Fiere Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 So, I need some advice. Here's the background: going to college, I go home during the summers and stay with my parents while working to get money for college. Got a girlfriend I've been dating for almost a year that I'd like to propose to when I get home. Now, the problem: Money. My parents are helping me pay for college, but I'd like to cut that off for several different reasons: first, the getting married thing, second I don't like being dependant on them, and third, well, there's gotta be a couple more reasons in there. I'm not sure how to pay for college and have money for getting married, a job during the summer and part time work during school just isn't cutting it. So what should I do? The only solution I can think of is going into the air force to get money for college, but I'm not sure it's for me. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balinor Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 If my parents were going to pay for my college education, I'd be happy as can be. Which they are. Or so help me God. *shake fist* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 apply for a school loan? or try and get a scholarship. get married in Vegas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiere Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Well, I don't have the GPA to get a scholarship, and I'm a white male from a middle class household, which makes it harder. I suppose if I declared myself independant from my parents I might could find something, but I'd like to have everything planned out first. I'll have to look into the loans thing, but I'd like to stay out of debt if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balinor Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Yes, yes. Fight the establishment, stick it to the man. Middle Class White Male power! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorCleric Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Well, I am your typical nay sayer, so here is what I'm going to say, Don't do the military if you want to just to pay for school, if their are other reasons you want to join, go for it, otherwise you'll stand a chance to end up like some buddies of mine; bitter about the military. And the problem is, they can't leave. I understand about not wanting help from parents, I like to think myself standing free and clear of parental influence, I hate asking for finiancial help from them, I don't want to burden them, I should be a 'man' now, so why can't I stand on my own? Right? Well, It took a really bad few months for me to realize, I'm not that grown up yet, and I unfortunetly do need my parents help still, and I'm 23. All the money I make I put into school, and then I take out some loans, but it always leaves me a little short twice a year, so my parents help with what they can, not much, but it helps. The thing you have to realize is that they are your parents and they want to help, they don't feel like they have to help. Parental instincts, if they can help, they want to help, if they can't, they will want to help. Until you get on your own two feet, comfortably, let them help. There is no shame in it, it's not like you are still living off your parents, they are just helping you. You just went through 18 or so years of being dependant, don't cut yourself off so quickly. I cut myself off clean, and bam, nocked on my ***, and my parents were right there to help me when I needed it, but it was embarssing as hell to have to ask for help. So I would recomend, slowly cut yourself out of the picture. Hell, here is what I didn, I graduated highschool, went to a local community college for two years, during that period I started buying my own food most of the week, but I lived at home. Then I went off to college, I came home for breaks/summer, then I got an apartment out here at school. I live here in Buffalo year round, I go home for a little over the summer and a little over the winter, maybe a few weekends I'll go home or they will come out here. I am more or less on my own, but I'm not ready to go it on my own(payed a big price to learn that), so my parents still help me a little here and there. You're still their kid no matter how old you get. As far as the marraige, don't be so hastie, if you want to spend the rest of your life with this girl then marraige this summer or marraige two years from now isn't going to make a difference 20 years from now, but it will make a huge difference now(financial, huge life style adjustment, etc.). Love her with all you got, but move into it slowly aswell. Hell, start by moving in with each other first(if religion, personal morals and parents will agree with it), hey, my sister has been living with her now fiance for 6 years and they just got engaged very recently. I guess what I would say is don't rush any of it. Take what your parents are willing to offer now, loving your girl doesn't mean stressing out your life, just roll with it for a while. You're in college so life is stressfull enough, atleast for me, so roll with it for a while. WC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iyorvin Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 You go to social services and have them provide you documentation to declare you independant from your parents. With those documents you send them in with your student loan application and you will be supplied with the maximum loan.(this of course depends on what you are taking.