, cell phone (watches) etc.

First year there probably won't be a problem, but I'm worried about having anything left for sophmore year and beyond.

ANY advice will be greatly appreciated!

Steve

[Manitou]

Maybe some of you remember the post I made about deciding to go back to school, well now it's official, I found out that I've been admitted to Northern Illinois University this tuesday.

Since tuesday, I've been hitting up everything I can, and looks like FSA, or the US dept of education will cover me for about 13,500 a year with a mixture of loans and grants. I have applied for all of this already. Tuition and expenses is going to be between 18-20k. This is with living in the residence hall, which is more expensive than an apartment. I will be living in the dorm for the first year while I get used to school, plus the dorms are paid for by the grants, etc.

I'd like to hear from people who have worked during college, and their experiences. I know full time is not a good option, grades can suffer if one is trying to attend school full time while working full time. Most people who go back to school do the night school thing, I think that would take longer.

I'd like to keep the private loans to a minimum if I need them at all. I think I'll try to take up some kind of weekend job to cover extra food, clothes, cell phone (watches) etc.

First year there probably won't be a problem, but I'm worried about having anything left for sophmore year and beyond.

ANY advice will be greatly appreciated!

Steve

Well Steve - I can't say I did, living a country where the government feels an itch to pay you to go to college.

I have a couple of NY friends who paid their way through MIT and HBC

[takashi]

Scholarship? They do offer quite a lot of money if you are willing to sign a contract (bond).

I used to work part time + full time study. I think that paids off well, especially if you are starting a small business together with your friends. Made quite a lot of money selling services (home networks). It was a boom back then but now it's a bust.

[jkerouac]

For grad school (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) I got an assistantship to help a prof with research. This was very cool because 1) it covered tuition, 2) provided me an additional monthly stipend based on 10 or 20 hours a week, and 3) involved work that was directly related to my degree program. That kind of opportunity might be harder to come by for an undergrad, but it would definitely be something to talk to your profs about.

Granted this was more than "a few" years (I shudder to think how many), but it made a huge difference in the amount of loans I had to pay off afterwards, and was a major factor in choosing the U of I over two other equally well regarded schools in my discipline.

[ubiquitous]

I never went... Though oft times I wish I had...

Guess it's never too late to give it a go... I need to look into that.

[slay]

you could always sign up as a reserve officer in the army/marine corps, they will pay for all your tuition.

when i looked into colleges in the US i found out that i had to raise 40k+ a year. not worth it for a degree in "liberal arts" (they dont teach you anything specific, just basic knowledge)

even a harvard degree wouldn't make me any more smarter than a BSc from a regular Uni somewhere out of the US

Edited June 27, 2008 by slay

[flex]

I did - I worked part-time in a departmental store at night and sell performance japanese car parts.

[tenacious_b]

I delivered Pizza to pay my way through college and racked up a lot of college loans. I was not quite smart enough for scholarships, and my family not quite poor enough for grants. Advice? I say get a job where you can make good tips or good pay otherwise, and stay off the sauce. If I had been able to stay awake through class, I might have qualified for a scholarship afterall.

[AllergyDoc]

Get married and have your wife work FT.

[bruce79]

I worked as a server in a restaurant while putting myself through JC and then UCSD. Worked about 20-25 hours a week. The hours are great because you work evenings with shifts averaging 4-6 hours/shift. Plus you cannot beat the money for the time. I had zero help from my single mother...understandably...though I got grants & loans...that's just the way it goes. Sometimes I think I was better off than my best friend whose father paid his entire tuition/room/board at the University of Wisconsin...he is now pushing 30 and living in his parents garage. Seriously!

I'm in fact currently enrolled in a Web Publishing Certificate program at UCSD Extension....and I love it...School Rocks!

[jkerouac]

One other idea:

My second and third years of undergrad I snagged a position as an assistant super in a luxury condo building. Most of the work was behind the security desk, which meant I screened and announced visitors, accepted packages, and mostly got paid for my study time. The other duties, such as vacuuming, hauling garbage down the back staircase, and shining the brass railing on the front stairs, was flexible in that you could do them most any time as long as you didn't disturb anyone (no vacuuming in the middle of the night).

At first I just got paid an hourly wage, but after six months I scored a fairly spacious apartment in the basement, for which I had to work 'x' hours, and anything over that I got paid an hourly wage for my living expenses.

As I said, this was a luxury condo building in one of the nicest parts of downtown Boston. I realize that Dekalb (that is where NIU is located, if I recall) probably doesn't have as many luxury condo buildings with multiple assistant supers as downtown Boston, but even landlords renting to students need someone to be on site, show apartments, vacuum, etc. Find a position like this and you can at least get a break on your rent. When we first moved to Seattle, my wife and I rented an apartment in a townhouse complex with ab. 10 units. Shortly after moving in we got a similar deal, ab. 50% off our rent, for running a vacuum once a week, collecting rent, and showing apartments when there were vacancies.

Note that this did not come close to paying for my tuition, but every bit counts.

[llsteve80]

For grad school (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) I got an assistantship to help a prof with research. This was very cool because 1) it covered tuition, 2) provided me an additional monthly stipend based on 10 or 20 hours a week, and 3) involved work that was directly related to my degree program. That kind of opportunity might be harder to come by for an undergrad, but it would definitely be something to talk to your profs about.

