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Families finding ways to afford college
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Published: May 1, 2009
Going to college was never talked about in Kayla Bowers family, it was an unspoken rule or assumption that after graduation she would be attending college.
Now in her senior year at Statesville High School, Kayla and her parents, James and Tina, are trying to figure out ways to pay for her college education.
Neither Tina nor her husband attended college so they didn't plan financially for the possibility of Kayla breaking the cycle.
"I didn't go through that experience so I didn't plan for it the way we should have," Tina said.
Kayla, 18, will begin working this summer and will continue to work while in school. The money she earns will help pay for her tuition at Lenoir-Rhyne University in the fall. Kayla volunteers at Iredell Memorial Hospital and is trying to seek out a scholarship through the hospital.
"I'm trying to apply for as many scholarships as I can," she said.
Kayla said she will save her money and will put "everything I get into paying for my education and not blowing it all on things I don't need."
Tuition for the school will cost the family $32,000 a year. Kayla has received an $8,000 scholarship each year, but must find a way to cover the rest.
"I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my education paid for," she said. "Lenoir-Rhyne is an expensive school and hopefully it will be worth it in the end."
Kayla was attracted to the private college because of the smaller class settings, which will allow her to have relationships with her instructors.
She will stay on campus the first year, but things may change after that, Tina said.
Paying for college has become a challenge for many families during the economic crunch.
Applying for scholarships, loans and grants is now a major part of the process.
Tracy Rapp, assistant financial aid director at Mitchell Community College, encourages students to spend their grant money wisely.
She encourages students to not spend all their grant money at once, but save it as long as possible.
"I try to advise them to save some of the grant money for summer semester," she said.
Rapp said to maximize the amount of financial assistance, filling out the FASFA forms early is the way to go.
"State funding does have a limit and could run out during an academic year so the earlier you apply the better chance you can have for funding," she said.
Students can also seek out scholarships to help pay for school. According to Rapp, the college is experiencing a slight increase in community organizations wanting to set up scholarships at the school.
"The community has recognized there's a need for more scholarships," Rapp said.
Alice Harwell is a stay-at-home mother and saving for her daughter Sara's college education has been a bit difficult on one income.
"We thought it would be a good idea to save but raising three children with a stay-at-home mom doesn't leave a lot of money to save," Alice said.
Her husband, Terry, works and the income they have coming in goes toward taking care of immediate expenses.
Sara, 17, will be attending Mitchell Community College for nursing in the fall, and they are trying to come up with a plan to pay for it.
Sara has applied for scholarships and will save the money she gets from her part-time job.
They have filled out financial aid forms and are waiting to see what they may receive.
"We'll see what we qualify for," Alice said. "We'll pay what we can as best we can."
One option the family is considering is a home equity loan.
"We're using that as a last resort," Alice said. "Hopefully we'll be able to pay for what she needs when she needs it."
Alice said staying at home to raise her children was a sacrifice they are glad they made.
"We trust everything will work out," she said. "We will do what we need to do to get them through college."
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