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiere Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Hey man, I appreciate that. I'd still like to pay for college myself, but I get what you're saying with getting married, never thought of it that way. I can't move in with her, but heck, it's not like either of us are going anywhere anytime soon, so maybe it would be better to wait. Maybe just be engaged for a long time...I'll have to think about it, but thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorCleric Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Yeah, I've got some friends who have been engaged for two years now, and they've got a few more to go before they finally tie the knot, so thats not such a bad idea. As far as college, I am paying for college myself, all loans are in my name, every semester I pay about 1-3 grand out of pocket, depending on the finacial aid I get. The help my parents give me would be like a hundred bucks in some months to help pay for groceries, or some medicine, or maybe they think I need to go see a movie, if something comes up suddenly like my car breaks, they toss me some cash on the side. Worst case senario, I can't pay the out of pocket costs myself, such as this semester(let me tell you, this winter was the worst 3 months of my life, I've never felt worse, I've never had such a hard time copeing, it was three months of getting kicked in the teeth by just about everything you could think of. I had in the fall declared: I have a great job, I have great friends, I have a great girl, I have a great place to live, I have a car that gets me where I need to go and a computer that does more than I need it to, I am now on my own, send me nothing! Lost it all! Lost my job, friends went to each others throats now I see almost none of them, my girl left me because 'I'm the nicest guy she's ever known, and she doesn't know what she'll do with out me', my car is now litterly falling apart, thank god for wire and duck tape, eh? Computer crashed out on me again, atleast it was only a harddrive and I lost most of my information... But I digress, I guess what I mean by that is things will change so freaking fast on us guys at this point in our life, take the ****ing help when it's offered) my parents, without a second thought, tossed the money my way. I'm from a lower middle class family, we aren't in a hard spot, but we never really have much wiggle room, so them dropping a little over two grand to help me out was a big deal for me. So, pay for college yourself, I'm proud that I am paying what I have been all along, but do take help when it's offered in smaller amounts. WC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiere Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 I guess part of why I want to pay for it myself is I've got 3 sisters and a brother. I'm the olderst, and my parents are probably gonna have to help all of them through college. That's a hefty amount of cash. Not to mention wanting to be independant, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorCleric Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 I hear ya man, it's a rough spot. Best thing to do about that is talk to your parents about it, it took a bit of pressing for me, but you just have to not take 'don't worry about it' as an answer. Just know there are varying degree's of independance. For instance, see if your school has some more permanent styled campus housing. I live in on campus apartments, It's a little more expensive than dorms, but what I get out it is an actual home, which means I can stay here in Buffalo year round and get a job that I don't ever have to leave for the summer. And since it's oncampus, I can put a bit of it on loans. Or check into getting a place off campus with some friends from school, pick housemates on how they maintain their own things over how close of friends you are. That way you are still a dependant, but you are more independant than dependant. WC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dogmeat Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 hmmm, seems we're lucky in New Zealand. Anyone going to university is eligible for an interest free student loan. But then again when you're in the work force taxes are quite high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwetton Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Yea if ur in the US the requirements for some financial aid differ based on the institution. forinstance I go to Arkansas State University, I qualify for a subsidised student loan, if i had went to Southern Baptist University in Bolivar MO i could have gotten awhole lot more. Its just findin loopholes at the institution that u want to go to, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tantangel Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 If your Uni is anything like mine is/was (since I'm not currently enrolled at least), if you work for the State or for the Uni, each credit is only like $5. The only thing is though, the jobs suck *** and you do a lot to get a little, but on the plus side, you finish school only paying bare minimal expenses and you're that much closer to having enough money saved up for marriage. I know one of the first people I met at my Uni used to work there doing Groundskeeping, and he said it was some of the hardest **** he's ever had to do, but on the plus side he was only paying a little to take classes. Suppose it depends on the person though and depends on the Uni if they want to do that or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiere Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Haha, I worked on groundskeeping at TCU last summer, though I wasn't going there. Hot as monkeys outside, but I kinda liked the job. Like being in a sauna for eight hours a day :} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibdivine Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 I pay a small amount for college I guess. 1700 for classes 1800 for dorms 1000 for mealplan (required in dorms) I get 2000 Pell Grant I get 3000 Loans I get 750 Scholarship So I have extra for school supplies and such... good thing I dont have a girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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