My life is now on track, still need advice

College Life
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am new here. I've been searching for advice for a very long time. I finally found this site and I hope I can get answers here! :)</p>

<p>Story about me:</p>

<p>I am 21 year old male.</p>

<p>I was born in Cali. Shortly moved to Colorado when I was a baby. My mother lost custody of me while in Cali, so she hired lawyers to get me to colorado ( does this make me a ward of the state?)</p>

<p>My mother then died when I was 11. I never knew my father.
I was taken in by my mothers best friend. Who I lived with until I was 16. ( due to her having finical issues)</p>

<p>I lived on my own since I was 16.
I was unable to finish highschool. I attempted many times to finish, but sadly, I was forced to move eight (8) times with in 5 years.</p>

<p>Now, thanks to my girlfriend,I was able to get my GED and I passed with flying colours! </p>

<p>Struggling with these 5 years of my teenage life, was difficult. I've learned and have grown, and I am thankful. </p>

<p>Now,</p>

<p>I will be attending school ( Colorado Film School ) and I have filled out my FAFSA.</p>

<p>FAFSA estimated that I would get MAX Grant money ( 5,500.00) and 9,500 extra with the Stafford Loan.</p>

<p>So that is about 15,000.00</p>

<p>My school is a total of 20,000.00 for my degree. </p>

<p>I have no credit ( even though I have paid Utility bills over the years, I doubt it has established any credit for me)</p>

<p>What are my best options so I can </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Pay for school</p></li>
<li><p>Help my Girlfriend pay for some Rent ( I am currently living with my Girlfriend, and she gets paid more than enough for cover everything, but I still would like to help)</p></li>
<li><p>Buy a used car from a private seller (aka craigslist) which will allow me to get to school and get a job ( as the location I am in, is pretty dead) I plan on trying to spend 5-8,000.00 on the car or 10k Total with insurance paid off for the year(s) to come.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Since I am new, and I have now just got my life together, I wish for advice. I do not want to screw this up.</p>

<p>And yes the car is essential, I would have no other way to get to school or a job.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading :)</p>

2

<p>rap career</p>

3

<p>“rap career” +1</p>

4

<p>So you have no job, no credit and you want to buy a $8k car. I hate to tell you bad news but, “I don’t think so”. No one is going to loan that much money to you. You need to find a cheap car (think $800) and start out with that.
You are trying to do too many things all at once. You need to slow down and tackle one or two things at a time. Trying to do too much is setting yourself up to fail.
Prioritize things and start working on them .</p>

5

<p>You need to go to a cheaper school or put it off for a year. You need to get a full time job and get a CHEAP car. How the heck do you plan on getting to school now if you don’t have a car? Or do you have some money in savings? If you do, use that to buy a car and get a job. Then enroll in school later. I’d also think about going to a community college and then transferring.</p>

<p>It really seems like you haven’t thought this through at all, unless we’re missing something.</p>

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<p>I would like to point out that there are these nifty inventions called buses.</p>

7

<p>And I would like to point out that we’re all not lucky enough to live in places with these nifty buses.</p>

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<p>Heh, missed that part of OP. ;)</p>

<p>Definitely aim lower in terms of a car. At this point any car would be better than what you currently have. I also agree with rge about waiting a year and working full time to save for college.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Bicycle, moped, or your two legs. There’s options that are cheap out there.</p>

<p>As was said above, you can’t afford a 10k car if you can’t even afford your schooling. You only have two options that I can think of…a) work during school to pay it off. b) Spend a year or so working and then use the money you get to go to school the year after.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Elaborate on “no credit”. Do you mean you HAVE credit but it just sucks or do you mean you’ve never had a credit card, never had any loans, etc etc. If the latter is the case then I suggest getting a credit card just to have. You’d think with how credit-happy the US is that getting one would be easy. Turns out it isn’t if you’ve don’t have any credit whatsoever and you’re not “in the system”. You actually build credit by just having the card…mine I don’t even have to use and it contributes positively to my credit score (I’m 21 and at like 740 last I checked).</p>

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<p>Honestly if it was me, there is no way that I would ever pay that much money to attend a “film school.” A quick google of this place shows that it is sort of a hybrid of local community college in conjunction with Regis… already sounds shady to me.</p>

<p>Film school to me is somewhere that young children of the very wealthy go to find themselves before they head off to college or a charmed life. If I had no credit, no family financial support, and little money, I would be looking to a large public four year university and majoring in something where I was guaranteed a job at graduation.</p>

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<p>Thank you everyone for the replies.</p>

<p>The school is a community college. The School is $25,000 for 4 years. </p>

<p>Meaning,</p>

<p>Around 6500-7000 a year with supplies.</p>

<p>A car under 3,000.00 is not reliable for the trip/gas/insurance.</p>

<p>I also said 5-10k total. I’m not exactly planning on spending 10k. More around 5-7, then pay of insur so when I do get a job, I can save.</p>

<p>To everyone said get a job,</p>

<p>I also said I need a car to get to the job , as the location I am in, had little jobs out here.</p>

<p>No matter what, I need a car.</p>

<p>For a Job
For School.</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>Edit: The school is legit. I plan on doing what I love. My passion. So everyday I wake up knowing I will be content with my career. </p>

