| Author | |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: Sept 21 2009 at 10:50pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Bumping this to add this article:
Young Chicago woman runs half marathon to enter convent...she's fundraising to eliminate her debt.
On another note...our local college offers full tuition scholarship for students accepted into their honor's program. Worth checking out at your local college  .
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: Jan 28 2010 at 12:20pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Speaking of debt and college, I've been meaning to share another cost-saving idea for college. Our family purchased an investment home where our dd will live while attending college. The perks are that we will save big on room and board costs, we will collect rent to defray costs, dd will avoid the potential perils of dorm life (especially for a strong introvert who needs quiet space to regroup!), and we will look at this as a type of ministry to the students who live there. The down side include the usual ones with purchasing and running a rental property - mainly a lot of work! All in all, we hope this will be a blessing to all involved.
Please don't dismiss this option because it may seem costly. If you have money put aside to cover room and board for 4 years, that could be enough for a down payment. In general, college towns are great places to purchase investment properties - as far as having a constant supply of renters and a wide variety of housing options/costs. As with any investments, be careful and prudent, talk to experts, and be sure to have proper financing. Could be a good fit for others in this sluggish market!
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: Jan 28 2010 at 12:24pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We know another family who has done this. The only drawback is that now they want their other children to go to the same school so they can live there, too - but they're also looking for scholarships. Those two outcomes may or may not be compatible.
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: Jan 28 2010 at 12:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
guitarnan wrote:
| We know another family who has done this. The only drawback is that now they want their other children to go to the same school so they can live there, too - but they're also looking for scholarships. Those two outcomes may or may not be compatible. |
|
|
I can see that. I doubt our next two will go to the same school as their sister, either. I don't think I would buy now unless we knew that we wanted to keep the home indefinitely anyway. In other words, I don't think I would feel comfortable buying the house if we planned/needed to sell it in four years. Who knows what the market will look like in 4 years - and I'm pretty conservative with money so may not want to risk it (although the numbers might still pan out on the bright side.) Lucky for us, the home we have purchased is relatively local and would make a lovely starter home - close to mom - for any of my children who might find themselves in need of one  ...so now you know my sneaky plot!
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: May 24 2010 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I wanted to add another avenue for scholarship that some may not be aware of. My dd received a wonderful scholarship from our parish...yes, our parish! Your parish may also have a scholarship fund...if doesn't, you might want to consider starting one  .
I just noticed that I started this topic two years ago almost exactly to the date! So far, we have one year paid and anticipate another year paid without debt. Thanks so much for the help and encouragement I received here  .
Any new tips or favorite finds?
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
1floridamom
Forum Pro
Joined: June 30 2006
Location: Florida
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 236
|
| Posted: May 29 2010 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm all kinds of excited about the possibilities with things like College Plus. The basic idea is that a good number of credit hours might be tested out through CLEP exams...like AP class credit on steroids.  My oldest is 13, so I was thrilled when a friend mentioned this on another board. We have plenty of time to consider the options for most of our kids. Alternative learning is going to become more and more the norm as costs skyrocket, and this seems like a genuinely cost-effective way to get a college degree. HTH!
__________________
Monica in FL
dh Steve, Sean (14), Ethan (13), Emily (10), Kylie (6), Ashley (5) and Lindsay (2)!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
time4tea
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 02 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 511
|
| Posted: June 03 2010 at 10:33am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Our oldest is 17 and just finishing 11th grade. Last Spring, he took the placement exam at our local Community College and starting this past Fall, began taking courses there. He completed 9 credits through 11th grade, and will continue on next year for 12th. We are hoping to be able to pay for him to complete a 2-year degree, and then if he decides to go on we are praying that he will be able to get some scholarships and work part-time to defray the cost. He is currently on scholarship with a pre-professional ballet school, and I have a feeling he is going to pursue that direction, or something that will incorporate classical ballet in it, so he should be able to do some kind of work-study situation for that.
Our other ds is just finishing 9th grade, and how I would love to be able to send him to Christendom or St. Thomas Aquinas or one of those schools, but without a major (and I mean MAJOR!) scholarship, he will probably also complete 2 years at the CC and then go on from there. This particular dc is very studious and loves the classics. He is considering a religious vocation as well, so we'll see.
Bottom line, I wish we could send all 5 of our dc to a sound Catholic college, but financially we just don't see us being able to swing that. Maybe our circumstances will change to allow us to do that, but in the meantime, we will be relying heavily on the CC route.
__________________
Blessings to you!
~Tea
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: June 04 2010 at 1:46pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks for sharing your experiences Monica and Tea.
