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Getting back on track (college)
Kami
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, there's a massive backstory to this, but I'm going to make this a very direct story, with a very direct question.
I stopped going to college because I wanted to move in with my girlfriend, and support us while she went on to get her degree in Psych. Well, plot twist, she dumps me, kicks me out, and since I took a year off, I have bill collectors on my ass about my loans for the first two semesters of school, and not enough money to pay them.
I want to get back into school, however, with being out for so long, and also having Academic Probation on my record (like I said, massive backstory), is going to make it very, very hard to get back into school.
Would it be possible to defer my loans, fill out my FAFSA for the Summer '08 semester, and go back full time? I'm not even worried about the debt I'll have after school, I just need my degree, badly.
Any advice?
My advice for you all, is women are evil, and don't make the same retarded mistake I did.
I stopped going to college because I wanted to move in with my girlfriend, and support us while she went on to get her degree in Psych. Well, plot twist, she dumps me, kicks me out, and since I took a year off, I have bill collectors on my ass about my loans for the first two semesters of school, and not enough money to pay them.
I want to get back into school, however, with being out for so long, and also having Academic Probation on my record (like I said, massive backstory), is going to make it very, very hard to get back into school.
Would it be possible to defer my loans, fill out my FAFSA for the Summer '08 semester, and go back full time? I'm not even worried about the debt I'll have after school, I just need my degree, badly.
Any advice?
My advice for you all, is women are evil, and don't make the same retarded mistake I did.
Kami on
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The only things your school should care about (and this is advice for the U.S. only), when you apply, is your academic record: your college GPA, high school transcript and, if you have under a certain number of credits, your standardized tests scores (ACT/SAT). Academic probation shouldn't affect whether or not you get accepted. I had that on my record, and a GPA exactly .01 above the minimum requirement, and I got in. I also didn't get to flaunt my awesome test scores since I had a certain number of credits, so I got in on very, very low credentials.
Best bet here is visit your school and talk with an admissions adviser. Bring everything with you that'll need to be submitted for admission and ask them what you're looking at. They'll know the admissions process better than any of us. I did this, ended up having to take a semester at a community college to bump my GPA up, and got in without trouble.
Where you may have trouble is the loans. You'll probably get approved, as student loans are easy to get, but your interest rate may not be pretty if you're in collections for previous loans. Your credit probably sucks as a result. My loan ranged from .5 to 12 points above prime depending on your credit, to give you an example of what kind of rates to expect. If the debt truly does not matter to you post-education, then accept what you can get approved for, although you may want to try a few different lenders to see if any will give you a better rate.
If you're really, truly broke and in debt, you may qualify for need-based financial aid from the school. This could either be a grant-in-aid (free money) or a government-subsidized loan (good rates and lenient on when you have to pay them back). Fill out your FAFSA right away, it'll tell you your expected contribution, but do be aware that if you're under the age of 25 there's going to be an expected parental contribution, even if you haven't received a dime from your parents for years. This bit me in the ass. There's pretty much no way around this unless you can prove that your parents have disowned you or something.
Most previous student loans will get deferred simply by going back to school, the deferment will typically take place when you register for classes, not when you're accepted. You may have to notify your lender and fax/email them a schedule, although most subsidized loans (Stafford, Perkins) are automatically deferred, and you'll just get a letter confirming that. Do make sure you understand when interest accumulates and when you're responsible for paying back your loans. Third-party loans will typically start the interest on day 1 of the loan being disbursed, but they may not need to be repaid until a grace period after you graduate. Read the fine print, basically.
I've been through the same kind of mess and it turned out alright, there's hope for even the least likely of us college students.
You lose nothing by filling this out and gain the chance to get free money. If you are no longer claimed as a dependent of your parents, your chances are good that you'll get at least subsidized loans. I can't speculate your chances on grants because they might have a GPA requirement. (And I emphasize might because I never got grants because I didn't financially qualify.)
So talk to admissions at your old school and see what you need to do to apply for readmission. As the above poster said, you may have to attend a community college for a semester or two to boost your GPA back up, but since you'll be a student again you can defer your loans.
Anyway, stick with it and good luck.
I'll fill out my FAFSA before the week is out, so I'll be able to get back as soon as possible.
If anyone can think of anything else, feel free to add it.
Congrats on getting back in. It's exciting, yeah?
I'm going to go back to Oklahoma City University. All of my best friends are there, and that's where I have all my connections and credits. It's expensive, but well worth it in the long run.
Definitely keep us posted, I'll do the same.