Sunday, September 26, 2010

Bursaries?

I'm thinking of applying for bursaries sometime in the next month. Hopefully, I can get enough to cover my travel expenses (about $1,000 estimated over the course of a semester). If I can't, then I'll have to figure out something to help cover the costs.

The downside to bursaries is I have to take out a student loan for me to qualify for the bursaries. If I don't take the loan, my bursary cap is much much lower. So I know one person who is worried that I will spend that loan money and have to pay it back post-graduation, which would be really inconvenient because I already owe my parents a whack of money for an unrelated issue. I keep insisting I won't spend the money, and if I end up getting the loan to apply for bursaries, I intend to keep my word.

6 comments:

  1. you'll have to decide well on this . *hugs*

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  2. What exactly are bursaries?

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  3. Sorry, I should have clarified what bursaries are in my post.

    Bursaries are, according to the lady at the Fiancial Aid office on campus, "free money." They're like a scholarship, except your grades and academics usually don't come into play. The catch is you have to have a student loan in order to apply for bursaries, but I won't be spending it so I can just give it back at the end of the semester.

    Bursaries are awarded based on need. So as a social work student, I can apply for any social work bursaries whose criteria I meet, and I'll be awarded (hopefully) up to $1,500/semester.

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  4. Well, they're not completely "free" money, they do count as taxable income...

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  5. Fair enough. I hadn't thought about that, thanks Alison. :)

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