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: July 09 2010 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
More on College Plus, here.
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: July 28 2010 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Just thought I'd add one more pointer from the school of hard knocks - in terms of evaluating offers and determining debt free.
Some schools, when they offer scholarships and in state tuition, this is calculated on line and your bill from the college reflects the awards. Other schools charge the full cost to you up front and then reimburse you (whenever they feel good and ready to, which from what we hear is not at all timely).
Also when you work for a college, don't count on them paying you in a timely manner - and expect to be their slave labor.
Now, if you are given a scholarship, in state tuition, etc. - be sure to ask when you will receive this, whether this is a reimbursement for tuition costs or something calculated in the bill out right. We expected assistanceships to be paid as the work was done - no idea that dd scholarship awards were not calculated into the bill. It makes a huge difference in your ability to avoid loans if it is being granted upfront. Otherwise, you could be having to fork out a huge amount by mid August with no idea about when you are actually going to get the money back - forcing you into the new student loans that now start charging interest the day you sign the paper. If we figure a way around it besides taking up temporary help from grandparent, we'll let you know. In the meantime, be forarmed with the right questions to ask. The games these institutions play are unbelievabale!!!!!
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: July 30 2010 at 12:24pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
 ...I'm so sorry, Janet. Thanks for the warning.
(It really frustrates me when any agency/business holds my money, earning interest on it, instead of putting/keeping it in my hands where it should be! I'll stop there  .)
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Aug 09 2010 at 12:39am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hey Angie:
Well, praying to the St. of Impossible Causes, being firmly stubborn (you have to be willing to deal with the stress of outwaiting them and taking things to the wire while you keep repeating whatever your stand is - and this is not too hard to do when you really don't have the money) and finding the right person to speak to makes a lot of difference. The right person to speak to is not always the person you would think. You keep going to different folks until you find the right one. Often you have U employees whose job it is to fight another part of the same U. Basically look on the whole scholarship/bill/college thing like a business investment. You can walk and it isn't the end of the world. Be sure of all the terms and make sure you have legal documentation to protect yourself. There are really a lot of games (whether from sheer bureacracy, incompetency or whatever - not necessarily from ill intent). God has been good to us, we appreciate all the prayers over the course of the last many months and we somehow have managed not to get burned (sometimes by sheer coincidence (providential) that dd was away at music camps and such and asked us to help out with some things - so we were able to give her advice about the fact that all these things are legal documents that they are asking her to sign and pointing out ramifications she might not have thought of. All of your prayers were a powerful protection to us.
Also be alert. Some of these places don't put full information about loans on-line but if you click, you have signed. Refuse to sign or click on anything. We requested a written, legal contract for anything they were proposing - and were told sign the on-line, take out a loan or don't come. (Of course that was from one place - the right person could not believe the stunts and went to bat for us). Each person we spoke to in the course of a few days told us something slightly different about terms, rates, etc - but very little was in writing on-line. Keep asking - ask for things in writing and keep a signed copy for yourself.
You would be amazed at the kinds of things asked - I suppose folks feeling under pressure to hurry up before xyz expires or... might sign without thinking about the ramifications. Of if their department doesn't have proactive advisors or ....
Good news in our case when we finally got to the right person, looks like maybe there will be a way for them to straighten the whole mess out. We refuse to handle it on-line and are patiently waiting for things to show up. We may not be paying any bill until the day before classes are dropped - and then only if we are given at least a written and signed statement of worst case when they will catch up with their paperwork and every single term of whatever arrangement spelled out in writing. The scholarship has actually been credited now. We are cutting it to the wire but we are hopeful that if we wait long enough, the in-state will also appear. If the in-state doesn't follow in short order, then we will be back in touch with our "helper" when we can do whatever needs to be done in person. Of course this may all not get resolved until the day before classes start getting dropped and it is a stress we could have lived without and one we have been assured by other students will happen all over again next year. It is infinitely easier to deal with than surgeries, sick children, cancer, death, marital tension or difficulties, etc. that have been the topics of so many prayer requests on this board and among folks we know. Please God help this stubborn and impatient mom keep all of this in perspective. I do share it so that others dealing with the big institutions can go in prepared for the games and with eyes wide open.
Be very careful, very prudent and do not be quick about anything with these folks. We have experienced all kinds of bizzare requests - sign a blank lease (NO WAAY), trust us we'll fill in all the details for you, to a myriad selection of loans, emergency payment plans, etc. where the full disclosure of terms wasn't there (If you don't see legal sounding language, with all the stipulations of date of payment due, interest rate, when interest starts, fees, etc. - then be assured there are some terms somewhere and if you hit the button, you will be allowing them to use your click as electronic signature to who knows what. Unethical, YES, but evidently not really illegal. BEWARE!
