A Question For any "adult" older college students

[GalDisney]

A Question For any "adult" older college students

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Are there any older, adult college students here? Or any 'Independent " students? In other words, anyone who doesnt have parents paying their way or any of their costs. I am wondering how you are paying for school and living expenses??

[AKbabe]

Yeah, I'm way older. I'm 42. :blush: The first 2 years I went, I did work full-time although the job didn't pay much. I was an instructional assistant and really only did it because 1) I loved the job, 2) I was getting teaching experience (I'm getting my teaching degree :teacher: ) and 3) It allowed me the opportunity to stash tuition money. But this year my position was being changed around and would have made it very stressful for me to attend school. :sad2: Since I would have to quit working anyway in order to complete my student teaching, I quit and now just go to school. I'm not going full-time credit-wise according to my school, but that is all I am doing so I feel I'm going full-time. I still won't finish until 2010. I do have an advantage though since I'm married (don't know if you are or not) and my husband has a great salary, so I don't have to worry about living expenses. My income has always been extra as we've only used his to live on so quitting work wasn't a burden. And because I set that extra income aside for those 2 years, I have the cash to pay for my tuition. We certainly wouldn't qualify for grants. And frankly, I'm way too old to take on any student loans. :lmao:

If you aren't married (or have the option of someone else paying housing, etc.), I would go part-time for awhile while stashing money away for living expenses to cover you during the time you do go full-time. Or instead of going part-time, work a 2nd job for awhile strictly for stashing expenses. Then just get student loans or scholarships for tuition itself and just go get it done. You can finance the tuition, but you can't finance your rent. :worried:

Not sure if I helped, sorry. :confused3

[GalDisney]

Im older than 42..by a wee bit :0 My problem is i am working two part time near minimum wage jobs and am not even getting by with that., let alone saving any money, I am by myself so i am resposible forr ent, utilities, food, vehicle, insurance you name it. That is why i wanted to go back to school so i can get out of this rut. In the school catalogs they list cost of attendance as school and living expenses, transportation etc yet finacial aid just would cover the cost of school and books. So i don't know what to do. I have considered taking out private student loans. I dont know, i am confused as what to do :)

[AKbabe]

Have you considered Daytona Community College? I checked out their website and each credit is only $70. Community colleges are the way to go for people who have to support themselves and can't really immerse themselves into the college life financially. I don't know what area you are looking into, but perhaps the associates's degree you would get at DBCC will be enough. While you are there, you can take one or two classes at a time, nights, weekends, online, summer, etc. You could get financial aid even for that.

If you intend to continue on to get your bachelor's, at least when you do transfer, you only have 2 years remaining which may be doable. That's down the road and perhaps you wouldn't have a car payment and that extra money could help support you (assuming you still work). You could still go part-time to the 4 year college as well. At that point, you definitely want to look into financial aid and probably student loans. Student loans are definitely good debt as college really is an investment in your future.

If DBCC is an option, I would go there and talk to an advisor AND someone from the financial aid department and see what your options are. Community colleges are usually very helpful and want you to succeed.

[GalDisney]

Hi, Yes Daytona Beach CC is where i am planning on attending. Yes, I do agree I need to go back and talk to a counselor and /or Financial aid. I am already registered for three classes starting in January. My ultimate goal is a B.A. degree but i need to finish the AA first ( I have some completed). Thank you for your input, i do appreciate it :)

[Crankyshank]

I'm an older student. I work full time and go to school full time. I have loans and work reimburses me for a percentage of my tuition.

[BluesTravlr00]

i'm in my third year of law school. i owe the government $90,000 plus interest.

[Alyssa88]

A Question For any "adult" older college students

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Are there any older, adult college students here? Or any 'Independent " students? In other words, anyone who doesnt have parents paying their way or any of their costs. I am wondering how you are paying for school and living expenses??


I'm 18 (sophomore) but I am paying my own way and living expenses. I have mostly scholarships and loans (which my parents did say they would help me pay off). I got very little financial aid. As for my living expenses, I have two jobs.

[ty&brenmom]

I feel your pain. I am a single mom, work full time (just to make ends meet), and attend school part time, I am majoring in social work. I have a grant that pays for a portion of school and the rest I take out in student loans.
It's hard but sometimes you do what you have to do to make sure your future is better.

