Hi, I am a first-generation college student and have no idea what I’m doing. I am unable to get student loans so if anyone can give me some tips on how to pay tuition besides scholarships that would be great, but I also want to know when I should start shopping for my dorm. I will be attending Salem State University in the fall and I live in California. I don’t know what to do because I feel like if I wait to go dorm shopping until I get there then all the good stuff will be gone, but I don’t think I can start buying stuff now either because I don’t think I can afford to ship it there. Anything would help.
We lived in California at the time and my daughter went to college in Massachusetts also.
Somewhat surprisingly we found luggage rates for the airlines cheaper than UPS at the time (this was a few years ago). Of course you are only talking two large suitcases / duffles for each person flying. And it was mostly “soft” stuff that went that way.
We went out a few days early before the dorms opened and made the rounds buying the rest of everything. We had a list and were able to order some of it ahead of time for pickup in MA. Very few things we couldn’t get right away and those we couldn’t we ordered and she got them shortly after we left. You do need to be organized and have checked out Google maps beforehand.
You can try contacting the college to find out what stores are close by. Perhaps see if you can order online and pick up once you get to school - taking a cab, uber etc if need be. Salem, MA has stores like Target and Walmart. A quick google search shows they are less then 4 miles from the school.
Another thing might be to ask Salem State if you can mail packages from stores to the school now and ship them there directly.
For things you don’t need immediately the school has some mall transportation https://www.salemstate.edu/community/campus-map/campus-shuttle-bus-information. While I’m not sure what this year will be like, I hope you enjoy Halloween - it is a very fun time in Salem. It is also easy to get into Boston from Salem by public transportation.
@hhogan8 All the previous advice is pretty good. I personally would recommend flying there on Southwest since they give you two free checked bags plus a carry on per person. For big items, perhaps use Bed Bath and Beyonds service- basically you go in store or online and choose things you want (Ie comforter, lamp, etc) and then they will hold them at the store you choose closest to your college so you can pick them up there. Another option I used was to get my bedset from Walmart- you could either ship it home and fly with it, or ship it to your school. Call the post office at your school and see if you could sign up for a PO Box there and if they accept deliveries during the summer.
As for income, of course you can find a job this summer, but when at school you may want to work. Have you looked into qualifying for Work Study? Here’s a link for more info (https://www.salemstate.edu/offices-and-services/human-resources-and-equal-opportunity/student-employment-office/campus-student-employment-positions)
If you know what you want to get for college, I would just say you could start now! I think I started shopping for college in July back then.
What’s your net cost (tuition + room + board minus grants)? How much can your parents pay?
Thank you all so much for your help this really really helps me a lot and I truly appreciate it. As for the question about my loans my parents are not able to pay anything for me so we decided that I was going to look for a job and work as hard as I can with the time that I am given that way I can make monthly payments. Again thank you all for your help!! 