It does look like dd is still on track to be debt free. We are hopeful. These games, from what we have heard from a bunch of folks, are not unique to one institution or another. There seems to be a rash of games lately all over the place. It is, however, evidently still possible to fight, to work hard and to remain debt free - it just takes a bit more stubborness and energy than in my day.
Thank you all for sticking with us in prayer.
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: Aug 09 2010 at 5:39am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wow, Janet. I am so sorry you've had to go through all this, but really appreciate all the helpful advice.
I wish I could say I was shocked or surprised, but I am not. A recent writing project I worked on and last week's suspension of enrollment on two Kaplan campuses have shown me that the practices you describe are, unfortunately, not confined to your dd's school.
You're so right when you say that it's best to think of this experience as a business deal...I often tell entering freshmen to remember who's paying whom for this whole thing. You're paying them, and you have a right to documentation, full explanations and adequate teaching.
Thanks again for sharing...so much to keep in mind!
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: Oct 04 2010 at 8:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Curious...do any of your high school or college students have a paying part-time job? Does some/all of their income go toward saving for or paying down college expenses?
Also, if your students don't have a part time job, why not? Is it by choice or is the job market hitting them hard?
Thanks!
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: Oct 04 2010 at 9:21pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My son does have a job, but it is seasonal (lawn mowing). So far he has not used the money for college. We do plan on having him earn money for next summer's "fun" travel adventures - the ones he wants to do whether or not his family is along.
The teen job market here is not great - most fast food jobs, for example, go to older applicants (adults, not teens). I do hope he'll be able to search for internships and paid jobs via his school as summer draws closer.
He would prefer not to work...but that isn't going to be a "forever" option.
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Oct 05 2010 at 7:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
All of our post high school students have part time jobs. We try to encourage them to look for opportunities in areas that will truely help them - not just be a paycheck. I also look at things like the reputation for how employees are treated, whether or not it requires really late hours and how unpredictable the schedule is and its general impact on family life and the child's own interests. I encourage our children to practice goal setting and decision making in the job hunting search. One child may need to consider more carefully the impact on studies - ya know how well does the child juggle a lot at once and the kind of job that child will accept will be different from another child. I also have them think about what the company might be needing prior to applying. If the company is going to want mostly weekend help, be sure you are willing to do that before applying.
Oldest wanted to work at a chain store during high school - we discouraged it as it would have been late hours at night, kept her from being able to take advantage of any music opportunities, etc. She ended up with high school jobs, all in her chosen field (accompanying,church jobs and some summer music teaching). These then became stepping stones for jobs in college. She worked during her college, and at times was quite busy - most of these were flexible hours - ie you work out with each other when you will practice together. Again, these were all in her field. One was a church job (Wed night and Sunday morning). It gave her valuable experience - though she was the accompanyist and not the music director, she was asked to step in from time to time for her boss. Her boss was great to her and picked music with both the church and school time in mind - ie jury week he typically picked easier things or had guest artists and that was not the time he invited a trombone in for her to accompany. Any really intense jobs were short lived -like being the accompaniest for the synagogue - it was specifically for Yom Kippur services. Weddings were also a source of income and something she had a lot of fun with. She also had a scribe job working with a blind student in music theory. Honestly, I worried about her taking on too much at times - but she is the child that thrives on being intensely busy. The jobs in undergraduate opened a lot of doors for her both for graduate school and also helped her make some connections. She did them mostly because she loved music and really enjoyed them - the most difficult ones were the ones she took because she really needed the money and she might not have done them if the pay hadn't been so good - but these turned out to be learning opportunities as well and she did consider impact on her studies before taking them. In one case, she had to give up all leisure time - but it only was 1 month duration. Now she has an assistanceship teaching and a scholarship, plus giving private music lessons and accompanying. Evidently what stood out in those that reviewed her application (beyond the critical audition of course) was that she had paid her own way through school. She had also already worked closely with a professor in the scribe setting so that landed her the particular assistanceship that she really loves. She continues to do wedding gigs and such. She also now has a music director's job. All of her jobs were for a combination of reasons - she loved doing music and jumps at all opportunities music related, she developed and learned skills (she learned most about accompanying from accompanying a very awesome tuba player and working with him and his professor) and she was saving or paying for college expenses(to include housing expenses). She has learned to think very carefully about what is and is not realistically possible and communicates this well so that the goal is to have a good fit for both parties. Her current boss wanted her badly enough to accomodate her limits of not driving 1 hour a lot and not at night.
