<p>"Well you can always show a few of those Go Army applications, have a recruiter call your house, and half fill some of those apps out and leave them laying around. Maybe you might convince to chip in ." I meant you might convince your father to chip in by scaring him that your not going for your education first. Don't actually sign up, just leave some apps laying around.</p>
<p>How bad do you want to go to this particular school? Here are your options as I see them:
1) Go to fin. aid dept. of school. Maybe they'll come up with something...probably not enough.
2) Get married so you can claim yourself as independent. (Not advisable unless the marriage will be real and "for keeps")
3) Postpone school a year so you can work full time. Even that won't make you enough for $8,000 x 4 years, so you'd also have to work while you attend school.
4) Attend community college while living at home for 1 or 2 years. Work as much as possible while going to school.
5) Go to a bank and take out an unsubsudized loan. Think long and hard about this one. A loan of $32K (in addition to your Stafford loan) is going to take a very long time to repay. Ask lots of hard questions at the bank. What will your monthly payments be after graduation? How many years will you have to pay? Ask yourself what kind of income you can expect to earn with your major. Are you going to be able to afford those payments? I listen to call in talk shows and on some financial ones, it isn't uncommon to hear people calling in panicked about how they are going to save for their teenaged kids' college educations since they are still paying off their own student loans. I know a woman who borrowed money to go to Rice...a great school....but now she is teaching elementary school, making less than $30K per year and has tons of loans to repay. What was the point of that? I'm sure she enjoyed Rice, but she could have earned the same thing if she'd spent 2 years at a comm. college and 2 years at a not-so-expensive state school.
5) Postpone school a year and enlist in the National Guard or Reserves. After you get through basic training and advanced individual training, your obligation will be one weekend per month and 2 weeks in the summer. In addition to being paid for that time (not paid a lot, granted), the Guard and Reserves offer generous educational benefits. Here is a summary: <a href="http://usmilitary.about.com/od/guardandreserve/l/bltuition.htm%5B/url%5D">http://usmilitary.about.com/od/guardandreserve/l/bltuition.htm</a>
Yes....it's possible you could get sent to a war.</p>
<p>As you can see, every one of these options have significant drawbacks. Some mean you can't go off to school in a few weeks as you had planned. Others mean that you can go, but you'll mortgaging your future to do it. Only you know what you can live with. I guess it's pay now or pay later. Please let us know what you decide!</p>
<p>What if you joined the millitary for a few weeks and quit? Could you be considered independent? Say you signed up for the Marines, then quit, would that get you more financial aid?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Say you signed up for the Marines, then quit, would that get you more financial aid?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I really hope you are kidding with your question/comment especially considering the number of people currenting *serving * in the military and so many whose lives are on the line everyday. There are many young people who made a conscious decision to go the reserve route in order to pay for college and have now been activated. </p>
<p>.You sound really desparate however the answer to your question would most likely be no becasue theoretically you did not serve a term in the military. If the money is really this much of an issue, then may be you need to defer for a year work and save money or consider going to a more affordable school.</p>
<p>Since you were recently called from you school's waitlist, if the cost of your new school is so out of line with want you can afford, simply attend the school that you were going to attend before getting off the waitlist.</p>
<p>I think you could join the reserves and still attend college. You would have basic training on the weekends and you probably wouldn't get sent to war. They give you money after you join I think.</p>
<p>you do get enlistment bonuses- however as I understand it the bonuses are paid when you finish your AIT ( advanced individual training).
