<p>Hello.</p>
<p>I'm the first person in my family to attend college (we're immigrants), so I have questions but I really don't have anyone to turn to (HS counselors are no help at all). So, I have a couple of questions and it would be great if anyone on CC can answer them. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>First, I don't really understand how federal loan works. Who do you pay to? Can interest rate ever increase? Once you are out of school, can you pay more than the minimum amount? How do you get the money? Do you get the money or is it automatically given to the college?</p>
<p>Second, how do college actuall give or financial aid money? Do they automatically deduct from what they charge you or will they charge you first and then later reimburse you with the money. Can you use financial aid moneys toward other thing like room and board or book instead of tuition. Also, is it possible for you to get way less financial aid the second, third and hopefully last years. I was given a reasonanbly good financial aid package, but I'm afraid that they are only being this generous because they want students to come to their school (sorry if I come across as being snotty, I don't mean it in anyway) and then once the student stay for their remaining years. I can afford my college with the offered fianncial aid package, but they if they cut a lot, I know I won't be able to afford the college.</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you a USA citizen?</li>
<li>What country did you immigrated from?</li>
<li>When you say “first generation,” do you mean you are a 1st generation college student or a first generation immigrant?</li>
<li>For loans, if they are subsidized, the government pays interest while you are in school and up to 6 months after you get out of school. </li>
<li>For unsubsidized (you should always avoid taking these out anyways), the interest accrues even while you are in school and you are responsible for those interest.</li>
<li>Yeah, HS counselors suck. You should get all of your information on CC. </li>
<li>Are you officially graduating from HS in Spring 2011 for sure?</li>
<li>What college are you going to?</li>
<li>For loans, you can pay back more than the minimum amount. Some people make so much money, that they just pay the whole amount of loans in one sweep and don’t have to pay interest (I’m actually trying to do this myself).</li>
<li>Yes, it is possible for you to get less financial aid your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years due to budget cuts. They are cutting National SMART Grant and ACG next year. :(</li>
<li>Yes, they automatically deduct straight from your account. Any money that is left over gets sent to you as a check where you can use the check for housing, travel, books, food, etc.</li>
<li>The money is automatically transferred to the college. </li>
<li>How much financial aid money are you getting this year?</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Yes, I am a USA citizen.</li>
<li>Vietnam (I came to the US when I was about 6)</li>
<li>First Generation College Student</li>
<li><p>If I don’t take out the unsubsidized loan, do you know of any place (bank?) that give out loan that don’t charge interest while you are in school?</p></li>
<li><p>I am officially graduating June 2011 and will be starting college August 2011.</p></li>
<li><p>My first choice is University of San Francisco (not UCSF, its a private Jesuit school), so hopefully I will end up there.</p></li>
<li><p>Will they cut a lot? Is it possible to only receive half of what you received the previous year.</p></li>
<li><p>USF was very generous ans gave me about 31 k in grants and scholarship and gave me about 7500 in loan (2000 is unsubsidized) and 4000 work study. With this aid, I can afford to attend USF, but if they cut my aid in half next year, then I won’t be able to afford USF and that will be a very big problem.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Also I’m not sure who you pay the federal loans back to after you graduate. I think the federal agency that you pay your loans back is on a county level, but I need to look this up. Can anyone help us out? I vaguely remember you have to look it up on the FAFSA website or something. I’m not sure if the agency is based on the location of your high school or the location of your university. What city is your high school in?</p></li>
<li><p>Did you went to school in USA from 1st grade through 12th grade? </p></li>
<li><p>Are you living in USF dorms or off campus?</p></li>
<li><p>Try to avoid taking out unsubsidized loans. I’m not sure if there are any other sources of subsidized loans. Also it is very possible to avoid taking out the $2,000 unsubsidized loans and still have enough to pay for everything because just ask your parents to pay for the books, food, cell phone bills, travel, etc. with cash. That should cover the $2,000.</p></li>
<li><p>Usually, they only cut a few thousand so like 10% not 50%.</p></li>
<li><p>What is your EFC? Did you fill out FAFSA, CSS Profile, etc.? Is USF a private or public school?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the entire cost of attendance at USF?</p></li>
<li><p>Can you give me a breakdown of the $31,000 in grants / scholarships and the break down of subsidized loans for $5,500 and the break down of $2,000 unsubsidized loans?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Your college will tell you which federal loan provider holds your loans, and the financial aid officer will help you learn about how this works.</p>
<p>Private loans from banks will almost always be less favorable than the federal loans. Again, you can get details from your college financial aid officer.</p>
<p>Usually colleges try to give you the same type of aid package for all four years. If your family financial situation changes, your aid might increase or decrease. Also, if some of your aid is a merit-based scholarship that requires a minimum GPA you could lose that scholarship if your GPA falls too far.</p>
<p>Some of your questions are specific to your personal situation and the package offered by your college. It is perfectly OK for you to phone the financial aid office and ask them about your aid package. They will be happy to answer all of your questions. Don’t be afraid of them!</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Did you receive CAL Grant, Federal Pell Grant, (also are there any other federal grants I’m missing?) ACG and National SMART Grant are cut, right?</p>