EFC: Non trads get screwed! Forum

Discuss various money matters here. Loans (federal and private), scholarships, lottery winnings, or other school finance related information and queries.
rainmaker614

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by rainmaker614 » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:21 pm

"I'm 30, and my parents are middle class. It's irrelevant, though, since I haven't received, nor will I receive any money from them. I'm not going to empty my savings into a box either. If a school or the BAR were to audit my banking records, it would be obvious that I had done that, and I'd like to be admitted to the BAR someday. I know an audit is not likely to happen, but that would not look good. Hopefully I'll get merit aid from one of the schools I actually want to go to. So far I've only got $45k from Michigan, but I don't really want to go there. Crossing my fingers for the scholly I'm up for at Penn and maybe some matching at Berkeley.:"

I was jk about the money in a box thing but I think you are definitely taking it overboard. The bar is not going to audit your banking records. The only thing that could happen is that you would need to "verify" your records it the gov asks you to on your FAFSA in which case your banking records would just show a withdrawal of whatever money you received from you grandmah? I don't see how this would effect your character and fitness.

Regardless, schools in the range you are looking at have some generous need based grants/schollys but almost all will look at your parents info because they care more about your economic background than your present economic situation (which is likely bad for most people). I doubt you'd get any need based aid from these schools unless you can convince them not to consider your parents (Berkeley, I think, will allow you to be completely independent from your parents if you file 5 years independently or something, which you'd qualify for). Good luck.

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Goliadkin_Jr

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by Goliadkin_Jr » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:29 pm

16k for me, and I quit my job at the end of May! The severance package totally fucked me over. I'm mean, yeah, I can afford to shell out for 1L, but I will be destitute by 2L. Sucks for schools that base 3 yrs of need aid on this year's numbers.

CWF V

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by CWF V » Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:47 pm

^ Do some schools base aid on your incoming FAFSA? That is some serious bullshite!

LSATfromNC

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by LSATfromNC » Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:18 pm

araiza99 wrote:You all are worrying for nothing. The obama stimulus check is in the mail :D

Seriously, you guys know if the stimulus will impact us? More subsidized money?
I heard we are all getting like 30k cash, plus a unicorn.

araiza99

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by araiza99 » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:33 am

LSATfromNC wrote:
araiza99 wrote:You all are worrying for nothing. The obama stimulus check is in the mail :D

Seriously, you guys know if the stimulus will impact us? More subsidized money?
I heard we are all getting like 30k cash, plus a unicorn.
Looking forward to the unicorn, don't want to take my car to school.

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angiej

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by angiej » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:40 am

I realized I should have filled out my fasfa to include the fact that my husband (whom I'm separated from) is a dislocated worker. I went back and corrected my fasfa to include this info and it did not make my EFC zero. Since I am now including him, which I realized I should have done this before, my EFC went from 6,000 to 13,000. I think I just screwed myself! I did double-check to be sure I checked the dislocated worker box! HELP!?

legalized

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by legalized » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:06 pm

pirouette wrote:I haven't gotten my EFC yet, but I know I will get screwed, big time. I was planning to keep my full time gig and go to school part time. My husband's income varies (self employed) and has been almost nonexistant since the econonmy tanked. On paper, I have a good salary but that doesn't take into account my mortgage, $1200/month child care, rising utility bills, etc. We are barely making it now, I know I can't contribute to my tuition.

Even more than the EFC screw over, the school that I was planning to attend (GULC), doesn't give part time students any need based aid. Looks like I'll be considering GW and UMD....
I found out about this too late for it to help me in undergrad, but the normal student budget does not take into account child care needed to go to school (of course) so to get them to include it in YOUR budget, you need to go to the school's financial aid office (or online if possible) and get the form needed to fill out about your child care expense from whatever year they need it from (KEEP IN MIND IT WON'T BE THE CURRENT YEAR, JUST LIKE THE TAX RETURN IS NOT BASED ON this YEAR). Be prepared to either provide receipts of the total you are claiming, or some kind of IRS form for dependent care signed by whoever provided the care.