[Lady V]

A Question For any "adult" older college students

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are there any older, adult college students here? Or any 'Independent " students? In other words, anyone who doesnt have parents paying their way or any of their costs. I am wondering how you are paying for school and living expenses??


yes-I am a single mother of 2 wonderful kids princess: :artist: and I go to the University Of Tennessee. I am 32 and i will graduate with my BA this May 11th!!! :cheer2:

I am so happy! :goodvibes I work full time. I am majoring in Marketing and minoring in International Business. I am so ready to be done with school and on with my life!

[plgrn]

Guess I would qualify as a "non-traditional" student since I didn't start college until I was 22 and married. Thank God my husband's wages and scholarships pay my way, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do!

It's good to know that there are others out there who aren't fresh out of high school with their parents paying their way. :thumbsup2 Hang in there!!! You can do it!!!

[Minnie]

I'm 32 and work full-time and attend an MBA program full-time (I will graduate in June). I have always worked full-time and I've been a single parent for the last 10 yrs but it is possible :thumbsup2

Tough - God yes its tough but possible. I was able to get FA to cover my AA but when I transfered on to my BS it wasn't enough so I ended up taking out student loans. My employer is paying a portion of my MBA so that certainly helps but it is still tough and my loan balance is growing :sad1:

I wouldn't be where I am today though without continuing my education. I know in the end it will be worth it! And the pride I felt when I walked across the stage with my DS present at my BS graduation was amazing. I can't wait until June when I get to do it again :cool1:

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!

[Ciciwoowoo]

I'm 35, single mom of a wonderful 9 year old, and I'm going to school to get my BS in accounting... Am doing it through grants and loans. When I get out, I'll have a heck of a bill, but I figure that if I owe 20K, I will probably make that much more having my degree than I do now.

I'm hoping to continue and get my MBA right away so the loans don't come due until I'm completely finished. A lot of the schools in my area offer online classes and it works out great! I don't have to worry about getting a babysitter all the time, and I can do my work once I get my little guy to bed.

(In fact, am taking a break from homework right now!)

Good luck to you! A college degree is soooo worth the money! You can almost count on doubling the amount you are earning right now.

[CoasterNCake]

Never to late to go - just try it out.

[GalDisney]

I am in school now. Strated in January. I was able to qualify for pell Grants which is covering my classes and i have stafford loans totaling $3,000. for the semester. My goal is a BS in Elementary Education. Won't get rich that way but it is what i want to do. Am also wondering if perhaps with an education degree i could find employment with Disney? Am completely broke still..lol but am looking for a better job that will work around school.

[CelticBelle]

I definetly say that the pell grants etc. are worth looking and applying for. Have you also looked at scholarships that specifically deal with your school or another situation. They can be easy to get in certain situations, you just have to look.

Im a freshman right now (just turned 18) and im engaged. I have to finance everything myself all living expenses, but im still considered a dependent. When I get married Ill be considered independent and actually get more money form the state. :banana: I will finish school while my DFi is doing paramedic training, and then ill support him more while he finishes school. Its a trade off so we each support the other while their in school so they can concentrate on it.

[QueenRahel]

my motto is you got to have money to make money....so u got to work your butt off just to go to school, so in the long run you will have a career and wont have to work those two jobs....and then finally have some decent money with that all important piece of paper...the degree...which is well worth it.

[DisneyGuy77]

I’m an older college student as well. I will be 30 in a few days, and will hopefully be starting my masters in the summer/fall.

[LurrrvtheDuck]

Just a suggestion, but hospitals make pretty good money if you can get in. There are many secretarial positions that start at $10 or more and since hospitals are open 24 hours it's possible you can get weekend work. That's what I did and am unfortunately still doing :sad1: even though I've already graduated from college and have my BS in Communications but alas only 3 months of experience which will not get me a job. :::sigh::: Meanwhile I owe a mortgage payment in loans.

My other suggestion is to try to get work at a school since your major is in education, maybe as a substitute teacher. I believe all you need is a teaching certificate for that and that way when you graduate you'll have some work experience which is what employers look for. (Wish someone would've told me that while I was still in school.....)

Good Luck!

[Crazy4Disney06]

I am 27 and attending college for the second time. I work full time as well as attend college. I had to take out student loans through FAFSA that I will have to pay back once I graduate.

[mermaid86]

oh man do i hear you on this one.

i am a junior in college right now. my freshman year i had a BAD falling out with my parents. they essentially stopped supporting me going to college and i was left with taking care of all my expenses myself, and I mean everything... school, groceries, everything.

Being under 21, I had no co-signer for loans and couldnt afford dorming. I had to drain out all my saving to pay for schooling. Fortunatly, I have an amazing boyfriend whose parents let me live with in his apartment with him, where I fortunatly dont have to pay any rent, and I spend my summers at his house.

