Amanda Said:

My school closed down and I still have to pay my student loan!?

We Answered:

Specific Loans are eligible for discharge if the school closed before you were able to finish your program. I've attached the Department of Educations discharge loan forms.

Rodney Said:

Can I apply for a student loan if I want to go to college out of state?

We Answered:

yes, you fill out the FAFSA and list the school you want to attend.
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/FOTWWebApp/compl…

Angela Said:

CAN A STUDENT LOAN THAT IS 13 yrs. OLD BE A VALID WAGE GARNISMENT?

We Answered:

The student loan is valid. There is probably nothing you can do to remove the liability. It used to be death and taxes were the only two inescable things, now it is death, taxes and student loan repayment.

Absent an ability to prove undue hardship (I'm afraid jail and prison don't count), it is difficult to get a reduction in your student loans.

Your best bet, because the garnishment sounds like it is having a harsh impact on your existence, is to at least consult a local bankruptcy attorney. The bankruptcy won't get rid of your student loans, but it could restructure your payment for the next three to five years, to give you a little more breathing room.

Good luck.

Brenda Said:

How do I get a student loan if I am financially independent from my parents?

We Answered:

colleges.mywebcommunity.org - it provides some tips about applying to US federal and state grants for college students.

Ivan Said:

Art Institute of Utah is it worth the high tuition and is it necessary to become a great photographer?

We Answered:

Short answer is that a degree is neither sufficient, nor necessary, for success as a photographer. Almost all of us are freelancers and there is simply one photographic criteria - can you consistently produce the images that your clients want to pay for? If you can, and you can handle the fact that you are in the business of producing photographs to meet needs, wants and desires that are often not your own, you're good to go. A portfolio, useually more than one, to show what you can do and a lot of hustle will pay the bills. It's really that simple.

The question is what do you get for your $90,000 over three years? Out of a place like Brooks, which is probably the best know, you get a very broad understanding across a range of types of photography. You should be getting some sort of personal attention and help shaping you as a photographer. Ther is the mutual support and cross fertilization of ideas that comes with being with other photography students. You get feedback in the form of INFORMED critiques of your work and, maybe most importantly, you have a structured curriculum and a focused, supportive environment. That said, however, there are people who, out of desire and passion, can stay focused and motivated and learn the same stuff just as well and just as fast, on their own. For them, the tuition could be better spent.

In the real world, no one has ever asked me, or any other pro I know, where we learned to do what we do. At least, not out anything more than curiosity. It's a put up, or shut up, profession. Ask any practicing pro where they learned and you may get the name of a school, or that they learned on their own. That's the short answer so you will go away.

What I learned on my own, Fhotoace learned at Brooks. If we were to sit down and the conversation came around to 'where did you learn ...' we would be talking about after the basic education and the stuff that comes out of the real world.

What moves you forward in a career as a photograper? Knowledge, skill, desire, drive and determination. An expensive formal education is a way to buy 2 out of 5.

Vance