4orce

I saw this in the Berkeley forum and I thought I would ask it to more people. I'll be attending a relatively expensive school next year and will be paying roughly $45,000 a year. What can I do to cut costs or earn money and maybe bring this down? Thanks.

insomniatic

Go to a less expensive university.

brieb08

work/study programs, eat cheap, don't go shopping "for fun", don't go crazy with dorm supplies, work during breaks.

cgui

so...you don't qualify for any kind of financial aid or received any sort of scholarship or grant??

i think work/study is best, if you qualify. i've seen a lot of jobs on my campus that are ridiculously simple, you are basically getting paid to study during that time (obviously, not food related).

there definetly is NOT a need for NEW everything! And if you're planning on getting like a meal plan in the dorms, I suggest getting the smallest, as you'll probably be able to upgrade at any time, but not downgrade. And besides, you won't want to eat food from the dining commons everyday. Shopping at the grocery store is much cheaper!!

Dilo26386

Set a fairly strict budget and abide by it - go into detail as well, breaking down how much you can spend on food, extracurriculars, etc. If I'm ever low on cash this is what I try to do. It's not easy though, especially if you're generally liberal with your money (like me haha).

Cel

-Don't get a meal plan, but instead buy groceries and cook your own food
-Don't eat out too often
-Don't buy things you don't need (this is where most people make mistakes)

sarmango

find free/really cheap entertainment
live off of those free shirts you get at basically any college event
set a budget for food
don't pay unnecessary student fees
buy technology through your college
work while in college
don't buy unnecessary things

insomniatic

All of your suggestions are great, but that won't put a huge dent for the $180,000 for 4 years of education.

burgler09

insomniatic.... the OP asked for ways to shave costs... there's no way to take a huge dent out of a 180,000 dollar debt.


To the OP.. truthfully, just go cheap with everything and don't spend money on anything unnecessary.

IR09

In my opinion, no education is worth going 180,000 dollars in debt unless that is after MED school or LAW school on top of undergrad.

insomniatic

Sure there's a way. You just don't get into the huge debt in the first place.

4orce

To each his own. You are entitled to your own opinion and I respect that. I felt that my state universities were not good enough and wanted a better education. Its not a matter of not being able to pay for it, my parents can. I asked what can I do to lower the cost, not eliminate it.

burgler09

I wish my parents paid for college

Russell7

Deal drugs. Adderall is pretty popular on campus if you can get a supplier.

burgler09

Adderall is the easiest drug in america to get a prescription for. Every friggin american has ADD if they get a bad test score.