<p>My mom is the only person who can/is willing to help pay for tuition, but Barnard’s financial aid department still considers my father’s income (he isn’t giving me a penny).
I’m about $10k short of what I can afford, and I don’t know what to do. Work-study would only provide about $2k, and this really isn’t enough.
Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Have you talked to anyone at Barnard personally about this? Maybe there is some kind of documentation you can give them from your dad that would clarify things for them. If he’s not willing to pay, though, he may not be willing to help out with that either. </p>
<p>I am so very sorry you are having to deal with this. Hopefully Calmom will chime in. I know she’s dealt with non-custodial parent issues re financial aid before and probably has some good advice…</p>
<p>Best to you.</p>
<p>It’s their policy to consider the income of the noncustodial parent when assembling an aid package, regardless of whether or not the parent contributes to the cost of attendance.
Both my mom and I received this answer when we called Barnard’s financial aid department. I doubt we can do anything to change their mind. Thanks, though.</p>
<p>My daughter’s had a work/study program with the similar limit of $2k. She also had off-campus jobs during the school year and is starting summer work soon. In total she will have earned about $8k at the end of this school year and summer. The school work is very demanding so the time management during the year is imperative.
BTW, I believe that you might be able to ask for an increase of the federal work/study amount if you use the $2k limit up before the school year ends. They recommend that the students do not work more than 10 hours a week and do not allow work of more than 15 hours a week.
Lastly, you have a three-month long summer break before the school starts … use it.
Good luck:)</p>
<p>How many hours did she work per week in order to amass $8k in a single school year?</p>
<p>Barnard isn’t going to budge on this one - it’s not worth arguing about. </p>
<p>Justina, you are a transfer student, right? My daughter generally worked multiple jobs while at Barnard, but the most lucrative was Barnard Bartending. You have to take a 5-week bartending job that costs $120 & pass a test; but after that you are signed up with the agency and can start taking jobs right away. Barnard Bartenders earn $20+ an hour, plus tips, more on holidays. See rates here: [Barnard</a> Bartending Agency - Rate Information](<a href=“barnardbartending.com”>Loading...) </p>
<p>You can also sign on with Barnard Babysitting – I think the bartending is more lucrative, but you could sign on with the babysitting agency immediately. My daughter did both but preferred the bartending. </p>
<p>Additionally it is Manhattan - so you may be able to find other work as well. My daughter found at least one good writing/research job @$20/hour via Craigslist. </p>
<p>Do keep in mind that NY is an expensive place to live. My daughter happened to have he own credit card with a fairly high limit, but I think she had several thousand dollars in credit card debt by the time she graduated. So if you are still weighing pros and cons, you need to factor that in. </p>
<p>Do you have a job lined up for the summer?</p>
<p>Yes, I’m a transfer student. The bartending gig sounds appealing, provided that it can cover a significant portion of the aid I lack ($2k per year isn’t enough). I’m also working on getting a job at my current school’s library.
Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>I guess you really are going to have to think about this. Do you still have other options? Is that extra $10K needed for direct costs (tuition, room) – or is it what you need for the out-of-pocket costs you incur over time? Do you plan to cook for yourself? that can be a significant savings over a meal plan. </p>
<p>I’m asking because it is one thing to have to come up with a lump sum in July, when payment to the Bursar is due (though you can sign up for a extended payment plan) – its different if the costs are spread out over the year. If you can earn $3500-$4000 over the summer, then you would be looking to earn $6000 or so over the course of the school year. That breaks down to about $200 per week. </p>
<p>But I think you need a backup plan of some sort if the earnings don’t work out. As I noted, my daughter had a credit card, meaning that she had some flexibility.</p>
<p>I suppose I need it for a combination of direct and incidental costs.
