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College students: How do you afford this madness?!

TridenT

TridenT

Lifer
Seriously... I don't know how I am going to afford this:

$500 for rent+util /month (REQUIRED)
$200 for food /month (REQUIRED)
$200 for car /month (REQUIRED)
$350-400 a term for books (YEAH, THAT'S KINDA REQUIRED TOO, DUH)
$70 a term for a fucking parking pass (MAAAAAAAYBE IF I FIND FREE FUCKING PARKING, BUT GOOD LUCK WITH THAT)
!?WTF?!

Ugh.

I need to find some kind of scholarship that pays for my books.
 
I didn't buy books in college. Tough, but feasible with a bit of work. Rent/Food, yea well you have to pay that wherever youare in life. The only other suggestions are get a CHEAP car/bike. And for parking pass.... well at least where I went to school, there were ways around it. I had to be creative, but I pretty much got through an entire two semesters without buying a parking pass. I did incur one $15 parking fine when I got caught once. *shrugs*
 
What school requires you to have a car???

Damn that rent is cheap as hell. Where's that at???

The books aren't too expensive.

Parking is reasonable as well.
 
How is a car required? Move closer to campus. I don't buy books unless I need to either. Also, $200 for a car is damn cheap for someone your age. If it was that cheap I would have had a car years ago.
 
Cuda1447 said:
I didn't buy books in college. Tough, but feasible with a bit of work. Rent/Food, yea well you have to pay that wherever youare in life. The only other suggestions are get a CHEAP car/bike. And for parking pass.... well at least where I went to school, there were ways around it. I had to be creative, but I pretty much got through an entire two semesters without buying a parking pass. I did incur one $15 parking fine when I got caught once. *shrugs*
Click to expand...

Not possible in my situation... Books = required.

Yes, I know.

My car is cheap/free. The insurance and gas isn't. I pay $120/month in gas and $80/month in insurance.

I have no clue how the parking system where I am works, but I assume there isn't much of an easy way to get around it...
 
$500 is less than the rent I pay to live with a roommate in a studio

Don't buy books/find places that sell the books cheaper

Parking passes are like $200-$300 at my college
 
coldmeat said:
How is a car required? Move closer to campus. I don't buy books unless I need to either. Also, $200 for a car is damn cheap for someone your age. If it was that cheap I would have had a car years ago.
Click to expand...

Required because I am not going to let my car sit at my parents' house for 9 months at a time letting it wither away... Moving closer to campus increases rent and noise (I love my sleep...) exponentially. Car is already paid for, insurance and gas isn't. :< Oh, and I am not selling my car either! Car is required! It is an invaluable resource for me!

zerocool84 said:
What school requires you to have a car???

Damn that rent is cheap as hell. Where's that at???

The books aren't too expensive.

Parking is reasonable as well.
Click to expand...

The public transit is good, but I like having the option to go wherever whenever and not waiting or scheduling things.

It's not my own place... It would be shared with someone(s) else.

I'm just guessing.

That's assuming I get a spot AND that I live or carpool with someone who also goes the college with me. Otherwise it is rape in your butthole time for the price you have to pay.
 
TridenT said:
Required because I am not going to let my car sit at my parents' house for 9 months at a time letting it wither away... Moving closer to campus increases rent and noise (I love my sleep...) exponentially. Car is already paid for, insurance and gas isn't. :< Oh, and I am not selling my car either! Car is required! It is an invaluable resource for me!



The public transit is good, but I like having the option to go wherever whenever and not waiting or scheduling things.

It's not my own place... It would be shared with someone(s) else.

I'm just guessing.

That's assuming I get a spot AND that I live or carpool with someone who also goes the college with me. Otherwise it is rape in your butthole time for the price you have to pay.
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"waaahh I can't afford this"

"Live cheaper"

"But I don't wannnnt tooo!!!"

Uh-huh.
 
