Student Loans

I guess my main concern is wanting to have the college experience of being able to live on campus. If I commute it is going to be 60 miles (one way, round trip of 120miles). IF i get classes 2 days a week I think i will be fine. but this is a lot of commuting if i have to go more than 2 days a week.

 

For what it's worth, I graduated in 96 and I'm still paying off loans, about 10,000 left. I had to defer the payments for several years, yeah, I know it racked up the interest but it was either that or not pay at all. Was it worth it? Probably not, I definitely could have gone to a cheaper school and still got the same jobs after graduating. If you are dead set on going to the 30,000 school, just prepare yourself for many years worth of paying. I don't know what present interest rates are but I know I'm only paying 100/month for mine.

 

Im starting to think that 60k is not worth having the time of my life for just 2 years. I just dont want to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

defer loans if you need to. just dont miss any payments.

you're getting a degree in accounting, there is definitely money to be made. finding a job right out of school is tough, but i am willing to bet with a degree in your field you can find something full time with benefits. ask your friends or there parents if they can hook you up a position or someone to get in touch with. do extracurriculars to meet people- its not what you know, its who you know.

i went to a private school in state for 4 years at 35 a year, with minimal scholarship help. i have a job in a field completely unrelated to my degree, but a job none the less.

dont sweat the loans, if you need them, take them. do what others said, apply for obscure scholarships. enjoy college, learn a lot, and do not be stuck in the mindset "how can i pay for this" because you will not make 10 bucks an hour for the rest of your life.

 

Great post. Do NOT take out loans unless you absolutely have to. I went to college on the GI Bill, then went to community college and transferred to a four-year. It can be done cheaply, don't sheepishly take out loans.

 

A degree in accounting cost 60 K ?? I paid 8 k for a b.s. in applied science
and 3 k for an a&p

Isn't there any good communinty colleges around there?

 

It's overrated. It's better to have the time of your life after college knowing you saved $50K. You could also consider renting a room near the college if 60 miles is too far. FWIW, I did the 60 mile college commute Monday-Thursday while working a full time job. It's do-able.

 

I worked a full time during school, but needed assistance to pay all of my tuition and buy books and supplies. I started off with a bunch of scholarships, but pissed them away by being an idiot. The loans helped me continue on and fix the issue. Granted, I am paying for it now, but it is totally worth it, to me.

I have 30k in student loans and I am not going to pay them off in 25 years. F that noise, I'm going to pay mine off in under 10. I have a decent job, I make my silly truck payment and my student loan payments. End of the day, the student loans funded my ability to go to school and have a job that I wanted, not just what I could get. Thinking about a student loan as an investment in yourself is the way to look at it.

 

I agree that loans are good if you're bettering yourself. I don't think anyone is saying they're bad, but why take out $60K in loans if you can get the same degree for $10K? Even better if you can do it with no loans whatsoever.

 

You guys all make good points. Its hard to decide when time is running out. A positive way to look at going to a local cal state would be not having loans when i graduate. The money I make at my future job would all be mine. I would not have to pay for a student loan.

 

good point. where you go to school doesn't mean nearly as much as how much experience you have (ie. internships). once you graduate and start looking for jobs your heart will sink after reading "experience a must" on every single job description you look at. one of my college room mates graduated from clemson with a comp sci degree and couldn't find a job for over a year. everyone kept telling him they'd rather see a 2 year tech school degree and 2 years experience than a 4 year degree with no experience

 

i agree you should not miss out on your college experience, but why not go somewhere cheaper? college is a must. even if you don learn anything its worth the money to just have fun for 2 years (not 60k but its worth maybe 25 or 30k). find someplace cheaper, then go have the time of your life!

 

I think my plan is to go to this local college for a year (commute 120 RT) then transfer to another college for my last year of college. This way I can still have one year of having fun. Does this sound like a good plan. The college that I will be commuting is not a school where I want to stay at. I sort of want to get a way from all the people i once knew before. Like get a fresh start. Im sure most of you guys can relate to that when you guys left for college.

 

Investigate the college's policy regarding transfer credits. Some require a minimum number of credits at their university to get a degree from them. You don't want to take a class twice because you exceeded the maximum number of credits they'll take.

 

doesn't sound like a bad idea. so why this one college though? is there not one you would want to stay at that is cheaper? maybe somewhere else in state, or possibly an out of state school that does not charge out of state fees. i know there are some schools in georgia that south carolinians can go to without having to pay the huge out of state prices and vice versa. i'm just trying to get a feel for your options and the reasons you've picked the 30k per year school. and yes, i can definitely relate to the fresh start. everyone needs a fresh start from time to time. all i know, is college will be the most fun of your life and it would be a shame not to get at least a little taste of it

very good point. i transfered to clemson from a tech school and all those countless hours of spanish i "had to have to transfer" ended up not being needed at all for my major and so they only transfered as electives, which meant i got to take zero electives at clemson. no fly fishing or shotgun or kayaking classes for me, it was all core classes for my major.