College Funding
Are you ready to head off to college? If you think you are there are some things you will still need to consider. Even the most thoughtful students tend to jump head first into college and find that college funding is not what it seemed after they have graduated. Here is a little story for you regarding college funding.
This person went to college staying on campus at first, obtained government loans, and had the semesters almost paid for. Two years later this person moved off campus and therefore needed a job, more loans to pay for off campus housing and expenses. The person spoke with the school financial aid office for ideas on borrowing a little more. The government loans were maxed and this person was told they had a higher interest rate than the state student loans. Well the truth was this person could have gotten the maximum amount from the government student loans for a fraction of the interest rate of the state loan the person went with saving money in the end. Because this person didn’t do that the interest rate on the state loans is almost 8%, while the three Stafford loans this person took out were consolidated to 2.5%. This person is now paying more in interest towards the state loans and it will take at least twelve years to pay it off.
When you are discussing college funding you really have to understand what is out there and how it can help you. From the story you see the person should have taken the Stafford loans every year and made up the difference through another type of loan. This would have kept the second loan lower and made it more reasonable to pay off. This person should also have checked the facts. The student loan office is supposed to help a student find college funding that is right for them. Instead in recent years and in this story it is seen that the staff in the financial aid office work for the loan companies rather than the students. There have also been some kickbacks in recent media stories that these financial aid officer received for sending students towards those companies.
The point is not to scare you about college funding, but to show you what to look for and be a little wiser. If you have a hands on approach to college funding like talking directly with the company rather than through the financial aid office, research the companies history, and finding out about deferment status if needed you will find you have a better handle on the college funding you need. Blind trust is the wrong way to head and saying you don’t have the time is even worse. You have to be in control to find the appropriate college funding. Also keep in mind that the government loans are there to help you gain the education you want so they are often better. While they can be difficult to obtain depending on your financial status or to get a lot of borrowed money they are still the best college funding to obtain.
For more information about college funding please visit http://www.studentaides.com for more information. This blog has everything you need for finding the perfect student loan or college scholarship
Tags: college fund, college funding, money for college, student loan