I Think I Am Going Insane

Hi K., I am almost 40 and have gone back to college myself and yes it is a pocket drainer, and also this year my daughter starts at University of Clarksville, and she has a 4.0,and has received a scholarship for over half of her expenses, including living on campus, and we will still be out some few thousand dollars after her aid and scholarship. For me I couldn't afford it , if it weren't for financial aid. The best thing to do if it is not to late is fill out the fasfa online and even though my husband makes pretty good money we still qualified for some aid, and ever little bit helps. Good luck to you!!! J.

I know the feeling. I have a daughter that has registered at AUM and it's the same thing. The fees never end.

I have two children currently in college and yes the cost for this and that is enormaous. You will get thru it all, I'm almost thru the first year, just three more to go... . Look and apply for scholorships, Fafsa ect to cut costs. Also alot of colleges have inside scholorships for students just for participating in functions, that part will be up to your child. Mine found cost savings this way. It's alot of paper work and time, but just think in the end the benefits and advantages the kids will have that we don't

Hey! I'm from Enterprise, AL. My co-worker just sent 2 sons to UAB and had to pay all kinds of fees. She had to buy each a $250 meal ticket for the school food and one of her sons doesn't even eat at school! Unfortunately, colleges have all kinds of fees.

I went to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). I got an academic scholarship from UAH based on my ACT score. Has your son taken the ACT test? Mine wasn't a full scholarship, but it took some off the fees each semester.

Also, someone else mentioned buying books online. I bought my books from http://www.half.com, then after the semester I sold them back to the campus book store :) But make sure you get a book that can be resold... I got stuck with one book because it didn't have a barcode or something on it and said it wasn't supposed to be sold... oops!!

What does your son plan on studying in college?

Believe it or not, you will survive it. Of course they want money!! That is why they want your son. Just don't get caught in that "circle" and think that you have to do all of the things that are suggested. The paper work is a reminder every year-when it is fasfa time. It is not soooo bad after you get them in there! Then, before you know it, it was all worth it. My daughter is now in her third and get this, final year of college at La Tech in early education. She will continue to pursue her masters until her TOPS and scholarships end. What pride -- I have inside.

K.,
Many of these added fees are optional. Don't be shy about asking "is this fee mandatory...is this meeting mandatory?". Many major universities ask for those items upfront and people who are not "budget conscious" pay up without asking or questioning the fees or the true necessity of the expenditures. By all means...DO ASK. Most of the information that they give you at the parent orientation you either 1) already know or 2)can find it in the college catalog in addition to scheduling a (free) meeting with a financial aid counselor. They also have a "monthly" pay as you go plan for people on a budget so you don't have to come up with all the monies at once. University of AL is a good school. Congrats! (ROLL TIDE!)

I am going back to school myself in the fall the only thing I have pay for is my fees for applying and for the bus that will take me for my town I live in now to the campus in another town across the state for orientation. If you go a book store you can found a big that has all kinds of ways to help you pay for this. Also put in ways to pay for college in your search place on the net and you will get lots of leads. The biggest problem I am having is getting all my class I had before to count.Good lucky to you and your son.

I went through this about 6 years ago. Those fees are totally normal. Freshman O is very important for them to go to. It shows them around the campus, goes over all the important events, tells them how to get jobs, how to make it to class on time, how to stay out of trouble, the school song, the fight song, etc.........It's really a great thing they do now. Some schools like the one I went to register their new freshman for their first semester classes during freshman O so that they get to speak with an advisor and learn how to do it themselves in later semesters. I would definately do Freshmen O, but I would pass on Parent O if you're worried about money. You might also be able to contact the school if your worried about finances and discuss options with them. Some schools will charge the fees to your sons account and just take them out when he gets his financial aid if you're doing that. BTW make sure you fill out FAFSA now if you want to do aid next semester. Even if you make too much money for loans anyone who graduates on the high school recommended program gets a grant which doesn't have to be paid back. It's usually only about $900 but every little bit helps.
Oh, and I read a few posts about buying books. DON'T buy books until after your son gets his syllabus. Which he can email the Professor for a couple of weeks before school starts. Many times there are a lot of Professors teaching the same class (especially freshman level courses) and some teachers will recquire this book and some will recquire that, but the Bookstore will only have the course number on the book so you won't know which is which. I ended up with a couple of books I didn't need my freshman year because I bought them all before classes began.

Dear K. B,
If this college is asking for money up-front , especially for student orientation & parent orientation ,then they sound like a scam to me . look deeply into it from your better business beauro , or from other legal sources in your state before you make any final decisions, that is your & your son's right & if that college tries to rush you for any reasons like ," the semester is about to start", or " it will be to late to wait & register later" , any reason, then they are definantly a scam & i'd take my son & run as fast as we can ! The better business beauro always advises against anything or any one asking for money up-front, so please be very careful.

I have been through 2 in college and on my youngest is graduating from high school this year. Yes there are a lot of fees involved. Theres one posiitive thing about this whole thing and that is that you are getting an early start. Some parents/students wait until Fall and begin the paperwork. Hang in there....

