Venting!!

[Bades]

Hey guys new to the forum, just wanted to blow off some steam for this post!!

My girlfriend isn't as fortunate as I am, she has had to pay all her own schooling, rent, insurance, etc. throughout her college career.

She has had credit card debt for the last two years, nothing teribbly bad maybe around $1,000, she's never had a $0 balance but shes pays off more then the minimum, a hundred here a few hundred there etc.

Every summer she's probably worked an avg 60 hrs a weekend, two jobs, just to get enpough to pay for rent, books, tuition etc. for the up coming school year. Also working during the school year is hard, if you want to maintain a good gpa and not have to work till 3am.


She is student teaching, 50 hours a week, NO pay. Student teaching counts as 16 credit hours, so there is a couple thousand right there...(you have to pay to student teach when you don't get paid to do so, does this make sense?) she also has her rent to pay anoth $1700 for 11 weeeks(college renters are as bad as textbook companies!) and not only is she student teaching but has some homework and lesson plans to create. She does have some loans and grants, but that doesnt cover nearly as much.

How would anyone without rich parents be able to go through this with only little debt?!

This is rediculous and wrong...AHHHHH thanks for the venting guys!

[MonkeyMama]

Actually, I got through school with no debt. IT wasn't easy but it I wouldn't change the experience for anything. Your girlfriend is tough and learning important life lessons.

I actually had a little help from my parents. My dad had absolutely no help - his parents did not even have a grade school education. Hell if I Was going to complain about my own situation. Sometimes, life experiences are just relative. I Felt blessed to get a college degree and be able to make so much more money when I graduated.

I probably felt more resentment or bitterness in my teens/20s as my friends had cars and college degrees handed to them on a silver platter. But that gave way to empowerment and self sufficiency very quickly.

Your girlfriend will be a better person for her experiences.

[disneysteve]

She has had credit card debt for the last two years

Every summer she's probably worked an avg 60 hrs a weekend, two jobs, just to get enpough to pay for rent, books, tuition etc. for the up coming school year. Also working during the school year is hard, if you want to maintain a good gpa and not have to work till 3am.

you have to pay to student teach when you don't get paid to do so, does this make sense?) she also has her rent to pay anoth $1700 for 11 weeeks

What type of school does she attend - public, private, community college?

I find it hard to believe she couldn't find a room to rent somewhere nearby for less than $670/month. That's a heck of a lot of money to rent a room.

I do agree that working while going to school can be tough but lots of people do it. One option is to take an extra year or two to get her degree so she can earn more along the way.

[GREENBACK]

The only answer to getting thru it with no debt is to absolutely work your a$$ off. I did it by working three jobs(not all at once). I actually left school and came back after making enough to get myself thru a couple years. I was grumpy and bleary eyed quite a bit due to lack of rest. But it worked. I had few bills to pay when I got my diploma. I'm so glad that I never had a student loan debt to repay. I really don't know another way to do it if you're not well off.

[BillysSavingsClub]

She should relax on the work and concentrate on schooling + enjoy it.. just accumulate your debt and focus on the schooling and you'll build skills that will pay for the schooling a lot quicker. Don't NOT work at all, but 60 hours is ridiculous!

[disneysteve]

She should relax on the work and concentrate on schooling + enjoy it.. just accumulate your debt and focus on the schooling and you'll build skills that will pay for the schooling a lot quicker. Don't NOT work at all, but 60 hours is ridiculous!

I'm not sure I'd agree with "just accumulate your debt" but I understand your point. I think that when you are in school, your primary job is being a student. That comes first before all else. Otherwise, what's the point? That said, however, you still need to be mindful of the associated costs. If you are renting a costly apartment, look for something cheaper. Rent textbooks or buy used instead of new. Limit your living expenses as much as possible: food, transportation, clothing, entertainment, etc. And work within reason but not to an extent that it interferes with doing well in school.

[Bades]

She went to a private for 2 years because she said her aunt was going to help her out...and what do you know Aunt had some financial problems so my gf couldn't afford the private. Now at an Ohio public school. As for rent yes it is high, however "cheap" rent on campus is like 1200. She's subleasing because she is only down there for this fall quarter. So when you sublease that really limits your options.

I just think it's crazy how the state charges you the credit hours for student teaching, and while you student teach you dont get paid. Teacher's really get screwed. That's 11 weeks of not being able to make money because you're already teaching 50+ a week, and you have to pay for it!

Tell me that doesn't sound right

[Bades]

She'll probably be 45,000-50,000 in school debt...

