Student Loan Advise Needed!!!! Advice is spelled with a C.
 

Ok, I'm broke. I'm a dependent student living 270 miles from home living in a house my dad owns. I got a Pell grant this semester and a little bit of a MTAG grant. I borrowed the maximum amount for a Subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Now I need about 2,000 to finish this semester. This is my third year of college. The problem: I don't have a cosigner. Dad will NOT cosign. Mom says no. Might could talk her into it, but I doubt it. And I have no credit either.

So I'm looking around at different stuff online and most loans require you to have a cosigner. Or credit. Or both. Chase didn't require me to have a cosigner to apply, but then it says borrowers must be 21 or older in MS or Puerto Rico. :bang: Discover requires a cosigner, Sallie Mae requires a cosigner. Most seem to require a cosigner.

Any advice at all is appreciated. I'm lost, and so far, this ain't looking good. Any help, tips, pointers, links, anything is appreciated.

Oh lord, you're reminding me what it was like to be me in august trying to find money for school.

To be honest, i finally lucked out and got my grandpa to co-sign for me. That was after my step dad, grandma, and others failed as cosigners (banks said no). Finally after 3 ulcers of stress my grampa worked. And god does it feel shitty to have to fall back on people for shit like that.

If sallie may wont give you a loan on your own you're likely out of luck. Other things you can try is go to your finaid office and get on your knees for a little sucky sucky, they are the ones with power to get you more money aside from loans.

Edit: And wtf is wrong with your dad, why wont he cosign for you to help you get through school?

I had my granddad cosign any private loans I had to get as well.

I'll find out who my roommate has his through, the interest rate without a co-signer is unbelievably high...like 19-22%?

I used Chase this semester, but had a cosigner. Holla to whoever lost their scholarships after the first semester :td:

Get a job? pinch pennies? cur some grass? sell your car and get a beater?

Go to your finaid office and beg. Does your school offer payment plans that you make payments on throughout the term? I've seen this at the schools I've gone to. It could give you some time to scrounge up the $$. Fucking student loans are the reason my car isn't turbo yet. You live in a house your dad owns? Have you considered subletting behind his back (since he won't cosign)?

I'm in for the partout.:giggle:

Seriously, I don't know what to tell you without a cosigner. I'd think you could pick up 2K with a part time job, couldn't you? Heck, 15-20 hours a week would get you that delivering pizzas or something. You would have to give up 1/2 of your time on here, though.:fawk: Try to minimize the amount of debt that you carry after you graduate. Too many kids come out with a piece of paper and $100K of debt that takes forever to pay off.

Just get a good cosigner, mine had a bankruptcy a few years after I graduated. The bank treated the account as if I had stopped making payments, despite them still taking my checks and cashing them.

When I was in a similar situation, I made my way to the financial aid office. They were able to find a couple of small grants for me to cover the last bit needed.

+1 on this suggestion Pat. My sister and I are currently translating more than 1,000 pages of Federal loan regulations for a local university who's made of mostly Americans (things like the "Blue Book" and the "Common Manual"). For what I've read while translating, you should contact your financial aid office.

Have you checked other Federal loan programs? (you know it's not only Pell Grants; right?)

pm me if any info on those manuals can be of any service to you.

They should be able to get you on a payment plan during your term. I pay while I go so I can borrow less.

I was broke out of my mind freshmen year and I had $300 to pay off on a credit card bill that month after going on spring break in Florida.
I got a job working in the furniture warehouse at Big Lots. They paid minimum wage to unload mattress trucks and assemble shitty furniture. But I made around $120 a week take home working 3-4 nights a week and it was an awesome semester.

Get a job man. Anything is better than nothing.
Why not rent out a room in your house?

maybe the turbo miata isn't the best idea right now if you need to beg and plead for college money

I know this won't help immediately, but what are you majoring in? Have you looked for merit based scholarships? Find some, apply for some and get them in the pipeline as part of your planning for next school year.

Got a part-time job?

What can you sell to get the money you need now? That's gonna be hard, but look at it long term. If you NEED this money now its really an investment in your future.

Good luck!
Mitch

As a response to everyone telling pat to "get a job":

If he is living in a college town like I am, good luck. I've been trying to find part time work for 7 months and have failed miserably...same with nearly all my friends.

Its next to impossible to get a job in a college town when the economy is rockin, its laughable at this point.

Join the Army, they will pay off your loans and give you money to finish.

This pretty much sums it up. There's a flood of people begging for minimum wage jobs right now. And to say the least, I'm not used to making minimum wage. I've had shitty jobs before that paid nothing. I'd like to not go back to that. I was more or less looking for advice on how to get a student loan to help pay for college. I'm gonna keep looking around and talk to a few people. Finding a credit worthy cosigner is what I need to do. Gonna talk to my Mom tonight and if she says no, I'll ask my Dad about talking to my grandparents cosigning. They've got plenty of credit and might be willing actually. As for grant stuff, I've exhausted all that.

Don't get one!

Its really about who you know and where you look. I had two until a couple of months ago, and just dropped the last one so I can student teach. Anything is better than nothing, a lot of people wont make that sacrifice though.

If minimum wage jobs are availible but for some reason you think you are above that, maybe that's why you can't get a co-signer. If you really want to finish school suck it up and do what's necessary, if thaat means a shit job for minimum wage, so be it.

