College Students! discussion

Okay girls. I need your help. I want to claim myself on my taxes this year because I live with my bf and I work and pay my own bills and rent, etc. My college is paid for with scholarships. My mom has always claimed me since my parents divorced when I was 11 or so. I told my mom I wanted to claim myself and she got pissed and hung up the phone on me. For the time being we can ignore my mom's bitchness (pardon my french) because that's my thing to deal with and I just know my mom and how she can be about certain things. Haha. What I'm getting at is.... I know that tax law of how you cannot file yourself if you're under 19 (which I'm 20.. so I'm good there) and if you are a full time student at college under 24 and your parents have supported you financially over 50% of the year (which is not my case). I live on my own and my mom doesn't support me. My question is... will I get back more of the taxes I paid in if I claim myself than my mom will get if she claims me? I know she gets no extra money back for me going to college because my college is paid for, books and all.

About the war that will probably start with my mom.. I'm not worried about. Sometimes a girl's got to stand up for herself and this may be one of the times for me.

As for me wanting the tax money back that I worked hard for.. well, I want it. I could use it to pay off some of my debt. But I don't know if I'll get more back claiming myself than if my mom's claims me. I paid in over $3,000 in state and fed taxes in 2008. In 2007 I paid in less than half that and only got back like $400 all together when my mom claimed me. I don't know what the hell to do!

Lauren wrote: "Okay girls. I need your help. I want to claim myself on my taxes this year because I live with my bf and I work and pay my own bills and rent, etc. My college is paid for with scholarships. My mom ..."

i honestly am not very independent when it comes to stuff like that..so i can't help you because i know nothing about how that works..i'm hoping that Tami will see this..because she is definitely your girl to go to. I feel like she knows everything like this! :)

but anyways..i wish i could help..but i hope things work out for you!

Geez, now I get to work on my book site? Just kidding!

Actually there is not a way to tell unless I know all your mom's income, write offs, how she files, etc.

When my sister started school, my parents had just split up and it was much better (over $1000) for my mom to claim her, than for her to claim herself.

I could probably give an estimate but I need to know how your mom would be filing, (single, married, head of household) and how many other dependents she would be claiming. I am assuming you would be claiming single and 1.

Let me know and I can see what I can find.

Ditto what Cassi said, Lauren (and this in coming from someone who knows just enough about tax law to be dangerous and stupid). You def. don't want to deal with an audit, and, no matter how mad you are at your mom, you don't want to put her through that either. Sometimes libraries or places like that will host a free tax advice night, so you could keep an eye out for something like that, or spend a few bucks and get professional advice (and if they know you're going to get a return, they'll just take their fee out of the return and it's like you didn't need to spend anything!)

Just a tip, make sure whoever you have preparing them is legit. Even some of the H&R block employees aren't licensed, and the review process is lacking.I know our fees here for a personal return are about the same as H&R Block and cheaper than some of the other tax services around, and we have a min. of three people that look at it, even for the most basic.

I am not sure if it is a nation wide thing, but if any of your schools or towns offer VITA, it is FREE, and backed by the IRS so might not be audit proof, but the return is ok'd by the IRS so the audit shouldn't be a problem.

Our school does it to give the tax students hands on experience, and the Professor and IRS agent checks all returns before they are filed.

omg yall.. I am SOOO nervous. I'm about to head over to Creative Writing class for the first time. I'm sooo worried that I won't have anything original to say/write, that I won't be good enough, that I'll let the prof (one of my favs) down... ugh.. my stomach is all butterfly-y which I hate.

Lynn how did your Creative Writing class go??

it was good! It's a smaller group than I anticipated which made me really glad. I already know some of the people in the class (but not really well) but they all seem nice and we had some really good chatty laid back discussions tonight. Also we did some really interesting writing excercises and he told us beforehand no one else was going to see them. So I was just free and loose and some interesting stuff came out. wow. I think I'm really going to like it. BUT I'm still nervous that I won't be able to produce stellar stuff. I'm a big perfectionist and I expect myself to be like top 10% of everything. I need to stop doing that.

I'm glad to hear that it went well Lynn!
I'm sure you will be great! and you know you can always bounce stuff off of us!!

Lynn, Don't worry about CW classes. I'm not sure of your class's format, but my advice is don't read someone's story when you're in a bad mood (you'll end up taking it out on the author through being overly harsh on a critique), think about what you write on someone's story before you do it (if it's something like, "Add a comma," that's good; if it's "Your overly sentimental prose make me want to throw up," probably not a good idea).

I only say these things because they were mistakes I made when I was in a CW class. I felt like a total bitch because of how harsh I was sometimes. And the whole class was a little harsh sometimes because they had this affected, "This is how writers act" attitude. There is a nice way to offer criticism and there is a way to offer no constructive criticism whatsoever.

hey yall, has anyone had any experience with anxiety attacks or anxiety problems?

