Questions about working/not working while in school

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Hi! Just wanted to ask the students out there how you are getting by with working/or not working while in school.

When i (hopefully) start in the fall i want to do the full-time day program. I have applied for a full tuition loan (where i'll have to work for them after i graduate) so that should take care of all the tuition EXCEPT for book,fees, uniforms and living expenses. I should be able to take out the stafford loans sub and unsub for living expenses and the rest of my expenses. (though i'm not sure how much i'll actually get) My question is, will this be enough to live off of and only have to work maybe 1 or 2 days a week? i don't really have any other bills except for car/ins (250.00), rent(650-including utilities/phone/cable/internet), food (100.00), pet food/care (50.00)--these are all monthly amounts. (this is also what it costs me in Ohio and i'll be moving to PA)

anyone else making due with just their loans? i'm also not going to be qualified for any grants because i make WAY too much money now, though when i quit in July and take on a part-time job, the fin. aide person said that they may make an excepting since i'll go from making 26,000 a year to darn near nothing....

thanks!

tasha

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I have never been in exactly the same situation as you will be in but I have taken out loans for my Bachelor's and now for my ASN.

If you do not have a previous degree you will have a better chance of getting grants, loans, etc. The only thing I would look into is how much you would be getting from a Stafford Loan. Often they look at your previous year's income, so in your case, they would be looking at the year that you made $26,000.00. I am by no means an expert on school finances but I would check into this to see how much money you will be receiving through loans since this will be your main source of income. Also, think about how you will pay for your bills in the summer months. You can go to working full time but I would check around and see how much you may be making per hour and make sure that you will have enough money in the summer months.

I don't know for sure, but around here I would venture to say that Aids make about $7.50 an hour just starting out, maybe more if you have experience. I have heard that PCT make about $9.00 an hour with insurance benefits and about $11.00-$12.00 an hour without benefits.

But you have a lot of experience in various areas of health care so you may have more employment options and get a higher wage.

Maybe some other people from Pittsburgh can give you a better idea of what you could make in a part time job here.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

Good Luck!

Col

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Colleen, thanks for the info.

Since i'll be going to Shadyside if i get accepted i'll be going to school a straight 22 months no break, except for a week or two here and there...it's fall, winter, and spring/summer semesters.

I'm still waiting to get my OFFICIAL acceptance letter, but i got an e-mail from the school and it looks like instead of march/april letting us know it's going to be sometime after May 1st! which really sucks since i had wanted to start looking for a place to live and job hunting as well.

I do have some different experiance in healthcare...i was a dietary aide, nursing assistant (LTC) patient care tech (peds,hospital), and worked at various doctor's offices derm, family, and podiatry....but i let my CNA license expire so i'm not sure what i'll have to do in PA.

I also have to carry my own health insurance so no matter where i work i'll only be able to work PT but i will need it. do the hospital's do that there?

i hope so!

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I know area hospitals have PCT's that are Part Time or per diem. I'm not sure if any of the LTC's are per diem, etc but I think you would be better off getting into a hospital because I believe they pay more.

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my husband figures we'll be ok without me working, but I am going to try to work a few hours so we can have an emergency fund.

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Right now I am working full-time and going to school full-time. This semester I go to school Monday-Thursday and I work night shift Friday-Sunday. Eventually, I plan on going part-time (24 hours/week) at my job. I have no intentions of quiting my job and supporting myself with my Stafford Loan because it just wouldn't work. I only get $2600 a year ($1300 per semester) with my loan. Even if I got the unsubsidized loan too, it still wouldn't be enough to support myself without working at least part-time. Hopefully it will work for you. Good Luck!

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