This is why I made sure to get good enough grades in high school that I got a lot of financial aid. And being borderline poor didn't hurt either, but I feel you pain, because I'm getting less aid this year, and it's only going to get smaller as I go on.
Just be glad that you have a dad that will loan you money. Trust me, it's better to owe a relative money than to owe it to some credit agency, or the government.
I feel your pain man, having to pay my way through grad school right now. Judging by some of your vocabulary, I'd assume you're from the UK? If that's the case, it may be rough, but count yourself lucky that you don't have to pay full tuition at a private college here in the States. You'd be in debt for the rest of your life.
Yep, it's a bummer. I'm working full time to save money for as much college as possible without a loan. I pissed away what I already had set aside so I deserve it. I will say one thing though, working your own way through college really makes you want to do well so you have a better chance of not getting stuck with a shit job. You also really learn the value of money, especially if you have to pay for rent, food, and any other personal expenses.
Know if asperger's syndrome qualifies for the criteria? I want in toooo! =P
@AjayRaz: It is easy, just boring really. I get paid $8/hour. My dad has been talking about bumping it up to $10/hour, which is nice since I get to do simple tasks. Still, its a boring environment.
That sucks, my grandparents lost a bunch of money in stocks before 9/11 which was my college fund :( Luckily I was able to get financial aid and they've made back some money so I don't have to take out too many loans.
@Skytylz said:
" Yah, i got a 4.0 gpa and a 31 on my ACT :) "
I got a 22, I can't stand math and the science part was all graphs and stuff that I didn't want to read, so I slept through most of it. I got like 27-30 in reading and English though thank god.
Well look at it this way, at east you don't have a 360 Slim to distract you from your studies. You also have the opportunity to go to school when others can't afford it. You don't have to worry about interest on the loan either. It's not the end of the world...
" The pimp move here would be to tell Dad to keep his money and arrange student loans on your own, then quit working for him and get a job elsewhere. "
We HAVE a winner!
Was about to say the same thing. Also, in case you weren't in the know: Money + Parents = Bad - 100% of the time.
@ATrevelan: Actually from Canada. I just pulled out bollocks for no particular reason. >.>
@MB: Ahaha, that would be sick. Except student loans requires lots of documentations. I don't think I can apply for that in time for college, now that it's eclipsing in within 2 months.
@Axxol: No, it isn't. Just teenage angst that's just driving me forward. =/
" That sucks, my grandparents lost a bunch of money in stocks before 9/11 which was my college fund :( Luckily I was able to get financial aid and they've made back some money so I don't have to take out too many loans.
@Skytylz said:
" Yah, i got a 4.0 gpa and a 31 on my ACT :) "
I got a 22, I can't stand math and the science part was all graphs and stuff that I didn't want to read, so I slept through most of it. I got like 27-30 in reading and English though thank god. "
I got a 34-35 in Math and Science, but English and Reading brought me down. Just the opposite of you.
@LiquidPrince: Langara College. Its just a local college.
Funny thing was, I set my eyes on going into the Arts Institute to learn about game design, but my dad says it was too expensive and that its a rip off. Now that I'm paying for my own shit, it kinda pisses me off even more that I didn't go to AI. Could be for the better though, not sure if I can even land a job for game design.
So do you have to pay him back everything? If so that sucks. I'm starting university next year and the deal with my parents is that I'm paying every other year, so basically half. They want me to be able to adjust the first year so I don't have to worry about finances but after that money from my part time job, still looking for one since I'm kinda in the same boat as you (working for my dad), will go toward paying off a good chunk of my fees. I've had this plan with my parents ever since I started high school so I can't even imagine being told not to worry about money than before school starts they say pay for it yourself, he should have gave you a heads up.
@RE_Player92: Yes... I believe so. Hopefully I can pay if off really gradually than pay the entire thing up. I'm not sure which I want to do, whichever is in the best of my capabilities I suppose.
Yeah, I just graduated from college and all my fees were paid by me. My dad paid for the first few semesters (there was a couple hundred bucks each semester that my scholarship didn't cover - like everyone else has said, good grades and academics are the easiest ways to get free money in college), but he added it to my "bill" - I had to pay him back over $4000 in the end, in little things I hadn't even known he had added. It sucked, but I think I really became more fiscally responsible because of it.
What really pissed me off was the fact that books cost me more than tuition most semesters. I mean, $200 + just for one or two books? And taking literature courses meant that I sometimes had 9-10 books to buy. Just for one class. Multiplied by five. Oh god it was awful.
Well I've been working at the same place for 5 years, about done with college, used college loans, and I'm not looking at any problems anytime soon. I've gotten probably too many games, have all of the current gen systems, and spent way too much on a macbook. I'm also hoping to be promoted into management at my current job. So what's the deal with Canada?
