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<p>Interest? What do you mean by “interest”? You don’t pay “interest” on your salary. Work-study isn’t a loan. You get work study as a paycheck like a non work study job.</p>
<p>Work-study is beneficial because it’s often taxed less (this might vary by state but I pay virtually no state taxes on my WS) and because you don’t have to include it as income on your next year’s FAFSA. Therefore, it won’t count as part of your EFC.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry, I don’t follow. </p>
<p>You work like you would for a regular job. You get a pay check like a regular job. You then pay that money to the college, if needed, or use it for personal expenses.</p>
<p>I see. Thanks for elaborating. I’m going to try and call the financial aid office to see if I can change my loans to work study. I really want to try and decrease that EFC :S
romanigypsyeyes you have three jobs?? How do you balance school and working? A lot of college students tell me that sometimes college is like a full time job…with 6+ hours of studying.</p>
<p>It’s not easy. That’s the life of a poor college kid haha. </p>
<p>I work 7 days a week. During the summer, I work 40-60 hours a week. With school, I work around 30+. Work at one job Monday-Thursday, one Friday and Sunday, and one Saturday. You just make it work :D. And last semester I had an internship, too (although I gave up my Saturday job for a semester) haha. </p>
<p>I do not, I repeat do NOT, recommend anyone work like I do. I am a workaholic. It’s not healthy for me or for most people. I do burn out more than any one my age should. I wish this on no one. </p>
<p>Such is life. A 40 hour a week job will be a breeze for me ;)</p>
<p>Good luck. I doubt they’ll convert your loans to work study, but maybe if you express interest, they’ll put you on a wait list (which I saw happened to someone on another thread).</p>
<p>. But as a mom you should understand that a parent can not always give that expected EFC. And Yes those loans are all are a combination of PLUS loans and Direct loans. I got the maximum subsidized amount of loan I’m allowed to get. I have no problem with subsidized loans. Cause I know I’ll pay it off and I have a grace period after I graduate before I have to start. But the problem is the Unsubsidized loans that has twice the amount of interest and I have to start paying it off immediately. My parents have enough in their hands already to pay for. So I’m doing what I can so I can reduce it and not lead to a greater amount of monthly payments for them</p>
<p>City, </p>
<p>You really haven’t acted as if you’re pleased with your FA pkg. If you were, you wouldn’t be comparing it to others and thinking that they have it better than you do. Right?</p>
<p>Your words: </p>
<p>However I’m not happy that I dont qualify for WORK STUDY… or other LOANS reserved for the “Financially needy”</p>
<p>That sounds like you think your FA package is not as good as it should be.</p>
<p>The REAL issue is that your parents (like many) can’t pay their EFC. That isn’t the UCs fault. They have to assume that families will pay it.</p>
<p>Are you saying that with a $5k+ EFC your parents can’t/won’t pay for ANYTHING? Not even your transporation home for holidays or transportation to get to school? How about your books? How about toothpaste, soap and deodorant? Any clothes? Will they pay for any of these things? I can understand that they can’t afford to pay $5k+, but they might be able to figure out how to pay for a few expenses here or there to cut down the need for so many loans. </p>
<p>WHO is responsible for paying back those Plus loans? You or your parents? Legally, they are obligated, but did you promise to pay for those Plus loans? </p>
<p>Either way, you can reduce the need for half of your loans if you work as much as you can this summer. Get two jobs if you need to get more hours over the summer.</p>
<p>Call the school and ask for some work study. If they say “no”, then you’ll need to look for a non-WS job as soon as you can. Find out if the school offers any tutoring services? If so, they often hire strong students to do that work. Find out where the on campus non-WS jobs are listed. LOOK EARLY…these jobs go to the Early Birds!!!</p>
<p>If you can’t find an on-campus job, look off-campus. Many places need someone who can work a Saturday or Sunday. If you work one 8 hour shift, that’s enough…or two 4 hour shifts over the weekend. </p>
<p>If you’re responsible for the Plus loans, then eliminate those first… since those have the higher interest rate.</p>
<p>Look over your COA…there’s padding in there. Look at ways to cut that down. buy books online. Sell back your old books at the end of the term. Be more thrifty with “personal expenses”. </p>
<p>Are you still in high school or are you already in college?</p>
<p>Nearly everyone gets poor in college. lol. I think I find that experiencing this hardship will be good though…I just don’t want to make it too hard to the point where it’s too risky and I’d have to risk stopping since I dont want to disappoint my parents who seem very happy with what I’ve accomplished.</p>
<p>That’s A LOT of HOURS O_O… like unbelievable… Doing this does it free you on a lot of the student loans? Does it affect your academic performance? Does it still allow you to become involved in school activities? And does having a lot of jobs demonstrate leadership abilities?
