I work too much

[Liesje]

and now I'm doing terrible in school. I don't know what posessed me to tell my boss I could work everyday AND be a full time student. My grades are slipping and I can't focus. Now I'll loose my scholarships and be SCREWED since tuition is going up $1500 for next fall. I need a rich relative who can loan me money for a few years. I can't take out any bigger student loans b/c I can barely pay the interest on the ones I already have.....I wish a car would hit me on campus, then the school would have to give me lots of money....I spend more time worrying about/dispairing over how I'm ever going to pay my bills each month than I do working on homework. Is it ever fair for a 19 year old to be over $30,000 in debt?

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

 

[U2zoogirl]

 

[beli]

.I wish a car would hit me on campus, then the school would have to give me lots of money

No, they wouldnt. I work in insurance at a University and unless you are actually killed and it was entirely the Universitys fault you would receive very little indeed. Probably just the medical expenses.

Please dont wish for nasty things to happen to you. Maybe, cut back on your hours at work. Can you take a week or so off work to catch up?

 

[Liesje]

Re: Re: I work too much

Maybe, cut back on your hours at work. Can you take a week or so off work to catch up?

Unfortunately not, b/c then I can't afford to eat.

 

[beli]

Two minute noodles, toast, water, etc. Not at all healthy but if you are young you may well be able to survive on a little less for a week.

Alternatively go and visit your Mum for dinner one night and then start on your friends who have Mums from say, Malaysia, Greece, Fiji ie the Your Too Skinny, Eat More, And More, And More nations. They will usually give you some food to take home as well.

Not that I ever did that in Uni of course

 

[Liesje]

I'd rather starve to death than go to my parents for help. Seriously.

 

[fah]

If you need to work full-time what about cutting down on your course load and then taking courses in the summer?

I know lots of people who have worked almost full time hours and gone to university part time just so they wouldn't have the big debt at the end. Don't worry about making it through in 4 years. If it takes 5, 6, 7 or 8 years and you come out with a smaller debt you might end up being further ahead.

 

[beli]

Agree with Fah. It took me nearly 10 years to finish my degree. I did it part time and had a 2 and a half year break in the middle.

 

[beli]

Just had a thought, dangerous I know. Do you have a financial adviser on campus? Perhaps he/she could assist in developing a strategy to cope.

Otherwise you could always defer for a semester or two and work 2 jobs and kick a hole in your debt and then go back to school.

Just a thought.

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

If she has scholarships/grants she probably won't be able to go to less than a full time course load if her school is anything like mine, they usually require you to be a full time student to qualify which is lame. Maybe as a last resort you could take a semester off as beli suggested, i know that would suck but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[arw]

Why are you paying interest on your student loans now? Or why are you even paying anything at all now? I'm only asking because I'm confused if that's what you are actually doing. A student loan will probably be the lowest interest rate on a loan you'll ever get so if you are paying now to save yourself money in the future it's really not like you are going to owe that much interest once you are done with school to make a difference now. Can you rework your financial aid stuff so you don't pay now? Can you get grants from the state? I didn't pay a single penny for tuition or books while I was in school. There's no way I could have afforded to do that.

 

[beli]

I think she had a debt before she went to Uni. A debt from other stuff.

 

[arw]

also....do you work full time in the summer as well? If you do, could you work a second job? I did that for a few summers instead of taking classes. It was still a lot since it was two jobs but it was also a nice break from the stress of class. At least when I got home from work I didn't have to study. It did suck not being able to do some fun summer stuff but in the end the extra money I made working so much really helped me out during the school year when I just couldn't work as much as I needed to.