My Dad won't cosign because he wants me to do this on my own. I want to do this on my own and I would much rather not have anyone holding my hand. If I can find a loan without a cosigner, I'll take it. If not, I'll find a cosigner or I'll find a job.

I work in the summers doing construction and remodeling, I have my own small fence building thing on the side, I work on cars, and a few other small things as well. I use to work at a lawn-mower shop for 5 bucks an hour minus taxes back in 9th grade. Did that for a year. I worked construction for 6 dollars an hour forever, then finally 7, 7.50, 8, 10, 12, and I'm finally up to 15 since my junior year in HS. I've been paying taxes since the 5th grade, so don't think I'm afraid of a job. I like to work smart.

I just normally waste half of it on my miata, the rest in boats, gas, road trips, etc. I probably save 2.5K a year for college money directly. I could save a lot more, but then I wouldn't be driving a turbo miata. :bang: Oh well. I was more or less looking for info on a student loan (yeah, as if that's not obvious), not how to get a job. I know how to do that.

Zabac- :giggle:

I wasn't trying to offend you. But being only $2K away, seems from what you just posted you can get to where you need to be with or without a loan if you make a few sacrifices. FYI, 5th graders don't pay taxes in this country.

I can't give any student loan advice, I've never had to get one. But if you can't get work then you better start making some ass kissing phone calls to family to get them to cosign.


What's wrong with the "rent a room out of your house" option?

Ass kissing phone calls will come tonight. For sure.

msydnor- I've paid taxes since the 5th grade. It's called income tax. If you don't believe me, fine.

I'd rather live here alone. This is a tiny house and it's not in the best of shape. It would need a good bit of work to finish the other bedroom to rent it.

I know how you feel about a min wage job. I made $45/hr from march to september this year, but I didn't save a penny of it for college. Shit, I didn't even save enough to pay for taxes...

I'd take a min wage job right now just to have some extra playin monies. Also, i'd take what I can get at this point considering i'm not certain that i'll be able to find a job this summer in my profession.

You're gonna have to find a cosigner. I have credit and couldn't get a loan by myself. I tried getting many people to cosign with me that had rockin credit still to no avail. Have you tried directly through the bank you have a checking/savings acct with? Wells fargo said I was just not quite there yet but perhaps I would be next year.

I've had a checking account with my local credit union since the 6th grade. Had that account for 10 years. I've never taken out a loan with them, but I will over spring break for sure just to start building some credit. I need to get a credit card too aparently and start using it a bit.

Get a rewards or cashback card and buy gas with it or something similar so that you use it each month yet you know you will pay it off.

Yes, you need a CC to get started. Credit unions are pretty trusting and will usually give you one if you apply for it. Most banks will not, however. You will likely need to do a secured card (i had to, no regrets).

Seriously ask your CU about student loans. I'm sure they have them and I bet you could swing one through them.

Pat, do you qualify for the college tax credit? Part of the stimulus package will increase it considerably and it IS tax season...

+1, or any of the reserve branches. Or look into the ROTC programs on campus. Something to consider compared to a Private Student loan, which all suck.

Does your school have emergency tuition loans?

Chris

The irony is if you don't use a credit card and pay for everything in cash, you don't build credit, and when you need to borrow money can't get a freaking loan, even though you've been fiscally responsible your whole life.

oddly enough, i know people who have bought houses without having credit cards first. and this is not in po-dunk middle america, this is in silicon valley. i have no idea how they do it.

Equity?

Grammar in title fail.

Scott, you're absolutely right but you're opening yourself to some corrections :giggle:

Amen. Its devastating enough when the economy is good to find a college job, let alone during the worst economic situation since the Great Depression.

Join the Navy... free porn to all my friends.

Whoops. :giggle:

At least you didn't pull out the bullshit "I'm an engineering major not an english major" :D

~Mitch

Free gay porn no thx

That's my favorite excuse. "im lyk gud at cars n i go 2 skool all dai n shyt so u cn al sufer thru my tyiping."

Dude its pretty much true tho, I hate writing.

I can't believe nobody's challenged the idea that I'm not an English major...

Actually, I just suck at spelling. I can write decent if I try.

decent = adjective
decently = adverb of manner

Sorry man, you opened yourself up when you said you were a grammar Nazi. ;)

i put myself through school. i worked fulltime and usually took every third or fourth semester off to work more to pay for it all. i qualified for loans on my own, but only took out $8k total. i used a credit card to finish my last semester in my senior year ($3k). i also hustled for merit scholarships. i got to know the FA people at my school very well.

i also landed my own internships (decent pay too). i graduated with 2 years of real-world expereince in my field. i was hired by a company 3 weeks before i graduated.

the thing is, yeah the economy is tough, but man-up, swallow your pride and take what you can get job-wise. those shitty jobs are motivation to finish your degree and do better for yourself. you learn what you can, even in shitty situations, because that's whats gives your experience. if you are in your third year, maybe taking a semester off to bust your ass wouldn't be a bad idea. it's not like there is going to be a shit tonne of jobs for you when you graduate next year. you'll really be fucked then because 6mos out of school, those loans start to kick in and you have to pay them off.

good luck!

Three words: gay for pay.