<p>I currently work full time and I am not seeing very many ways to get out of it.
I need at least $1,000 a month to cover rent, utilities, living expenses. My parents do not claim me or pay any of the above. I am applying for FAFSA but I really don't want to take out any loans.</p>
<p>My first choice school is UCSB since I go to SBCC and live in Santa Barbara already. Also, my day job is at a history publishing company and I REALLY don't want to let this go!</p>
<p>So, two questions: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Does UCSB offer night classes? If not or you don't know, which UC's do?</p></li>
<li><p>Has anyone worked 40 hours a week (a typical office day job) while completing UC? I heard they do not allow you to attend part time. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I have some friends who receive an $800-$1300 check in the mail from FAFSA (per quarter) and their parents pretty much support them. If something like this doesn't end up happening to me I am going to be VERY hesitant about completing my education! I need some stories and advice (I guess you could say, inspiration.)</p>
<p>First off, you should definitely get financial aid. Especially since your parents don’t claim you, you almost certainly qualify. If you haven’t already, you should also look on fastweb for scholarships for working students. </p>
<p>I know UCLA offers night class and Cal doesn’t offer many, if any, but I dunno about the others.</p>
<p>I work 45-50 hours a week with 20 units per semester this year and it’s definitely doable. Granted, it’s at SMC, but I figure 20 units at cc is roughly equivalent to 12-15 at a UC. </p>
<p>Go for it! It will be hard but if you get financial aid and are able to drop to part-time, you’ll be fine. From my experience, students who work are often the ones who do the best in school, because they know how hard it was to earn the money that is paying for those classes!</p>
<p>It can be done but it is very, very difficult.</p>
<p>Let’s be realistic here; there are 168 hours a week.</p>
<p>We can -40 hours from the get go=128 hours left. I’m gonna be generous and give you 6 hours a day for sleep (trust me even without a job for most people 6 hours isn’t enough, with a job every hour is gonna count). 6 x 7=42</p>
<p>We can then minus another 42 hours= 86 hours left</p>
<p>Let’s say you take 3 classes… each class will have a discussion lecture for the most part. I’m gonna be real generous and say with the discussion plus regular lecture each class will run 3 hrs a week… let’s add getting to and from class… half an hour. So 3.5 x 3 classes </p>
<p>86-10.5= 75.5/7=averages out to about 10 hours a day to do whatever, study, eat, whatever.</p>
<p>But remember out of those 75.5 hours left over… 36 are coming from the weekend (48-12 hrs slept). </p>
<p>During the week you’ll have 8 hrs of whatever time, plenty for some but not so much for others. I didn’t factor in commute, getting ready, and other factors. You can do it… try your best but remember about time management.</p>
<p>Keep in mind you don’t always have to go to class. If you can learn well on your own, why go? (Depends on major of course. I wouldn’t skip a math class but I’d skip a humanities or biology class. I wouldn’t skip a lab but I would skip some discussions and lectures)</p>
<p>FAFSA= free money if you qualify not loans. FAFSA only matters for loans if you want them then they go off of your FAFSA to see your need. I certainly hope you have being doing FAFSA while at SBCC. You dont get fin aid just cause your parents dont claim you. It might help but you are not considered dependent until you are 24 years old. I am pretty damn sure that when you are accepted to UC they require you to go to school full time of course there are exceptions.You certainly are not going to be the only person in the UC system who needs to work to be able to cover your bills so I ma sure there are ways to do it. If nothing else sell your soul to the miltary and get your college paid for. Then spend the next 4 years after school being a slave. Joking dont do that, learn from my mistake</p>
<p>rpicton is correct. You do not have to go to lecture. However, I wouldnt recommend than unless your an academic stud or a straight genious. It is possible to work full time and go to school full time but it is going to take alot of hard work, and some luck. Not only to UC’s offer a very limited number of night classes, but what are the odds that the night classes they do offer are the ones your going to need for your major? </p>
<p>Check out the UCSB schedule of classes for spring 2010. You can get an idea of how many night lectures they offer. It seems that they have more night discussion sessions than night lectures. Just by looking at this, I think you would run in to some trouble not being able to find 3 night classes to take. There are just not enough lectures after 5 pm. </p>
<p>There is absolutely no reason to work 40 hours per week while attending a UC. This is what financial aid is for. Financial aid isn’t chump change; I received over $20k last year, mostly in grants (free money), for financial aid. </p>
