[boybaha]

I had plans. Big ones. I was going to get a chip. An Upsolute. I was going to get new shocks and springs. I was even going to get little mods like the OEM sunglasses holder. And I had the money for them.
But I got this letter from the program I was applying to and it said, yes come and be a grad student with us. But we can't pay you enough to cover everything. You'll have to pay a little bit on your side of the deal. Now all of a sudden, I feel like I don't have the money for mods anymore.
So how are you able to do it? Do you budget mods into your annual budget? Can you mod only after winning a few grants and fellowships here and there? Part time job?
I'm just trying to figure out how to allocate for my 2 big addictions. Homework and VWs.

 

[GT17V]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

The company (US Government) pays my tuition and books to go to Stevens-Tech for my Master's in Engineering

 

[je_]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

I'm enrolled but start ("part-time") in fall. 4.5 years of full-time employment, that's how. Large expenditures will be cancelled though, which would include wheels (and tires, which should be replaced now). I'll probably have to look for part-time work, and that scares me! I haven't looked for part-time work, not even summer, for 9 years.


[Modified by je_, 1:41 PM 4-10-2002]

 

[Htown1.8t]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (je_)

Work full-time during days... so my company can fund 100% of school fees
Grad school evenings and weekends
Took me 3 years to get my MBA
Well worth it... if the wife can handle it
Good luck with grad school,
Htown1.8T

 

[flyjetta]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (Htown1.8t)

I just bought a condo and feel the same way.. I want to go to grad school also.. so many bills.. so little money..

 

[Wakaru]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

Well, first, I'm not a grad student, but and undergrad about to grad next month. Yay! Basically, my school pays me to go there except for living and food. I purchased my vehicle halfway through my studies and have since been modding it. The first year was slow on the mods, I only did little things, but right past the first year, bigger mods (more expensive too) began to take place. And guess what, still not quite finished with even my original mod plan, more less the ever changing plan that forever in progress. I got a part time job at school and have been saving up in the first two years of my studies before I bought the car. However, after I bought it, my savings AND paychecks have all disappeared and transformed into car mods. I know this is SOOOO wrong, but yes, it's an addiction and I've learnt to back off from NUMEROUS juicy group buys that have taken place on Vortex. All I can say is, work hard and study harder. In the end, the car in all it's glory is just a heap of metal that takes you from pt A to B, but with style. School is more important. Just my $.02

 

[sjoback]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

1. live at home (good meals, no rent)
2. receive fellowship based on merit
3. take loans out for books, and some tuition
3. work as TA and do very little
4. minimize other bills
= plenty of money for car mods.
If I lived on my own, I would be driving a metro.

 

[boybaha]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (sjoback)

UCSC is paying for most of my fees and tuition for my Ph.D. program, but they won't cover my out-of-state fees-- and because I'm not a Californian, the out-of-state fees are quite substantial. Loans will cover those. After a year, I get to become a California resident and my out-of-state fees will be a thing of the past. They said that the TA union covers in-state fees too.
Maybe I'll just put off modding for a year.


[Modified by boybaha, 2:49 PM 4-10-2002]

 

[Caldor1]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (sjoback)

I work as a TA and a researcher. This pays me ok, but also pays my health care and education costs because if you work 35% or more, your reg fees are paid. But, in the end, the high cost of living here eats most of my money, so I only buy something for my car every couple months. Right now I have a set of 4motion valences waiting to go on, but I don't feel I can afford to paint them right now.

 

[micjohns]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (Caldor1)

One semester on, one semester off, one semester on, .....