41133103.jpg

Dropping my mediatory meal plan for freshman by asking
Having the cheapest room on campus
$1500 in Scholarships
Hope pays for tuition and most of my books
Once I get out of Marine Corps OCS I'll have $6000 + stipend per semester
Living off campus next year will be $200 more for me. IMHO it's worth it for me and i can afford it. Also the fact that the cheapest room next fall for non-freshman will be around $300 a month. $177.50 is my rent right now.

right now just living off of savings (lots of photography in high school ) I should be able to through my undergrad even if the Marine Corps OCS falls through

Oh and I don't have car, sold it. Gas + taxes + insurance = Huge money loss
I do miss it 🙁
 
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TridenT said:
Seriously... I don't know how I am going to afford this:

$500 for rent+util /month (REQUIRED)
$200 for food /month (REQUIRED)
$200 for car /month (REQUIRED)
$350-400 a term for books (YEAH, THAT'S KINDA REQUIRED TOO, DUH)
$70 a term for a fucking parking pass (MAAAAAAAYBE IF I FIND FREE FUCKING PARKING, BUT GOOD LUCK WITH THAT)
!?WTF?!

Ugh.

I need to find some kind of scholarship that pays for my books.
Click to expand...

1) Since when is a car required?
2) $500 for rent is actually pretty cheap.
3) I paid $100 for books this semester.
4) Again, car isn't required, and $70 isn't horrible.

I'm surprised you didn't include tuition on that list of whine.
 
It's called financial aid and/or finding a part-time job or two. Even if you don't qualify for any grants, there are still loans and/or work-study opportunities.

Your costs aren't really that bad. Aside from tuition I pay $1095/mo for rent, $150-200/mo on food, ~$60/mo on gas for what little driving I actually do, $100-200/qtr on books (buying older editions where possible saves tons of money.) I have a car but I take the bus to/from school. Otherwise it'd cost $200/qtr just for a parking pass, and it's no guarantee because I'd have to enter a lottery just to try to get one.
 
Bullhonkie said:
It's called financial aid and/or finding a part-time job or two. Even if you don't qualify for any grants, there are still loans and/or work-study opportunities.

Your costs aren't really that bad. Aside from tuition I pay $1095/mo for rent, $150-200/mo on food, ~$60/mo on gas for what little driving I actually do, $100-200/qtr on books (buying older editions where possible saves tons of money.) I have a car but I take the bus to/from school. Otherwise it'd cost $200/qtr just for a parking pass, and it's no guarantee because I'd have to enter a lottery just to try to get one. Driving in LA is a nightmare so I avoid it whenever possible, but at the same time you need a car to get places.
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Holy god rent is expensive!

I just signed my lease for an 'Luxury' student apartment with 3 other guys for $409 a month! I guess thats the advantage of not going to school in a city...
 
Sumguy said:
1) Since when is a car required?
2) $500 for rent is actually pretty cheap.
3) I paid $100 for books this semester.
4) Again, car isn't required, and $70 isn't horrible.

I'm surprised you didn't include tuition on that list of whine.
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Tuition is waived. ()🙂

Bullhonkie said:
It's called financial aid and/or finding a part-time job or two. Even if you don't qualify for any grants, there are still loans and/or work-study opportunities.

Your costs aren't really that bad. Aside from tuition I pay $1095/mo for rent, $150-200/mo on food, ~$60/mo on gas for what little driving I actually do, $100-200/qtr on books (buying older editions where possible saves tons of money.) I have a car but I take the bus to/from school. Otherwise it'd cost $200/qtr just for a parking pass, and it's no guarantee because I'd have to enter a lottery just to try to get one.
Click to expand...

Financial aid won't do me any good unless it gives me completely free money for my books and other stuff and it does not apply to my tuition at all... Oh, and my parents' "income" is too high probably. Last time I applied for financial aid they gave me an EFC of like 35k. >_>
 
I pay $300 a semester for parking, so in comparison yours is cheap.

Either you move out to a dorm and don't have a car or you commute and live at home.
You are trying to keep everything and complain that it costs too much.

A car is not required, so leave it at home or sell it.
If not then commute to school if possible..
 
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Montgomery GI Bill and Navy College Fund. Otherwise I'd need student loans, and those have to be paid back with interest. (I think.)
 
Hmm, that's not too bad...

I thought I had it easy with:
1. Remaining Tuition after scholarships: 12k$ per annum
2. Housing: 16k$ per annum
3. Books: 750$ per annum
4. Assorted Student "fees": 1k$ per annum

With food, that was about 3k$ per month.

How it was funded:
1. Saved up 30k$ during High School working ass off.
2. Got 6 courses waived due to AP/college credits.
3. Co-op program.

Advice: (In no particular order)
1. Lose the car
2. Get a part-time job
3. Take out a Fed. Sub. Stafford Loans
4. Sign up for merit-based scholarships as they become available. Even the small 500$ ones help significantly.
 
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