She should've never have gone to a private school for two years using straight loans...dumb.

But then again, I didn't know her then

[Seeker]

Bades, you need to relax.

At the time I went to college (which granted, was more than a few years ago), very few people who took internships (to gain "real world" experience) we're paid anything for their time and efforts. Plus many of them had to buy "professional attire" and spend dollars where they might not have so planned.

It's a trade-off: real-world teaching experience for 16 units of teaching credits.

Isn't it also true that some of her loans may be waived for the period of time she does this as a sort of recompense?

----

Secondly, no person is bound to rent on campus. Unless they make that choice.

[Bades]

Ha I'm all good Seeker,

It's just one of those things that kind of opens your eyes to how the collegiate systems need to change, i.e. rising tuition, insanely priced texttbooks, high rent(you wouldn't believe the types of houses being rented out, they'd never pass a 'real' inspection).

Im fortuante to have a high paying internship and no student loans, I just feel bad for teachers who have school debt, but I understand it's a part of life, and they chose that profession knowingly.

Thanks for the venting everyone!

[disneysteve]

high rent(you wouldn't believe the types of houses being rented out, they'd never pass a 'real' inspection)

I've been out of school for 24 years so I'm rather out of touch with current conditions but I'm really curious about this as I have a daughter who will enter college in 4 years. You said that she spent $1,700 for 11 weeks. That works out to about $670/month. What exactly is she renting for that price? An apartment? A room? Sharing a place with others? That just sounds like a lot of money to me. I always lived in campus housing but I had plenty of friends who rented places in town. Usually 4 people would get together and rent a house or larger apartment. I'm sure they weren't paying the 1985 equivalent of $2,700/month. Heck, that's twice as much as my mortgage payment including taxes and insurance.

[Bades]

Steve, I go to Ohio University. Housing for students is scarce; as a sophomore you are required to stay in the dorms for a second year because there just would not be enough housing.

Some of these houses wouldn't even be worth $50,000, but since theyre close to campus, I've heard they are worth easily 300,000+

Last year I was a few blocks from campus (10min walk). My rent was $1275 a quarter(10-11weeks). and that was for a 5 person house. so our landloard made $6375 every quarter so that's $25,500 a year!!! (he also owned the house next door and that was at $1375 a person, 6 people, this guy was banking over 50,000 a year and really didn't have to do much) Our rent was considered cheap!! I stayed in that house for two years, so I spent $10,200.

I would say the average rent on campus is probably around 1500 a quarter. Some houses/apartments are nice and some should be really torn down, but everyone has heard the polishing a turd phrase

there is also high security deposits, $600.

My brother goes to Ohio State, and it's similiar, rent is around $1500 per quarter and your walk to classes at OSU can be up to 20min!

Being a college landlord has got to be one of the most profitable busiensses. Imagine charging people way too much, and not having to do barely any upkeep on these houses that they'd rather tape plastic over the roof instead of replacing it. No joke, landlords will jimmy-rig anything they can so they don't have to spend a penny.

[MonkeyMama]

I can see how having that kind of debt as a teacher is pretty brutal.

On the flip side, there are certainly cheaper ways to get the same education. She was wise to change course once the aunt's money did not come through. We always hear stories of people who started out with a "paid for" education, but don't think to find alternatives when things fall through.

I still think that which doesn't kill you just makes you stronger. But trying to imagine my sons' low paid teachers with that kind of debt, did make me cringe a bit. She definitely has a tough road ahead.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Education students are not alone. Many college students do unpaid work and have to pay tuition to do it. I think that is the case for nearly everyone in healthcare. I see nursing students who are doing their unpaid "clinicals" for which they pay tuition, going to school full time, working full time, and taking care of a family, sometimes as a single parent.

[rizzmo]

The student teaching requirement is also hurting a friend of mine. He currently makes $23k a year at a dead end job that keeps lowering his wage. So he went back to school to become a teacher. I know out of a seemingly infinite amount of possible careers you might think he would pick one that would greatly improve his financial situation, however he is happy with his decision and I am happy for him. Anyway, he is extremely frugal and has been able to purchase a house, a paid for car, and paid for all his previous schooling. Now he has to start student teaching this fall. This means he had to quit his lousy day job, put in 8 hour a day plus time at night for planning for the next day, pay for the privilege of working for free, and at the end of it all he will most likely make a whooping 30-45k year if he can even find a job. He took up bar tending at night but still is looking at a 50% reduction in pay. Sadly, I looks like he will probably loose his house trying to complete this. IMHO forcing people to work for free should be illegal, even if the do call it schooling.