I’m going to do what I can to support myself (I’d definitely work part-time and cook my own meals), but I’m also going to be making a few calls to rich relatives.</p>
<p>My mom is also pressing me to apply for scholarships, but I can’t see myself writing 20-something essays for $500 scholarships that I am unlikely to win (applicants are many and rewards are few). I’m currently entrenched in summer classes and I don’t exactly have time for this.</p>
<p>Well, the fact that you even have rich relatives to call puts you way ahead of many!</p>
<p>Yeah, I guess I’m lucky</p>
<p>justina11, the $8k includes her summer earnings of $4k. Besides the summer, as calmom mentioned, there is the bar-tending or babysitting. My daughter also prefers bar-tending for it can bring about $120 to $250 per gig.<br>
You can look for on or off campus jobs through Barnard Nacelink website once you have your student ID and password. Many employers or Barnard departments post job availability. Look for job fairs that school has a few times during the school year; definitely attend those and talk to as many people as you can. This is how my daughter got her Barnard job. Have your resume ready. If you need help with it, talk to the Career Development Office or attend one of their seminars at the beginning of the year.<br>
I do not trust/recommend Craigslist.
Her earnings cover the EFC partially, we do take loans for the rest (including Stafford loan). If you do have relatives that can help or loan you money at no or minimal interest rate, that would be ideal. Most credit cards now carry interest of 20 to 24%. That shouldn’t be your option at all.</p>
<p>I was thinking of taking a minute amount of loans, although my mom refuses to let me collect a dollar of debt. What do you consider to be a reasonable amount of money to borrow through Stafford?
Honestly, I’m not afraid of loans, but I’m not irresponsible/willing enough to collect $40-50k in debt.</p>
<p>BTW, to answer your question about hours, my daughter worked at least 10 hours per week at her Barnard job; and had one or two bar-tending jobs every other week with a few babysitting jobs in between. She would’ve liked to do more of the bar-tending but you do have to wait until you’re assigned a job by the agency. They seem to allocate the jobs quite fairly amongst all the girls.<br>
If you do sign up for the bartending test, you have to pay a one-time fee and pass a test, which requires a lot of memorization so start studying early and a lot:)</p>
<p>I agree with your mom, that you’re going to live better when you’re debt free! However, if you decide to borrow do look at the direct subsidized Stafford loans. The limits are $4,500 for the second year of college, $5,500 for third and fourth. As you might know, the “subsidized” part mean that the interest doesn’t start accruing until six months after you graduate, at which time your first payment will be due. I believe the term is 10 years. The current interest rate for subsidized loans is 3.4% but it changes annually.</p>
<p>I can’t answer what’s reasonable. Your mama knows that zero debt is the most reasonable option:) You have to look at many variables, do you plan to continue to graduate school? Can you be frugal with your money?<br>
For example, the $4,500 of Stafford loan for your second year in college, at a 3.5% interest, spread out over 10 years, will require a payment of about $50 per month. Is that doable?</p>
<p>Re post #15
</p>
<p>My impression is that there were posted listings accessible via the agency, and it was more of a first-come, first serve thing in terms of getting the jobs. That is, my daughter would check listings regularly.</p>
<p>Also, my daughter said that over time with the agency she got better & more lucrative assignments, apparently as she built up a reputation within the agency. So by the time she was a senior she essentially was part of the elite bartending crew that did get a lot of the best jobs – so maybe at that level they got calls rather than rely on postings. </p>
<p>But I know that she was able to get jobs immediately when she finished the bartending course, so I would agree with you that the jobs were allocated “fairly” – I think that any workplace or system is going to reward those who are more experienced, so it really didn’t surprise me to learn that seniors with several years of agency experience would be the ones to get the plum assignments. From what she described, those assignments were often with repeat customers who would also make specific requests. Obviously a good opportunity for anyone, even a beginner, who takes the job seriously and works hard to make a good impression with the customers.</p>
<p>
I’m confused – when you say you are $10K short of what you need, did you mean that was without taking loans? The Barnard financial aid package is built around the Staffords they are offering – if your package comes with $5500 of Staffords and that wasn’t part of your planning, then you are only $4500 short of what you need, not $10,000 short.</p>
<p>I didn’t see the paper outlining my aid package until this morning (I go to school about 20 miles away from my house, where I receive my mail), and yeah, my package includes Stafford loans. I don’t think my mom realizes this, and she’s probably going to be furious once I tell her about it.
I guess I would need the $10k without taking any additional loans, and approximately $14,500 if I were to rule out loans altogether.</p>
<p>Remember, in order for one to serve/make alchoholic drinks, one MUST be 21 years old!!</p>