I'm getting paid to go to school!

[Mouse]

now that I'm 24 and considered of "independent" status in terms of financial aid all of my classes are paid for and then some! this is so fucking great!

I finally got in-county tuition rates because I moved so my bill went from 3,000$ to 1,200$

I have a Pell Grant for 2,400$ and an Ed. Assistance grant for 7000$ = 3,100$ total

after my classes are paid for I'll be handed almost 2,000$ of the left over money for living expenses for the 3 month period.
It al happens the same way again the following semester.

I really don't see why more people don't go to school?!?! this is so fucking great! as long as you wait til your 24, being broke actually helps!

 

[Mouse]

correction $700

the edit option isn't working

 

[macks]

Wow, good deal! What are you studying?

 

[Mouse]

photography

 

[mksnowboarder]

The checks NEVER show up on time, in my experience. I've been evicted from apartments and had my utilities shut off because my check didn't arrive. If you're planning for a steady living situation, you probably need something reliable.

I was getting over $20,000/yr financial aid when I attended. Unfortunately, now I've fallen behind on my loan payments, so it's gonna be a bitch getting financial aid again when I return for some more schooling.

mike

 

[Mouse]

I'm not too horribly worried about then the checks get here. I'm lucky enuff to live rent free and have other income to keep me ok for a while.

But, dually noted. I had been planning on paying down my credit card with the money so that is good to know.

gotta love bureaucracy inaction

 

[BanMatt]

This is what I plan on doing. I will probably have to wait till after winter though. I need to look more into it, the whole ordeal of getting signed up with classes, getting loans and grants is very intimidating for me.

 

[Mouse]

It can seem very shitty.

I say, try to never take out loans!

milk community college for all it's worth

and don't stress, you can always skip out on loans and hide in the woods

 

[BanMatt]

Financial aid is something I would do before loans probably. Is there a short answer to how it works? I know I can google it but someone saying in what would probably be a way I can understand better would be helpful. Forms and formal talk just makes me sweat and flinch

 

[Mouse]

there's a standard form you fill out called the Free Application For Student Aid FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

it pretty much does all the work for you, and the school will help you get loans if need be.

scholarships are the only thing you have to make effort to apply for cuz each one has different criteria

 

[bikegeek666]

The checks NEVER show up on time, in my experience. I've been evicted from apartments and had my utilities shut off because my check didn't arrive. If you're planning for a steady living situation, you probably need something reliable.

that's why i dropped out. wound up jobless and tried to get money for rent and got evicted and i just said "fuck it, i'm leaving this damn city and school".

i now kinda regret that at 29 knowing people who graduated a few years ago and maybe struggled for a bit but now have cushy jobs and do shit like drop 15 bucks on a bottle of fancy beer like it's nothing, go to japan and only have to save for two months (and saving not meaning eating ramen, just not buying 15 dollar bottles of beer)...shouldn't be jealous and should be working on my own life, but i will say i consider dropping out a mistake, as was relying on financial aid/student loans for rent.

 

[bikegeek666]

i apparently don't understand the difference between "edit" and "quote". ignore this post.

 

[Tude]

Well Mouse - hopefully you are doing well with your plan. I have been in 4 colleges since 1976 - have a boat load of courses that don't apply to anything (not accepted by new college, changing majors several times, etc etc - and laying off for 10 years knowing I just have a couple courses to go for at least a 2 yr degree). That's finally done but after paying off 1 student loan from 1977, and another a few years ago - and still owe $1500 or so on that last AND FINAL student loan (unfortunately I received little in grants).

Stupid decisions and stupid mistakes on my part. meh - have an A.S. now but had I stayed on the straight and narrow several years ago and not go hanging with ex husband and ex boyfriend MC clubs ... and liking it better than what I was doing at that time - I would have been much better off. Ah well.

 

[ElectroGypsy]

I agree that school can be important. However, knowledge is what it is all really about, and some people do not need the classrooms to fill their brains with good stuff. The major benefit to school as I see it, is that it makes getting that first job in a given field much easier. But for that to work you have to use the resources that are present at the school, and I have seen people completely fail to do that, and as a result never do anything with that bit of paper they spent thousands upon thousands of dollars getting.

As an aside, I have seen a trend of late where major schools are starting to put their courses on line, and freely available to all. I think this may well be the future of education.

 

[wokofshame]

What's an Ed Assistance grant? Is that a state thing?

The last time I did community college I got Pell Grant (only) for 5,550$/year, the maximum, having an income of 0$ on the books.
BUT, for a 2 2/3 month quarter, that was 1,750$, like 1150$ went to classes, and I got a check for 600$ which, yes, showed up late b/c the school sucked ass at processing paperwork in a timely fashion.
It is cool, but definitely not enough money to make me want to more school in itself. You have to want to learn shit and be willing to put up w/ BS to go, IMHO.
If you get loans, yeah, you can big pimp it, but student loans survive bankruptcies. So not your first choice as far as ruining your credit record goes, if you don't plan to repay them.
I have very few college graduate friends working in the field they studied in, most are unemployed or in the service industry.
The ones who are working in professional fields are mostly glorified secretaries earning 30-40 grand a year.

The coolest shit by far I've ever got was a state vocational training grant to get my CDL, thru the state educational assistance agency (google if your state has one). Got to learn to drive semis almost for free.