College costs

LegacyUser

Hi, I am working for a year in order to afford college. Because I changed course my fees are ca €7000 per year.

However my living situation at home can be very difficult at times (parents are functionally divorced but still live together because of financial reasons and there is a constant vibe of low level tension in the house , it stresses me out)

My dad sleeps in the same room as me but snores and sleep screams so I often sleep on the couch.

I feel the home is a toxic environment. I can be quite introverted and negative and college has given me the chance to become a better person. I am desperately looking for a way to afford a college dorm while I do my degree. I know costs will be high but it is something I feel will be a worthwhile investment as it will enable me to develop as a person and experience the once in a lifetime opportunity of college dorm life.

I am wondering if there is a system similar to the states where a loan can be repayed upon graduation. Financialy affording this will be very difficult but I feel I will kick myself to not try and afford it.

tenchi-fan

I dont think any college loan system exists in Ireland.
If you can't get a grant or a part-time job, the best solution is to put up or shut up, unfortunately.

I also went to college in a toxic family environment and my part-time job was hardly sufficient at providing a social life. the best line of credit i got was my credit card and at 18.9% apr i wisely chose not to use it. I'm in debt to a certain degree now and it isn't worth it.

Try to stay debt-free while you're in college.

LegacyUser

Part time work certainly wouldnt be enough to fund it.

It all comes down to how successful my search for full time work is. I will probably have to supplement this by working a second job during my year off, summer jobs and working part time during college.

I have calculated that I would need to earn roughly 17-€20000 after tax from my year off work to afford my goal without having to get loans. Because I have 2 years of a computer science degree I might be able to get something that pays better than minimum wage but having no experience with full time work, I am not sure if this is a reasonable amount to expect to earn in a year of full time work. Plus it is a terrible environment to be trying to find one job, let alone 2.

gubbie

I disagree, I think it is possible, however difficult. I think a lot depends on what course you are doing. For example, I have 2 friends who moved to London to do MA's who took out loans of ~€10,000. They found it a lot more difficult to get the loan then say a medical student where loans are handed out willy nilly. If you have some sort of savings account with one of the banks, start there.

Wompa1

I got a student loan but only for 2k...just so I could get by with working less in my final semester. If you are able to work full time and save, save, save you could swing the 7,000 and then pay for rent out of your weekly wage working part time during college

LegacyUser

The costs are roughly the following

2 years @ full fees = ca €14000
1 year reduced fees = €2000
Books = will probably ask parents/grandparent for help with this
€16000

Optional costs
Accomodation/utilities €5000
Food = €Covered by part time job during term

So for 3 years were looking at about €31000


Income

I may be able to get the parents to contribute €3000 per year (I believe my dad earns about €70000 per year so I dont think this is too excessive a request but the family are very bad with money)

If they do this for 4 years = €12000
Full time year off college working = ? (hopefully something around €17000)
Summer time work = Earning €2000 in the summer doesnt seem unreasonable = €4000

Part time job during college = covers food/additional costs

If at any stage the costs become too much or I cant find work then I can drop the optional campus accomodation and spend the next year living at home (as soul destroying as that would be)

Financially how much should I expect to be able to earn in a year off?

Wompa1

College costs wrote: »

The costs are roughly the following

2 years @ full fees = ca €14000
1 year reduced fees = €2000
Books = will probably ask parents/grandparent for help with this
€16000

Optional costs
Accomodation/utilities €5000
Food = €Covered by part time job during term

So for 3 years were looking at about €31000


Income

I may be able to get the parents to contribute €3000 per year (I believe my dad earns about €70000 per year so I dont think this is too excessive a request but the family are very bad with money)

If they do this for 4 years = €12000
Full time year off college working = ? (hopefully something around €17000)
Summer time work = Earning €2000 in the summer doesnt seem unreasonable = €4000

Part time job during college = covers food/additional costs

If at any stage the costs become too much or I cant find work then I can drop the optional campus accomodation and spend the next year living at home (as soul destroying as that would be)

Financially how much should I expect to be able to earn in a year off?

Where are you going to college? if it's a 4 year undergrad course in Ireland and you are an EU citizen you would pay considerably less....How many hours part time do you expect to work? You can work more hours in the first couple of years...how many hours a week in college will you have? What about transport?

LegacyUser

Wompa1 wrote: »

Where are you going to college? if it's a 4 year undergrad course in Ireland and you are an EU citizen you would pay considerably less....How many hours part time do you expect to work? You can work more hours in the first couple of years...how many hours a week in college will you have? What about transport?

