If the student commutes they can brown bag it.
For people never live in the area, it would be hard to understand the traffic issue. 30-40min away from Arlington would be like living in the next city and there is no public transport (perhaps Grey hound or similar) in between. Arlington is a relatively small town. The gap between city bus covered area would be easily over 10-20 miles, biking is not really feasible particularly in Texas climate. Looking for car pool is perhaps the only way. Otherwise, OP may need to consider a deferral or get a part time job that can at least cover the cost of a used car.
There are more costs to a car than just the purchase…car insurance, registration, gas, repairs, tires, maintenance, etc.
Find out if you can defer and keep CAP status. Find that out.
With regard to a meal plan, your school’s Web site says
Where were you assigned to live?
OK – so since commuting presents such planning and probably monetary difficulty, and it looks like you will have enough money for housing – go ahead and live in a dorm.
If you want to come home on some weekends, someone can give you a ride. That will be easier to work out with your family than trying to plan daily trips to and from school: Every day? Eesh. Once every week or two? No big deal.
Fit the meal plan into your budget by working. Millions of students go to school while holding a job. You will probably have some money left over – save some and use the rest for fun now and then, to help your family with bills until your dad finds another job, etc.
To get around campus – if everything is not within walking distance – ride a bike or a scooter, or look into bus schedules.
CAP website, contact info on bottom of page.
http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/cap/admission
Back when I lived there Arlington was known as “the largest city in America with no public transportation.” Carpooling or living there seem like the best options. I like that live in nanny idea. I agree about calling about a ride share program.
As far as CAP, I would be concerned if your parents can recover financially enough for you to afford living in Austin next year. You’ll need to have a straight up conversation about that as soon as you get past this issue.
Out of county CC rates are still very cheap!
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My father has a 2nd interview with a an employer today and I’m hoping that he gets this job. If he does then will we have to notify the university?
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No.
I got trinity house so a meal plan is not required. The payment options for a the cheapest meal plan would be two payments of 700$ per semester and I don’t think i can afford that all at once. We are hoping that the money from the work study i can use to buy groceries and my parents can chip in every now and then. My dad just left for his interview so i have my figers crossed
Another idea is to find a job at a restaurant near enough to campus to walk or ride a bike to. (instead of on campus work study.) You may be able to eat for free or cheap there.
Are there kitchens in Trinity? Would you be able to store some food in a refrigerator without having to spend the money to rent one? You might want to call the housing office and ask. It would be tough to eat healthfully without having access to at least some fresh food. Peanut butter and whole wheat bread (both of which you can store in your dorm room without refrigeration) can take you a long way, but to stay healthy, you need some fruits and vegetables and milk or cheese, too, and those foods need refrigeration. If you won’t have access to a refrigerator, you may want to go home for the weekend as often as possible and make a point of eating lots of fruits and vegetables and drinking lots of milk when you’re home.
Also, see whether you’ll have easy access to a supermarket at college. If you have to use convenience stores, you’ll pay a lot more for food, and right now your goal is not to pay a lot. If you won’t be able to get to a supermarket easily, maybe someone from your family can shop for you and deliver groceries to you once a week. That would save money, even though it would cost something for gas.
Wait a day or two to find out if your dad gets this job.
fingers-crossed.
Can you use your summer job savings toward food during the semester?
There must be SOMEONE from your area who commutes to school. Put the word out and pay for gas. Being on campus all day can be an advantage – use your downtime to study in the library. Pack a lunch to save costs!
Good luck.
Also you could contact the university about the best way to find a carpool.
I was prepared to call b.s. on this post until I Googled the cost of attending community college in Texas. It’s really expensive, with tuition, books, room, and board costing about $18,000 for an in-district school and usually several thousand more for an out-of-district school.
One of the best community colleges in Mississippi is Itawamba Community College. It serves a rural, slightly Appalachian area, but it’s a very solid area in terms of the community, i.e. they are good folks, and I have met many very smart, capable student who attended IJC for two years. The total cost for an out-of-state student is $12,500 per year, which includes tuition, room, supplies, and full board. ICC overs a half-tuition scholarship for students with 22 or higher ACT, full tuition at 24-27, and a full ride at 28 or higher. I don’t know if this would include an OOS waiver or not.
Add to this work-study, which is a guaranteed program for students demonstrating financial need. And there are other scholarships, plus PELL grants and student loans. So it is not out of the question for a student receiving no money from parents to be able to attend a community college. If Texas is overcharging, look at other states. There is a huge variation in quality of community colleges; there are only four or five in Mississippi that I would recommend, and I’m sure it’s the same in other states. Don’t limit your choices to Texas!
The OP didn’t provide us with details of his ACT or exact g.p.a. But I know plenty of people in my state who have attended community college at virtually no cost. Had they wanted to go to a full university they wouldn’t have gotten a penny in merit aid. The jr. colleges want to attract some bright students, and they are willing to pay for it. Try to find a school that needs you, and they will help meet your needs.
400,000 is a “small town”?
Yeah, I guess everything is relative.
And I agree that the public transportation is very poor.
From Wikipedia:
Im back again. Sorry for going awol a bit. My week has been very busy.
So my dad is having what is believed to be the final interview today. He was asked to apply for an unlosted position at a church so he is the only canidate but they want for him to meet the pastor before they give him the job. If he gets it, then he will be paid the same amount as his last job!
We were denied the parent PLUS loan and the school gave me an extra 2k. So that means that with all the money they have given me, i have enough to cover my full tutuion, full housing, and part of the cheapest meal plan. So this means that my family will have to pay out of pocket $367 to cover what the money the school gave me doesnt cover which is doable especially if we are on a four month payment plan.
Happy to hear that the financial situation is finally working out for you! Best of luck to you at UTA and in Austin!