<p>Hey CC,
So I'm getting very concerned about paying for my college because right now finanically things are not going smoothly for my parents. Is there a place or some type of organization that have like "financial aid counselors" that my family can consult for advice on paying for college while taking the right measures for the correct financial adjustments in the household?
Thanks</p>
<p>Best website other than this one: [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org)</p>
<p>Two good books:
Paying for college without going broke
Debt-free U</p>
<p>Good general reading on personal an family finance: anything by Michele Singletary</p>
<p>m getting very concerned about paying for my college because right now finanically things are not going smoothly for my parents</p>
<p>If your family is having financial problems, then I’m not sure that a FA counselor will be able to do much. If your family has trouble coming up with money for school and/or has debt, then adding more debt to their situation isn’t going to help. A FA counselor can’t pull money out of a hat. If your parents feel that they can’t contribute much/anything then how would they make loan payments?</p>
<p>What is the situation? How much would it cost to attend the schools that you applied to? How much are your parents saying that they can pay each year out of current income? Do they have any college savings for you?</p>
<p>Did you apply to any financial safety schools? how much will those cost? what are your parents saying about those schools?</p>
<p>I see that you’re a CC student and want to be an accountant. You live in Calif; there are CSUs that are very good in acct’g. Are any within commuting distance? Are you within commuting distance to CSULB? If so, did you apply there…it’s very good for acct’g.</p>
<p>Well not necessarily a FA counselor if it is meaning something else to you, but someone professional who can help guide us on our options, what is the best approach to things, ways of paying, and someone who is able to understand the situation, etc.</p>
<p>Right now I’m at a Community college saving money, but I’m still concerned about transferring after. I will be transferring to a university as a junior in California in Fall 2013.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids:
And the finanical situation is something I’d rather not share publicly. At the very least one school I am thinking about transferring to is going to cost around $7,000 /year by commuting which should not be too hard to pay for. On the other hand, there are others around $20,000-$30,000/year that I want to consider. Of course it would probably be easiest to pay the more inexpensive one, but I want to see if the others are possible. Your third question right now can’t really be answered for me. As for savings there’s about $3,000 and that is expected to go up more with me working part-time while going to school right now. </p>
<p>And mom2collegekids, it’s not that I don’t want your own personal input to the situation, but I would like to know whom you talked, what you have consulted for professional advice on paying for school. Like how did you figure out to pay for your kids college education, what had worked best?</p>
<p>There’s a free “college planning center” near my town; there might be something similar where you live.</p>
<p>* Like how did you figure out to pay for your kids college education?*</p>
<p>When our kids were little, we started saving for college. However, in the end, they both got great scholarships. One will use his college money for Med School and the other is using it to pay for things that grad school assistantship doesn’t cover.</p>
<p>When you say that others cost $20k-30k per year…are you talking about CSUs and UCs that would require you to “live away from home”? </p>
<p>What is your EFC?</p>
<p>Yes CSUs and UCs that would require me living away from home.
When I applied as a freshman to a UC last year our EFC was about $9,000, and the only reason I did not go was I felt that it was not the program I wanted to study anymore and also it would not really be easy to pay for. Right now the EFC is different because certain things have changed for them drastically so its almost a mystery.</p>
<p>Since you want to be an acct, it isn’t necessary to go into big debt or cause your family any stress with paying.</p>
<p>What is the one school that you’re considering that will cost $7k? Is that CSULA?</p>