It's a 3 year course, 2 years of which will cost me full fees because I have 2 years previous college. For transportation I take the bus/cycle. Hours in College once studying is included will essentially be a 40 hour week. Part time work will be whatever hours I can get that don't interfere with College.

Wompa1

College costs wrote: »

It's a 3 year course, 2 years of which will cost me full fees because I have 2 years previous college. For transportation I take the bus/cycle. Hours in College once studying is included will essentially be a 40 hour week. Part time work will be whatever hours I can get that don't interfere with College.

It's a big ask to afford all that. You should try to see someone in the bank about getting a student account and student loan to pay for the fees.

LivingDeadGirl

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say just suck it up. There are plenty of people in the same situation, myself included, and it doesn't affect their development as a person (or else it already has, having lived in the family home for 18+ years anyway, what's another 3-4?), you are still in college the majority of the time by the sounds of it. I think you'd be putting yourself under far greater strains (and possible debts) by trying to move out.

LegacyUser

LivingDeadGirl wrote: »

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say just suck it up. There are plenty of people in the same situation, myself included, and it doesn't affect their development as a person (or else it already has, having lived in the family home for 18+ years anyway, what's another 3-4?), you are still in college the majority of the time by the sounds of it. I think you'd be putting yourself under far greater strains (and possible debts) by trying to move out.

If things were normal I would agree with you. But currently I am a huge loner and I believe a change in environment, being surrounded by people will do me a world of good - benefiting me by improving my social skills, letting me get more involved with campus life, avoid spending hours travelling every day. It will give the chance to really develop as a person as I feel I am way behind most people.

Bobsammy

Some banks will let you defer payments until after graduation if you have a student account. You could look into this? If you had a loan to cover the tuition fees most of the day to day expenses can be met by part time work. It's surprisingly easy to fit in working around study especially in the early years of a degree! I worked on average 25 hours a week from 1st to 4th year in college and still walked away with a first in my degree! Also I presume it's a typo where you have the figure for how much you're spending on books but you really only need to buy your stationary - most of the required reading will be in the library and if you must have them you can usually get cheap second hand copies online or from students in the year above you!

boardzz

Did you complete your last course? If you only done a year then you should only pay fees for a year etc.

work.inprocess

College costs wrote: »

The costs are roughly the following

2 years @ full fees = ca €14000
1 year reduced fees = €2000
Books = will probably ask parents/grandparent for help with this
€16000

Optional costs
Accomodation/utilities €5000
Food = €Covered by part time job during term

So for 3 years were looking at about €31000


Income

I may be able to get the parents to contribute €3000 per year (I believe my dad earns about €70000 per year so I dont think this is too excessive a request but the family are very bad with money)

If they do this for 4 years = €12000
Full time year off college working = ? (hopefully something around €17000)
Summer time work = Earning €2000 in the summer doesnt seem unreasonable = €4000

Part time job during college = covers food/additional costs

If at any stage the costs become too much or I cant find work then I can drop the optional campus accomodation and spend the next year living at home (as soul destroying as that would be)

Financially how much should I expect to be able to earn in a year off?

:eek::eek::eek:

MagicMarker

work.inprocess wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

Read it again.

LegacyUser

Can you not study part-time and get a full time job? Granted you won't get the whole "college dorm" experience. But at least you'll have your sanity, you'll get to live out on your own and you'll be able to study? Some times in life we don't get to have our cake and eat it OP !

LivingDeadGirl

College costs wrote: »

If things were normal I would agree with you. But currently I am a huge loner and I believe a change in environment, being surrounded by people will do me a world of good - benefiting me by improving my social skills, letting me get more involved with campus life, avoid spending hours travelling every day. It will give the chance to really develop as a person as I feel I am way behind most people.

I'm not really sure what you mean by your first sentence, what isn't normal? Lots of families are as you describe yours to be. I still don't understand why you can't be more outgoing and develop now during the time when you are in college every day? From my understanding of 'campus life', it's a load of rubbish, IMO. You can make friends and develop your social skills without living with a bunch of strangers (and believe me, not all of them will be pleasant, nevermind doing you 'a world of good'). Join a club or society, you'll meet plenty of new people and get a chance to socialize with those who share a common interest with you (making it much easier to talk), you don't have to be moved out for that.

dearg lady

If you're goin to save a good chunk ahead of college, I wonder if you deposited this in a credit union could you take a loan for the rest? And have the lowest repayments, over the longest term, by which time you would hope to be in full time work?
also, what age are you? you might be entitled to a grant if you could get assessed separate from your parents.
Another thing is a house share might actually work out cheaper than dorms, just a thought, but there is some pretty cheap rooms goin at the moment.