How are you going to pay for school??? I'm really worried...

U.S.A. Arizona

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I'm supposed to start the MCC Nursing program in January and I thought I had everything all figured out but things are falling apart quickly and I'm getting concerned.

I had always planned on getting student loans and living off them while attending school but don't even know where to start to look for private student loans. The people at my school are kind and helpful but don't really get involved in the private student loan process. I'm moving from out of state so my costs will be higher on top of everything else. Additionally, I'm coming into this with a lot of personal debt (but good credit) so I probably won't get approved for anything by myself and I have limited resources for co-signers. I'm not opposed to working but was hoping to not work for at least the first semester since moving to a new state and starting nursing school and a new job at the same time would be too much for me. I also worry about how hard it will be to get a job while in Nursing school. I have great hospital experience but I'm finding jobs in my area of expertise are not plentiful.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to start looking for student loans, private or otherwise? I've done the FAFSA so I have that ball rolling at least. But from what I can tell, you can get enough money to live off of.

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First of all, I would start with Sallie Mae. I got a loan through them. I had decent credit and had some debt as well. Im not sure if lending has slowed due to the economy. You can apply directly through their website. Also, most of the large banks have private loans as well. What school are you attending?

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Thanks for the reply. Sallie Mae was on my list of places to check.

I'm hoping to be attending Phoenix College accelerated program. That's my first choice but no idea if that's where the chips will fall. Where did you go?

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try to get a job at one of the hospitals, a lot of them reimburse part of your tuition, if living close to school is an option consider that, no car in AZ tough, but doable, and would save you tons. but check into the hospital jobs, or any medical job with tuition reimbursement.

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by the way, 2 more things, ebay and craigslist, saved people i know over $1,000 on text books and/or study materials.

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by the way, 2 more things, ebay and craigslist, saved people i know over $1,000 on text books and/or study materials.

How would one go about looking up books for a particular school? Does everyone in the valleyuse the same texts? I'm going to be doing the LPN program at Southwest skill center. I could definately use a break by purchasing used texts....

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Are you planning on staying in AZ after you graduate or moving out of state? Check into Nursing Associations they do offer scholarships for nursing students...as long as you are entering the program of study not the pre-reqs. Look on Scholarship.com the deadlines are starting up for this year, but if you can write a goodessay you may be able to stumble upon some decent $$ as well. ;)

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Can anyone give me a figure from their personal experience, of how much the entire program cost at any of the Maricopa County schools, including books, supplies, any extra non-required classes, etc? They state it to be over 6,000 on their nursing application packet, but I just wanted to hear it from someone who's actually done it, as I have read a few postings of talk about the extra math and study courses that also cost over a thousand dollars, and I assume aren't included in that figure. I will be paying out of pocket and want to make sure I'm not underestimating what I need to have in savings. Thanks!

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You can also plead your case to the school because I know that some schools will waive the out of state tuition and charge you at an in state price. They are not going to offer it to you, but you can ask. You have nothing to lose on getting it lowered. I can't offer any advise that hasn't already been given. For my son, I have gone online and searched for student loans for the state he is in. For example, "student loans in Arizona".

HTH,

deAnna

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