Granted this was more than "a few" years (I shudder to think how many), but it made a huge difference in the amount of loans I had to pay off afterwards, and was a major factor in choosing the U of I over two other equally well regarded schools in my discipline.

This is similar to something I checked in to, the dorms have receptionists and people who answer questions for guests, etc. You can work up to 20 hrs a week and get paid, plus it takes some money off your cost of tuition. There are tons of other student jobs.

I never went... Though oft times I wish I had...

Guess it's never too late to give it a go... I need to look into that.

I'm 28.......

My decision to go to a university instead of night school was easy for me, I'm not married, no kids, and have a job I won't miss. It's different for everyone though. My friend's uncle went to college his first time in his early 50's and got a phd in literature. Never really asked if he ever got a position in that field though.

One other idea:

My second and third years of undergrad I snagged a position as an assistant super in a luxury condo building. Most of the work was behind the security desk, which meant I screened and announced visitors, accepted packages, and mostly got paid for my study time. The other duties, such as vacuuming, hauling garbage down the back staircase, and shining the brass railing on the front stairs, was flexible in that you could do them most any time as long as you didn't disturb anyone (no vacuuming in the middle of the night).

At first I just got paid an hourly wage, but after six months I scored a fairly spacious apartment in the basement, for which I had to work 'x' hours, and anything over that I got paid an hourly wage for my living expenses.

As I said, this was a luxury condo building in one of the nicest parts of downtown Boston. I realize that Dekalb (that is where NIU is located, if I recall) probably doesn't have as many luxury condo buildings with multiple assistant supers as downtown Boston, but even landlords renting to students need someone to be on site, show apartments, vacuum, etc. Find a position like this and you can at least get a break on your rent. When we first moved to Seattle, my wife and I rented an apartment in a townhouse complex with ab. 10 units. Shortly after moving in we got a similar deal, ab. 50% off our rent, for running a vacuum once a week, collecting rent, and showing apartments when there were vacancies.

Note that this did not come close to paying for my tuition, but every bit counts.

Thats a good idea too, I will def. keep that in mind for next year or summer semester. (I plan on going year round, NIU offers a summer semester that's pretty equal to the regular fall/spring semesters so why not)

[LordRasta]

Well my son certainly isn't. He has a grant for his tuition but I pay his car/insurance/gas/apartment/school bills outside of tuition. He works so he blows his money on God knows what.

Congrats on your acceptance, it will pay off in the end.

[Shundi]

A good friend of mine got his real estate license and made a killing showing houses to students...

[turboGUATE]

Go for it. You won't regret, just get your time organized and keep it! That's the only way to work + study and get graduated.

I've got 6 months left to finish my master degree and having a full time job. Although I'm always exhausted and sleep on my spare time... I guess it will pay off.

Cheers!

[Pugwash]

you could always sign up as a reserve officer in the army/marine corps, they will pay for all your tuition.

But they will send you off to Iran (I'm sure there'll be a war there when you get out of college ) as soon as you're done.

[takashi]

Be active in school activities (co curricular) and if you have some leadership skills, they will promote you to head of this or head or that. Some carry monetary benefits/

[slay]

But they will send you off to Iran (I'm sure there'll be a war there when you get out of college ) as soon as you're done.

most likely just a desk job

plus you get lots and lots of money for your time there

Edited June 28, 2008 by slay

[roflwaffle]

loans are not as bad as you think... all interest/payments deferred til you are out of school... I think there are private loans that work the same way for that....

so, you can work 20 hours a week now for low wages

or wait til you're out of school, making a lot more... and payit off then, == less hours worked to pay off debt.

and given how the USD keeps falling... that 5k a year or whatever.. will be worth less by the time you get out

i worked a few jobs on and off in school... mostly it detracted from the experience/available time for learning. and the pay was rubbish. absolute poop.

scholarships..or maybe different school selection is in order.

usually theres incentive/cheap tuition for in state residents for state schools.. and if you are going out of state apply for residency as soon as you get there

Edited June 28, 2008 by roflwaffle

[hooky]

Go for it.

How about selling watches in the country you live in. Open a website, get an anonymous phone, make advertisements. And make sure you know the customs regulations and make your smart way to get the watches in the country.

Not many people know their way to the Chinese dealers you know...

And find a different dealer than the ones on this board. Or one who can safely ship 8-9 watches at a time.

Cheers,

J.

[steelerfan]

Bartending. Big tips, good hours. Don't get sucked in though. Make the money and study at the same time. I got sucked in opened a bar and it took over. Use it to make the money but don't let it get the best of you.

[Usil]

I did back in the 60's. Worked in the Summer, got low interest school loans (which took 7 years to pay off) and also worked part time for SAGA which was the company providing and preparing food for the dorms. Always broke. Ate a lot of baloni or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hardest thing I ever did and no job after I graduated was harder than that time of my life but would not change a thing. Best investment I ever made - in myself. No way I was ever going to quit. But you know who had it harder than I did - it was the young married students.

You can't get what you need by asking us. You have to want this really bad for yourself or it won't work for you. You have to be able to see the goal and do everything it takes to make it work. Financially, you will come out ahead but it is a long term investment.

I have seen old TV adds about the poor guy who could not afford to go to college and his parents could not help him so he was out of luck. Bull S-h-i-t. If a guy wants it bad enough he can make it happen. Go for it.

Usil