Curse

**cosyfiep** · Feb 28, 2008, 06:07 AM // 06:07

yes college is still expensive (been out of mine for 20 years now

---and I went to a private college and back then the tuition---just tuition not room and board was over 10k a year! My husband and I attending the same college---I was lucky and had parents that could afford to send me [and the insurance check from when my dad died my freshman year paid for the rest]. My husband was not soo lucky, after graduating he had a 25k debt to sallie mae and another 5k or so to perkins....and that was just for 2 1/2 years---he had saved up the cash for the first year by starting late and working his asssss off during summers.)

There are ways to pay for college. No where is it written that you MUST attend an expensive school to get a good education. There are MANY community colleges offering the freshman classes needed for most degrees---and they are usually transferable. I have nieces and nephews that are college age right now---one is starting this fall and taking classes at the local community college to get ahead now.

State school are still less expensive for the most part---look into them.
Scholarships are there for the applying---you wont know if you dont apply.
Grades!!! Many schools offer incoming students scholarships based on good grades (even my crappy b average got me a small scholarship my first year).
Work/study programs...look into these as well.

My husband applied for every scholarship and grant he could get--and some of them had no one else applying for them so he got them (part of why we only had to pay 30k or so instead of what it really cost)...

I know it can be daunting to look at the cost of a school and wonder how in this lifetime you can pay for it---

I know I have been there, and with some creative ways we got thru it.

Good luck to those of you just starting out!

(now the bad story....while attending college I had a friend whose parents were reaching retirement age...and so they wanted to start saving for that, well she lost her loans/scholarship because the financial aid people said if her parents had the money to put into savings they had plenty to pay for her education

what a mixed up school I went to....she eventually got aid from perkins loans to finish up.....)

Issac · Feb 29, 2008, 03:24 AM // 03:24

Ya, college is expensive as hell, but in the age we live in now it seems that without a college degree you can't get really far.

Kapral · Mar 01, 2008, 08:31 AM // 08:31

I don't pay a dime for college out of my pocket, however I have about $5000 a year in loans (rest was paid from grants :-D) so after 5 years (taking it semi-slow plus switching my major... again!) it's $25000 in loans, that's not so bad considering I will have a job paying me more than $50,000 a year.

Kanyatta · Mar 01, 2008, 04:46 PM // 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by maraxusofk

......... in california the tuition for uc berkeley is 7000 a year. imagine that 7000 for the best public university in america and one of the top 10 graduate programs of any school, for 7000 still!

I'm going to need pics before I believe that. I am personally going to Michigan Tech next year for college, and, since I live in Wisconsin, I'm looking at $23,000/year. If I lived in Michigan, it would be around $16,000/year. Keep in mind, that's all before scholarships. I doubt a prestigious university like UC-Berkley is 7k/year without some serious scholorshipping.

And to say "but colleges need money to stay open!" is kind of not applicable. With all the money they get from tuition, they really are never strapped for cash.

Barack Obama 08 for less expensive higher education.

Yang Whirlwind · Mar 02, 2008, 01:34 AM // 01:34

Glad to be living in a country where college education is free!
Here students are whining about paying something like 300-600$ for a full years worth of books!

Winterclaw · Mar 02, 2008, 02:02 AM // 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Issac

Ya, college is expensive as hell, but in the age we live in now it seems that without a college degree you can't get really far.

Tell that to Bill Gates.

Honestly college is good and helps (if it isn't necessary for your chosen profession) but it isn't for everyone and there are ways of making it without going there. If you have some sort of skill, know and surround yourself with the right people, and get a few breaks you can do a lot without going to college. I would say college can open doors but it isn't the only way to do so. Even with a degree you aren't gaurnteed to go far.

RPGmaniac · Mar 02, 2008, 02:09 AM // 02:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yang Whirlwind

Glad to be living in a country where college education is free!
Here students are whining about paying something like 300-600$ for a full years worth of books!

WHAT?!

Wow, those poor people

Yang Whirlwind · Mar 02, 2008, 03:54 PM // 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGmaniac

WHAT?!

Wow, those poor people

Yup! It takes money away from their café budget! Poor young people!
I actually forgot to mention that you get money from the state while you study in Denmark! Not a whole lot, but plenty to pay for those books!

Dev121 · Mar 02, 2008, 04:59 PM // 16:59

Most they can ask for in the U.K for a uni course (Just at university, Law Schools ect are different) is £3,125 a year (roughly $6,250) thats just for course cost, then theres accomodation ect but its worth it in the long run.

Inde · Mar 03, 2008, 03:58 PM // 15:58

Just as a note, I recently saw an article stating that Stanford is making college tutition free for those whose families make less then 100k a year. If you family makes less then 60k a year then room & board are free as well. Colleges are starting to change their ways. Of course, it is still extremely difficult to get into any Ivy League college but as far as affording it they are starting to take steps.

Winterclaw · Mar 03, 2008, 04:44 PM // 16:44

Inde, that's only possible because a few colleges have trusts or other sources of income such that they don't need to charge tuition. I think I heard that Harvard is making so much money they could let all of their students go there for free and still turn a profit.

Dante the Warlord · Mar 03, 2008, 08:53 PM // 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterclaw

Inde, that's only possible because a few colleges have trusts or other sources of income such that they don't need to charge tuition. I think I heard that Harvard is making so much money they could let all of their students go there for free and still turn a profit.

Harvard is offering a 10% income fee, mainly that you only pay 10% of your families income, which is great

. But its hard getting into these kinda schools, ive aspired to go to Stanford or an ivy league school. Im thinking the massive amount of competition lets them make a lot of money solely on entrance fees the lesser fees probably makes them make money in the long runs, since more people will attempt to get in. But still I think that scholarships would be one of my best bets in going to college.

Its funny how many kids in my school want to go into an ivy league school though, amazingly about 25% of the kids in my school get to go there.