Second child did not work at all in high school. It looks like she may have landed her first official job - it is in retail, but with a small place that closes by 5. She is doing this simply to have job experience, so that when she applies for jobs, she has previous experience and it looks to be a rather low pressure first job where she can learn and do well and keeps the hours she needs open. It is also to save for school in the spring and this is a job she can continue through the next several years of schooling and still give her study time, regular hours but without the late nights and such. Plus she needs evenings for the fire department (volunteer) and her classes which are all offered in the evenings.
The EMT courses are with volunteering in mind - and then , she has another program lined up (of short duration and rather inexpensive) to qualify for nurses assistant jobs in the hospital. Eventually she is thinking about getting a nursing degree but she is very hands on, wants to volunteer with the fire department first. If nursing is what she wants, then if you can get in with a hospital, they will reimburse you for schooling. Regardless of what she does, the medical experience is good to have and she has a natural ability with the sick and elderly so this will be good personal development. There is a strategy or plan laid out - not just a blindly applying at any fast food place that might be hiring.
Our current high schooler had looked into working at a private airport cleaning the private planes,etc. in trade for flying lessons/time. I don't know if he will still pursue that or not - since he currently has another path for free air time. Right now he is doing a semi-regular mowing job and saving everything. I'm sure he will look for some jobs towards the end of high school or for college. I don't know yet if he will be one to work while in school like our oldest or be more like my husband and I who focused on summer work (and I did some tutoring in school but it was flexible and I could take or turn down jobs based on the time I had available).
All of them have shown a great deal of maturity in sacrificing personal leisure. It has impressed those who have looked at them for either other jobs or for school.
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: April 12 2012 at 10:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just read this blog post, What is the Obsession with College written by Dwija Borobia ( @HouseUnseen ) who I met on twitter. While the article isn't primarily about a debt-free college degree, it definitely tackles some of the assumptions about needing to go to college in general (and in some circles that can include feeling compelled to send a child to a college that is too costly.)
So while I'm here, I'll update. Our dd will graduate next year and, praise God, it looks like she will indeed earn a debt-free college degree! We're still cobbling together jobs, savings, scholarships, early graduation, and more. One thing I didn't anticipate when we started all of this was how good we all would feel about having shot for the moon...and reached it! I give so much credit to my dh and dd for working together closely and cooperatively. It hasn't been an easy, pretty, or perfect ride, but in the end, it didn't have to be .
I'd love to hear more updates! Experiences! Ideas! Hopes!
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: April 12 2012 at 11:08pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We're still on track with our son, thanks in large part to generous grandparents. (Plan B is DH's GI Bill, but what we don't use for DS will be available for DD or for DH or myself...we're avoiding commitment until it's absolutely necessary.)
Comic relief - our FAFSA "Expected Family Contribution" was $42K per year. Such are the penalties of saving, investing, buying a home and having (not necessarily by choice) only two children.
Oh, and DS's only, fianancial aid? A $6000}+ unsecured Stafford loan.
I think I am sticking with my own plan!
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mommy4ever
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 08 2011
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 596
|
| Posted: April 13 2012 at 10:09am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Our ds will have a debt free education. He started working toward it 11th grade. He took on an apprenticeship. I know in the US it isn't the same as here in terms of training for various trades. But he is a child that has potentially ADD. We've never really worried about it, he's had good grades. He is thriving in his job as well. He has 1 year full time work experience in his chosen grade, and has enough hours to enter the technical school for his first year of training which is 12 weeks. He will have a scholarship that will cover his tuition, and cash in the bank to pay for his books. He lives at home, so his living expenses for those 12 weeks are covered.
He has full time employment starting right after his last exam  He is planning to get his Master in his trade and then take University night courses for project management.
We are in an area where trades are booming. He had ideas for a different career, but grade 11 biology changed his mind. He is very happy with his new plans, and knows it needn't be forever if he decides on something else, but his trade will be a means to pay his way through a professional degree if he changes his mind.
I know many people overlook trades, but with all the retirement about to occur, there is a real need in these areas, and here it pays very well. At 17 he is earning $24/hr. In the fall after he gets his grades from the tech school, he will get a $2-4 raise. So it's a fair wage :)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angie Mc
Board Moderator
Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11400
|
| Posted: May 09 2013 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We did it!
So glad we tried! We'll try again with our next college student who starts in a year and would love to hear more ideas. Wish us luck! As I wish you luck .
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: debt-free college degree?