Oh man, this topic made me realize how I'm going to be heavily in debt for years after I get my university education. Sigh. I'll probably still be paying off my student loan by the time I'm 40.
Man, your dad was going to pay for 100% of your college tuition and now he's not going to pay for 100% of your college tuition. I feel for you, that's just about the worst fucking thing that could possibly happen.
The Army pays for my college no questions asked. That's an avenue you can look into. So all the money I make goes directly to other things like games, going out, and my own place.
Still, I worked for two and half years before deciding to go (have yet to apply), so I have enough money to keep myself afloat with other expenses while I'm there.
While I'm mostly against students taking on huge loans, it feels to me that the work-for-a-loan deal you have with your father is less than ideal. You could consider cutting that tie by taking on a student loan. Again, I'm usually against that kind of stuff if there are other options, but work and family rarely mix well.
" Where I live, college is free! Still, I worked for two and half years before deciding to go (have yet to apply), so I have enough money to keep myself afloat with other expenses while I'm there. "
College is never free. The money must come from somewhere.
@Ashby: I honestly can't believe that they can get away selling those books for outrageous prices and get away with it. Each new year the book only has maybe like a few tweaks in it (like maybe a new diagram and some typo fixes) and yet they make you force to buy it, even if you never use the whole content of the book. That's what I've been told and it sounds fucking awful.
@EpicSteve: Already looked that way and honestly it looks more attractive everytime I look that direction. I just need to work out more before seriously considering that route. Do they pay for college as long as you're enrolled there? Even for like 10 years?
@MiamiRedHawks: I don't think you see my view of point here. My dad essentially told me that he'll sort out all the money issues years back before, only to make me loan money from him at the last second. What kind of crap is that? I probably would've accepted it as a fact if he told me at least a year in advance instead of telling me 2 months before college starts.
@Binman88: You live in Poland by any chance? I knew someone who was from Poland and she joked that someone who would hold a diploma would be working at McDonalds. =P
@EpicSteve: Already looked that way and honestly it looks more attractive everytime I look that direction. I just need to work out more before seriously considering that route. Do they pay for college as long as you're enrolled there? Even for like 10 years?
The best thing to do is join the Army National Guard. Depending on what MOS (job) you choose when you enlist, you'll go train for a couple of months. You'll come back home and live the civilian life. Expect to deploy about twice in an average 6 year contract. Depending on what kind of unit you're in and the status of the war. I'm in a Cavalry unit, so we deploy more often. They'll pay 100% tuition and the only thing you're responsible for is books. They also assist with loans you owe. The Army will pay for 4 years of education, for details on that contact a recruiter. If you're ever serious contact me before signing the dotted line, I can probably hook you up with something.
@Meteora: Langara... well they do have the higher fees of the college's in the lower mainland... I think it's up to $120/credit hour? It's been awhile since I looked. If you need cheap transit, at least they currently have a U-Pass... and the cost is going down if the province can finish figuring out how to make a standardized U-Pass contract work for metro Vancouver (hint: it's not going well so far).
Look on the bright side... BC has some of the highest tuition fees in Canada, but it's nothing compared to the States. Be dubious of Canada student loans. Unless they've changed the rules, you're almost better off getting a standard bank loan, or getting your dad to co-sign a line of credit that you can use to cover your semester tuition. If you can keep your debt in smaller chunks and can pay as you go, you'll be better off than $30k in the hole after 4 years. I'd also watch out for those private college's like Ai... they don't always have a great record of connecting students with work once the program is complete. Something like BCIT would give you, at least, something approaching a more affordable entryway into programming/computer science... and it's just down the road from the EA Campus.
You're too young to be this defeated and put out. We can't always have what we want, but if you can come up with a goal and a plan, you'll at least be a step ahead of a lot of people. Chin up!
@EpicSteve: Thanks but no thanks, I live in Canada so we have two different armies. Doubt you can hook me up to anything up here in the north. =P Thanks for the information though.
@Rasgueado: I was thinking about applying for BCIT, but then for some reason I kinda didn't apply. I think it was because its a little too late for me now, and I think I might want to get some basic foundation shit out of the way in college. Though honestly, I have no clue what I'm doing here. Just trying to get into a college is my priority.
I feel your pain man. I'm paying €6000 over the course of 4 years to do my University course, as well as a €1650 registration fee on top of that. So much for free education >>
I honestly think you're in a good position. You've got flexible work hours and access to a source of money that's better than student loans. The reason parents loan money is so that a third party doesn't profit from interest.
Take lotsa classes, find something to help work go by (iPod, book, web surfing, etc). Will totally be worth it.
@RVonE: It's funded by the government, which in turn means it's funded by our taxes. But it's free for me in the sense that I don't have to pay any tuition fees.
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