STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Claudia · Gucci

*sigh*

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

What was their reason for denying you aid?

honey · Gucci

i'm so sorry. can you take out loans, i know that may not be the best option, but it's something to consider.

Claudia · Gucci

Supposely, my family's income is enough..yeah right! My parents have enough money to pay all the bills we have. But I have a younger sis(senior in hs) and a lil brother, and an older bro and kids are expensive! I know I am.

honey · Gucci

Claudia wrote:

Supposely, my family's income is enough..yeah right! My parents have enough money to pay all the bills we have. But I have a younger sis(senior in hs) and a lil brother, and an older bro and kids are expensive! I know I am.

that sucks. one day (fingers crossed) if i have enough money, i actually want to set up a scholarship specifically to help people in your situation. maybe you can talk to your financial aid advisor (they had one at my undergrad, so i'm assuming every school has one) maybe he/she can advise you on your options.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

Claudia wrote:

Supposely, my family's income is enough..yeah right! My parents have enough money to pay all the bills we have. But I have a younger sis(senior in hs) and a lil brother, and an older bro and kids are expensive! I know I am.

You should still be able to take out Stafford Unsubsidized loans. I had friends in college that had more money than god and they still took out those loans. You should also look into private loans. Start will Sallie Mae. They are terrific.

Don't give up hope! I put myself completely through undergrad on my own and it was mostly with loans. You can do it!

Tara · Dooney & Bourke

Claudia wrote:

I don't have a job. I've applied for a couple of jobs, but I haven't recieved a response. I think it's because I don't have work experience. I guess I'll apply for a job on-campus.

You should be able to get some Federal Student Loans - just make sure you fill out the FAFSA! Also, a roommate of mine actually declared herself an independent b/c her family couldn't pay the expensive private school tuition. That helped to her get more grants from the school as well as larger federal loans.

Also, as an aside - I worked 3 jobs during college. On campus jobs are pretty easy to come by. Do you qualify for workstudy? If so, you will be able to find a job quickly (most of the income is paid for by the gov't, so the university only ends up having to pay like $2-3 an hour. Thus, workstudy jobs are VERY easy to get). Even if you do not qualify for financial aid directly through the university, you may still qualify for workstudy.

Hope that helps!

Claudia · Gucci

Thanks girls! My parents got a loan to get me through my first semester, but they were hoping on the financial aid.

I know there's still hope, but I as well was depending on the financial aid. I did qualify for an on campus job. I'll probably go tomorrow to the university and get more information.

Thanks again girls for hearing me out. I really really appreciate. I feel much better.

jacL · Coach

I didn't even qualigy for work-study. I had to take out Stafford unsubsiduzed loans--I think everyone can get those, to cover tiotion. I then had to take out private student losnd from Citibank. I had a few jobs, including on on campus, but the campus ones always paid more than minimum wage.

kenzie · Chanel

That sucks! I qualified for financial aid, but it wasn't nearly enough to cover everything. I took out tons of loans and incurred tons of debt. And I'm doing it again right now for my second degree. I didn't qualify for aid (again!), which I find ridiculous (of course, they went by last year's earnings, which are significantly higher than what I make now, but still, I'm miffed!).

Have you talked to your financial aid office about other options?

Claudia · Gucci

I'm going to UHD today and talk to my financial aid advisor. I'm going to get more information on campus jobs. Hopefully, it's nothing like cleaning. lol. If it's nothing that I'm interested in I'll just continue applying at other jobs. I'll let you guys know when I go to UHD

lsubatgirl · Gucci

If it won't kill your parents on their income taxes don't let them declare you as a dependent next year and you will be able to get grants and stuff since you will have little to no income of your own.

Claudia · Gucci

well, I went to the school today and they told me they were going to post jobs the first day of school. I'll see what happens. And stood like 45 minutes in line for them to tell me that since they wouldn't anwer the stupid phone!

Andrea Julia · Coach

honey wrote:

Claudia wrote: Supposely, my family's income is enough..yeah right! My parents have enough money to pay all the bills we have. But I have a younger sis(senior in hs) and a lil brother, and an older bro and kids are expensive! I know I am. that sucks. one day (fingers crossed) if i have enough money, i actually want to set up a scholarship specifically to help people in your situation. maybe you can talk to your financial aid advisor (they had one at my undergrad, so i'm assuming every school has one) maybe he/she can advise you on your options.

First of all, Claudia, I feel your pain. This happened to me as well. I had too much money for financial aid, but my parents did not have any extra money to give me for college. I really wanted to be considered "independent" for financial aid purposes, which meant that they would only use my income in determining eligibility for financial aid. I thought that would make sense since I was paying for college myself and I was receiving no money for anything from my parents. They provided a free place to live and food, but not one other thing. I filed taxes independently, but to be considered independent for financial aid purposes, you either have to be over 23, have a child, be an orphan or ward of the court, a veteran, or married. I even know a girl who didn't even talk to her parents anymore and totally supported herself who could not be considered "independent" for financial aid. They still had to take her parents income into account. It really sucked because it seemed like everyone else either qualified for financial aid or had school paid for by their parents. I had to pay for it full price by myself.

On a positive side, the government has to give you loans that cover at least your tuition. You may have to pay interest on them (unsubsidized loan) if you don't even qualify for the no-interest loans (subsidized), but at least you can go to college for sure.

And honey, I have that same thought, all the freakin time. I will make them write an essay about it and choose the best one. I'm sure anyone in that situation can write an impassioned essay on the subject.

Andrea Julia · Coach

lsubatgirl wrote:

If it won't kill your parents on their income taxes don't let them declare you as a dependent next year and you will be able to get grants and stuff since you will have little to no income of your own.

Maybe it is different in NJ, but my parents were not claiming me as a dependent anymore and I still could not be considered independent on the FAFSA. I even tried calling them to see if there was any way I could be considered independent on the FAFSA since I filed taxes independently and was not receiving funds from anywhere but my part time job. They said no and I called every semester, just in case they changed their mind.

-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 13:52, 2005-08-16