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I live in the US and was able to go to college almost for free. There were a few caveats though: 1. I waited until I was 24. This meant that my parents income

by jgrowl 12y ago

I live in the US and was able to go to college almost for free. There were a few caveats though: 1. I waited until I was 24. This meant that my parents income did not affect my federal assistance so that I could get the maximum amount. 2. I went to a dirt cheap community college my first two years. It was so cheap that the federal grants covered my tuition, books, plus a little extra for living expenses. 3. I did really well at community college and was able to get a few scholarships at a bigger university. 4. In my state there is a block transfer program so that all of my credits at community college counted at the larger university. 5. I was able to live at home for the entire duration so I did not have to pay a huge sum for campus housing. I was able to get a computer science degree from a state university with somewhere around $1000 in debt which I paid off entirely with my first paycheck. I was only in $1000 in debt because I foolishly bought a $2400 gaming laptop.

33W 12y ago
Isn't there a conflict between points 1 and 5? Claiming to be an independent student while living at home?
- ics 12y ago
  You can't be claimed as a dependent at age 24. > To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you and as of the end of the calendar year, either be younger than 19 years old or be a student and younger than 24 years old. There is no age limit on claiming your child as a dependent if the child meets the qualifying relative test. http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/Filing-Requirements,-Status,-Dependents,-Exemptions/Dependents-&-Exemptions/Dependents-&-Exemptions-2 http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-In...
- ashark 12y ago
  It's a technicality. Once you age out you're "not a dependent" for the purposes of educational subsidies/loans. Getting married has a similar effect, or at least it used to. You could get married, live with one or the other's well-off parents or otherwise be supported by them, but go to school for free or nearly so. Obviously, that's not for everyone :-)
  - rhino369 12y ago
    The maximum grant you'll get from the government is about 6k. Anything beyond that is typically the school giving a scholarship or a third party scholarship. And schools typically use a different formula for need aid that doesn't presume you are independent at age 24.
lectrick 12y ago
> I was able to live at home for the entire duration so I did not have to pay a huge sum for campus housing. While this might make financial sense at first, living in the dorms was one of (if not THE) best social experiences of my life, and in my opinion, worth the cost. I still have numerous friends and acquaintances I made via the dorms, going on 20 years later. In a few cases they have paid off socially and business-wise. I would not recommend cutting out the singular "dorm experience" for the sake of saving a few bucks you can make back later anyway.
- kylec 12y ago
  By contrast, I did not live in the dorms when I went to college and I feel like I missed out on a lot. There's no one from my college years that I keep in touch with.
  - bhayden 12y ago
    Same here - I went to a commuter school (still a big state school though, just a non-traditional environment) with a fairly high average student age and only lived on campus a single year. That single year was better than the other three combined. I was dumb and immature and didn't realize the value of friends at the time, and now am not friends with anyone from college.

by jgrowl 12y ago

33W 12y ago

Isn't there a conflict between points 1 and 5? Claiming to be an independent student while living at home?

ics 12y ago
You can't be claimed as a dependent at age 24. > To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you and as of the end of the calendar year, either be younger than 19 years old or be a student and younger than 24 years old. There is no age limit on claiming your child as a dependent if the child meets the qualifying relative test. http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/Filing-Requirements,-Status,-Dependents,-Exemptions/Dependents-&-Exemptions/Dependents-&-Exemptions-2 http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-In...
ashark 12y ago
It's a technicality. Once you age out you're "not a dependent" for the purposes of educational subsidies/loans. Getting married has a similar effect, or at least it used to. You could get married, live with one or the other's well-off parents or otherwise be supported by them, but go to school for free or nearly so. Obviously, that's not for everyone :-)
- rhino369 12y ago
  The maximum grant you'll get from the government is about 6k. Anything beyond that is typically the school giving a scholarship or a third party scholarship. And schools typically use a different formula for need aid that doesn't presume you are independent at age 24.

lectrick 12y ago

> I was able to live at home for the entire duration so I did not have to pay a huge sum for campus housing. While this might make financial sense at first, living in the dorms was one of (if not THE) best social experiences of my life, and in my opinion, worth the cost. I still have numerous friends and acquaintances I made via the dorms, going on 20 years later. In a few cases they have paid off socially and business-wise. I would not recommend cutting out the singular "dorm experience" for the sake of saving a few bucks you can make back later anyway.

kylec 12y ago
By contrast, I did not live in the dorms when I went to college and I feel like I missed out on a lot. There's no one from my college years that I keep in touch with.
- bhayden 12y ago
  Same here - I went to a commuter school (still a big state school though, just a non-traditional environment) with a fairly high average student age and only lived on campus a single year. That single year was better than the other three combined. I was dumb and immature and didn't realize the value of friends at the time, and now am not friends with anyone from college.