I'm Very Upset of My Student Debt

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

For some reason I find myself a bit ashamed of my student debt. In 3 semesters I graduate from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science degree in Biology, Health, and Society. It’s a biology degree with less lab requirements.

However, my story starts out when I graduated from community college. I had two plans: to study abroad and attend U-M. I got to do both but nearly all of my credits were not accepted at U-M. They were originally only going to pay for 2 years of my schooling, but they ended up paying for 3 years - the 3rd year I studied abroad.

The problem was, on my transcript there appeared to be 55 credits - half a degree, right? Wrong! I had to start off at SQUARE ONE. On my 4th year I really only had 2 years of my degree finished. At this time my Pell Grant was running out. I started to accrue debt for my 4th year, then like clockwork my financial aid stopped suddenly. What happened? Well, I reached a credit limit.

I thought to myself, “A credit limit? You have to be joking. I had to start a degree back from square one, and you’re denying me?” I didn’t qualify for loans, and I certainly ran out of community college scholarships. After my first denial from the financial aid committee, I luckily got in contact with a few people from the school and got my aid reinstated. I’m very lucky that they gave me one more year of funding, plus giving me 2 more terms of the U-M Grant.

So why am I so sour? Well, after community college I still wasn’t prepared for the university. Over the phone, they made it sound like all my credits would transfer! That I’d only have to do 2 years of schooling.

My family can help me zero. I come from a very poor background. My family makes only about $14,000 a year. We constantly have to visit food pantries, and we always eat very unhealthy food. Sometimes we go hungry. Second to that, I have a learning disability in the college.

See, I’m upset because of the Go Blue Guarantee. I was never a part of this. I don’t qualify because my terms exceed what would qualify me for the Go Blue Guarantee. I don’t want anyone to think I’m ungrateful. I love my school with a lot my heart, and I’ll ALWAYS BE Go Blue!

After I’m done calculating all my debt, I even have to take out around a $10,000 private loan for college. This means I’m doubling down from the average debt at U-M ~ $20,000 to $40,000. My debt will be around $40,000. Also, I’ll be getting a pre-med degree, and we all know the job prospects for people with those!

Can anyone help me? I feel like I got screwed by the system somehow. Just be careful about transferring in credits. I took the best credits I could take from my background and situation at my previous community college. I feel like I failed, having this must debt.

2

Sorry for the double post. But if you’re confused, let me break it down for you. Out of community college, I transferred in 55 credits. At the end of my 2 years at U-M I had around 120 credits. But that didn’t amount to a degree. The 55 credits I transferred in transferred all in as blank courses, credit but no equivalent course found see?

If they’re not going to accept credits from an accredited community college in Michigan, where will they accept credits from?

3

Before you applied to transfer, did you check UM’s transfer credit listings at http://www.ugadmiss.umich.edu/tce/public/ct_tcesearch.aspx to see which of your community college’s courses would be accepted as equivalent to UM’s courses that you need to fulfill requirements for a UM bachelor’s degree?

It does seem odd that UM admitted you as a transfer student with 55 credits without a realistic chance of graduating in 4-5 semesters (to complete the remaining degree requirements in the 65 credits you need to meet the credit minimum for graduation). Also that no one at your community college’s transfer advising pointed you to UM’s transfer credit listings to help you determine what you needed to take at the community college to prepare for transfer to UM so that you can graduate on a reasonable schedule.

4

No, at the time I didn’t know of any sort of credit equivalency page. To be frank, I only applied to one college after community college. This one. Even so, I took classes like physics, microbiology, human biology, chemistry ect… None of which transferred nor took me past the intro classes.

It’s pretty disheartening when someone with a medical degree from Michigan State taught me microbiology, and then to see AP classes in HIGH SCHOOL saying people are more qualified to skip the intro classes than I was. An associates degree centered mainly on science courses doesn’t count for anything??

My community college was not very friendly when it came to advising. But of all the advising I got, I got very, very, little attention from the advisors here at U-M in my early semesters. I never had mention of creating any sort of plan; there was no mention of what would be a realistic degree to take. Nothing.

Like I said, I was confused initially. My family hadn’t gone to college either. I was just a new student, at a new university, and it was learning experience. lol

But overall, I am partly to blame. I did not check the credit equivalencies. Not everything is really this school’s fault. I’m an adult. I also accept part of the blame.

5

How much debt do you have now? Can you talk to an adviser at your school to see if there’s a more marketable degree you can get in the 3 semesters you have left? You don’t have to major in biology to apply to med school. @WayOutWestMom can tell you what they look for.

If your parents are low income, how are you getting loans to go to school? If you’ve reached the limit for Pell, I don’t know if you can get federal student loans anymore. What was your AA degree in?

6

austin,

I have around $20,000 in debt. My associates degree is an Associates of General Studies. It probably doesn’t matter, but it was 4 cr. away from being an Associates of Science Degree.

7

I’m sorry you are having this problem. It sounds like you got some very poor advising as well as making some mistakes.

You don’t need a bio degree to go to med school. You just need the bare minimum of science & math credits (gen chem w/lab, ochem w/lab, intro bio w/lab, physics w/lab, biochem, stats, calc 1) plus a good GPA and good MCAT score. Med schools do not care what your bachelor’s is in, only that you have one.

If you have completed all those classes and have credits on transcript (it doesn’t need to be your UM transcript since med schoolS look at ALL your transcripts), then I say, go talk to a degree advisor at UM and find out what degree you’re closest to completing–even if it’s a General Studies degree. You need to find the fastest way to finish a bachelor’s and get out before you run out of funding.

