Does anyone know anything about Financial Aid at College?

[Turbo Audi]

I have never dealt with this stuff so I'm hoping someone can give me some insight.

My brother needed a computer last year so he went to financial aid at UD and told them he needed a personal loan for something like $1,500 for living expenses, which he used to get a laptop.

I am in "need" of a new desktop and am thinking I should do the same thing, for a similar amount of money. He filled out some paperwork then gave him a check the next day. Of course Ill have to pay it back in the wintertime, when I have a job. Anyone do this with success? I don't feel like hitting up my old man. Again.

[dsigma6]

My student worker applied for a $25K student loan just so he could buy a used Subaru and a new computer. He hasn't put a dime towards college..

I'll try and see who gave him the loan.

[Phazer]

Go to the Office of The Bursar and tell them you need to apply for a loan for misc expenses.

Be aware though that it's no different than any other loan or credit card type of loan. Sometimes it's tough to decide what you "need" and what you "want". You might still be paying the payments long after the computer has bit the dust.

Just my .02 worth as a parent with college debt from their children.

[Turbo Audi]

Thanks for the info. Thank god I have no debt to speak of. So $2,000 shouldn't be a problem.

I went today to the financial aid office and I have to apply for a SallieMae student loan. It will take at least a week to go through because I have no outstanding financial aid.

[Manarius]

Ugh. SallieMae loans are the worst - they aren't fixed interest rates and they're usually high! I wouldn't loan out to get a computer...I'd just save until you have the money.

[tomh009]

... or take the upgrade approach. Rather than buying a whole new system, you could bump the CPU and RAM, or maybe even the video card if you "need" to do gaming.