@Marg532 Can you set up a loan from your parents? Have you asked your grandparents? Also, you still have the rest of the school year to apply for local scholarships that can at least help you pay for your first year and then you can figure the rest from there. Don’t stress too much. I know you’ll figure it out.
@xxluvforeverxx My parents won’t cosign loans with me (other than the Stafford Loans from NYS but I think those don’t need a parent cosign), and I don’t even want to broach the topic with the one grandparent that is nice to me anymore. My late grandfather had given me a few bonds for college when I was younger, and gave me a little bit in his will to be used for educational purposes. I’m definitely planning on applying to loads of scholarships (local and otherwise), and I’m going to try to appeal to my top choice, which gave me a lot but is still 8k out of pocket for me per semester. I’m also going to start working part time at my aunt’s place of employment, which is managed by her ex husband, after my school musical ends in late March. They said they were willing to employ me whenever I come home for breaks, too.
I’m trying not to stress out too much about this, but it’s the one thing I can’t fully control about my future right now and that scares me so much. I’m starting to learn that I’m a huge control freak haha
I don’t know if its a cultural thing, but my parents and my cousins’ parents have all been saving for homes and colleges for years. My parents don’t have a retirement fund, so they don’t mind paying for my college. I’ll just be the one funding their retirement when I start working.
My parents strategy is to not pay anything out of their pocket and cosign for loans to pay for anything not covered by my income, savings, bonds, and federal loans and help me pay it off when I graduate. I can’t say I’m a fan of this strategy but it’s not really my decision to make. All I can do is apply for as many scholarships as possible…
Just researched a bunch of outside scholarships, which is draining as heck to be honest. I just have to hope that I get something…
I tried to save up some money for college by getting a job last summer but they finally called me back in late July (found out later it was because they didn’t know how to pronounce my name… ugh) and I started working in early August. I worked until December but had to quit because my mental stability when combined with school and my extracurriculars was the worst. I only made $600 or $700, and I’ve been slowly depleting those funds because I’m a silly teenager who has no self control at all (I’m doing okay though, it’s been a year since quitting and I have ~$550 left - I’m not quite as bad as I’m making myself out to be haha). I plan to work this spring and summer, and during holidays and breaks throughout college, and hopefully make a decent amount of money and exercise self control during the school year. I will probably have a job in my college town too, or do work-study (one college has already given me work study in my financial aid package).
@Marg532 I feel like that’s really low! Have you looked for higher paying places (local restaurants, tutoring, babysitting)? For mental health reasons, it’s good to not have a super hectic min. wage job. Some chains pay $9.00+/hr as min wage, tutoring/teaching stuff/babysitting always pays decent without much time spent. In college it will not be as hard to earn money, many internships pay thousands in a summer. Two years ago, I was paid like $12/hr to do research at a lab…research I would’ve done for free for experience, but still! Another friend I have works at a local firm and gets paid so much…he also gets paid a lot to do freelance web design. My mom’s company pays interns (sr college students) over $5,000 PER MONTH and it’s in a small, suburban location…other big name companies in big cities pay more.
But OMG how did you only spend like $100 in a year?!! That is amazing self-control…I rarely buy stuff but spend $100 in two months from hanging out with friends, bday gifts, buying maybe 1-2 super on sale items…teach me your ways! Recently it’s been even worse bc holiday shopping + meeting up with old friends…you should teach HS/college kids how to save money! :))
Unfortunately it looks like some of you haven’t had the best Christmas, but I hope you all have a successful college decision season to make up for it.
Personally, I had a good Christmas. I love music and sports, so I got concert tickets and a sports jersey, shirt, and sweatshirt. I also got my seven year old cousin a stuffed animal, and even though it wasn’t the best gift she got, she held it close for the rest of the day. It’s just nice to see someone appreciate your gift so much.
I just started one of the three supplements I have to do. It shouldn’t take too long to finish. After all, I have done three in one night. I just want to finish this up so I have free time before the semester ends.
I want free time during break, but I also can’t help feeling that I’ll be wasting precious time to edit and re-edit supplements
I’ve been trying to enjoy my winter break, but it’s been hard with college applications, homework, research, and music for portfolios and a competition I’m entering next month. I guess there is no break this year.
I still have the vast majority of my supplements left, and my mom isn’t letting me work on them until my homework is finished … which it isn’t. Hopefully it will be tomorrow (well, today) so I can really nail my essays.
Christmas wasn’t amazing at my house this year. Our tree is still in the garage and my sister and I didn’t get our presents wrapped, only in the plastic bags from the store. My family has been very busy, though, with work and school. School only got out on Friday so there wasn’t much time to prepare for Christmas. Plus, where I live got over a foot of snow on Christmas which complicated things. But it still was good despite the circumstances. I got the Women of NASA lego set from my sister and a new pen set from my mom, among other things. We’re going to be turning the Christmas tree into a birthday tree, since my sister’s birthday is on Thursday and mine is a week from Thursday. We’re going to decorate it with birthday hats and multi colored streamers!
@carmen00 What concert?
Best of luck to you all with the rest of your supplements! May we all write well!
@frazzledazzle Happy early birthday. I love the birthday tree…!
@frazzledazzle you can do this! and I agree, a birthday tree sounds awesome!
For those of you accepted to an SCEA/EA: are you going to continue applying to other places?
@h0kulani Nope, I already got accepted into my top two choices (only 2 universities I applied to). There’s no need for me to waste money on another application when I could just buy a few pizzas
@h0kulani no, I got in somewhere I like with enough merit money to make it possible and I’m very burnt out from the application process.
@h0kulani yep, I didn’t apply to Notre Dame REA so I’m still waiting on them, as well as Washington and Lee because they only have ED and not EA.
@frazzledazzle Harry Styles. I’m really into his new album. I was definitely not expecting tickets since I only mentioned it a couple times. Usually I’d pay for this stuff myself.
@h0kulani I applied to one school EA, but it wasn’t my top school, so I’m still applying. I only applied early to get a decision early. My top school doesn’t have EA/ED, so I still have to wait to hear back. And with the merit money I got from a couple other schools, my EA school isn’t a great option financially.
Just submitted one app! I have the essays done for my other one, but I need to edit them. So excited to be done with all of this!
My goal is to submit this app by Saturday and get one more page done on my research paper by end of break. It’s not necessarily a reach, but I just get caught up in other stuff sometimes.
OMG i can’t believe someone started this thread in 8th grade hahahaha props to them. The schools I applied to are 100% different than I thought they would be in 8th grade.
@carmen00 That’s awesome!! Hope you have a lot of fun!
@Southern5062 Thank you! It isn’t for another week though. lol
Anyone applying to any ivy leagues this year?