The cost of the College life!

      My first blog was all about colleges and where I wanted to go.  Now, I would like to focus on the cost of the colleges, and the living style. I will have to calculate the cost of the : dorm(if I choose to live in one), and food. Also, I will discuss if I plan to stay at one college or move to another. There are so many things to plan for! 

     To begin with, I need to know how long I need to study. On the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy website, it says that if a person is going to study for their masters degree, they study for 2-3 years (About). If a person is willing to study in the doctoral program, they study for 3-5 years (About). I am going to get my doctoral degree, so I will need to study for 3-5 years. Also, I plan on going to Vol State for the two years that are free. Then, I will go to another college, maybe Cumberland University, and finish there. I'll have to be there for about 3 years. At Cumberland University, when attending the college, each year will cost $20,160 (Tuition). I'm going to be there for 3 years, so it will cost $60,480. 

     Now that I know how much my tuition will be, I need to find out the price for my living situation. On the Cumberland University website, the room and board that I will be in cost $4,000 a semester (Room). I will have to pay $24,000 in total for my 3 years. Also on the website, I get to choose what meal plan I want. I'm going to go with the $575 meal (cost for each semester) that offers 75 meals each semester(Room). For the 3 years in total, I will have to pay $3,450. I tried to search for the cost of books for my classes, but apparently that isn't possible. Or, I didn't look hard enough. Yet, I'll keep on searching for that answer. 

     Alright, now I have more knowledge about the price of being in college. Everything has a price, and it's horrible. Although you can't always get what you want (I wish). I added up all the money and it was a total of $87,930. Wow. I don't plan on using student loans, because my personal finance class said that it's better to pay in cash for college. That's why between now and my two free years in college, I'll be saving money. I have about 3 and a half years to save up that much. Also, most of my family is going to help me save. I'm actually the 6th person in my family that hasn't dropped out of school. So college for me is a big deal and everyone wants me to be able to have the opportunity to go. 

Sources:

“About Marriage And Family Therapists.” About Marriage and Family Therapists. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. <https://www.aamft.org/imis15/aamft/content/about_aamft/qualifications.aspx>

“Tuition &Amp; Fees | Cumberland University.” Tuition &amp; Fees. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cumberland.edu/admissions/tuition>

“Room And Board Prices.” Cumberland University. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cumberland.edu/student-life/dos/residence-life/prices>