 

[dcomiskey]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

quote:[HR][/HR]I had plans. Big ones. I was going to get a chip. An Upsolute. I was going to get new shocks and springs. I was even going to get little mods like the OEM sunglasses holder. And I had the money for them.
But I got this letter from the program I was applying to and it said, yes come and be a grad student with us. But we can't pay you enough to cover everything. You'll have to pay a little bit on your side of the deal. Now all of a sudden, I feel like I don't have the money for mods anymore.
So how are you able to do it? Do you budget mods into your annual budget? Can you mod only after winning a few grants and fellowships here and there? Part time job?
I'm just trying to figure out how to allocate for my 2 big addictions. Homework and VWs.[HR][/HR]​

My boy, you learn the fine art of sacrifices and fiscal responsibility. If you can't afford to mod your car, then DON'T. 20 years from now, how important is your car going to be? You'll have long forgotten it. yet, your grad school will stay with you forever. Don't be foolish. Put off the mods until you're done with school. http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


[Modified by dcomiskey, 8:49 PM 4-10-2002]

 

[BoraBill]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (dcomiskey)

i usually refer to my friend Master
Master Card he's been good to me...
Actually you just need to balance your money wisely! easy to say..hard to start!

 

[boybaha]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (dcomiskey)

I think I quite understand the concept of fiscal restraint. I'm sure everyone who is in graduate school would not be in graduate school if they did not regard being in graduate school as somehow front and center (or somewhere near there) in their list of life priorities.
I also think that there are a lot of people who are doctoral candidates or masters students out there, who are able to be students and automotive hobbyists at the same time. It is hard, but if one's creative with their money management, they can surely do it. I was curious about what other people have been able to do to sustain both their rather expensive graduate educations and their rather expensive automobile enthusiasm.

 

[ryandouglas]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

Credit cards and student loans...but I'll be regretting it.

 

[zilla]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (ryandouglas)

I'm going to be finishing up my Ph.D. in about a year so I can offer this advice:
if you're doing a science or engineering degree, try and teach as much as possible when you're taking your courses. Realistically you won't have enough time to be productive in the lab when you're doing courses, but you'll have enough time to teach 2-3 labs.
Try to get a tuition waiver. This helps out a LOT.
Scholarships, scholarships, scholarships. Though most of the big scholarships have something in the fine print that says you can't work/teach more than x hours per week if you accept it and that you can't simultaneously hold another major scholarship at the same time. Most of the "smaller" scholarships allow you do hold whatever scholarship you want. There are usually lots of smaller ones available that aren't widely known about. Go to your grad students society office or graduate awards office. they'll usually have a list of available scholarships. Federal/Provincial/state governments usually have graduate scholarships, too. Some private companies have scholarships and internships posted on their web sites, tho i'm sure that's been cut quite a bit, especially in the tech sector.

Living at home helps a LOT. If you can't live at home, get room mates. it's cheaper than living alone.
Selling a kidney also helps

[Modified by zilla, 1:09 PM 4-10-2002]

 

[tulmad]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (zilla)

The company I work for reimburses me to take grad classes online thru USC (http://den.usc.edu if you're interested). As long as I get B's, they pay me back for anything I pay.
Tim

 

[Pooz]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

El Credit-O Card-O! Well, in my case anyways.

 

[BoraDR1VER]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (boybaha)

When I started med school (4 years ago) I had saved up enough money to pay for the first year, but I took out the full amount on no interest stafford loans anyway and placed them directly into a mutual fund. I sat on this for about 2 years (if you are doing your math that is the end of 1999) I was doing very well (over 100% return) and sold a few and did most of my mods. However I then made the mistake of reinvesting at the beginning of 2000 (after everything started dropping big time) but of course if has just continued going down since then and I have lost about what I made and spent then. So I will just be sitting on those until we come out of this recession and I am now eating in a lot and started making my GF pay for some of her meals and am scrounging to get enough money to do mods. But have I stopped modding - no.

 

[gtiglxvr62000]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (pooz01wolfsburg)

I am a professional leach!
2nd hons. and still going, parents mistakenly assume that mods are an incentive.
I don't need incentives , but I'm not going to tell them that....

 

[asparks]

Re: Grad Students: How can you afford VW mods and school at the same time? (gtiglxvr62000)

Work for the university so tuition is free and I get experience. That and having a wife with a job that pays well helps alot too.

[edit for spelling]


[Modified by asparks, 3:33 PM 4-10-2002]