I suppose, though I wouldn't have thought it before, that there are some financial downfalls to going overseas for school. Before getting here, I watched the NZ-US exchange rate very carefully, watching just how little money I would have to take out, and therefore how much cheaper it would be to go to school here.
And in part, I was right. The NZ$ was, last time I checked it (about 5 minutes ago) worth about 60 cents US. That means that my tuition of 40k NZ will only cost me about 24k US in loans (well, before the interest, but who counts that...). What I didn't think about, and I totally blame myself for this, was that I have bills back home still. Bills that need US dollars to be paid. Or at least something trading at a decent rate against US dollars. No matter how I cut it, if I only take out 57k NZ (a really liberal loan guestimate) or ~34k US, I still only have $10,000 US to eat and live, and pay bills with. If the rate were closer, yeah, I'd have to take out bigger loans, but I'd also have a much easier time paying down my bills.
Jobs are a good way to pay stuff off, right? I mean, who doesn't want a job (other than me)? Just think, I can work here, in NZ, for slightly more than the local minimum wage, or NZ$10 an hour. That's about 6 bucks US, for those of you interested. Which means that for every 20 hour week (the limit on student visas) I would earn (bofore taxes) $120US. Less after taxes. And transfer or international use fees. And I will be getting a job... eventually.
So other financial bad stuff about going overseas for school? There are, I think, about 2 scholorships that cover me. Maybe. And only 3 or 4 companies loan to people who insist on going to another country for school. Oh, and of course, I can't really work. Limits, ya know.
But that 24k tuition's still looking pretty nice. Ah, vet school, your sweet debt music does call to me.
March 29, 2006
March 27, 2006
How the dollars look right now
Ok, just to get everything on one page, I'll put down my money owed, and what I've got right now. Unfortunately, untill the school releases my loan check to me, I have very little. Like nothing. Silly Financial aid lady.
So debt-
student loan from before (mother pays right now)- ~$11,000us
Stafford subsidized- $3500us
Stafford unsubsidized- $4000us
credit cards- ~$19500us (more than 1/2 directly school related)
dad loan- $800us
fees- $484.50nz
rent- ~$640nz
total owed right now (give or take a bit)- $39,450
Money I have?
misc US bank accounts- ~$70us
cash- $0.50nz
and eventually, about $500 returned to me by my good friend the IRS.
Right now the numbers are actually a bit off, since the second the stafford loan clears, the fees go away, as soon as the school transfers it to my bank account the rent gos away, and about a day after I wire half of it home (to pay the bills I ran up getting over here) the loan to my father goes away as well, dropping the total by... about $1400us.
My budget that I hope to work with (excluding the money I'm sending home, that's already spent for school) is rather small- the less I borrow, and the more I pay, the less I'll owe when I get out of school. Also, I hope to get my visa changed to allow working in the next month or so, which will give me living money, or allow me to pay my credit cards down faster- at their interest rates, they are deffinately a priority.
so anyway, since everything (just about) over here works on a weekly schedule,some things will be listed that way, since it's easier.
Rent- $115nz/week (student housing/ inclusive)
food- $25nz/week (includes splurge cash)
internet-$35nz/mo
school supplies- $10nz/mo (not buying books)
entertainment- $10nz/mo (library's free, ya know)
misc- $10/mo (VoIP, Shampoo, stuff like that)
at the end of the semester, I hope to move out of student housing, and into something in town. There's no transport listed, because the school fees include free use of city busses, and I can get a free bicycle to use from a trust on campus. Living in town (any town, actually) will be not only less expensive, but also allow me to work- the busses here have limited service in the evenings, stop running by 10pm, and run very rarely on weekends. Eventually I might need a car, but I'm going to avoid it as long as possible.
And probably next week I'm turning in my loan for next semester, so I actually get it intime to renew my dratted visa.
So debt-
student loan from before (mother pays right now)- ~$11,000us
Stafford subsidized- $3500us
Stafford unsubsidized- $4000us
credit cards- ~$19500us (more than 1/2 directly school related)
dad loan- $800us
fees- $484.50nz
rent- ~$640nz
total owed right now (give or take a bit)- $39,450
Money I have?
misc US bank accounts- ~$70us
cash- $0.50nz
and eventually, about $500 returned to me by my good friend the IRS.
Right now the numbers are actually a bit off, since the second the stafford loan clears, the fees go away, as soon as the school transfers it to my bank account the rent gos away, and about a day after I wire half of it home (to pay the bills I ran up getting over here) the loan to my father goes away as well, dropping the total by... about $1400us.
