So I really think that the amount of financial aid that college students get is ridiculous! First of all, the education that we, as college students are getting, is not much better than the education we were getting in high school, which was FREE! What's up with that? Also, college is supppossed to be preparing us for our future, so that we can better ourselves, but we are also going so that we can better others. Right? For instance, I am going to school to be a teacher. Well, teachers teach other students so that one day they can go to college and better themselves and better others. Well, if we cannot afford to go to college, how on earth are future students ever going to make ANYTHING of themselves? I feel quite strongly about this issue. There are tons of scholarships available, but it is so difficult to get one if you are not a master mind or an athlete. If people expect us to be the future leaders of the world, then why isnt there more financial aid assistance for college students? Especially for transfer students who REALLY dont have much opportunity for scholarship! We either need more assistance, or the price of tuition should be decreased. How about free colleges?
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There is a free college in New York called Cooper Union, but it's extremely competitive and extremely small.
You can get any money unless your a single mother or a Native American in Michigan.
I completely disagree. I have a friend who is white and does not have kids, and she had a full ride in Michigan. I think she went to Michigan State. You might want to look up your facts before you post false generalizations.
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Thank you! Even though my parents are not poor by any means, they can't just shell out $30,000 for me to go to college. And though financial aid can't feasibly be improved, I think it should me..
I agree with what you are saying, all of the schools I am looking at are private, liberal arts schools, the least expensive being about $33,000 a year. There is no way I can afford that without financial aid, hopefully getting decent scholarships, and putting myself in debt. However the schools I'm looking at are amazing and I feel that the education I would receive is worth it. So I will do whatever I can in order to afford it.
BUT, in order for college to be free even more money would be taken through taxes, and I like the money that I get from work, I don’t want more taken from me. Plus, I really don't want to pay for other people's education, mine is enough
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I have completed my BS in computer science and am working towards my masters, also in computer science, at Texas A&M University Commerce (in Commerce, Texas).
The first financial aid that most people forget about is that in public state universities the state is covering about half of the costs for undergraduate students and two-thirds for graduates.
As an undergraduate, unless you do not meet the financial need requirement, you get the Pell grant. In Texas there is also the TPEG (not sure of the acronym) but it is also pretty much a given that undergraduates will get these. If they don't then it is most likely because they or their parents make to much money and they shouldn't have a problem getting through school with their own funding.
Graduates do not get the Pell or TPEG grant. This leaves subsidized and unsubsidized loans. I know many people that go to school, working only as a GA (graduate assistants) making ~ $5,000 a year, that live off of their difference checks from student loans.
I can understand not wanting to accumulate debt if it can be avoided but if you take the time and do a little research you will find that there are a vast number of programs that will wipe the slate clean of all your student loans. The most known is teaching for two years in a low income school district after you have finished with college. I think the opportunities and time required may vary depending on what degree(s) you have. For me it is two years with my MS in computer science. Again, this is just one of many programs that with a single wave of a bureaucratic wand eliminates all of your student loan debt.
I am nearly through with my MS in computer science and I plan on getting my MBA before ending my college career. Along with my BS in computer science I worked nearly 13 years in the IT industry as a network security engineer. The MBA is hopefully a way for me to get my foot into the management world as my salary level has reached a ceiling for what the industry is willing to pay for a technical employee and there is no such limit in management. But before going back into the corporate world I'll be teaching high school students basic computer science for my first two years. For me this is the easiest way to rid myself of the nearly $130,000 in student loan debt that I will have acquired by then.
It may depend on where you live or want to live but for me all of DISD (Dallas Independent School District) is classified as low income. I have recruiters fighting to get me to come to their school and teach once I max out my student loans.
I don't think College should be free but I think programs like these are very good not only for the student but also society. Without such a program nobody with my credentials would teach high school students. Especially not for a low income school district. These students are going to get instruction in computer science from someone that has dedicated their life to it. To me this is a wonderful solution to the problem of underpaid teachers teaching subjects that they barley got a survey of while working towards their BS in education. Now, I won't keep teaching beyond the two year mark but hopefully someone else will be ready to take my place once I move on.
I know this is not the answer for everyone but I see so many people dismiss the idea of taking out student loans completely without doing any research into the subject. I find it very humorous since good universities strive to teach us how to do research. It's not just for writing papers and academic publishing but a concept that should be incorporated into daily life.
The only downside is there are those that abuse the system. Though, show me a system and I'll point out people that are abusing it. The biggest abuse has to be the professional student. I know a 60 year old woman that has two undergraduate degrees and has just started on her MBA. Her only income is student loans and her plan to handle the debt is to never pay it back. She intends to continue going to school at least half time until she can't do the work anymore and then retire. Likely she will die while working towards a Ph.D. in some subject. I consider this wrong because she will not have the opportunity to use or pass along any of the vast knowledge that Mr. and Mrs. Joe taxpayer funded. Though, no system is perfect and I'm sure she is the exception rather than the rule.
The summary of this long comment I suppose is that students loans shouldn't be dismissed as a form of financial aid without doing a little research into them first. If grants, scholarships, and student loans can't get you through school then you are most likely attending a private ivy league school and if you cannot afford the tuition then you have not done enough research into which universities you can afford and only have yourself to blame.
This is my first posting here. Hopefully this is the type of discussion you are looking for. If not then give me a bit and I'm sure I'll catch on.
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There are colleges who are wasting loan money. It is sad really. I think there should be a form of pell for grad students.
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I don't see the problem with loans. Sure, scholarships are nice and everything, but there's nothing wrong with investing in your future. All colleges allow a loan amount that will provide you with enough to live decently, and you don't have to pay them back until you're done.
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You should try changing colleges.....had one person who worked for one company well known banking/loan/cc that badmouth not one but two colleges when i was trying to switch
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