I wanted to get into a pharmacy school after so I have to keep my grades up :/…so I dont think working to the point where my mind is burned for school would do me too good.</p>
<p>We are full pay. My daughter works 20+ hours a week by choice, in addition to school. She does this partially because she likes to work, partially because her friends all have jobs and she would feel like a complete lazy bum if she wasn’t working as well, and partially because the kids she knows who have graduated without having jobs during the school year have had a much more difficult time finding employment after graduation.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for all who are wrking so much, but I did this, as well, in college, and I will say that I survived the forty hour work weeks, and the studying and the whatnot… though I know it seems hard now, it will make the transition to life go much more smoothly for you, in the long run. </p>
<p>I also just want to say that anyone who envies kids who are eligible for Pell because of Pell has no clue what they are talking about. The system is tough, right now, and you guys are facing a very inflated and unfair system, and as a member of an older generation, I would like to apologize for our incredible short-sightedness in the way that we are failing to invest fully in your education at the level I think would be appropriate, but never envy those who are elibible for Pell. Just admire their ability to get where they are inspite of the incredible odds they faced.</p>
<p>city, I’ll answer your qs in a PM.</p>
<p>Yes, poet, graduating without a job is a HUGE problem for people of my generation. I’m glad you understand that because many parents and students on here don’t. I’ve gone down that avenue too many times in Parent Cafe and College Life.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids yes I still expect my parents to pay some off. But I’m just trying to find other means to decrease it. Since I dont want my parents in 5k debt just because of me… especially with the big interest of 6.8%. So I’m applying to a lot of scholarships… and it’s not always easy… since its mostly rejections. But still I want to try. </p>
<p>I havent signed to pay any loans yet. These are the loans being offered to me. I have yet to start my college years. </p>
<p>yes that may sound like I’m not happy with my financial aid package to you. I very well am. My point there was the how the work study isnt listed as an available option for me…even though I have to take out 10 k worth of loans…
I have a friend who only has to take out 2.9 k worth of loans. and That’s getting all the aid they can possibly get WITH workstudy. What I just dont understand is…why they’re given preference for work study…</p>
<p>Another thing. I live in a city that has one of the WORST unemployment rates. Its fourth in the nation among the hardest city to find a job. Have I tried? oh yes I have with job fairs and such. Which is why I was thinking of moving to Irvine maybe a month and a half earlier just to find a job. It’s easier said than done to find a job with the economy these days. </p>
<p>Yea I figured that the COA can be variable too. That’s why I was also looking into how much it would save if I remained with my parent’s health insurance. The books and such… I’m going to try renting them out… The problem is the dorms… I have no certainty on the price of my dormitories since I don’t know yet whether or not I have one room mate…two or even maybe none.</p>
<p>@poetgrl “Just admire their ability to get where they are inspite of the incredible odds they faced”
This is sooo true. And I agree. I dont envy them because I have very very good friends that are in this pool of people. And they are people who have gotten full rides to Standford and more. I really admire them and am glad they’re finally getting some good things happening their life that can change the circumstances of their family around.</p>
<p>I have a friend who only has to take out 2.9 k worth of loans. and That’s getting all the aid they can possibly get WITH workstudy. What I just dont understand is…why they’re given preference for work study…</p>
<p>Your friend may have a different EFC, she may have better stats, or she didn’t get the extra merit scholarships (like you did)…it could be a whole host of reasons. </p>
<p>She may have filed FAFSA earlier than you did…things like WS are “first come/first serve.”</p>
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So I/we don’t know the numbers situation for these particular people, but if you think of their extra houses as a business asset much like a couple of fishing boats, rather than “gee we have one house and they have 3”, then you might be less inclined to that old green eyed monster. Either the friend is seriously cheating the system (unlikely) or you maybe you don’t have the whole picture. If they are cheating the system, then just remember that what goes around comes around. You sound like a well-centered kid though, so don’t read too much into it.</p>
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If that’s over two semesters, it’s only around 10 hours a week. That’s only a terrible strain if you are in engineering. Jk ;).</p>
<p>@city 10k (or even 20-30) is not an unreasonable amount of debt for them to ask you to take on. Many UC students take this and more. College is an investment. It is not supposed to be free. I suggest that you just take it. You can always find an off-campus job for extra money and work during the summers.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids I think it was mostly on the efc difference. But I will ask the office. Though if it really is possible for me to do some workstudy…even just a little bit would help me tons…and then Ill also attempt to find another job. </p>
<p>@sylvan yea I figured. I know they probably sacrificed a big amount of their savings for the new house though. I guess it just got me wondering…why my friend got that when she got a full ride. so basically any pell grant… received would be extra money or emergency money for her else where… better yet it can even be saved for graduate school. But yea I guess it just bugged me how one person would be able to save their pell grant… When there’s a lot of students who are short and could use that boost. And the reason behind is because of renting a house… so yea… lucky them…</p>
