<p>Hi,
I just got accepted in to Virginia Tech and very excited... until the financial aid package came home. Basically the estimation cost for attendance is 24K but they only give me ~16K (that's including loans). I now have to choose between VCU (who gives me more money than I need) and VT (My first choice). </p>
<p>My question is that is it possible for a college student (premed) to make somewhere from 8.5K-10K/year? I think/hope can handle around 20-25 hrs/week. I am willing to work full time during summer so I guess 30-35 hrs/week. Do you think this is rational for a premed kid?
Or should I just sacrifice going to my first choice and attend to VCU (which is really NOT my cup of tea)</p>
<p>I am scare to contact the financial office but I will probably will this weekend while visiting VT for the fourth time.</p>
<p>I really think OP would be pushing it. Also, others here know more than I do, but I think that much earned income will result in increase in EFC and decrease in aid for next year. There may be an exception for work-study jobs, but those jobs will pay minimum wage (generally) and not have tips.</p>
<p>20 hours each week x 50 weeks each year (give yourself some vacation!) x minimum wage = ?</p>
<p>You are pre-med. VCU is offering you a significantly better package. If you work part time fine, but if you don’t that’s fine too. That would mean that you’d have more time free to put together the kind of internships and ECs that will make you more attractive to the med schools. I say, go to the cheap school now, so that you are in a better position to achieve that long-term goal.</p>
<p>making 8-10k more per year wouldnt raise the efc too much really. I dont know what yours currently is, but it might raise it a couple thousand, but you can easily make more money than 8-10k in a year. EASILY.</p>
<p>sophia, I am pretty certain that earnings of student raise the EFC much more than earnings of parents. OP should run the numbers. </p>
<p>This could be out of date – but this is what I think</p>
<p>◦Student Contribution. (The federal calculation is 50 percent of the net earnings above $2,200 and 35 percent of the student’s reported assets.) </p>
<p>As to making more money “easily” I dont see it.</p>
<p>Thank you happymom, yes it appears the allowance has been raised to 2,700. But still my point is that much of student earnings are expected to be used for college, more so that parents. </p>
<p>I think this amount of work is excessive. i dont think anyone can count on finding.</p>
<p>Please don’t plan to work so much while doing pre-med. I really know nothing about either school, but doing well and getting good MCAT scores is the main thing for med school. Regardless where you wind up, you might look into being an RA after the first year. See what the payback for being such is at each school. It can vary from a small stipend to free R/B.</p>
<p>In this economy planning to work that much is not at all a good thing.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for all your kind answers. I just going to try and appeal my financial aid package at Virginia Tech. I mean I have nothing to lose. If I lost then oh well I guess, at least I’m down trying. Oh and my EFC is 0. I just really really want to go to VT, that has been my goal since 7th grade and I don’t want financial issue to be the obstacle. I mean I got in, so I’m already half way there. I was depress when I saw the FA award :(. Many people told me that VCU is a much better choice, but I just cannot help but to fight to get into VT.</p>
<p>Thanks again and wish me luck, I think this will be a long process (hopefully to be done before May 1)</p>