8

Have you looked into their credit by examination policies? Is it possible for you to test out of prerequisites/intro. classes so you don’t feel like you are repeating your coursework?

“In addition to, or in place of, CLEP examinations, some academic departments have prepared examinations that are administered on campus. Questions regarding such departmental examinations should be directed to the respective department.” from https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/lsa-academic-policies/special-kinds-of-credit/test-credit/credit-by-examination–cbe-.html

9

For reference, the UM Bachelor of General Studies program is described here:
https://lsa.umich.edu/advising/understand-degree-options/bgs/current-students/bgs-requirements.html

The main requirement is 60 credits of upper level courses. No more than 20 credits in any one subject may be counted toward these 60 credits.

10

The problem here is not whether, if I’m happy with my degree. Or if I want to switch my degree, or if I’m going to graduate on time. The problem is really about financial problems.

You see, I live in a very poverty-stricken neighborhood. Crime is often a common occurrence.

Right now, debt is the problem. I feel as if U-M isn’t offering me the right support. Counting this semester, I’m $20,000 in debt. Two semesters later, because of my financial aid package, I’ll be around $40,000 in debt. But that’s only if I decide to take out student loans + private loans. Which, I’ll have to because my financial aid package offers me so little right now.

My degree is, according to Wolverine Access, 91% complete. I feel as if I’m a student being penalized because I was BEFORE the Go Blue Guarantee.

It also doesn’t help that I don’t qualify for one of their 50 scholarships that which their only requirement is: demonstration of financial need. Uh, HELL-O? Right here, dudes!

11

Go talk to the FA office. $20,000 debt is not a whole lot for a college degree. See what kind of help the FA office can offer for the next two semesters.

When you graduate, sign up for the income-drive repayment plan. Your payments will be based on your income.
https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/ibrInstructions.action

12

Are you sure you’ll be able to take out private loans? You can’t change the past so you need to plan for the best way to finance your education going forward. Maybe you need to take some time off school and work? At the very least you need to meet with a FA counselor and work out a plan so you know what you are getting into.

13

Hi brantly,

Thank you for your help. I am planning on talking to financial aid and see what they can do for me, if anything more. Actually, I’ve already talked to them - a lot. I ended up squeezing a U-M Grant out of them. But that took 1 year of very, very, hard work.

However, I’m going to talk to them again.

Actually, you’re right, $20,000 of debt isn’t a lot. But $40,000 of debt on a degree that’s lucky to make 30 buck an hr/ $60,000 a yr is a lot.

I do receive the Subsidized Direct Loan and the Unsubsidized Direct Loan. But that only accounts for $8000.

14

U-M has a commitment to helping low-income students. Go in there and be VERY polite, not demanding. Review your Fafsa with them to emphasize your family’s financial status. Mention that you know that U-M is committed to helping low-income students succeed. Talk about how many hurdles you’ve had just to make it this far. Make sure you meet with a professional FA officer, not a student working in the office.

Do you commute to Ann Arbor from home? Or do you live on campus or rent a place in Ann Arbor?

15

Here we go. For my 3rd semester this is my financial aid:
Sub Loan = $2,750
Unsub Loan = $3,500
Work Study = $1,500
Then I’d need about a $10,000 private loan.

This semester is where the $40,000 of student debt is coming from.

It just baffles me that I don’t qualify for anything anymore. Having to pay 1 semester out of pocket on the type of income my family makes. Families that make up to $180,000 a yr even get tuition support.

16

What about your Pell grant?

17

See, here’s the kicker about the Pell Grant.

U-M really kicked me down in that regard. Because of my Associates degree, then because I had to start a 4 yr degree over from near scratch, my Pell Grant has ended this semester.

My predicament is so odd, my dad thinks if we were richer we could hire a lawyer. Jokes, but seriously now…

Let me be VERY clear: this isn’t a predicament of me going too slow. I was FULL TIME every semester I went at U-M. The amount of time I needed to put in for this degree, I should have had a masters + a bachelor’s degree by now.

18

Something doesn’t make sense with your whole situation. You can get a part time job on your own if they are only giving you $1500 work-study. It took my son less then 20 minutes to find something. It will help with the smaller loans at least. There are boards for this and work study. Also why did you do study abroad if you can’t afford school. A lot of those credits don’t apply towards a major but some do…

19

Like I said, I am also partly to blame. I wanted to study abroad, and it was one of my goals. I believe academics is strongly about fulfilling one’s goals. The study abroad ended up covering my language requirements for my degree.

I am getting a part time job. I sent in 5 applications for jobs yesterday alone. But next semester, off the bat, I’ll be in the hole and owe the school $2000. Let’s be unrealistic here; let’s pretend I did earn all $1500 of my work study. I’d still owe $500 next semester.

For my 3rd semester? Well, I’m not making $10,000 over the summer this year.

20

U-M didn’t “kick you down.” Pell is federal money, and there are rules about the maximum you can receive. That said, the maximum is six years, so I don’t know why you would have exhausted your eligibility if you did not go to school for six years yet. Look at this:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/pell/calculate-eligibility

Also, do NOT use that kind of thinking, that U-M “kicked you down.” Nobody is trying to hurt you, even if it feels that way. Do not use pessimistic language like that. It is not helpful. Tell yourself that you ARE going to figure this out.

It is so unfair to be from a poor background. It is no fault of your own. You are to be commended for getting this far! You are obviously very, very intelligent and persistent. I am from an upper-middle-class background (grew up that way and am currently in that category), and I know I and my children have had advantages that you don’t have. I (and others here) will talk you through this.