jIMOh
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I am 35 yo, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a top 10 ME program (according to my school anyway). Kettering U (formerly GMI). I am not sure if you are looking for tuition numbers, other costs (board, food, beer) or how to make money in college.
My expenses looked like this in college:
Tuition ran about 10k in year 1 and I was paying about 15k in year 5. I think tuition now runs in the 25k for same program. Total 5 year bill is 120k on web site, I think, for current students. My bill was 60k of debt (10 years ago) for 7 years of school (year 5-6 was 75% co-op, year 7 was 9 months long, all on co-op too). My last semester and failing one class cost me a fortune (8k in debt, plus lost wages for 21 months of full time work).
Room and board was included in 10k for year 1, I think. Because all freshman lived on campus in dorms. In years 2-5 I lived off campus at Fiji house. That bill was around $1500/semester- that bill is the same now because the fraternity costs are fixed (house is paid for) more or less. Year 1 might have been $1300 and year 5 might have been $1500. The change in payment was probably do more to lower enrollment (the senior class ahead of me had 10 members). Alumni donations do subsidize this.
I had a workstudy job I worked at $5/hour during semesters (12 weeks long) and that got me enough for weekend food (maybe $60 every two weeks). Fiji had lunch and dinner covered 5 days per week, and I would bring enough oatmeal or similar for breakfast food when semester started. Our steward also bought minimal breakfast food for those of us up early enough to eat breakfast.
My parents paid for books which was around $400/semester. Some semesters I sold them back, some books I still have. First few years on the job the drafting book came in handy.
The kicker for me was GMI required co-oping, and that paid me money. My highest expenses were during co-op terms to keep car running and pay rent and food. I made on average 15k per year co-oping, so if I could have kept finances on work term to a minimum (I didn't), tuition would have been zero. In addition my first job out of school was secured well before I graduated (I earned a full time wage 9 months before graduating).
I did manage to save enough each co-op to pay house bill in full.
Our school had plenty of programs for social (something every weekend). If Freshman were not local, the school could entertain a little bit. In my case the house bill for fraternity covered most social costs. My freshman and sophomore year that funded a party we would throw, and we also attended the parties other houses threw- so basically one house on Friday, another house on Saturday, different house the next Friday, different one the next Saturday, then maybe ours was the 3rd Friday or something. I don't think that is allowed anymore.
HTH
My expenses looked like this in college:
Tuition ran about 10k in year 1 and I was paying about 15k in year 5. I think tuition now runs in the 25k for same program. Total 5 year bill is 120k on web site, I think, for current students. My bill was 60k of debt (10 years ago) for 7 years of school (year 5-6 was 75% co-op, year 7 was 9 months long, all on co-op too). My last semester and failing one class cost me a fortune (8k in debt, plus lost wages for 21 months of full time work).
Room and board was included in 10k for year 1, I think. Because all freshman lived on campus in dorms. In years 2-5 I lived off campus at Fiji house. That bill was around $1500/semester- that bill is the same now because the fraternity costs are fixed (house is paid for) more or less. Year 1 might have been $1300 and year 5 might have been $1500. The change in payment was probably do more to lower enrollment (the senior class ahead of me had 10 members). Alumni donations do subsidize this.
I had a workstudy job I worked at $5/hour during semesters (12 weeks long) and that got me enough for weekend food (maybe $60 every two weeks). Fiji had lunch and dinner covered 5 days per week, and I would bring enough oatmeal or similar for breakfast food when semester started. Our steward also bought minimal breakfast food for those of us up early enough to eat breakfast.
My parents paid for books which was around $400/semester. Some semesters I sold them back, some books I still have. First few years on the job the drafting book came in handy.
The kicker for me was GMI required co-oping, and that paid me money. My highest expenses were during co-op terms to keep car running and pay rent and food. I made on average 15k per year co-oping, so if I could have kept finances on work term to a minimum (I didn't), tuition would have been zero. In addition my first job out of school was secured well before I graduated (I earned a full time wage 9 months before graduating).
I did manage to save enough each co-op to pay house bill in full.
Our school had plenty of programs for social (something every weekend). If Freshman were not local, the school could entertain a little bit. In my case the house bill for fraternity covered most social costs. My freshman and sophomore year that funded a party we would throw, and we also attended the parties other houses threw- so basically one house on Friday, another house on Saturday, different house the next Friday, different one the next Saturday, then maybe ours was the 3rd Friday or something. I don't think that is allowed anymore.
HTH