University... I accepted the offer from Trent

[lupinfarm]

I accepted the offer from Trent University today to their English Literature program for fall 2009 but I still don't know if I'm even going. I figured it'd be a good idea to accept in case money did magically appear out of nowhere (tuition is like $6300/year plus I need a car, and a new laptop..plus all the textbooks and novels, etc. I'll have to buy). I found out that Scotiabank has a good student line of credit, but I'm so apprehensive about going into debt. I just paid off my visa and the thought of $17,000 + in debt is really scary. Jobs are not plentiful around here and even if I did get a job I would need a car to get there and right now all we have is the pick-up truck which guzzles gas like crazy.

I just feel that if I don't go this coming year I may never go... and as it stands I'm already about 3 years older than the kids I'd be in class with. And I'm worried... like this degree would be in English Lit but what about getting a job. My English teacher said that after I'm out of university things should have gotten better by then and there should be jobs but no one is an expert and I'm worried the 8-month grace period will come around and I'll be without a job and won't be able to pay off the loan.

I'm so indecisive.

 

[keljonma]

Congratulations, Lupin! Education is always a good thing.

Check into scholarships and grants. Check with your church and local schools to see if they have scholarships available. Find out what kind of financial aid is available from Trent.

Don't worry about what your degree is for.... ime, most companies look at the fact that you complete the degree as a plus. One of my friends has a degree in geology, but he has been at a corporation for years that has nothing to do with geology.

Many people go to university when they are older. I think it is a lot easier to do these days with online classes.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Stop worrying and just GO!! Congratulations! While being aware of the debt now, you will already be one step ahead of the game. And like Keljonma said, look for scholarships and bursaries. There are lots of good used cars out there for good prices, (I've got one for sale if your interested It will all work out!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Also, consider working while you are in school. There are usually jobs on-campus, but they may not pay as well as jobs you could find off-campus. Unfortunately schools usually make the first few classes worth of credits the most expensive, so it would probably take longer and cost more to take fewer classes and work while you go to school, but it does help a lot. Do keep an eye out for scholarships too. Between working and scholarships it is possible to graduate debt free, or maybe I should say it used to be possible. Anyway, in my mind the less debt the better, because then you won't feel trapped into whatever job you can get after graduating. JMO.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Oh, also in college (in my experience) older students actually had a seemingly higher status than the ones straight out of high school . . . I think it has to do with being a little wiser/more worldly. In any case, I wouldn't worry about your age.

 

[lupinfarm]

I think I'm going to swallow it and make an appointment with a financial adviser at the Scotiabank in Belleville. I'm used to debt, I've had a credit card for three years and have paid it off numerous times so I think I'll live.

 

[sweetproserpina]

Congrats!
Don't worry too much about the money, when I pay my student loan payment every month (about 100 bucks) I just think to myself that there is good debt and bad debt, and spending money to go to school is good debt! I needed a loan for two out of the four years at uni, and I went with the Canada Student loan http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/learning/canada_student_loan/index.shtml
Scholarships and bursaries are available, sometimes in the strangest places. I got one from a local theatre company one year! So don't be afraid to ask around. When you are at school there are also scholarships and bursaries to be won for the next year. I won a fantastic one that paid for one whole semester just from a great paper I wrote.

Part-time on campus jobs are also a good way to make extra cash, even better if you can find something to do with your chosen field.. Might be tricky for english literature, but you never know. You could always set up your own little business of helping edit other student's papers...

As for your major, well Arts are a tough sell these days. As a relatively recent grad (2004) with lots of friends with arts degrees, I will say that it's been tough, very tough, for a lot of us to get a job. A number of grads I know ended up going to a couple years of technical college to upgrade their degrees (and get concrete job skills) or went on to get more education ie. teacher's degree. I was lucky and my experience in museums got me through to work eventually, without having to get more certificates. I don't say this to dissuade you- I am soo glad that I went to uni, it was so interesting and stimulating, and led me to my chosen career path. Enjoy it and in a couple years, start thinking of tailoring your classes to possible future career paths- talk to your faculty advisor, they can be a big help when it comes to this!

Good luck! You'll do great

ps. My sister-in-law just graduated last year from the UofT with a degree in Russian Literature (my mother always used to wonder what in the world she was going to do with that degree!) but now she's working at the Art Gallery of Ontario in a great job.

 

[MorelCabin]

Lupin, don't you DARE let finances be the thing to stop you from getting an education. When I was a kid I was brought up with the idea that I would NEVER go to college because we were very poor. I never did go to college, and now nearing 40 i soooo regret not taking the plunge! If only I had at least gotten my BA!
Where there's a will there's a way, so you just keep folowing your will and the way will take care of itself! You go girl, make us proud!!!

 

[patandchickens]

Are you talking about a car for commuting from Stirling? (which, yowza, that'd be expensive in terms of time and money) Or do you mean, for living in Peterborough during the semesters? I would not think you would really *need* a car to live there -- it is a well organized town and from driving around anyhow it sure LOOKS like you could live there (on or off-campus) and use buses and bicycle to get to/from classes and home and job. It's a really good 'college town'.

A degree in English Lit will give you 4 years to pursue your interest but probably not an English Lit type *job* at the end of it; on the other hand, foolish though it may be, a university degree still DOES open up a lot of other jobs to you, even if you wouldn't actually be USING that eduction in the job, so I think it's well worth doing on both grounds (personal interest and future employability) even though they are unlikely to coincide after you leave university.

Good luck whichever you decide,

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

good luck Lupin

in whatever you decide!!!