<p>To low income students out of state, how do you get the money for transportation into the state and in the area where the college's located?</p>
<p>here on the East Coast you can take the Chinatown or Bolt buses up and down the northeast corridor for a small amount. Currently Phila to NY $15. You can also get rides from the tons of kids who bring their own cars to campus. Hasn’t really been a problem. Just don’t take the train - too expensive.</p>
<p>yeah but what if you decide to explore the city on your own?
And what about the money you have to spend to travel to your home state and back every summer?</p>
<p>get a good paying summer job</p>
<p>if you go to a competitive college, how would you find a job and study at the same time?
its gonna be hard
summer job is not easy to find. I try over 25 places but to no avail</p>
<p>If you’re low income, and get into a top competitive college with good fin aid, which then pays for virtually all your costs, you can get a job on campus, saving the money, making it fit your schedule.</p>
<p>My parents are paying for it all. We’re driving over to MA from Ohio and then I’ll be flying back for Christmas and driving back for Summer. Buses are the best bet and pack light. You might even be able to get a train or a plane ticket for cheap, depending on when and which website you go to.</p>
<p>Low income students should think twice before going to a college too far away, or in a major city, unless your transportation is included in the FA. I was a FA students many years ago. I worked 20+ hours per week in order to keep up with my friends. I hitched rides with people whenever I could. Luckily I went to a school in a middle of no where, even so we still took few road trips. It wasn’t easy, but I just felt lucky I was able to go to the school, anything else was gravy.</p>
<p>My daughter is going to a top ranked school. She doesn’t need to work, but she is required by us to work. She works 10 to 15 hours per week, plus with a lot of other ECs (like her sorority activities, student government, and dance), she is still able to maintain very high GPA. At many other competitive schools, it is not as hard to get a part time job. They have more funding and therefore more facilities/activities for students. Those facilities require more students workers - libraries, swimming pool, gym, labs…</p>
<p>Many of those highly ranked colleges do factor in student’s transportation expenses when figuring out FA amount. At the same time, they will probably only factoring in 1-2 trips back home, not for every break.</p>
<p>Summer job…</p>
<p>but right now, my first ticket there is being paid for by my uncle (who is a very wealthy man and offered to pay for the ticket, though I think he had free tickets as it is from his work? eh). I am considered low income and I’m going far up north and my college will be hard. Still I’ve talked to a woman up there about getting a really cool job as work study and getting really good pay. I plan to pay for the rest of my tickets, my family is planning to save some money and drive up there and take me back down for Thanksgiving break. So they can see the college and we can all finally see some more of the country.</p>
<p>Also next year I plan to try for this thing with southwest airlines, for low income hispanics going far away for college, where they cover your plane tickets (but I had to be enrolled by the time to apply for this thing in April)</p>
<p>All I know is that you shouldn’t think about the transportation cost in college. You’ll find a way when the time comes, if you’re determined enough to get into a good out of state college you’ll figure out how to get there physically. Sometimes family helps, sometimes you have to figure it out yourself. Maybe you can just walk around selling chocolates, or just ask around. You’ll get there.</p>