Loans and no options

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Before I explain what's going on, I have checked into every community college in the area. I live in PA and have always wanted to be a nurse. There are no colleges around me that have nursing. I would rather live in the NY or even NJ area anyway though. However, there are no reasonably priced schools with housing. The only school I could find is Hunter which is very competitive and probably not likely. I also looked at Farmingdale State which seems okay but I would need a single and there are barely any of those. Monroe College is another option. However, it is in a rough neighborhood and the dorms are not at their nursing campus. My parents cannot pay a dime for my education so I would need to take out loans. I do not know if I should just go for it. Yes, I will be in tons of debt. Isn't debt worth being happy though? I will not change my major no matter how much it costs. Nursing is what I want to do.

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Specializes in None.

I don't know anything about the schools you mentioned since I live in Oklahoma, however I have student loans, around $20K technically BEFORE my nursing degree. I have two previous degrees. I think student loans have become somewhat of a norm. However, you may be eligible for pell grants and other grants or scholarships. Interest rates for student loans are relatively low and you don't have to repay until 6 months after you have graduated. You may be able to find a hospital that will pay for your education if you'll come work for them as well. There are a lot of financial options you can look into. And, as a nurse, you'll be making a fairly decent income and shouldn't have any problems paying off those loans.

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options: in-state tuition cuts tuition costs in half.

options: many areas other than ny/nj would cut housing costs significantly, some of them are in pa where you can get in-state tuition.

hm, what is wrong with having a dorm roommate?

isn't debt worth being happy though? not when it is several tens of thousands of dollars higher than it needs to be. it starts limiting your options too much.

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Several of Penn State Branch campuses have RN programs and housing on campus. Are your grades not competitive enough to comply to some of the branc campuses in the PSU system?

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Specializes in Electrophysiology, Medical-Surgical ICU.

go to Nursing Schools and Nursing Degrees - Online Directory - NursingSchools.com, there is a lot of school in PA that you can check out...it probably would be cheaper for you to stay instate since you a resident there.

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I live in NY around a flurry of colleges. I don't think any of the colleges with nursing programs have on campus housing but there are a TON of off campus college housing where you would have a roommate. I think if you take out loans you would be fine. You could split the rent 2 or 3 or more ways and it would be hardly anything. I live in the capital district. If your looking at NYC you will pay too much.

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I totally understand feeling like you have no options. You really may have more than you think, you just have to be creative. Finding a college you can afford and you can get into would be my first priority. Then I would look at housing.

Why is it that you want to live in the dorms? Because its close to campus/ on campus? Do you think it would be cheaper than living on your own? These are all things to consider. I live in a midwest so i don't know what things are like where you live but my experience has been it is cheaper to make my own food and live in a single bedroom apartment alone than it would be to live in the dorms and pay for a meal plan.

As far as loans go, I don't think they are that big of a deal. If you go to a college you can afford your loan payments will not be very expensive once you get out of school. Most students take out loans of some form or another. If your parents can't help with school thats okay, you FAFSA will most likely reflect this and you may get scholarships based on this. Also you may qualify for work study aid where you could work for the university in like the library or computer lab or something and you get paid to help with tuition.

Hope this helps.

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I totally understand feeling like you have no options. You really may have more than you think, you just have to be creative. Finding a college you can afford and you can get into would be my first priority. Then I would look at housing.

Why is it that you want to live in the dorms? Because its close to campus/ on campus? Do you think it would be cheaper than living on your own? These are all things to consider. I live in a midwest so i don't know what things are like where you live but my experience has been it is cheaper to make my own food and live in a single bedroom apartment alone than it would be to live in the dorms and pay for a meal plan.

As far as loans go, I don't think they are that big of a deal. If you go to a college you can afford your loan payments will not be very expensive once you get out of school. Most students take out loans of some form or another. If your parents can't help with school thats okay, you FAFSA will most likely reflect this and you may get scholarships based on this. Also you may qualify for work study aid where you could work for the university in like the library or computer lab or something and you get paid to help with tuition.

Hope this helps.

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If you are limiting your school selection based on the idea that living in a dorm is the cheapest option - don't. Dorms are almost always WAY more expensive than just renting a place near campus. The best deal is usually to get an apartment with a few bedrooms and split the rent 2 or 3 ways - this is often cheaper than paying for a studio or one bedroom.

If you are concerned about getting loans to cover rent, your school almost certainly factors cost of living into the cost of attendance, which is what you can max out federal loans for. Rent for an apartment can fall into this category - you just need to bring your financial aid officer a copy of your lease and they should be able to include it in your financial aid package.

If you are not currently part of the CUNY system I wouldn't get your hopes up. They have waiting lists stretching into the next century and the cost of living in midtown manhattan is ... i'm trying to find a polite word for this ... prohibitive.

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