Hi K.
I have survived getting 3 of our 4 though College!! NO you are not insane and YES it does cost AND I would recomend attending parent/student orientation you will get some good tips and it will let you see first hand where your son will be for the next four years... Also you might check into what businesses offer small student scholarships... I am not for sure what is in your area but here in OK if student goes to school in OK has good grades they can apply for student scholarship at places like Coke ... they are small but they help pay for orientation, etc.
You can check out my story at www.betsygrant.myarbonne.com and see how I make extra money ... We still have a 16 yr at home and I didn't want to go to work outside our home so I started an in home business to help cover some of the expenses... Good Luck!

Sounds just like my college too! :) Is your son on any type of scholarship? If so, the school may accept that as the "down payment" and bill you throughout the semester. Also, make sure to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Even if you don't think you will qualify, FILL IT OUT! You may just barely make the cutoff for grants, like I did. The school may also be able to help get you federal student loans which have a much lower interest rate than private student loans, but you have to fill out the FAFSA first.

Have your son search online for free scholarship programs. I signed up for one when I was in college (I can't remember the name) and it was great. They would email me scholarship opportunities from different organizations and you could choose whether you wanted to apply or not. People from the entire country sign up for these, so there are a huge number of applicants, but 1 shot in 10,000 is better than no shot at all. Also, call the school and see if there are any scholarships available from them. I would also see if they would be willing to lower the tuition. If he was accepted into another university, bring that up as a bargaining chip. Once he starts attending, have him keep his grades up as high as he can, because he might qualify for a scholarship through the school if he makes the Dean's list, or whatever they call it there. Another way to try and save money is to buy his books through the web or from former students in the class. I like CampusBooks. http://www.campusbooks.com/ Usually the bookstore at the school is a rip off and you don't get much back, if anything, when you sell them back after the semester is over.

Unfortunately, every school is going to have some type of fee/charge that seems ridiculous, so there's no getting around it. Mine was the required meal plan for freshmen, even though I cooked at home and never ate in the cafeteria. Hope some of this helps!

University of Alabama. A good school. A good school. My daughter is at Alabama A & M and we did have some expenses before she got there. But this is an investment that is well worth the sacrifice. There are different types of loans out there you can apply for, but see if you can find scholarships that will help. But by all means enjoy the blessing of his going to Alabama.

Welcome to the world of what is this fee for this sememster and what do you mean you wont buy this book back. College is absolutely full of fees, I agree with the person that said ask if you must attend or is this mandatory. Also regaurding books there are lots of places on-line that your child can purchase their books, not just at the college bookstore, they can also re-sell said books at half.com. Be careful buying books from an outside source and then selling them back to the college book store. College is expensive. Congratulations to your son.

Girl, yes. Senior year is expensive and so is college. It seems like the more I try to work extra for these things, the more things come along. Good luck. My son is going off to school in the fall also. We'll make it somehow.

Just keep your wallet open! College is a money drainer. Especially the textbooks. It is not like when we went to college.

It gets better after the first year. ALso, keep praying, money is not the only thing that will drive you insane. You will have to pray for your child constantly for safety and wise choices.

Blessings- Mom in La. with a student at MSU.

No advice. Just hang in there and ask lots of questions! I do agree that you need to always make sure that certain fees are mandatory. Oh, and one more thing. . . ROLL TIDE!

Hello K. B,
I am not a parent of a child going to college, but I finished college in 2003. I worked on campus in the Housing Department. If you think this is too much already just for orientation just wait until school starts. When I was in school if we had a car we had to pay to park($75 per semester), books (avg. $400-$500), meal plan ($500-$700 per semester), not to mention housing ($5,000 + per semester), etc. That doesn't even include extracurricular activities or tuition. My advice is start early looking for grants which he does not have to pay back as you would if you applied for a loan. Look into scholarships most places offer scholarships like Target, Toyota, GE, etc. It's very expensive to send kids so school nowadays so start early trying to find money for these expenses. When people ask what to get him for graduation gifts tell them money. Good Luck!!

L., 26 years old

Sorry K., i'm on board with the other girls....you and your son do need to attend the orentation...some of the things you think you understand you really don't...my son was going into engineering but didn't know which field of engineering, he actually made his decision due to the "tour" that was provided at orentation....so, buckle down, get out your checkbook and hold on...it's quite a ride but my son is finishing his Jr. year at University of Arkansas and we've survived...you will too....just get used to saying.."ok, that one's done, what's next....lol...have a great day! R.

Hi K.... I am in the same situation. My son is 17 going to college at Harding in Searcy, AR in August 2008. We have paid the dorm fee, application fee, etc...My concern is they haven't talked to us about any payment plans, how much it is after scholarships or how all this works. It seems like we just wait until the last minute to find out about if and how much the scholarships are and then how much is left for me to pay. I know that we go in June for class registration and I guess all the arrangements will be made then- but if you have to pay anything up front- I just don't have it. It will take my whole paycheck every month to get him through. I will be interested to see if you hear from other moms who have been there.