Help: Laid off, need money, need your help

[TriagePreMed]

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[Prncssbuttercup]

If you are taking at least part-time credits, you qualify for federal student loans. How much and what not, are another thing, and they take at least a few weeks to process... Sorry you're in this situation. Are you CERTAIN you don't qualify for your states unemployment benefits? The state pays them, not the employer. Ok, that said, if you truthfully can't get UEB, go into your school, tell them the situation, and tell them you need an emergency loan, they may have a program to help you (my school does, but not all do)... another option is to check with some of your local housing places, like charities that try to keep people in their homes, check there, check with your church if you belong to one. If you have any family or friends, ask for help, asking 20 people for 20$ to pay rent, gets you 400$... at least a good start...

Best of luck

 

[avatarftw]

Stafford undergraduate loans are relatively attractive right now; the interest rate is decreasing from the normal 6.8% down to 3.4% if memory serves. In comparison, the graduate and doctoral stafford loans are fixed at 6.8%.

Hope you get those federal loans.

Long story short, my job ended today abruptly. My job does NOT pay severance or give any kind of unemployment benefits. It was a "trainee" job through my local county.

I'm without a job and able to pay rent next month. How do you non-trads survive while taking your classes? Do you get student loans? How do you do it? Would appreciate all the help you can give. I just need enough until my next job begins.

 

[MCAT guy]

Long story short, my job ended today abruptly. My job does NOT pay severance or give any kind of unemployment benefits. It was a "trainee" job through my local county.

I'm without a job and able to pay rent next month. How do you non-trads survive while taking your classes? Do you get student loans? How do you do it? Would appreciate all the help you can give. I just need enough until my next job begins.

Full time and degree seeking = easy loans

I think 12k a year guaranteed, then if you want more you can get it privately. I just used savings for my living expenses.

 

[MCAT guy]

Stafford undergraduate loans are relatively attractive right now; the interest rate is decreasing from the normal 6.8% down to 3.4% if memory serves. In comparison, the graduate and doctoral stafford loans are fixed at 6.8%.

Hope you get those federal loans.

Can I refinance my old staffords?

 

[katiemaude]

OP, I would still check with your local unemployment office. It can't hurt to file a claim. There is no unemployment "line" these days - it's all done online and over the phone. If you were making an hourly wage for a certain period of time, you could be eligible.

 

[Simplify]

Go try to get unemployment. If that fails then my first suggestion would be to ask friends or family for help. Can you crash someone's couch for a few weeks? You may lose your apartment but it isn't the end of the world (although it might seem that way right now).

 

[EdLongshanks]

Go try to get unemployment. If that fails then my first suggestion would be to ask friends or family for help. Can you crash someone's couch for a few weeks? You may lose your apartment but it isn't the end of the world (although it might seem that way right now).

Since you were a homemaker for several years, you can make a claim on your ex-husband's wages. Otherwise you can ask about "displaced worker" benefits.

Also, ask at the unemployment office about "WIA" training this will pay next semester's tuition and books and allow all of your student loans and grants to go to living expenses.

You should qualify for emergency funding for TANF (welfare) and SNAP (food stamps) benefits.

 

[applerules]

Triage: I admire your undertaking. Seems like you are taking full time course load and working. I once did the opposite, full time work with part time load. My advice is to concentrate on studying! Take loans! It is more important to get good grades/MCAT and get in than to minimally reduce your student loan. Because you are not working a highly efficient job (I assumed) that you can make a living only working very little time. I also feel when you can concentrate on studying, the grades tend to be better. Don't forget you are not competing against other people who are also working, you are cometing against a good amount of kids with well off family support. In the end, A(s) from study/no work are still far better than B(s) with lots of work on the side. Schools do look at experiences, but grades are still more important. Don't hurt your grades simply because you can tolerate accumulating loans.

Looking back, I'd take more loans and get into med school sooner. I did make a dent on my loan amount, but I'd rather not have the dent and work as a full physician now instead of still being a resident. Suppose you have a fixed medical career of say 25 years. If it takes you more time to get into a school, then you are not cutting out career year1 or year2, you are cutting out career year24 and year25, the more rewarding years.

Be full time student, quit working, get loans, get As, ace MCAT, and stay healthy.

 

[katiemaude]

You are probably going to need loans unless you can find another high-paying job. I've been afraid to borrow until now, and halfway through this process, I'm about ready to give in and borrow. I've been unemployed for 13 months with some freelance income; no longer receiving benefits.

Some ideas for full-time or major part-time jobs that will either allow you to study or get you clinical experience: hospital technical partner/aide, front desk job with night or weekend hours when it's quieter. I'm exploring both of these routes.

While getting loans, you can also see if you now qualify for work-study jobs at school which will give you some supplementary income. Also look into food stamps and other government programs that will chip in for electricity, gas/oil heat or landline phones. Unless you have a dependent child, you most likely won't qualify for TANF (aka welfare). For most of these programs, you need to have less than $2,000 in the bank.

Don't rule anything out though. It's always worth it to call and ask.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Loans. Part-time work (restaurants are almost always hiring and just want to make sure you aren't a total creep and have all your teeth before they hire you). I'm so sorry that this happened to you and I hope it works out. 🙁 Sorry I don't have any better advice. We will all be rooting for you.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I would file the UEB claim anyway, regardless of what the employer told you. I agree with Ed... that you may qualify for emergency government assistance like welfare, food-stamps, etc. Loans, if you haven't already filled out a fafsa, submitted it to the school, and decided not to take the loans you were given will take at least a few weeks to kick in. You posted this on 9/1, so I am hopeful that "next month" is October, and that you aren't scrambling for this month. Even still, most places can't evict for one months rent late. That said, I hope everything works out for you, and check into any and all sources you can. Don't rule out the unemployment because the employer said so, file the claim and see what happens...

 

[katiemaude]

Any place with a $2000 limit like someone says is a place you should consider yourself lucky to live in.

That's insane! 😱 How would someone with only $50 pay rent, unless they were getting Section 8 housing? (Not everyone below the poverty line even qualifies for it.) That would limit food stamps to a subset of people who live on the street or in govt assisted housing. I know of families that can pay their rent but who have no money after that to buy food. Over the course of a month, they might have $1,000 or so saved but that's going directly to rent on the 1st of the next month.

 

[sustentacular]

I personally don't care about being homeless or losing my apartment or anything, except that my mom gets full economic support from me. She was in the hospital just recently.

I don't qualify for unemployment benefits, but I will send in my application anyway. I will try to find loans enough to cover a few months and hope I can find a seasonable job for the holidays. I'll hope for the best beyond that.

I appreciate everyone's feedback.

Does your Mom receive (or is she eligible for) social security benefits that you could utilize?

 

[orion333]

you could donate plasma for approxmately $200 per month tax free. It's basically like donating blood but they pay you in cash.

 

[Damia]

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[Prncssbuttercup]

you could donate plasma for approxmately $200 per month tax free. It's basically like donating blood but they pay you in cash.

Donations to plasma centers are NOT tax free! They will report your income once you reach ~700$ of donation money and then it is taxed as "bonus" income at a rate that is about 40%. I used to be an employee for a plasma center, and they will send in a 1099 to the IRS based on your donations if it is over ~700$... However, yes they pay you in cash, and 30$ is 30$ plus you can get that 2x in 7 days... so, 60$/week... Btw, plasma is completely safe, and no one will consider you a low-life for doing it. If you need the $$$, do it, esp if you have one in your area...

Triage, does your MOM qualify for food stamps? Make sure you check things on her eligibility as well...