My budget that I hope to work with (excluding the money I'm sending home, that's already spent for school) is rather small- the less I borrow, and the more I pay, the less I'll owe when I get out of school. Also, I hope to get my visa changed to allow working in the next month or so, which will give me living money, or allow me to pay my credit cards down faster- at their interest rates, they are deffinately a priority.
so anyway, since everything (just about) over here works on a weekly schedule,some things will be listed that way, since it's easier.
Rent- $115nz/week (student housing/ inclusive)
food- $25nz/week (includes splurge cash)
internet-$35nz/mo
school supplies- $10nz/mo (not buying books)
entertainment- $10nz/mo (library's free, ya know)
misc- $10/mo (VoIP, Shampoo, stuff like that)
at the end of the semester, I hope to move out of student housing, and into something in town. There's no transport listed, because the school fees include free use of city busses, and I can get a free bicycle to use from a trust on campus. Living in town (any town, actually) will be not only less expensive, but also allow me to work- the busses here have limited service in the evenings, stop running by 10pm, and run very rarely on weekends. Eventually I might need a car, but I'm going to avoid it as long as possible.
And probably next week I'm turning in my loan for next semester, so I actually get it intime to renew my dratted visa.
I guess I need an intro, huh?
So... I'm currently a pre-selection veternary student in New Zealand, I came over here about a month and a half ago. I'm fromthe states.
This is boring.
Ok, So I'm basically your average crazy 27 year old chick, if your idea of average is crazy, and geeky, and way the heck in debt. Oh, yeah, and living on the other side of the world from where they "should". I was looking (pretty seriously) a pastry school just a year ago. Funny what happens in life. Now I'm in NZ, studying to become a vet- well, studying to become a vet student.
Things work a bit differently here, ya know. Back home, it's four years and about 8 gazillion hours of hands on experience to get into vet school, and you better be someone who was turning down full ride scholorships to ivy league schools, or you aren't getting in. Nope, not happening.
I decided, like a looney, to apply over here, tho, and at NZ one and only vet school, all you have to do is get a b average (with no fails) and beat out the other people who do it too. Or you can be silly, take pre-reqs at home, and the GRE, and apply straight into the second semester, or "profesional" portion of the degree. So I have to get a b average (oh, and take some weird test I've never heard of- $80NZ), and be in the top 8 international or full fee students. If I were paying local rates, I'd have to be in the to 74 or so. I like my odds, but I don't like my Organic Chemistry, so that might bring my average down a bit.
On the money front, I'm doing this all on loans. I might work a bit (gots credit cards to pay down) and I'll probably keep some sort of running total on student debt, and probably a bit more than anyone ever wants to know about my budget, and more than I want to know about my credit card balances. Add to that my normal crazy life, and the horror of trying to do the vet thing (in a strange country, no less) and things might get a little hairy, but... That's what makes life fun, right?
This is boring.
Ok, So I'm basically your average crazy 27 year old chick, if your idea of average is crazy, and geeky, and way the heck in debt. Oh, yeah, and living on the other side of the world from where they "should". I was looking (pretty seriously) a pastry school just a year ago. Funny what happens in life. Now I'm in NZ, studying to become a vet- well, studying to become a vet student.
Things work a bit differently here, ya know. Back home, it's four years and about 8 gazillion hours of hands on experience to get into vet school, and you better be someone who was turning down full ride scholorships to ivy league schools, or you aren't getting in. Nope, not happening.
I decided, like a looney, to apply over here, tho, and at NZ one and only vet school, all you have to do is get a b average (with no fails) and beat out the other people who do it too. Or you can be silly, take pre-reqs at home, and the GRE, and apply straight into the second semester, or "profesional" portion of the degree. So I have to get a b average (oh, and take some weird test I've never heard of- $80NZ), and be in the top 8 international or full fee students. If I were paying local rates, I'd have to be in the to 74 or so. I like my odds, but I don't like my Organic Chemistry, so that might bring my average down a bit.
On the money front, I'm doing this all on loans. I might work a bit (gots credit cards to pay down) and I'll probably keep some sort of running total on student debt, and probably a bit more than anyone ever wants to know about my budget, and more than I want to know about my credit card balances. Add to that my normal crazy life, and the horror of trying to do the vet thing (in a strange country, no less) and things might get a little hairy, but... That's what makes life fun, right?
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