Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you. Proverbs 2:9-11
The semester begins for me next week, so I've been beginning to get ready for my next classes. That mainly entails ordering books, which can be quite expensive. In the old days, you simply bought all your books outright, then sold them back to the bookstore for a fraction of what you originally paid. This was horribly painful. You'd pay $50 for a book at the beginning of the semester, then get $8 back at the end. Ouch.
There are many more options out there now. One of the best is Amazon. I've been able to buy most of my books from the site, many for about $5, which is mainly shipping. There are exceptions, particularly when editions are new. Those tend to be more costly. In those cases, I generally will not buy, but rent the book. One I need for this semester would be at least $120 to buy. I was able to rent it for about $28. And, Amazon will pay the return shipping.
What happens to the books I don't end up keeping? I resell them. I like to use cash4books.net. It's easy to use, and I usually make money. Those books I buy for $5 on Amazon, I can resell and often will make $20-$40, which is nice considering the cost of tuition.
The university I attend is a private institution, so the price tag is quite a bit higher than a state supported college. I do receive financial aid (loans), which I'll have to repay after graduation. I also get some assistance from the church that employs me. I realized after the first semester that you do not have to take all the loan money you qualify for. Anything you don't spend that year is reimbursed to you from the school, which sounds nice, but it's still money that has to be repaid. I try to accept a little under what I actually need. This way, I can pay a little out of pocket now that won't be adding onto the huge amount I'll have to repay later.
Another thing they allow you to do is to make interest payments. From time to time, I will pay a small amount, so that I can reduce the total interest I'll pay in a few years. If any of you are homeowners, you know that this can add up to considerable savings. (My husband and I make one additional house payment per year for this reason).
Aside from navigating the ins and outs of how to pay for college, I get a little nervous at the start of each semester. It's that fear of not knowing if the professors will be engaging, boring, fun, or strict. What will be expected of me? Will there be a lot of group work? (I hate group projects). At 38 years old with a full-time job, it can be more stressful than when I was younger.
Many will ask why I chose to go back to school now. I started my degree 20 years ago. After two semesters, I felt like I was more unsure of what I wanted to pursue in my life. So, I took some time to work and play music and experience life. Two decades later, I had a much clearer picture of who I am and what I'm passionate about. It was the right time for me, not the conventional time, but the right time. I'm a much better student now because I'm much more invested in my education, and I genuinely want to learn new things. No doubt, it is much more challenging to balance work, school, and life these days, but it's also so much more rewarding. Relatively speaking, all that money spent on books and tuition is a pretty small price to pay.
The semester begins for me next week, so I've been beginning to get ready for my next classes. That mainly entails ordering books, which can be quite expensive. In the old days, you simply bought all your books outright, then sold them back to the bookstore for a fraction of what you originally paid. This was horribly painful. You'd pay $50 for a book at the beginning of the semester, then get $8 back at the end. Ouch.
There are many more options out there now. One of the best is Amazon. I've been able to buy most of my books from the site, many for about $5, which is mainly shipping. There are exceptions, particularly when editions are new. Those tend to be more costly. In those cases, I generally will not buy, but rent the book. One I need for this semester would be at least $120 to buy. I was able to rent it for about $28. And, Amazon will pay the return shipping.
What happens to the books I don't end up keeping? I resell them. I like to use cash4books.net. It's easy to use, and I usually make money. Those books I buy for $5 on Amazon, I can resell and often will make $20-$40, which is nice considering the cost of tuition.
The university I attend is a private institution, so the price tag is quite a bit higher than a state supported college. I do receive financial aid (loans), which I'll have to repay after graduation. I also get some assistance from the church that employs me. I realized after the first semester that you do not have to take all the loan money you qualify for. Anything you don't spend that year is reimbursed to you from the school, which sounds nice, but it's still money that has to be repaid. I try to accept a little under what I actually need. This way, I can pay a little out of pocket now that won't be adding onto the huge amount I'll have to repay later.
Another thing they allow you to do is to make interest payments. From time to time, I will pay a small amount, so that I can reduce the total interest I'll pay in a few years. If any of you are homeowners, you know that this can add up to considerable savings. (My husband and I make one additional house payment per year for this reason).
Aside from navigating the ins and outs of how to pay for college, I get a little nervous at the start of each semester. It's that fear of not knowing if the professors will be engaging, boring, fun, or strict. What will be expected of me? Will there be a lot of group work? (I hate group projects). At 38 years old with a full-time job, it can be more stressful than when I was younger.
Many will ask why I chose to go back to school now. I started my degree 20 years ago. After two semesters, I felt like I was more unsure of what I wanted to pursue in my life. So, I took some time to work and play music and experience life. Two decades later, I had a much clearer picture of who I am and what I'm passionate about. It was the right time for me, not the conventional time, but the right time. I'm a much better student now because I'm much more invested in my education, and I genuinely want to learn new things. No doubt, it is much more challenging to balance work, school, and life these days, but it's also so much more rewarding. Relatively speaking, all that money spent on books and tuition is a pretty small price to pay.