Full time school, part time (or no time) work?

Question

I am 25 years old and just (as in today) getting out of a four year relationship. I suddenly realized that my next step is to finish college (i think i have like half a year of credits). I know how my mind and attitude works, and I'm certian that I won't be comfortable with my performance at school if I am being distracted by the burdens of a full time job. I'd like to quit work altogether and go to school full time. Or at least only work part time. I know there are ways to do this, I just don;t know what those ways are. I don't have any children and one can usually rent a room around the college i wish to attend for 300 a mo (or less). What do i need to do? NOTE: Answeres who don;t like to get detailed, please move on.

Answer 1

It is possible (common, in fact) for students to receive Financial Aid (grants, loans, scholarships) that covers *not only* their tuition but *also* numerous other educational expenses including off-campus housing. Essentially, your school's Financial Aid Office must establish a "Cost of Attendance" (a.k.a "COA" or "budget") for each and every applicant. This COA will determine the maximum amount of financial aid that you can receive. Any COA will at least include tuition + fees -- but most schools also include some additional expenses. Regulations allow a school to include the following items:

-- tuition & fees
-- room & board (whether it be on- or off-campus)
-- a "reasonable amount" for books, supplies (in some cases, a computer), transportation, miscellaneous expenses
-- dependent care
-- study abroad expenses
-- loan fees
-- employment expenses for co-op study

COA items are added/removed at the school's discretion, and not all schools will include all of these items. Some schools will allow you to request the addition of any of the above items that apply to you (i.e. if you need a computer, you can ask them to add it and they will do so [or not] at their discretion).

If you think this might enable you to attend school full-time, begin applying to schools and for financial aid (ideally, simultaneously). Your first step should always be the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). For the fastest processing time, file it online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov (use only the official site from the Dept. of Ed). Beware of other FAFSA sites; they tend to be scam companies that charge you to file an application that would otherwise be free). If you truly do need assistance with the form, free help is available at your schools, local high schools, libraries, and online (http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/2006_2007/index.html ).

Your school will use your FAFSA results to determine your eligibility for federal aid, state aid and, often, instutitional aid. Among the types of aid that you will be considered for:

* Federal Pell Grant (for the neediest applicants)
* Federal Stafford Loan
* Federal SEO Grant (if your school is authorized to administer this type of aid)
* Federal Perkins Loan (if your school is authorized to administer this type of aid)
* Federal College Work-Study Program (if your school is authorized to administer this type of aid)
* State grants/loans (usually for needy students who attend a school in the state in which they reside)
* Institutional grants/loans (a wide variety of aid awarded based on a wide variety of criteria, including need, merit, scholastic acheivement, community service, etc.). Check with your schools to see what programs they offer to their applicants.
* Private scholarship aid: this can come from any number of sources. For some ideas, try your local library, church, organization/associations near you, your former high school, your future schools' Fin Aid offices, or the internet:

http://www.fastweb.com
http://www.srnexpress.com
http://www.scholarships.com
http://www.scholarships101.com
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
http://services.princetonreview.com/default.asp?RUN=%2Fcollege%2Ffinance%2Fscholar%2FscholInterview%2Easp&RCN=auth&RDN=7&ALD=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eprincetonreview%2Ecom
http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_free_money.jsp

Now, generally, grant aid isn't enough to cover all of your tuition costs AND housing/fees/books/food. As such, you may need to resign yourself to borrowing student loans. This isn't a horrible option -- in fact, about 2/3 of college students borrow loans to fund some or all of their education. The average undergraduate leaves school with about $19K in debt. While they probably aren't happy about it, they manage: in fact, the most recent national default rate was reported as 4.5%, which isn't bad.

Do yourself a favor and check out the website http://www.finaid.org -- it's the most comprehensive financial aid site I know, highly lauded by students and FA administrators alike. It presents the info in plain language but doesn't over-simplify to the point of misinforming the student. Everything from scholarships to loans, applying to repaying is covered here. They even offer advice about appealing FA packages and maximizing your eligibility.

Answer 2

I realized that, by the age of 24, I was eligible for all kinds of student loans. 24 is the magic age when you don't have to put your parents financial info. on the application. I took everything I could get, which came out to about 5,000/semester. I also worked about 20 hrs/week. This got me by pretty well with enough time to study. I majored in chemistry at N.C. State btw which is pretty study intensive. Not to mention Raleigh NC has about the highest cost of living in the state.
Warning: I am now paying off my student loans plus a credit card. Watch out for that. It's a pain in the a$$. The good news is you can claim your student loan interest on your tax return and get a little more back.

Answer 3

When I went back my first semester I went back part time just to get used to going back to school and to get back into the swing of things again.You can always check about jobs related to your area of int erst when you go back to college check with the adult coordinator at the college your planning on attending.My second semester I went back full time and worked part time.You can also see if the college you want to attend offers on-line courses I do not trust the on-line colleges advertised on the Internet.I have taken some on-line courses where I can work at my own pace

Answer 4

I currently work part time and go to school full time. I also take classes on line which fit into my schedule very well. As for your situation the first thing to do would be to contact the college of your choice to see what they have to offer. From there check into financial aid that is available to you. If you are able to quit work and go to school full time and still be able to pay your bills and that option works for you, then go for it. Going full time would allow you to complete your degree requirements faster.

Answer 5

Seeing as you don't have kids or other mentioned people you are responsible for, I would go to school full time, work parttime, and just finish school as fast as possible. You are young, and have plenty of time to work full time for the rest of your life. If housing is only $300(?!) a month, this sounds reasonable as long as you are serious about school. You can do it!

Answer 6

I would at least contact the school and see what they have to offer in the area of residence

Answer 7

you should visit http://www.catzone.org and find part time jobs with studies in many countries of the world.