MAC + School + Financial Aid?!

[amoona]

Ok so hopefully I put this in the right spot, if any mods feel it shouldn't be here then sorry! Please move it where you feel it should be.

I tend to talk a lot to I'll probably type a lot too but here goes:

So right now I'm working full-time at an office making cash (under the table) up until September. I start school in September and I'll have to quit my job here because I'll be going to school downtown and scheduling wont work out. I'm also in the process of getting a freelance interview for MAC which I hope to do along side with my current job until school starts. When school starts I'm going to try for a perm position because there's like 6 different counters near my school and two of the counters have told me they'd give me a position in a second!

Here's my question to you ladies/gentlemen who work for MAC ... I know MAC pays well for retail so how does that effect your financial aid for school? I'm going to a private school for Interior Design and it's about $7,000 a semester. I'm working under the table right now because I don't want work to effect my financial aid. I'm also only 20 (21 in May) so I can't file as an independent student unless I decide to get married hehe.

I know when I worked for the bank I made $20k a year and I was denied financial aid for community college. Any MAC MAs who are also students on financial aid care to share with me?! If you do get financial aid and you work for MAC how many hours do you work a week? I'd only want to do about 15 hours or so ... no more then 20 hours ... but I'm still scared it'll mess with financial aid.

ANY help would be great!

 

[SARAHluvsMAC]

I'm not on financial aid but i cant imagine it'll effect it that much, its the fact that you are a dependent thats screwing you over

even if you dont make any money for mac if your parents make good money and you are legally a dependent its your parents' salaries that really matter, if that makes sense...cuz i know i babble

on the hourly issue, each counter/store has a certain number of positions that it has, each with different amount of hours attached to them a week
for example: maybe 4 fulltime people (30+ hrs a week)
partime could be anywhere from:
24 to 20 to 18 to 15 hours depending on what they have available

i was hired as a 20 hour week and when my school schedule changed and i wanted to switch to an 18 hr week, there was no 18 hr week available for my store and i was told to go freelance (i know what a difference 2 hours makes)

hth

 

[amoona]

Thanks ... My mom's pay doesn't effect me that much because most of it is listed under her business. It only looks like she takes home $20k a year. (Okay now it's sounding like we try to cheat the system lol) I just don't want to make $20k a year again haha. Thanks hun.

If anyone else has any input please let me know ... even if you stumble upon this MONTHS later!

 

[MisStarrlight]

With a 15 or a 20 hour position, you will be making less than $20k, so it's worth a shot...besides, if you don't plan on getting into MAC until after you start school (and your financial aid is already situated) you'll at least be fine your first year.

 

[ChrisChick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SARAHluvsMAC I'm not on financial aid but i cant imagine it'll effect it that much, its the fact that you are a dependent thats screwing you over even if you dont make any money for mac if your parents make good money and you are legally a dependent its your parents' salaries that really matter, if that makes sense...cuz i know i babble hth

Word. Unfortunately, the federal government assumes it's your parents' responsibility to pay for your school. My father is very wealthy and we haven't spoken for almost 5 years and I haven't lived with him since I was 18 (I'm 23 now). I have lived on my own for sooo long and have supported myself, but the government considers me a dependent because of my age. It's so shitty getting denied time and time again.

It wasn't always that way either. Up until 1992, you could claim an independent status if you could prove you didn't live with your parents and supported yourself. Thank George Bush Sr. for that one. The Republicans tried to take the responsibility of college education off their shoulders.

So up until you are about 24 (depends what year you were born in) you are considered a dependent and your parents' salaries come into account. I'm so happy because starting in the fall, I am FINALLY an independent student. Thank god I will be able to get some damn money to finish up school.

All you can really do is keep applying for financial aid with your parents' salaries and look into student loans and grants. There's a lot of money for kids like us out there but it takes a lot of time and effort.

Hope that helps.

 

[giz2000]

You could always get married....i'm kidding. of course...but it was a pretty good idea!! LOL!

 

[macslut]

I would go down to your financial aid office and talk to them about it. Tell them how much you are going to make and how it will affect your aid.

 

[amoona]

giz2000 - we're working on that one lol. we can't seem to find anyone who can afford my spending habits though haha. my boyfriend said he'll keep me company until my rich saudi prince comes for me lol.

macslut - i've spoken to them but the only problem is they really don't know because every case is different and they don't determine the salary ranges it's all done by the government. every year the government changes the numbers and nobody knows because you're paper work is submitted straight to the government not to the school.

i spoke to one of the guys at the counter near my house and he also goes to the academy of art university, where i'll be starting in september. he told me that he doesn't qualify because his mother makes a lot of money (i believe she's a realtor) so he doesn't get financial aid. but he told me that he only works part time and if you make less then 10k a year you don't have to file taxes?! is this true? i mean i still would just because i'm scared not too haha but i was thinking that maybe that means if i make 10k or less then i'll be able to qualify for financial aid.

and if thats the case can i tell mac that i can't make more then 10k a year? would they be able to determine how many hours i'd work? kinda confusing when you're on hourly.

 

[*Luna*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by temptalia I'm pretty sure California still allows you to claim independent status if your parents haven't claimed you for at least two years on their taxes for credit and you can show that you make enough yearly income to support yourself... something like that. I remember reading most of that when I was trying to figure it out (as I have gotten screwed for my entire undergraduate education because of my parents, even though our income has been slashed to 1/5th it used to be... gotta love that preceeding years count, too!). To the OP, sorry I can't help. I've never had the opportunity to get anything but some loans, and they're pitiful at that.

Eh... I lived in California up until a year and a half ago and when I was going to apply for FA I was considered a dependant and not eligiable and get this... My mom hadn't even worked for the last 2 years, she made ZERO dollars and I still couldn't qualify.

 

[BinkysBaby]

I don't know about working at MAC but I do know about getting financial aid. A few years ago, I had a great advisor and he was the only one who was honest. I was able to file as independent when I was 21 and my wonderful advisor told me that the max I could make was $14,000 per year. I'm sure it's a little different because you're independent (probably less) but I would just try to stay pretty low in earnings. I have a BA and I'm working on a second one and I haven't had problem with making too much. I just work basic customer service type jobs that keep me in the clear. If I were you, I would suggest sitting down with a financial aid counselor and insisting on straight figures about what is too much. Good luck.