Since I am a full time student, I really only have time for an on campus job. I rely on my bf for transportation and cant really just keep taking his car. With all the school payments, I have gotten into some serious debt on credit cards that it going to really hard to pull out of :(

When all is said and done I will have a lot of loans to pay back... and whats more, after I graduate next year I plan on going to law school. I know its going to be a lot of money owed, but in the end, I will hopefully have a good paying job that makes up for it.

What REALLY gets to me is that since I can not claim myself independant on the FAFSA my parents claim me and it looks like I have their income supporting me. I get way less grants and money coming to me because of this which is incredibly hard to come by. I have tried every which way around this and apparently there is no way of fighting it... I have even had my school tell me drop out because its not their problem I was "fighting with mommy and daddy"

How to I get through school? With lots of determination, the loving support of my boyfriend and his family, and very little money.

...And yet I am going to Disney World this June :), (on account of the BFs parents)

[gabriellewatson]

A Question For any "adult" older college students

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are there any older, adult college students here? Or any 'Independent " students? In other words, anyone who doesnt have parents paying their way or any of their costs. I am wondering how you are paying for school and living expenses??


I'm not too old, lol, but I've been paying for my college since I started when I was 18. My parents couldn't afford college for me, but I can with the help of studen loans.

I'm currently paying on my student loans although I am a part time student. My husband and I got married, so I lost my scholarship through my college. I was attending a university, but now I am attending a community college to finish up a few basics I had left. It is much cheaper, and we used a payment plan. For six hours this semester it was $432 no including books. We used a monthly payment plan and paid $110/mo for about 4 months. It's paid now, thankfully, but that is how I pay for my schooling. My husband has a TX tomorrow fund, so his parents set aside money for him that he currently uses. I pay out of pocket for everything now. If I need to though, when I switch back to the main university, I will seek out loans, scholarships, and grants if they are available.

[gabriellewatson]

I definetly say that the pell grants etc. are worth looking and applying for. Have you also looked at scholarships that specifically deal with your school or another situation. They can be easy to get in certain situations, you just have to look.

Im a freshman right now (just turned 18) and im engaged. I have to finance everything myself all living expenses, but im still considered a dependent. When I get married Ill be considered independent and actually get more money form the state. :banana: I will finish school while my DFi is doing paramedic training, and then ill support him more while he finishes school. Its a trade off so we each support the other while their in school so they can concentrate on it.

LOL, this is like me and my husband. I was a dependent, and my parents wouldn't let me claim indepedent because I was enrolled in school. My loans were very small because my parents wouldn't let me choose the big loans. I never had an issue with my parents, but they just couldn't afford to put me through college. I was determined though and used what little loans I could get. I did not qualify for any grants because my parents are in a higher income bracket (broke though becasue they are paying off their schooling, many children, house, cars, insurance, etc.). I used some out of pocket spending for textbooks and supplies. I took classes that didn't require too much of anything besides textbooks. I worked about 30/hrs while going to school full time though, so I could pay for my car/school, and then I decided to move out becasue my parents weren't supporting enough of my aspirations. I got into an apartment and paid for everything at that point except for insurance. I finished classes and then became a part time student, so I could work full time. I tried full time classes, full time job, and in the beginning it was fine, but finally just wore me out. I met my future husband and he had mostly everything handed to him, but his parents saved for many years to help him through college. We are now married and file jointly, so I don't know what kind of grants I can get. I work full time and go to school part time. I'm trying to finish up my degree and pay off my loans while I can afford to, so they aren't so high when I graduate. We are paying off my car and we live in a house together. There are many bills and obstacles along the way, but it's well worth it in the end. I should finish up school though in a couple of years, and then its my husbands turn, while I'm the breadwinner. LOL.

[gabriellewatson]

I am in school now. Strated in January. I was able to qualify for pell Grants which is covering my classes and i have stafford loans totaling $3,000. for the semester. My goal is a BS in Elementary Education. Won't get rich that way but it is what i want to do. Am also wondering if perhaps with an education degree i could find employment with Disney? Am completely broke still..lol but am looking for a better job that will work around school.


Some office positions don't pay too much, but they pay enough to cover bills, plus you can take night and weekend classes or even online courses. It can be done I assure you. I'm doing it now, and I've been doing the evening, weekend and online courses, and saving money, untill I have to go to school full time during the day. Good luck and many wishes, everything is gravy as long as you are happy!!:banana: