Student Loans...

[spc]

Well whatever you do make sure you have a well thought out plan. Student loans are no joke, my mom is still paying them off   Recruiters are a pain in the ass.  It's not really their fault though, they're given absurdly high figures to meet

[common sense]

I've got a 3.2, but haven't seen much for scholarships since I'm white and male.  Haven't been looking that hard, either.

No sure where you were going with that one, but I'm black and never got a scholarship at a predominately white university. Don't be a victim.

I have 20k in student loans to pay off, but there's no doubt it my mind that it was worth it. I've recently graduated, making decent money and able to pay more than the minimum ~$150 monthly payments, but of course thats just my opinion.

I'd recommend everyone get some type of loan calculation tool to see how much interest you will be paying (I've done this for my student loans as well as when considering financing a car or a house). It will really show you the importance of paying more than the minimum payments. I've found alot of people don't understand compounding interest.

For example, a $20,000 loan, 4.7% APR, over 15 yrs. Paying an extra $50 a month will save you over $2600 in interest over the course of the loan.

[Mk1inCali]

From what looking I've done for loans/grants, I would have to say at least 50% if not more require the recipient to be of non-caucasian descent.  This is in SoCal, I don't know if regional location makes any difference.

I'm not complaining or trying to victimize myself, I have just noticed this trend.

[jimbo1]

First of all,,, you get a huge pat on the back from me for working as hard as you have been!!!!!

My daughter starts next year, but wants to go to the university as a freshman.  But in state tuition is only around $6000 per year.  I have my IRA's as a backup.  I can borrow against them, tax and penalty free if used for tuition.  Ask your parents if they can do the same.

[brett]

From what looking I've done for loans/grants, I would have to say at least 50% if not more require the recipient to be of non-caucasian descent.  This is in SoCal, I don't know if regional location makes any difference.

I'm not complaining or trying to victimize myself, I have just noticed this trend.

Yeah, that's most definitely true, at least out here in California. I swear, one day I'm going to fund a scholarship just for middle to upper class white males. 

Back on the subject of being useful, have you looked into filing taxes on your own and not having your parents claim you? I'm not sure of the rules exactly, but I believe if you have your own income and live on your own, you may be able to apply for stuff like cal grants. Your parents would lose the tax benefit of claiming you, but you may save more overall by making up for it with a cal grant.

BTW, good choice on UCSD. That's definitely a great school, and it's worth taking on some loans for.