<p>There are little things that count as " guarantees" in life.</p>

<p>Happiness, is a guarantee if you work for it. I know what will make me happy, and thats what I live for. Working a 9-5, everyday, not growing…doing the same *<strong><em>. That sounds like a life that is plain, hard and honestly sounds like *</em></strong>.</p>

<p>I would much rather do something I love, and wake up excited, and willing and knowing I will grow ( my skills and life).</p>

<p>I am taking my own advice, I know there is no guarantee that I will get a job. But then again, I have friends and everyone around me have degrees in " bright outlook jobs/guaranteed" , yet they are flipping burgers at McDonalds.</p>

<p>Everyone aims for those jobs. Already those jobs are saturated.</p>

<p>I also would like to state, that this school I am going to , is just as cheap as a community college. (as it is one and associated with Regis Uni.)</p>

<p>Edit 2: And with my credit, I payed bills before I got a card. The one time when I tried to get a phone ( never had a phone ever) I was told I had no credit, though I paid bills and such for years. I also paid of a speedy loan, and was told that would build me credit. I doubt it did.</p>

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<p>Really as a college student, you don’t need a $5k car. Really, you don’t and you can’t afford one. Get a cheap, dirt cheap car and then when you’re financially more stable you can get a better car. Just get something that will get you from point A to point B. That’s all you can afford right now. You don’t seem to have the money to shell out $5k for a car and more for insurance so how exactly were you planning on doing that?</p>

<p>If your school is only ~7k PER YEAR then you’re fine. Full Pell is 5550 PER YEAR, not total. The loans are $9500 PER YEAR (actually they go up a bit as you increase your class rank) not total. You’ll need less than $5k in loans per year if you have full Pell.</p>

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<p>@romanigypsyeyes</p>

<p>You tell me that I haven’t thought this through.</p>

<p>YET, you say " How the hell do you plan on getting to school with no car?"</p>

<p>Yet I need a car to get a job, I need a car to get to school</p>

<p>This is Colorado, Not sun shine and lolipops california. </p>

<p>You know what snow is? You know time of the year it is? </p>

<p>So before you tell me that I haven’t thought this through, maybe take your own advice, bud :)</p>

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<p>No, I’m telling you to logically think through these steps. </p>

<p>Let’s start with this:
Do you have savings? If not, how do you plan on getting a car?</p>

<p>ETA: I live in Michigan so don’t lecture me about the weather, k?</p>

15

<p>Successful ■■■■■ is successful!</p>

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<p>I am asking for options. </p>

<p>What other grants/loans would I be able to get?</p>

<p>6-7k per year.</p>

<p>I get 15,000 from Pell grant+ Stafford Loan total per year. So I would I be able to use the other half of a car? So then next year, My pell grant would pay for the majority of my tuition.</p>

<p>This is what I need to get a good start. </p>

<p>An awd car would be best. Moped, buses and walking is out of the question. snow + traveling time is to be considered.</p>

<p>5k doesn’t seem out of the question. A basic/mid 90s Honda Accord cost the same w/ insur</p>

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<p>its cool…i think need our hard works and the mentality to choosing any jobs without any worries…because every jobs have their own values…so if yo are ready to hard works and accept any jobs in your life…definitely you can win the life…:)</p>

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<p>Thats exactly how I feel! Glad to see other people out in the world, who are willing to take “risks”. When actually, it just enjoying life. </p>

<p>Thanks :)! I hope you do the same and follow your heart.</p>

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<p>I don’t understand why you think you need a $5,000 car. You can get a decent 4WD truck for under a $1,000. It will be rusty and dented, but it will get you from A-B. I drove one like that for many years to and from work. </p>

<p>You are talking about taking out max loans for 4 years and getting film degree from a little known school. What is their graduation placement rate and what are the average salaries? I am worried that you are going to end up with crushing loan payments and a low income when you graduate. Think about taking a year off to work and save some money and then go do the college .</p>

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<p>Thanks Packers.</p>

<p>The car itself is cheap, but insurance included would be the hardest and most expensive. Looking into places now.</p>

<p>The school is well known.</p>

<p>It has been place on the top 25 school for Film world wide.
The school is called “Colorado Film School” , but it is essentially Community College of Aurora.
Graduation rate is at 55%, higher than the 3 local community college ( which charge more and the rates are at 18%, the other at 35% and another at 22%.)</p>

<p>A salary would be 35k starting ( typical).</p>

<p>I already know that it would be hard to find a job once I graduate. I’ll have to do internships. I most likely will have to move to California where the pay rate and hiring rate is much higher ( as it says for Payscale.com and other sites such as that.)</p>

<p>If you could find me a truck under 1,000.00 then I would look into it.</p>

<p>I’m looking now on craigslist. And there is absolutely NO car/truck in working order for under 1,000. Not only that, don’t Trucks get under 20MPG?</p>

<ul>
<li>Either it wont pass emissions</li>
<li>Issues with tranny </li>
<li>Knock</li>
<li>is being parted out</li>
</ul>

<p>Edit;</p>

<p>I’m not talking about taking out MAX loans for 4 years. Im talking about what are options?</p>

<p>I have yet to apply for a loan. The only thing I did was fill out the fafsa.</p>

<p>If school is 6,500 a year.
Pell grant is 5,500 a year.</p>

<p>X4 years</p>

<p>Thats only 1,000-2,000 that I would have to pay with a loan/savings over the year.</p>

<p>So I’m paying about 5-8K for a 25,000.00 School. For a Degree that costs 55K in Cali.</p>