 

[Liesje]

I'm thinking about what fah said and maybe not trying so hard to get done in four years. The debt I owe is only student loans, I've never had a credit card. Yes, I do pay interest on them every month. Acutally, not on the Stafford ones. I never get bills for those so I guess I don't have to pay yet. I HAVE to pay interest b/c I just today calculated and if I don't pay interest on only the loans I have now (I still have two years more of new loans ahead of me) I would owe over $3000 additional (I pay about $25/mo for a $7000 loan and $50/mo for a $9000 loan and those are the lowest rates available). State grants are hard for me to get b/c I go to a private school AND our state is making severe education budget cuts this year. They acutally took away money I was getting for passing this test and I ended up over $400 short last spring. Oh, and I do work over full time in the summer. I'm working two jobs right now (during school). I can't take a semester off b/c I'd loose the scholarships I do have, I'd loose my job that I fought so hard to get a huge raise for (I have to be going to school for 8 credit hours to keep the job), and I'd have to start paying the principle as well as interest on my student loans (they make you start paying when you're not a full-time student). The problem with cutting back course work to the minimum is that I'm already graduating two years after Phil. I'm not sure how pleased he'd be about waiting even longer for me to finish school....

It's all just this money-sucking viscious cycle. I feel like I'm sprinting faster and faster towards a cliff.....

 

[beli]

The debt I owe is only student loans, I've never had a credit card.

Oops. Sorry. Must have you confused with someone else. There was a thread about finance a while back and I thought it was you. My apologies. No offense intended.

 

[Cleasai]

A bit of cautionary warning to insomnia marathoners... Please be extremely careful when driving after not sleeping for a great period of time. So far I've known three different people who have fallen asleep at the wheel. One of which drove off of a cliff.

 

[bonosloveslave]

The problem with cutting back course work to the minimum is that I'm already graduating two years after Phil. I'm not sure how pleased he'd be about waiting even longer for me to finish school....

Phil seems like a great guy, but if he was going to drop you for deciding to do this, he wouldn't be worth staying with. Who says you can't get married during school anyway? It was much less stressful for me to do that halfway through school and finish with the support of a husband rather than trying to commute back and forth to see a boyfriend.

I fell into a similar cycle my first year of school, and I got my first D's because I couldn't keep up. I had a small scholarship that I needed to go full-time for so I took all early morning classes so I could juggle my 2 evening jobs. My grades fell and I ended up losing money because I didn't get credit for 2 of my classes. I didn't want to take out student loans, so until grad school I took what I could at community colleges to save money (and still worked 2 jobs). I ended up doing much better grade-wise with the smaller classes anyway. I know you like being at Calvin but I also know what it costs to go there - is it an option to change schools next year?

I'm sorry this is so stressful for you

 

[Liesje]

Thanks Beth! Good to know someone can get Ds and then be a vet! I don't really think Phil cares, I do more. I wanted to finish school ASAP and move south b/c I'm just really not excited about living here forever. I've thought about transfering, but then I'd loose this job and it pays good and is great experience for my major. Also, Ellen and I and two other friends are living together right across the street from Calvin and I'm really pumped about that so I'd hate to transfer. I don't have a car so it will be nice b/c I can walk to class in less than 10 minutes.

Oh well, we'll see I guess. I'm in the process of registering for next fall and I'm already planning on cutting hours back to maybe 10 or 12 a week. So far I have Mon, Wed. and Fri. completely off of class during the day (and this would stay true if my appeals go through, then I'd have 16 credit hours) so I can work then.

 

[~*Buffalo*~]

No, it is not fair for a 19-year-old to be $30,000 in debt. Reading your story makes me realise how LUCKY I have been - 3 year (easy) uni degree, at a campus 15 minutes from my home where I live rent-free with my parents, working 6 hours a week and spending all my earnings on nice things for myself, and a $12,000 interest-free debt which I don't start paying back until I earn more than $36,000 a year.

I can't really understand how your system works, but it just seems crazy. Uni should be a fun and carefree time for you, not the cause of all these worries. Sometimes it can be helpful to get professional advice (if you have counsellours or something similar on campus who you can see for free) because they can help you work out a plan, financial or otherwise. Perhaps it would be a good idea to cut back on your work, just to get things back into focus. It needn't be for a long time, just a week even so you can have a rest and get your energy back.