If you happen to be killed before you finish your military obligation, your family will NOT get your bonus.</p>
<p>for more info on help with tuition</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>What if you joined the millitary for a few weeks and quit? Could you be considered independent?<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Yeah, I guess you'd be independent...seeing how you'd be in jail at Ft. Leavenworth. When you enlist in the military, it is a legally binding obligation. You can't quit, and you can't not show up for your drill weekend if you are Reserves or Nat'l Guard. If you "quit", you will be arrested by military police.</p>
<p>You can get thrown out, though. Any variety of things can get you thrown out. If that happens, you'll have a dishonorable discharge on your record and that is something that can give you problems for the rest of your life. And, if you get a dishonorable discharge, you'll no longer be eligible for any of that government-sponsored aid, if I'm not mistaken.</p>
<p>WOW what can you do to avoid a dishonorable discharge? I mean what if some people change their mind after they join the millitary? Do they all get arrested?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I mean what if some people change their mind after they join the millitary?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>you will not be eligible for benefits from the military and you will still not be considered an independent student for FA purposes, because you must indicate the amount of time you served.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think you could join the reserves and still attend college. You would have basic training on the weekends and you probably wouldn't get sent to war.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No true, one my neighbor's D enlisted in the reserves to help pay for school at Georgetown and has been deployed (did not get to complete her term). It depends on your speciality and training, so if you have the skills they need you must show up. MY next door neighbor has been in the reserves over 20 years and was activated for 2 years immeadiately following 9/11.</p>
<p>fortuantely for me candian universities.. are more cheaper than americans and MORE if not the same persitgous as American ones especially McGill and Toronto or Western. The cost wouldnt be more than 15 thousand a year including all fee's... books etc.. western would be 25k a year..</p>
<p>Hiko,
Here are links to a couple of articles about people who were accused of not fulfilling their obligations:</p>
<p>This one sounds like a big mix-up, but it still shows how seriously the military takes your obligation:
<a href="http://gruntville.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=125207&sid=2be5861349c714908353d249e370afc7%5B/url%5D">http://gruntville.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=125207&sid=2be5861349c714908353d249e370afc7</a></p>
<p>When you enlist, you take an oath. A witness in a trial takes an oath to tell the truth. If he doesn't tell the truth, he can be jailed for perjury. It's the same thing. An oath is legally binding.</p>
<p>You can always defer for a year and make some money to pay.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm freaking out now myself, trying to figure out how to make my expenses work at school. I go to a really, really, really expensive state school, but I love it there and don't want to leave. I have a fairly decent package, but it's still not enough. My family is completely broke. I have a medical condition myself and was uninsured all last year which led to extreme medical bills and less hours at my work study job. I also have had to use a lot of credit cards to get by (which I regret and no longer use). So...my credit sucks and I don't think that I could get an alternative/private loan. Do any of you have any ideas? I am wondering if I could get more loan money with documentation of my medical expenses? I have e-mailed my contact at financial aid, but she is out of the office until Monday. Any ideas?? Also, if my parents co-sign a private loan, would I be approved even though I have pretty crappy credit?</p>
<p>Just curious how long do will you be jailed if you change your mind or quit? And what if you were misled or convinced by your recruiter?</p>
<p>What if you joined, then quit, then got jailed, then released, then would you be considered 'independent' for FA? </p>
<p>What kind of problems would dishonorable discharge cause for you?</p>
<p>wouldn't it just be easier to get married to declare your self independent than to have the US govt after your butt?</p>
<p>What if you joined, then quit, then got jailed, then released, then would you be considered 'independent' for FA? </p>
<p>Should you quit the military you could be charged with cowardice or dereliction of duty. Cowardice is a criminal offense under U.S. military law, punishable by incarceration and dishonorable discharge.
Live on a few more days, do you really want to go through life being labeled an ex-con for the sake of a few $$.</p>
<p>A dishonorable discharge can also wreck your career life: many employers will be red flagged, you can not get most other government jobs, etc. in addition you would most likely be in eligible for veterans benefits including educational benefits.</p>
<p>Hiko, it would be easier if you just didn't go near a military recruiting booth.
Then you won't accidently sign up and accidently try to quit days, weeks, months, etc. later.</p>
<p>Lizzychica, you should probably create a thread of your own on this board. Your post might get answered faster if you do.</p>
<p>"A dishonorable discharge can also wreck your career life: many employers will be red flagged, you can not get most other government jobs, etc. in addition you would most likely be in eligible for veterans benefits including educational benefits."</p>
<p>WOW didn't know employers care about dishonorable discharge. But at least you still get veterans benefits and educational benefits but at that point don't seem worth it because employers wouldn't want to hire you. How long will you have to serve to be honorably discharged and get the money?</p>
<p>What happens to the people that joined the millitary and found out the don't like it or can't handle it? Do they all get jailed? BTW, do the millitary let you join if you wear glasses because I've never seen a Marine with glasses.</p>
<p>
[quote]
. But at least you still get veterans benefits and educational benefits
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I apologize for my bad typing but you would most likely not be eligible for for military benefits following a dishonorable discharge</p>