When will people get that education is expensive? That is always has been always will be? This is all I could think about when reading an article in the Easy Bay Express about a UC Berekley undergrad who didn't want to take out loans, so he had to work to made ends meet.
Welcome to the real word famlee!
The problem with this article is two fold. First there is a presumption that if you go to a 1st tier research institution that YOU should not have to take out loans."They're studying at the top public school in the nation, so that's crazy," said Angela Lintz, director of higher education programs at Level Playing Field Institute, a San Francisco nonprofit that runs the IDEAL Scholars program. "They're competing with kids whose parents are doctors and lawyers and studying full-time. ... It's very hard to keep up."
Eh. Buddy . You been reading the paper lately. If you don't have cake to finance your dream education, house or car, you take out a loan. Its how its done.
The second problem is that the idea that " the rich kids win because they are rich and the poor kids are on scholarship, which leaves the middle class screwed" is implied twice. The other problem are the statements made on two different occasions
Ben Smith, 26, was just passing Sather Gate with reporting forms for one of his scholarships. "I'm always running short," notes the fourth-year philosophy major from Bakersfield. Smith says he's taken out at least three emergency loans, which offer a $650 maximum and must be repaid within two months. To cut costs, he says he eats less and cooks at home: "It's a constant worry, second only to my courseload." He thinks the middle class gets screwed because rich families can afford to pay the tuition, while low-income families qualify for financial aid. "There's a large segment in the middle that doesn't qualify for either," he laments.In another section of the article, Kathleen Richards writes,
It's not as though the two have no other financial assistance. Tenorio receives scholarships and grants. He also joined the military when he was seventeen in order to receive $45,000 for college. But with roughly $20,000 in annual expenses, he says that leaves a big shortfall. Wooldridge, who receives $2,000 per semester from a scholarship offered by Staples, spent three years at a community college, and took a semester off to work full-time and save. But neither has taken out any loans, and they plan to keep it that way.If you are stuck, go to another school or do something to change/impact the system?
Otherwise, stop complaining, that sh*t makes my ass ache.
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What is your theory on school loans? Would you go to a lower ranked school that gave you cash vs a higher ranked school that give you substantially less but was more prestigious?
Why or why not?
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16 comments:
To answer your question: I would prefer NOT to take out school loans. Why? Well, for one, my sperm donor took out student loans when he was in school and because of that, he's fucked himself. He's in crazy debt and always has collection agencies calling him.
And from what I've been reading, the whole student loan issue hasn't gotten any better over the years.
So in short, I'd prefer not to take 5 steps backwards in order to take 2 steps forward.
I partly feel where dude is coming from though. I'm a youngin' and being that I'm now a Senior, college has replaced High School as my primary focus.
When it comes to financial aid, that shit is frustrating. My ma stays telling me I'm not going to be able to get it because all they look at are numbers. And apparently, she makes too much on her pension (despite the fact she doesn't make THAT much not to qualify in the first place).
Thing is, they don't consider the fact that she's a single parent, has three children, is retired, and is currently trying to send her oldest daughter through school. Funds are stretched. She doesn't make enough to send me to school, but she makes too much for me to qualify for anything. So my only two options are scholarships and student loans.
Though, I would go to a lower ranked school that gave me cash as opposed to a higher ranked school that gave me less. At the end of the day, it's all about money and what you can and cannot afford.
The people that only focus on rank and prestige remind me of times when we were kids and would go shoppin' and would want the $3.49 "Froot Loops" instead of the $1.29 "Fruity O's". Despite the fact it was the same shit was in BOTH boxes, you wanted Froot Loops because, shit it was FROOT LOOPS. Lol
Very very good post.
I took two years off before I started Unversity, wish I would of done something useful with my time instead of working. I started at a community college and trasnfer to a Univerisity because I wanted a free ride. Thank God I had/have good grades and was able to get a free ride for 5 semesters at my University.
As you know, I am on my way to nursing school(six days of freedom left) and I received one scholarship but I am looking for more money. The good thing about Nursing is there are so many ways to have your tuition paid.
I think its better that they9the students) work versus taking out loans. Partically for that Philosophy major, unless he is going to professional school he should not run up a lot of debt.
Even thought I can burn through plastic, I hate debt, turns you into a slave. Remember before chateel slavery one of the ways that people became slaves was through debt.
I think education should be free(partically in critical areas like medicine,nursing,Math,Arabic,Spanish etc),If you have a GPA of 3.0 and above.
If we can not make it free it should certainly be more afforable. I talking about no more than 10,000 a year for the top universiites and 2,000 a year for state schools. We should be more like Europe.
