How you are paying for college!

<p>So I was wondering how people are paying for their school. Do you have money saved up? Are you working as you go to school? Are you going to school part time? Are you taking out loans to pay for it or a combination of work and loans? Is it normal for an undergrad to graduate with say 30,000 in loans?</p>

<p>So far I've paid for college in cash by working, but I decided to attend the much cheaper community college for freshman and sophomore year. When I transfer this fall, I plan on accepting the loans offered to me, working part time, and applying for scholarships. If necessary, I'll apply for personal loans. I started saving kind of late, but I've saved about enough money to pay tuition for the first semester at my first choice school, UC Berkeley. (If I knew then...)</p>

<p>Someone in another forum said the average was around $17,000 but I have heard higher. As for the question, one day at a time.</p>

<p>I go to a state school. My tuition is paid for by the Louisiana TOPS program, and my housing/meal plan is paid for by a combination of institutional scholarships. Any remaining fees are covered by my National Merit Scholarship. I've also got a Student Aide scholarship, which basically amounts to a campus job.</p>

<p>^^^ You are in heaven!</p>

<p>I wish my mom could qualify for loans so I could have gone to my "dream" school last year. I see it in my dreams only now. Late father, debt ridden, long story, hard to get loans (:.
Yeah you see my choices are pretty limited but work, merit scholarship, grant is getting me into the college willing me to give scholarship this year. Still I hv to work in college to eat, go home, books, other costs of living, lab fees, etc. On my own. I am drawing my budget to the last rice when I compared my 2 financially viable choices.</p>

<p>Well I was planning to whore myself out to a 1000 fat chicks at $50 a piece</p>

<p>... what's wrong with just using your income? No one mentions this...</p>

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... what's wrong with just using your income? No one mentions this...

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<p>Nothing wrong, as long as there's discretionary income available. My income needs to pay for mortgage, property taxes, income taxes, utilities, food, auto repair, medical expenses not covered by insurance, high school field trips, and (sometimes) clothing. This is the real world for many of us.</p>

<p>I have enough in savings to cover my sons' first 2 years of college. After that, we'll be taking out loans.</p>

<p>My income will be drastically reduced when I start school full time...</p>

<p>first year-21 K total.
2K-work study, 6K-parents, 3K-loan from relatives, 5K-my savings, 5K-my summer job.</p>

<p>Heh. On a yearly basis...31k -- School Grant; 2k -- Work Study; 16k -- parents.</p>

<p>First thing out of college would be paying parents back. >.<</p>