<p>What is your major? You can take classes at community college that meet the general education requirements for almost any school, no need to worry about your major. If you go to school part-time you can still get financial aid. Also in some states if you finish an Associate’s degree you can be guaranteed admission and transfer scholarships/grants.</p>
<p>Agreed with those who say $80,000 in loans is a BAD idea.</p>
<p>The payments on those are huge after graduation. </p>
<p>I would know… I financed my own education 100% myself at a top tier school with a combination of private loans and jobs. The interest on private student loans will nail you. And it’s not fun to have to pay those back ($1000+ plus per month in payments) after graduation. Don’t think “oh, it’ll be easy to pay that when I graduate.” No, it won’t. You don’t know if you’ll land a job or what the market will be like then. You don’t know what your other expenses will be then. Face it: right now you can’t get a car, which could be under $1000. You think you’ll graduate and a high-paying job will be what you start with there $1000 or more a month in student loan payments in easy? Try again. If you live in a large city after graduation, salaries are higher and could make that loan payment possible. But, the costs of living in large cities are also higher. Either way, huge loans hurt… and hurt badly. </p>
<p>$80,000 is a lot of money, and a LOT more money in interest. By the time you will have paid those loans off in 25 years, you will have paid a LOT, LOT more than that $80,000 in interest.</p>
<p>What major supposedly won’t work “so kindly” with your part-time school and part-time work? Unless you’re in med school doing rotations, you can find time for a part-time job during school. Or, work full-time a year or two and save up money then attend college.</p>
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<p>I think OperaDad had a typo here. You CANNOT wipe out student loans through bankruptcy. You’re stuck with them. You aren’t the only student with this “sticky situation”. There are thousands of students who are in similar situations, and crushing debt is not the answer for any of them.</p>
<p>Surprised Lasell gave you 27k. If your major has “a lot of risk,” the last thing you need is all that debt hanging over you. Does this college specialize in your major? Or even have a track record in helping kids get jobs? Don’t be so enticed by the idea of being first in your family that you pull the wool over your own eyes. You’re 17 and thinking “if only…” Come up with a plan that doesn’t need you or others to take on massive debt none of you can afford, in the first place . Don’t be 22 saying, if only I had realized…</p>
<p>And even if you find outside scholarships, it’s late in the game to win them and many colleges will subtract outside monies from their grants.</p>
<p>According to her previous posts, the OP wants to major in fashion merchandising. I’d say that has “a lot of risk”. The likelihood of being able to repay $80,000+ in loans with a salary in that field is extremely low.</p>
<p>A lot of people like to suggest go to CC for few years then transfer. This plan only works if a student is close to full pay, but can’t afford to pay full fare. It is much harder to get FA as a transfer student, and sometimes CC can also be very expensive. Many FA guru on this board have advised students to take a gap year (not to take any college courses) then apply again as a freshman.</p>
<p>Does LaSalle offer a tuition payment plan option?? If so, you could split the remaining $11,000 into 10 or 12 month payments - $900 - $1,100 monthly payments. Of course, this is assuming that your parents can afford to do this; you stated that their credit was bad but made no mention of income. Since you have a part-time job, maybe you could pay a third of that every month. Also, even though your other family is not willing to co-sign for a student loan, they might be willing to contribute to the monthly payments instead. In addition, this would leave you with about $40,000 in loans instead of $80,000. Big difference.</p>
<p>I know how hard it will be to pay off the loans, I did not say that I thought it was gonna be easy. But that’s not even an option for me. And I really don’t want to miss a year of schooling because I already knew that you get less money as a transfer. Also lasell does not take out their scholarships if i have outside scholarships coming in.</p>
<p>And it is very unlikely for my family to make those payments as I’m trying to convince them to pay only a hundred a month right now and they are hesitant about that. They don’t have that kind d of money.</p>
<p>You cannot afford this school. I was also the FIRST in my family to go to college and my family could not afford loans for me, so I went to CC and worked part-time to support my parents. It finally took me 10 years, but I graduated and did it without a whole lot of debt. Why are you in such a rush? You should take a gap year, save up money and then go to your college. No one is going to loan you $20,000. If they do, the rate will be outrageous. It is not worth it. The loan companies want their money yesterday. You can’t work out a deal with them on the repayments because they will say you knew what you were getting into when you signed. My dd started repaying her loans about 6 months ago and she’s graduating in 3 months. Fortunately, she did internships these past two summers so she’s almost done with her bills.</p>
<p>You’re going into fashion merchandizing which, in reality, is probably not going to pay you right out of school. People who do make it in this industry have family and business connections and their money. I’m not saying you’re not talented, but what I am saying is that the income is not guaranteed when you graduate.</p>
<p>You can somehow get to work without a car. You need to get to public transportation, not necessarily to the school. As you get contacts, you will be able to negotiate rides most likely. Gas is expensive so car pooling is getting popular. My kids car pool everywhere and it helps with their gas bill when they give others rides.</p>