Posted on 01/31/2007 5:21:22 AM PST by shrinkermd
Luis Fernandez, who will graduate in May from Cal State Fullerton, put himself through college and has a stack of receipts to prove it. He paid for his education, all $12,800 of it, in cash.
"My parents have always said, 'If you don't have the money to pay for it, then work for it,' " Fernandez said.
So he did. Fernandez, 24, who came from Mexico with his parents when he was 8, worked at a Westminster drugstore and wrote personal checks to cover his college fees. He decided not to take out student loans.
Although the pay-as-you-go method worked for Fernandez, one of his teachers, Chicano studies professor Alexandro Gradilla, has seen many Latinos drop out or take extra years to graduate because they won't finance their education the way most college students do: with a combination of work, grants and loans.
"I see this happen all the time in my classroom, students who are overworked and under-prepared for class," said Gradilla. "When I ask them about taking out loans instead of working so much, their thinking is, 'If you can't pay it in cash, then it's not a good idea.' "
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I questioned their legal status first!!!
Seriously though, plenty of immigrants have a better handle on hard work than some people born and raised here in the USA.
Sure, if someone offered the pay five times higher, average Americans would work even harder. Have you ever wondered why people work at oil rigs or become mercenaries?
Or sit around in the hood drinking 40s in the middle of the day?
12,800 for college? Thats some cheap education, or at least relative to me. Of course you get what ou paid for like the guy who took ethnic studies, even 12,800 is too much money for that wasted career choice.
Everything is paid for in cash. That's because they're illegal!
I'm not Latino but I did the same thing. It was great graduating with no student loans to repay. Unfortunately, (at least financially) I married a med student with over $100,000 in school loans a month after graduating!
Not too long ago (1980's) this wasn't all that uncommon. I knew a fair number of fellow college students who would work through the summers and part time during the academic year to pay as we go. Most were native born Americans. We also attended cheaper state Universities in the midwest instead of high priced ones on the coast. (And once you had a grad stipend for teaching or research you thought you were living large.) Some people had loans, and for some the parents would chip in the difference but by and large people paid along the way.
The author makes it sound like a radical new idea. Are loans the predominant way to pay for college now?
Does this article argue that most hispanic and/or other immigrants aren't accepting college grants and govt't aid (money that doesn't have to be paid back)?
Doubt it. Middle class white kids are getting through college with a ratio of money up front, college loans and some grants. The ratio for immigrants is mostly grants and aid, with some money up front and loans.
Yes, immigrants get more aid than middle class kids because they are (overall statistically) poorer. But this article wants to pretend that somehow they are not costing as much as native born citizens. And that's a crock.
In short, the article and its title tries to spin the truth by concentrating on "loans".
Their legal status is not mentioned, but legal or not, they're keepers!
I question that and the lie of getting a college education today for $12,800.00. There is a whole bunch of bull here. Oh, I get it he's an illegal getting instate tuition.
If this is in fact true, one reason Latino students spurn college loans is that some of them are afraid that their illegal status will be discovered upon applying for the loan. You need to supply a SS number.
It's possible if a person went to community college for two years and then a state school for two years and lived at home for the four years. Plus, like someone said above, this article says that the student didn't accept loans. He may have gotten other assistance that didn't have to be repaid.
Yes.
And the federal government makes getting a federally-backed student loan as esy as getting a condom or birth-control pills from a public school clinic. Lots of kids get $20K a year in loans just for asking, and many graduate with a BA or BS with $100K in debt. And, worse yet - the schools encourage this. (BTW: Student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.) What a way to start out in life, eh?
Cal State U schools are quite cheap on a per-unit basis compared to other universities (even in Cal). Most are 'commuter' schools with few students living on campus.
I'd guess he did exactly what you outline--community college, then state u, stay at home for all 4 years.
instate community college, and earning an associates degree maybe?
or maybe the $12k was what he needed to pay after scholarships.
Very smart. Loans seemt the easy way to do it, but it's horrid having that student loan over your neck when you graduate.
Instead of starting out with a blank slate, you are handicapped from the beginning.
My only complaint about the article is that he has a Chicano studies professor. Hope there are other classes on his schedule that will actually be useful for his future career and that will make up for that waste of class time.
Cal State schools are cheap. 2 semesters a year, $1500 a semester, 4 year degree is right around 12K for tuition. If he went to community college the first 2 years (which is even cheaper than cal state schools), even with books it's possible to get a 4 yr undergrad degree on 12K.
http://www.fullerton.edu/explore/counselors/cost.htm
California Residents
* Full-time students taking more than six units:
$1,510 per semester (or $3,020 per year-two semesters)
* Part-time students taking six or fewer units:
$977 per semester (or $1,954 per year-two semesters)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.