People just have to know their options. My school was always terrible with sharing information and I found out about that in my last couple semesters.

For law school though I don't even want to play around with it, I just want a scholarship because I'll need my sub and unsub loans to take care of me and the family.

legalized

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by legalized » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:07 pm

angiej wrote:I realized I should have filled out my fasfa to include the fact that my husband (whom I'm separated from) is a dislocated worker. I went back and corrected my fasfa to include this info and it did not make my EFC zero. Since I am now including him, which I realized I should have done this before, my EFC went from 6,000 to 13,000. I think I just screwed myself! I did double-check to be sure I checked the dislocated worker box! HELP!?
Call the US dept. of education and ask them if they're smoking something. LOL no but do call them.

legalized

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by legalized » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:27 pm

For others:

1. Go to law school somewhere with a cheap cost of living. Top law schools in out of the way places should not have the same cost of living as anything in NYC, LA, you get the picture (and this is if you are dead set on top only and do not want to practice law somewhere nice and warm, in which case you can find cheaper schools local to sunnier areas).

2. If you're in NY sell a car with a payment (someone else takes it over) and either learn to commute or buy a hoopty that can get you from point A to B safely. I would never start something as scary-sounding as 1L with a car payment and no job. Car payments are the scariest things ever to me.

3. If you're in a house take out a 2nd mortgage to put yourself through school.

4. If you are married and have no children maybe your spouse needs to find an extra job like babysitting that can bring in even a little extra.

5. Cut out gym memberships, cell phone plans over $60, cable tv over the basic 20 or so channels, eating out more than once a month, your wife's or your hair and nails and all that other b.s. (she can do them at home or go to the cosmetology school nearest by her for cheaper version of basic things), all the frill ish. Netflix for $8.99 or $16.99 gets you movies and tv episodes out the ears, and you can get set up to stream them to your tv as well to free up your comp. Start buying generic of everything, including cereal, unless something else is on sale and is cheaper. Cut the cars down from 2 or more to 1 and learn to live with that because some families out there have NONE and just as much sh*t to do as you. Learn to get stuff at a dollar store (family dollar, etc.) that is always expensive elsewhere, such as toothpaste, tissue, detergent (you don't HAVE TO have Tide), paper towels, etc. Or just get generic versions at the nearby store. Learn to like eating leftovers to save time and utilities expense with cooking.

That's a good $600 a month or MORE I just saved you, times 12 = $7,200/year extra for law school.

Don't just not spend on those things, take the money every month you would normally spend on those things and stick them in the law school savings account/box at home so you can SEE where your money is going.

Housing, food, gas if you have a car, car insurance, medical insurance, utilities, pads if you're a girl, razors, shaving cream, detergent and fabric softener.

You don't need anything else aside from one time expenses like a new suit for OCI or winter gear (negated if you are already from the north and own these).

Learn to think in terms of the minimum, not how to hang on to it all. If money is at all a concern, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Last edited by legalized on Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Vincent Vega

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by Vincent Vega » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:28 pm

Way to bump a thread that had been dead for a year.

legalized

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by legalized » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:32 pm

Halibut6 wrote:Way to bump a thread that had been dead for a year.
You're welcome. Because, of course, no one THIS year faces these problems. We're all rotten rich this year and don't need the help. Not even peepers. :)

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Vincent Vega

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by Vincent Vega » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:34 pm

The vast majority of this thread is 2009 cycle non-trads' ill-conceived notions that they would be getting financial aid if they hadn't been "screwed by FAFSA." EFC does not matter at all for law school. I have a $0 EFC and I am not expecting any need-based aid.

Anonymous Loser

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by Anonymous Loser » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:39 pm

Seriously. This thread is so full of misinformation it should not just be locked, but deleted. Bumping it was not at all helpful.

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Leeroy Jenkins

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Re: EFC: Non trads get screwed!

Post by Leeroy Jenkins » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:55 pm

ITT whining

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