I'm having a slight dilemma on what to do regarding my student loans for this upcoming year. I want to take out around $1,200 extra on my student loans. The reasons being..

1. I'm graduating next summer with my associates in nutrition so after passing boards I will be a diet technician. After I graduate I'm still going to continue going for my bachelors either part-time or full-time. I'll have 1-2 years to finish that up. I will be applying for a clinical program in the spring to finish up my bachelors. So I will be taking all of my classes to graduate with the 2 year degree and all of the pre-reqs to get into the clinical program. So I have to take more classes then I would like to.

2. After the fall semester I'm going to have to quit my job or decreasing my hours to one day because my school schedule is going to be nuts.( My classes are going to be offered at weird times) I'm going to have 2 full days of clinicals with lectures that match and 4 or 5 classes. Since I'm graduating and trying to get into the clinical program I need to improve my GPA and just focus on getting school done. I don't want to quit my job but I don't even know when I'd be able to work.

3. I need extra money for books and supplies.

I just don't know if it's a good idea to borrow extra money. I know a ton of people who take out excess loan money to blow on spring break or what not but sense I'm looking out for my academics and getting my life in order I think it might be a good idea.

First: In the grand scheme of things, $1200 isn't THAT much. Spread out over the course of your loan repayment plan, I doubt it will make a huge increase in your monthly payments.

Second: Federal loan money is not just for tuition and fees; it can equally be used for anything having to do with your education, including transportation to/from your university, a laptop/computer, books, and other supplies. If that's what you're using the money for, then I'd say you should go ahead and pull it out.

Loans are scary, I know, but they are often necessary, and they will most likely pay off in the future since you'd have a very difficult time getting into the career you want without them!

$1,200 isn't *that* much, especially if you're still spending it on school. If you were spending it on say, a trip, or clothes, or to go out to dinner, then I'd say you're an idiot, but school supplies and rent? You're good to go. I have friends who took out excess of $5,000 extra and they're kicking themselves now that they've graduated because a) interest accumulates WAY too fast and b) they now actually have to pay it back.

Rule of thumb: Take out what you need to cover your costs. No more, no less. Books and supplies count as a "need."

I've thought about it and I think I will have to take extra loan money out. I don't think I'll really have a choice considering what my finances are like now.

I need to make sure I have money to cover my books first and I'm toying around with the idea of getting a laptop ( a cheap one) because I have a really old computer at home that freezes all the time and is basically fried. Since I'm usually running back and forth from school to work I only have extra time to work on papers either at night or on the weekends and I don't want to drive back and forth to campus to write papers.

I need to make school my 1# priority because work always seems to take a front seat.