I also think that people need to think longer and harder about what they are going to major in. If you know you don't come from money maybe you need to rethink that English degree.
Also the student loan industry is another industry full of loan sharks. There is no way that someone should be able to run up 50,000 dollars of debt for a degree with which they can only decure a 20k a year job.
I would go to the school which gives methe most money since a nursing degree is a nursing degree. Now if I was going into Finace, I would most def go to a big name school but otherwise I would go to the school that gives me the most money.
and would want the $3.49 "Froot Loops" instead of the $1.29 "Fruity O's".
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Your hilarious.
I usta hate them poor times when my momma would get the Bag of Diggem Smacks, called Wheat Puff's. <<<---Glad THat I am an adult and can get the CEREAL I WONNNNT at Trader Joes.
Remember before chateel slavery one of the ways that people became slaves was through debt.
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Thats a DOPE ASSED e-mail siggie.
Loans suck. Id rather postpone college for a few years and work, so i could pay for a school i could afford. i wouldnt wanna deal with the stress of having to work during school, or the stress of knowing i HAVE to work as soon as i get out of school cause i owe a lot of money.
PLUS i feel like college is overrated anyway. They breed sheep, not wolves.
Whut up Loc?
You Fl bound or what nucca?
Im on the plane thursday. Been packin like crazy and it sucks. gotta get rid of so much shit. i need to scale my life down to being able to live out of a bag. having alot of stuff is such a burden.
i need to scale my life down to being able to live out of a bag. having alot of stuff is such a burden.
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you.
ain't.
said.
a.
word.
"If you are stuck, go to another school or do something to change/impact the system?
Otherwise, stop complaining, that sh*t makes my ass ache"
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quit hating, shit's bad for your complexion. link the article, tell em what IDEAL is, then call Angela Lintz a lazy middle class liberal.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2007-08-15/news/spare-an-education/
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the author kinda loses me at first, like when she literally calls these kids...
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/photoGallery/index.php?c=10276&p=1
...straight "hustlers." but then she was dropping some knowledge about how bay area's special in that FAFSA and other federal aid doesn't take into account the bay's serious cost of life expenses. and how bay area schools have to shoulder the difference.
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it's an issue of semantics that 'middle class' as a term usually gets conflated with 'white people.' i think the main issue of the article is that these top students are already at UCB, a public school, and they're still paying hella much; here's the other article from the same day that goes deeper into how UC's have become progressively more dependent on students taking out loans for tuition fees to compensate for education cutbacks.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2007-08-15/news/spare-an-education/
I went to a small HBCU in Baltimore, then Coppin State College (now Coppin State University). Graduated with a BS in Chemistry, joined the Army. I know how hard it is when it comes time to decide to take out a loan. One thing I did know is that I could only get so far with a high school diploma. For the past six years I've been helping my wife pay off her school loans. Do I resent it? Hell no! 'Cause she makes 4 times what she could be making due to that little piece of paper that she also received from Coppin State College. If you can't afford the school you're at, go to a school with cheaper tuition. It's just like somebody tryin' to ball on a budget. Don't learn beyond your means. Information is free. Calculus is the same whether you learn it at Wal-Mart or Neiman Marcus. Now that I've been out of college for six years (and in Iraq for 20 months), continuing your education matters the most. So, take that loan, transfer to the less expensive school, or both. Just keep learning.
If you can't afford the school you're at, go to a school with cheaper tuition. It's just like somebody tryin' to ball on a budget.
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Anony (Army Fam),
Thank you for your gristle, family encompassing response.
Speak.
More.
Often.
~m.dot.
Anony (hate alledger),
I know your voice.
I just can't place it.
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quit hating, shit's bad for your complexion.
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My complexion is impeccable, but I do find myself using more moisturizer now that I am in ""he Desert" that is the bay.
LOl.
I read spare and education.
The Middle Class KNOWS that education is expensive.
Why do you think folks are so willing to basically purchase a prep school education through their house taxes. LOL.
So do the Affluent/Wealthy.
The question is, who is going to do something about it?
Late to the event as per the usual. But excellent post. Kind of reminds me of what I'm going through in school now. But here's my thinking: I'd rather go to a lower prestigest school and get a high ass GPA for free instead of trying to struggle at Havard for a 2.0, ya dig?!?
I'd also get involved with stuff. I was in SGA and had all my housing and tution paid for. Know where the money is.
Well that's my $.01 (it would've been $.02...but I had some previous loans that I already owed on...)
Hi B.
How you been?
Speaking of education...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.html
anony,
you gotta break up the laink.
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