<p>I didnt realize that the work she did was 40 hours a week o.o… Which is why i was like. That sounds a lot…</p>
<p>@alwaysleah
I think it is unreasonable if I would have to get into debt for 20 k or more. Each year…i wouldnt have even considered a uc if the loan amount wouldve been 20k or more. Yearly. Why? Cause a lot of those loans would be unsubsidized which means i would have to pay for it…but more importantly my parents since they do make more. And i just dont want to be a burden to them or cause anymore financial problems… im sure they wont mind if I needed a small loan… but if its big and can lead to a big monthly deduction then thats when a problem can kick in.</p>
<p>A 20k loan is quite small comparatively. If I went to a UC I would have a loan of around 50k (of course I’m not going to a UC because of that). </p>
<p>After college, you have a much higher earning potential. It’s not free. It is not the state or the public’s responsibility to fund both your tuition AND your living expenses. I do think that the state should make it affordable, and for you, they have. </p>
<p>If you really can’t bear to take out the 10k in loans you’ve been given (which wouldn’t take more than 1-2 years of an after college job to pay off) then CC is available for you to live at home. Additionally, 10k would not be difficult to cover at all through summer jobs, so you theoretically could graduate with no debt. </p>
<p>AFFORDABILITY of college is very important. But I do think a student has some degree of responsibility.</p>
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<p>You can’t take that 5k out in loans? Most people would kill to only have to take out that much a year.</p>
<p>^I agree completely.</p>
<p>romani–</p>
<p>I don’t see how it’s possible for someone to work that many hours a week, attend class, do homework, study, and yet still have time to make countless posts on college confidential.</p>
<p>Work study is pay for a job that the federal government subsidizes… You earn it by working. What is nice about it is that you don’t pay taxes on it, not even social security, I believe (check me on that one, someone who knows for sure) and it doesn’t count as income on your FAFSA for next year’s financial aid.It’s usually something on campus and there is often flexibility in hours.</p>
<p>A college applies for, and gets a certain amount of money from the government for work study pay. They fund certain campus positions with it and then award the money to students as part of financial aid. But though the money is awarded, the student has to go to the financial aid office, look at what jobs are available and get one in order to get the money. The money is given in the form of pay checks and only as you put in the hours. Sometimes there will be people working side by side at the same sort of job, but getting paid from university payroll, instead of government funds. Sometimes when the Work Study money runs out, the job can continue and you get paid by the university. Sometimes not.</p>
<p>Positions include but are not limited to and may not be so funded at some colleges, as ID checkers, library book shelvers, athletic department, equipment release, administrative, gofer, putting up notices, taking down notices, and just about any part time job on university grounds.</p>
<p>Income inequality in the US is quite terrible, which few people are aware of, even with the recent Occupy protests. The Gini coefficient, which measures inequality, places the US around #67 in the world, along with third-world countries like Uganda and Kenya. The gap between the rich and the poor worsened significantly in the past 30 years - from 1980 to 2005 (often called the ‘Great Divergence’), 80% of the income gains were in the top 1% of the country, and today the top 400 people have more combined wealth than the bottom 150 million.</p>
<p>This unfortunate reality has made the landscape of higher education even more dismal: at the top 146 colleges, for example, 74% are from the top economic quartile, while only 3% are from the bottom economic quartile, meaning that the middle two quartiles are represented at 6x the rate as the lowest. The purpose of giving aid to low-income students is to try to change this reality. Yes, middle-income students may feel as though they’re at a disadvantage, but the reality is that low-income students are at an even greater one. Most will never even go to college; this perpetuates poverty. If we increased loans for low-income students in order to increase grant aid for middle-income students (again, represented at 6x the rate already), even fewer low-income would go to college. It makes no sense to give more to the “haves” at the expense of the “have-nots.”</p>
<p>Currently nearly 50 million people suffer from food insecurity in the US. Until Obama, around that number had no health insurance. The US is not providing a basic living standard for a large portion of its population, nor is it giving them - as a group - a real opportunity for social mobility (kinda hard when society is so terribly imbalanced in favor of the already wealthy). Education is the only way to eliminate poverty in the long term. Make no mistake: there will always be poorer people, but at least we will be able to guarantee a basic living standard. </p>
<p>Every time you feel that it “sucks” to be you, remember that there are people - in this country, not just in some far-away continent - who are far worse off than you.</p>
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<p>Some of us are just that awesome. ;)</p>
<p>Also, you should stop with the sniping and personal attacks.</p>
<p>My kids did not work that much during the school year, but they all easily found jobs at their universities. In fact, many of their jobs are also work study positions, but they have the job without getting paid by work study since they are not eligible for it. Where they racked up the bucks was during the summer. My one son worked as a life guard, and had a restaurant/country club job where he was waiter/busboy/clean up. On top of that he gave private swim lessons.</p>