Wife's college registration/money issues

[msparish]

Alright, here is the deal. Currently my wife is attending school (as am I). She will most likely get a new job in the next week or two that won't allow her to go full time anymore. Not knowing what to do she is only registered part-time right now, but can add classes until Monday. It is too late to drop a class without still paying for it and getting a W on the transcript. Now, here is my dilema:

If she only goes part-time we will lose $1200 in grant money while tuition/fees only drop by about $614. She would also lose eligibility for $1500 of her Perkins Loan (no interest while she is in school). So, I am wondering about having her register for 12 credits and then just withdrawing from two classes to keep the money. Is about $600 worth a couple of W's on a transcript if you are a poor college student?

Note she currently has 3 W's on her transcript, but those were due to medical reasons, and the school said they would remove those. I am currently going full-time and preparing for med school while she is majoring in behavioral science and health. Once she graduates she may eventually go for a Masters degree, but not immediatley. So, what does everyone think?

 

[DingDingDao]

If at all possible try to avoid getting too many withdrawal notations on the transcript. It doesn't matter for jobs, but I guarantee that graduate schools will look at it and wonder why. It's only $600 -- if you can cut corners, it's possible to save that money elsewhere (other than on tuition)

 

[FoBoT]

why not get a job that doesn't conflict with classes and do both. nothing wrong with going to school full time and working full time

 

[imported_Tomato]

The fewer the W's the better... she can explain away the W's for medical reasons (you mentioned they can be removed completely), but she may be asked about the ones that aren't. Saving $600 might not be worth it, but I know that's a lot of money... good luck!

 

[EagleKeeper]

Ask her new employer if she can adjust work to allowtfor the classes that she has previously registered for.

She could either start off part-time or adjust her hours at work as needed.

Question becomes, why did she accept the job knowing that it would conflict with school and not work out a solution in advance.

 

[Linux23]

Question becomes, why did she accept the job knowing that it would conflict with school and not work out a solution in advance.

 

[msparish]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Ask her new employer if she can adjust work to allowtfor the classes that she has previously registered for.

She could either start off part-time or adjust her hours at work as needed.

Question becomes, why did she accept the job knowing that it would conflict with school and not work out a solution in advance.

She can take all of the classes she has registered for. I'm merely wondering if I should have her register for 4 more credits and then possibly withdraw from the class(es) later due to finances.

 

[digitalsm]

Well it depends. Is she at a 4 year university and isnt transfering?

What does she plan on doing? Go to grad/professional school?

If she plans to transfer to a different college or go to grad school, Id say avoid the two Ws.

I personally have two Ws and wish I could take them both back. One or two W's wont kill you, but more than that and you can pretty much forget about anything beyond undergrad, as after one or two, grad schools will start computing them as F's.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Could she take night classes to get those extra credits (for the extra $$$)

When (not if) the loan people ever take a look at the fact that classes were added at the last minute and then dropped, you could become disqualified.

The school will usually notify the finanical areas when courses are dropped below aid limits. Other students will have tried this before.

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Could she take night classes to get those extra credits (for the extra $$$)

When (not if) the loan people ever take a look at the fact that classes were added at the last minute and then dropped, you could become disqualified.

The school will usually notify the finanical areas when courses are dropped below aid limits. Other students will have tried this before.

Uh, as long as you are enrolled for 3/4s of the semester they dont care.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: digitalsm

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Could she take night classes to get those extra credits (for the extra $$$)

When (not if) the loan people ever take a look at the fact that classes were added at the last minute and then dropped, you could become disqualified.

The school will usually notify the finanical areas when courses are dropped below aid limits. Other students will have tried this before.

Uh, as long as you are enrolled for 3/4s of the semester they dont care.

The OP may be indicating that the class will be dropped as soon as the $$ show up.

 

[msparish]

Thanks for the input everyone, we've decided to just leave her registered part time to avoid the W's.