Hello everyone, I am new to college confidential so forgive me if I am posting in the wrong place. I want to know how can I obtain enough aid money to pay for my University and cover the cost of living without loans. I am a second bachelor student and after my parents lost their house, I lost the biggest money saver of all and that is being able to live with my parents rent free.
Due to this I had to take out loans, while working and going to school. I have roughly about 26,000 in debt and would like to not have to make that number go any higher. My stats are not impressive so when it comes to merit I am not the one that many look at as being competitive. I will list my stats below:
Part time student
Second Bachelors seeking
cumulative GPA 2.4
Institutional GPA 2.5
I am pursuing a degree in computer science, and I am a Haitian American woman age 29 ;). Are there any scholarships that I can sign up for, that I would qualify for (although I know there are no guarantees)?
TLDR;
Woman in second bachelors for computer science. GPA 2.5 institutional, need grants, scholarships, money, etc.
There really isn’t “free money” for those getting second bachelors degrees.
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am a second bachelor student and after my parents lost their house, I lost the biggest money saver of all and that is being able to live with my parents rent free.
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Where are you living now? Are you working? You may have to try to get a job that offers some sort of education benefits.
I have one $500 dollar foundation scholarship that is offered through the school, yes, Florida Atlantic University. So I am quite positive that scholarships are offered to students, whether they are second bachelor seeking or not.
I should have mentioned it myself, so sorry for leaving that bit out. I am currently subleasing, and have previously sought out rooms for rent that are low cost. I am by no means a young spring chicken in where I am helpless, but sometime requesting the knowledge of others garners more efficient help than going it alone.
My first degree is in English, and as I am pursuing my degree I am opting towards part time jobs, and they rarely pay for your education. I am a part time library aid, and I am also doing work study this Fall. That gives me around 30-35 hrs wkly.
I’m not sure you can do what you’re wanting to do, unfortunately.
Have you considered going to PBSC as a transient student and getting some gen-eds out of the way a little less expensively than FAU (not that it’s a huge help)? Take a few hours a semester, and work the rest of the time?
Also, have you talked to FAU’s financial aid people to see if they have any ideas for you?
A mom friend of mine is getting a master’s at FAU and I’m unaware of any scholarships that are out there at the moment. But I would keep watching for them.
Ways to lower your housing costs: get a job with the housing department as an RA, as a house mother mother at a sorority, as a caretaker at a group home or for a senior. Ways to reduce your tuition: get a full time job working for the university (and only go to school part time), work for an employer who will pay for your education (again, part time), go to the financial aid office an ask them for help planning out your education. There may be some local scholarships you are eligible for or they may know of jobs that have assisted students in the past.
You can also get a job in public service (teacher, government, etc) and put your current loans on Income Based Repayment, with the hope of having some of the balance forgiven after 10 years.
Thank you so far for all who’ve weighed in on my particular circumstance. SouthFloridaMom9, I have an AA from PBSC, and have completed a degree at FAU, so any general education has already been met. FAU requires most of my credits to come from them. Past the pre-engineering courses, which I have past, all my other classes are within my major.
Sensation723, I am not sure. It all depends on how much I can get. I would love to go full time. If I get enough funding for full time, than I would will do that. If I only get enough for tuition and fees, than I will continue working part time while attending school part time.
Twoinanddone, thank you this was extremely insightful. I love your housing suggestions, as that is the brunt of my expense. I don’t mind paying for school and going part time, that’s feasible however, I am done with loans I need other options.
@kelsmom What options are available for someone who already has a bachelors and is getting a 2nd BS, besides loans? I wasn’t aware that WS was available for 2nd Bachelors, so that is news to me.
@collegehackl That $500 award is from the school itself. That’s unusual to get for a 2nd bachelors.
I think you’re going to find that there isn’t a source to pay for your most of your education thru the school or gov’t outside of loans.
Well it seems that I will have to do some digging. I feel that second bachelors are becoming more popular and with more individuals pursuing them, there will certainly be more options out there. If I come up with any information, for anyone else also wanting the same thing I do, I will be sure to place it here.
If anyone else has any information that you have sourced, please place them here. I know it may seem selfish for someone to get a second degree, however, I don’t think anyone should let the judgement of others stop them from doing what they want.
“I don’t think anyone should let the judgement of others stop them from doing what they want.”
But money might. I don’t think just because more people may be going back for 2nd bachelor’s degrees that that means there are more funding opportunities. I consult for families looking for scholarships – scholarship searches are literally one of my jobs – and I am not aware of any third party funding sources for second bachelor’s degrees.
@CourtneyThurston I have received one $500 dollar scholarship from my university, I have also read many requirements of scholarships online that only ask that you have a certain GPA, be currently enrolled part time or full time and that you are seeking a particular type of degree.
I wouldn’t ask for the impossible, I just know that narrowing done which scholarships that would apply to me is going to be tough. My issue is my GPA, it’s not high and many scholarships (merit based) require a very high GPA 3.5+, and the only other requirement is that you are degree seeking.
So, I do stand by what I say, I am not trying to be rude. I just have a goal, and it doesn’t include loans. I may have to be creative, but I promise you I will get enough to avoid loans.
College Hack- what’s the long term game plan here? Second BA’s are rarely as lucrative as the folks who get them think they are going to be. If you want to work in CS, why not find a cheap coding academy to teach you what you need to know so you can start paying off your loans? Why get another four year degree?
You are a college graduate already. Getting another BA doesn’t make you twice as valuable. In the time it’s going to take you to get another Bachelor’s degree you could be getting a Master’s.
You ARE kind of asking for the impossible. Virtually all funding for undergraduates is based on the premise that this is their first degree. And have you ever asked yourself why the merit opportunities are all for kids with high GPA’s? Why is that exactly???
@blossom exactly as stated above. I want a second bachelors, and I am expressly looking for funding outside of loans. I work two jobs, so for the most part, I am funding my degree there. I want to eventually bring up my grades so I qualify for more scholarships. It is what it is.