<p>Any UC worth attending assumes that you will be studying full time. For every hour I spent studying in community college, I spend about 8 hours studying at Cal. It may sound possible in theory to work full time, but in practice all you’ll get is unhappiness, extreme stress, poor work performance, and poor academic performance.</p>
<p>Additionally, working between the hours of 8-5 just isn’t possible at a UC. You may be able to find a night class here or there, but the vast majority if your required classes/labs/discussions/sections will only be offered between the hours of 8-5.</p>
<p>@derekjn - Here’s a reason for you: my company is paying for my education, which means no loans for me. I don’t qualify for need based financial aid because I am 22, and though I live independently, my parent’s make too much money (even though they don’t help me in this area). </p>
<p>I work full time as well, and I’m not sure where the original poster got the “you can’t go part time at a UC” - as far as I know you can. You pay on a per unit basis if you take less than 12 units a semester. I take advantage of early morning or late afternoon classes and negotiate a flexible schedule with my company (and use my blackberry constantly, though not in class!). I’ve done this for the past two years, am transferring on time (i.e. took two years to get 60 units by going to summer/winter sessions) and have a 3.9 GPA. It’s totally possible to find the balance.</p>
<p>Just to be clear, I know I’m coming from a CC point of view and not a UC, but I will just take less classes each quarter if I need to. Graduating isn’t a race. If you need to work full time, you might need to accept it is going to take you longer to get that degree. </p>
<p>However, I am totally impressed that some people in this thread work full time and are taking a full load of classes! THAT seems impossible to me :).</p>
<p>AMorrison is correct. You could pursue part time study at UCSB if you verify you work full time. The thing that will make things difficult is not just the course load (because classes are alot tougher than at cc) but also finding courses offered after 5:30 pm. If you get off work at 5, you probably cant take a class till 5:30 and since there are no classes that start at 5:30 you need to find a 6 pm class. This is not easy. There are not many 6 pm classes. </p>
<p>If you dont give up that job schedule all I see is heartache in your UC future. Sure you might be able to find 1 class a quarter that fits your schedule and requirements, but it’ll take you like 6 years to graduate after transfer. Not worth it. If you must keep that job then I suggest you go to a cal state. They offer more night classes and I hear they are starting to offer online classes too.</p>
<p>Another option is to do what Cupertino suggested. Try and find a higher paying job where you can make a thousand bucks a month with less hours. I used to work a job that paid 12 bucks an hour (working 3 days a week/8 hour days) and I made 1040 every month take home. You still have time to find another job. If you work 3 days a week, maybe you could work Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Thats what I would do… actually thats what I did.</p>
<p>“I’ve done this for the past two years, am transferring on time (i.e. took two years to get 60 units by going to summer/winter sessions) and have a 3.9 GPA. It’s totally possible to find the balance.”</p>
<p>Remember, the OP is talking about working full time at a UC, not a CCC. The difference in academic rigor between the UC and CCC systems is like the difference between pee-wee football and the NFL. One of my classes this semester requires 10 books, which is not uncommon at all.</p>
<p>“Sure you might be able to find 1 class a quarter that fits your schedule and requirements, but it’ll take you like 6 years to graduate after transfer.”</p>
<p>This is the biggest problem. You don’t get an unlimited amount of time to finish after you transfer. I don’t know how it is at other UC’s, but at Cal, you only get 4 or 5 semesters after transferring. After that, you have to start petitioning with good reason to stay longer. They don’t want transfers taking 5 years to finish because it would waste slots for other prospective students.</p>
<p>Administratively, it just isn’t a possibility with an 8-5 job.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys. I will apply for FAFSA and try to figure something out. I guess I can get more roomates to lower the cost of rent. :)</p>
<p>I think I remember UCSB having an off center campus in Ventura for people who work full-time. I don’t know if it is for full time students, but when I looked it up it mentioned that it had night classes and internet classes.</p>
<p>Hey Janet, what did you end up figuring out? I am in your boat too =/ I made to much last year to qualify for any financial aid though, so im stuck with loans if I wanna do school full time</p>