FA was awarded unevenly... question.

calmom
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 01:05:50 +0000

I am not against taking out additional loans, I just can’t since I am already at my COA.



I meant loans other than student loans. That’s why I mentioned the possibility of charitable organizations or student associations. If you get grant money from an outside source, then it comes out of your COA – but a loan isn’t income. So if some outside entity lends you money… you’ve got to pay it back, but it doesn’t impact your financial aid.

Check this page - [MSU Short Term Loans | Office of Financial Aid | Michigan State University](Loan Resources | Michigan State University) - it appears that MSU does offer emergency short terms loans of up to $450 for undergrads – “short term” is what it says – you would have to pay it back quickly - but if your problem was that you were coming up short on some required fee, it might be a help.

I don’t know what other local resources there might be. My d is Jewish, so if she had need emergency funds, I might have suggested Hillel. (At her campus, Hillel did better than that for her – knowing how hard up she was for money, they gave her a part time job and also gave her a whole lot of referrals for various odd jobs).

So basically you will really want to keep your eyes open to see what is available.

Also, be creative and remember that you can offer various services for pay. If one of your profs mentions having young children – maybe they need a babysitter from time to time. Check Craigslist or other local services for odd jobs listings.



I’m going to try to pick up a temporary job around Christmas (don’t some places hire additional people to help with the holiday rush?)

yes, they definitely do – and if you have retail experience you might have a good chance of getting those jobs, especially if you think well in advance and apply early.