<p>I don't think this is such a bad idea. It seems like a win-win situation for everyone involved. I'm sure others will disagree!</p>
<p>Yes, one daughter was accepted into NCCC and the other did a year of service with Americorps.
( technically CityYear)</p>
<p>DD won’t have any loans for UG thank God. I’m sure she will for grad/med school. </p>
<p>I think it is a wonderful idea to give grads an option. I don’t like seeing community service be a required thing, though things like this to give a little extra motivation isn’t a bad thing. My D fully expects to apply to medical school and will need loans if she is accepted. She has always planned on serving in a medically underserved area in order to get some of her med school loans repaid.</p>
<p>This sounds pretty good, but it’s not really volunteering if you are getting paid, is it? And the students are getting paid - it’s just that the money goes directly towards paying down their debt rather than in their pocket. Not that that makes it a bad thing…it’s just technically not volunteering.</p>
<p>The other thing is that I can’t quite imagine who could afford this - probably the same kids whose parents were able to help significantly with college in the first place? After I graduated from college, I couldn’t move back home, so I needed to get a job or go to graduate school. There would’ve been no way I could’ve served as a full-time volunteer unless that organization was giving me a stipend for housing and food (the way AmeriCorps does, and even then, they don’t give you enough to live on) or otherwise provided me with a way to house and feed myself.</p>
<p>With the Americorps program, you can earn an education award for tuition or loans once you finish your year of service. Its true the stipend isnt much, but they may help finding roommates. You also are required to have a bus pass, not a car. And they furnish your clothes & boots.
Generally these programs fall under the umbrella of " community service", rather than " volunteer".</p>
<p>DD had 15% of her Perkins loan forgiven for each year of Her Peace Corps appointment. </p>
<p>One of my daughter’s is doing an Americorps program for a year…she is happy to have gotten her first choice (charter school) where they provide housing and you only have to pay about 200 a month rent. She hopes to save a bit and use the education award toward her loans. There are programs that help you find rents, many provide housing and living “in community” which some might like. Some have a small rent, some just ask you to provide for cable or food.</p>