<p>So, it says in my financial aid package that it will my "self-help offer" is $4500, 2250 each semester. I have the chance to do term-time work and student loan to make up the money.</p>
<p>Any suggestion on how much student loan I should take? If I want to target around $750 term-time work each semester, about how many hours do I need to work each week? Wil this affect my studying?</p>
<p>Any upperclassmates, please share your story of what you do to pay the "self-help offer."</p>
<p>Freshman year, I worked in one of the libraries on campus. It's a pretty easy job, and you get to sit at a desk and do your homework while you're there. It's a good deal. I worked 8 hours a week at $8.75/hr = $980 per term.</p>
<p>Sophomore through senior years, I've worked at my UROP -- 15 hours a week at $10 per hour = $2100 per term, plus what I make during IAP and summer working full-time. (And I write one of the blogs, 4 hours a week at $10 per hour = $560 per term.)</p>
<p>Campus minimum wage is $8.75/hr, and terms are about 14 weeks long. Ergo, you are aiming to work a little over 6 hours per week to make about $750 per term. (They'll take taxes out, but you'll get most/all of it back in refunds.)</p>
<p>Working will affect your study time, no doubt. I've always found that having a job has helped me focus my time and avoid goofing off -- if you know you have to go to work at time x, you're more likely to buckle down and get your pset finished. Besides, many jobs on campus (library jobs, dormitory front desk jobs) are of the "sit and do your homework and occasionally do something" variety.</p>
<p>Personally, I've tried to keep my loans to a minimum, but I also prefer to use my UROP money for my personal expenditures (food, entertainment, shopping) rather than ask my parents for money. You'll have to figure out how much money you need to burn per week in order to decide how much you'll need to work for self-help.</p>
<p>thanks! sorry, but what are "UROP" and "IAP?" "15 hours a week" for UROP? That's a lot; will you have like no time to study, to make friends, or to have social life?</p>
<p>would you please tell me on what days (and hours) of the week do you work at the library? for example, 2 hours on Monday, 1 hour on Thursday, etc. Can I work in the library on Sunday?</p>
<p>is it possible for a freshman to do undergraduate research with a professor there? if so, how much would the pforessors usually pay the student?</p>
<p>thanks again!</p>
<p>UROP = Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, the program which coordinates undergraduate research at MIT
IAP = Independent Activities Period = January; we get the entire month off to do whatever we want.</p>
<p>15 hours a week is a lot, but I really like my job. I think I have plenty of time for studying, friends, and a social life -- I mean, I'm a double-major with a good GPA, a cheerleader, and I go out with my friends every weekend. It's all about time management. I don't work 15 hours a week for the money. I work 15 hours a week because I'm trying to get another publication by the time I graduate.</p>
<p>When I worked at the library, I worked 2 hours per day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I could have worked on Sunday, but I didn't choose to. (I had cheerleading practice on Sundays.)</p>
<p>Yes, it's possible (and pretty normal) for freshmen to do undergraduate research. As I should have said above, minimum wage for research jobs is $9/hr, although many people get paid more than that (I get paid $10/hr, my boyfriend gets paid $20/hr).</p>
<p><a href="And%20I%20write%20one%20of%20the%20blogs,%204%20hours%20a%20week%20at%20$10%20per%20hour%20=%20$560%20per%20term.">quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You get paid to blog? Do you have to update the blog a certain amount of times a week? Do all bloggers get paid?</p>
<p>All of the bloggers on [url=<a href="http://my.mit.edu%5DMyMIT%5B/url">http://my.mit.edu]MyMIT[/url</a>] get paid. Random bloggers at MIT do not get paid. We are supposed to update twice-ish per week, but if you do not update twice per week you do not get to claim that you worked 4 hours.</p>
<p>what are some on-campus jobs I can work for during IAP and/or summer?</p>
<p>when can I start taking more than four classes each term?</p>
<p>If I put down $1500 now for self-help, but at the end of the school year, I earn much less or much more than $1500, what will the financial aid officer do?</p>
<p>Here's a question: Why do different people have different self-help levels? For parental contributions I understand the differences, but the way I see it we should all be able to help ourselves to the same extent. </p>
<p>My self-help is 5500/yr plus 1500 summer earnings expectation.</p>
<p>^
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same as mine = $5,500 + $1500 summer earning</p>
<p>however, i earned an outside scholarship of $1000, so MIT subtract that from the total and leave me with $4500</p>
<p>again, my question is: "If I put down $1500 now for self-help, but at the end of the school year, I earn much less or much more than $1500, what will the financial aid officer do?"</p>
<p>vu, any outside scholarships earned can be applied toward the self-help portions before they reduce grant aid.</p>
<p>Yes, I was just addressing the question that you posed before of why people have less self-help offers in the financial award letter. </p>
<p>I also have a question, I received 2800 in aid for Books and Personal. How do you actually receive that money? Does is it go to your bank account or some kind of special MIT account?</p>
<p>Sorry for the confusion. I didn't realize MIT2010 was talking about his self-help after a reduction.</p>
<p>
[quote]
what are some on-campus jobs I can work for during IAP and/or summer?</p>
<p>when can I start taking more than four classes each term?
[/quote]
You might check the Student</a> Employment Office for jobs on-campus. Many students work at the front desks of their dormitories during breaks; you'd have to figure that out after you got to campus and picked your final dorm. Many students work library jobs as well; you'd need to go to libraries on campus and see if they had openings. I think the largest number of people work at their UROPs during IAP and summer.</p>
<p>You can begin taking more than 4 classes per term when you attain sophomore standing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If I put down $1500 now for self-help, but at the end of the school year, I earn much less or much more than $1500, what will the financial aid officer do?
[/quote]
If you earn less than $1500, either you or your parents will have to pay that money somehow. I suppose you could take out additional loans. If you make more than $1500, it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I also have a question, I received 2800 in aid for Books and Personal. How do you actually receive that money? Does is it go to your bank account or some kind of special MIT account?
[/quote]
Did you get 2800 in your expected contribution for books and personal? Or is it actually in your aid? (I mean -- which column is it in on the form?)</p>
<p>I think that, if it's actually in your aid package, it will get put into your bursar's account (the student account to which you pay tuition money). If it's just in your family contribution, the money doesn't actually exist, so to speak. :)</p>
<p>Thanks Mollie,
The money granted to me isn't specifically allotted for book, but it adds up so that after I pay for the tuition and dorm, there's some left over for books. If this money does so into my bursar account, how exactly do I access it pay for books. I know this is a very specific question that probably few people deal with.</p>