<p>I am currently at Santa Monica College, where I am able to work to pay the bills and attend late afternoon/evening classes while I attend school.</p>
<p>I notice that Berkeley does not have any night classes or weekend or online classes. How do people finance themselves while at a UC if they are not receiving any financial support from their parents (this if unfortunately the case with me). I have an excellent academic record, but am scared of taking on large loans to pay for my living costs and tuition when I transfer to a UC...</p>
<p>I also worked full time while attending community college. Although it was difficult, I made sure to pay off any extra bills before transferring so that I could start out with a clean slate. With a bit of money saved up, I quit my job before transferring.</p>
<p>Because I quit my job, I was able to fill out a change of income form and have my efc adjusted to 0. Berkeley then gave me a full financial aid package, which took care of tuition, housing, food, and a bit left over for living expenses. I also got some work study, which meant that I could work a part time job through the school at higher than average wages. I do have a small loan, but most of this is paid through grants.</p>
<p>Unless you have a large amount of outside bills, the school should give you enough financial aid to take care of your expenses without having to kill yourself working full-time.</p>
<p>Of course, I do not have to declare my parents because I am older than 24. If your parents raise your efc you might not get so much financial aid.</p>
<p>If it came down to it, I would rather take out a few outside loans than to work full time while attending the UC.</p>
<p>That is good to hear. Does anyone else have stories about paying for UCB? I'll be 23 when I transfer, so I think I'll be independent and probably have a fairly low EFC. Do you guys think it could affect financial aid if I didn't graduate H.S. in CA?</p>