Please don't despair! Make sure you talk to friends or family so you know you don't have to worry about everything on your own - being lonely can often make a bad situation much worse. And look for the positives. Are you enjoying what you're studying? Do you like where you live? Do you have a hobby or something that makes you happy? Even (or especially) if you do work too much, it can't hurt to do something for yourself!

 

[Liesje]

Perhaps it would be a good idea to cut back on your work, just to get things back into focus. It needn't be for a long time, just a week even so you can have a rest and get your energy back.

Even (or especially) if you do work too much, it can't hurt to do something for yourself!

I randomly took a week off school and work to go to Alabama with my family and their friends. I spent a week in a beach house, tanning on an ocean beach. It worked until I got back and realized I hadn't been paid in 6 weeks (was gone the day to turn in time sheets). Oops.

 

[bonosloveslave]

Thanks Beth! Good to know someone can get Ds and then be a vet!

Wow, that sounds really bad.....

Yep, I got 2 D's, figured I wasn't cut out for vet school, went to vet tech school instead, kept a 4.0 for those 2 years, regained my confidence to go for vet school again, repeated my D classes (Pre-Calc and Chemistry, BTW) and got A's in both at the community college (although at MSU they average the grades, not give you the better of the 2 )

 

[stammer476]

I don't really think Phil cares, I do more. I wanted to finish school ASAP and move south b/c I'm just really not excited about living here forever.

It's good to know Phil's okay with everything. I've been waiting on The Lady to finish school this May, and it really isn't that big a deal. I've had plenty of free time, been able to work, earn money, and support her when she needs it. It's part of relationships, being able help each other out. Just tomorrow I'm going to write a check to finish off her school bill for the semester. And to be honest, it kind of makes me feel good. I'm glad I can be there for her and give her what she needs. I don't know, I guess it makes me feel important and needed. So take it from a guy who's been on this side of the situation. It's okay to make him wait.

I know what you mean about moving south and getting the heck out of Michigan. No one should have to endure six months of winter! Can you believe I'm waiting for The Lady to finish school down south and moving BACK in two weeks? I must be insane.

 

[anitram]

Your schedule sounds brutal, and it reminds me of mine at a period of time where I was in school and doing two jobs, neither of which was particularly appealing nor well paid.

I think you just have to listen to your body. If you're getting really run down and exhausted, it's not just your grades that suffer, but your immune system gets completely out of whack and it's very difficult and a lengthy process to get it back on track. So basically, 30K is a lot in debt, but is there such a huge difference between 30K and 32K or whatever it takes for you to have a bit of a break? In the long run, I don't think so. It's like buying a house, you can pay $25K more for a bigger house and that looks like a lot on paper, but spread over time, it's not that big of a difference on a monthly basis.

Good luck and keep safe and healthy.

Oh and I agree that this University system is completely heinous. Talk about discouraging higher education. I know what high costs there can be and I'm thankful every day that my parents paid every cent of my undergrad and post-grad education. I don't know where I would be without them.

 

[fah]

I had another thought (and I know this one isn't nearly as good as the first but here goes).

Another option might be on-line university (this would be an option if your school offers it). Or would your school accept the credits from an on-line school (some do, some don't).

 

[Liesje]

I know what you mean about moving south and getting the heck out of Michigan. No one should have to endure six months of winter! Can you believe I'm waiting for The Lady to finish school down south and moving BACK in two weeks? I must be insane.

Yeah, Aaron. It snowed today, it's in the 30s right now, but tomorrow and Thursday's highs are in the 70s

Fah -
I don't want to do an online school or a community college b/c part of the point of going to the school I'm at now is b/c it's such a good school. I went to a pretty tough high school and got good grades there and I don't want all that to go to waste by going to a non-private/community college/university. Not that those colleges are bad, but it's not what I spent four (expensive) years in high school preparing for. I doubt my school would accept grades from an online school. My college doesn't even accept grades from the other colleges around here, just passing credit that doesn't count towards your GPA.

 

[fah]

I sort of thought that might be the case.

 

[Liesje]

I sort of thought that might be the case.

it's a good idea though!