Lynn--I get them a lot (anxiety attacks) when I'm stressed out with school. Not fun, not fun at all. :-/

My friend thinks I might have been having an anxiety attack the other day. She used to have them and she suggested that I see a doctor about it. Idk. I looked up some info about them on webmd but I didn't fit all the symptoms

Oh yes. I used to get anxiety attacks a lot more than I do now, but I've definitely always dealt with anxiety issues. Panic attacks are not fun...

I broke my resolution yesterday which was to buy no more books until I read all of the unread books on my shelf. :( But from now on, no more buying.

Ashley, I've been struggling with the desire to buy 3 books. So far, I've held strong. I hope I can last until summer.

i've had a few panic attacks during my 4 years in college..definitely sucks. hope you are ok!

well it wasn't really a panic attack. which is why I don't think it was an anxiety attack. I have had a panic attack once. It was horrible.. but that's not what this was. I do think I might have general anxiety disorder though. I worry about things constantly, sometimes I get really really shy (and I HATE being that way).. and I haven't always been like this.. just in the last few years. Soo I told my dad and we're going to see about getting me to a doctor.

Ashley and Lori -- I really admire your resolution to not buy books until the summer! I wish you luck; I would try to do the same thing, but I work at a B&N so I'm constantly working with books and discovering new ones, plus I get an awesome discount. I have a book-buying propensity that constantly hurts my checking account and have bought many books over the years that I still haven't read. I'm hoping to work on that, but I don't have a lot of time for pleasure reading because of my classes.

Tahleen, Thanks for the support. I'm probably going to need it soon. That's why I couldn't get a job at a book store; I'd spend my entire paycheck. My checking account is already hurting and I don't have a job, which is a problem. Good luck kicking your habit.

Thanks! Let me know if you ever need words of encouragement.

Lynn... I actually have generalized anxiety disorder. I've got a really good doc here in town too. If you ever want some info or just to talk about it, just message me on here. =)

Well I just found out today that one of my uncles has MS. It's nothing that he is going to die like tomorrow with but it is dramatically going to alter his life. They are glad because they knew something was wrong and now they know, but they're not happy at the same time. It's just hard. My other uncle has brain cancer, that I have talked about on here before! So my mom told me I need to tell my 3rd uncle that he cannot have anything happen to him, ever!! Haha.

I am so sorry Janet. MS isn't fun to have to live with. Hopefully everything will be okay.

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, Janet. My aunt and her daughter both suffer from MS, and it can definitely be rough at times. They get along pretty well though and have learned how to deal with it- I hope your Uncle is able to adjust as easy as is possible with something like that.

ok so i went on the job interview at Banana Republic..and I'm pretty sure I got it..I mean I don't want to be presumptuous but it really seemed like she was interested in me. Here's the thing..i don't know whether or not I'm going to take it..i just can't decide..I knew it wasn't going to be my dream job or anything right out of college..but I found out it pays 7.75.hr..I got 10/hr as an intern when i was a customer service rep. The other problem is that it's not a full time position..she said hours could vary every week..from like 0-30..which is bizarre to me. I like having something concrete. so here's my pro/cons..you guys tell me what you think!

pros
-it's a job..and i need one.
-close to my house (10-15 min)
-people that worked there seemed nice
-good discount lol
-it seems flexible
-it's a good step in the right direction to be in the fashion industry

cons
-the pay sucks
-the hours aren't consistent
-it's part time.

lol..it seems like there are more pros to the job..but the 3 cons are very very important.

ughh.

I'd say take it for now and keep your eyes peeled for something better.

I'd say take it for now and keep your eyes peeled for something better.

Did it sound like there was place for advancement? I would take it and see where it goes. You can always quit if something better comes along, or it doesn't seem to be close to what you were hoping for.

Good luck. Decisions aren't always easy.

yeah..it did sound like it was definitely a place you could move up in. another thing i was just thinking of is that when i go to fashion school in the fall..there are Banana Republics everywhere..so i could probably find a job wherever I go.

another pro. :)

I think you should take the job for now, because it's better than nothing. Also, with the varying hours from week to week, it will give you time to be actively looking for something better.

I agree with everybody else! You might as well take this job for now, just so you have a job. Then keep searching and if something better comes up, you can get out of there!

I agree with Kelsey!

Jamie I finally made it to England!!! Ive been living here about a week now. I went into London yesterday and saw Big Ben, Buckingham palace and wandered the streets. It really is beautiful here. I do get lonely a lot though. The people Ive met here are all jolly and out there but I miss my boyfriend who is all the way back in Canada. It's alright though, as long as were staying strong!!!

WHAT?!? Silvia.. you're in England? Did I miss a post somewhere?! Haha. What are you up to there? Something exciting I hope. Hehe.

Silvia, I am so jealous! I was in London last spring for the semester and absolutely loved it. Why are you over there, are you living there for a while?

ahh Silvia! I'm so happy for you/soo very jealous!! I LOVED London!! I hope you are having a great time!! Keep us posted!!

I agree with everyone else. I am 100% jealous!

Yeah Im studying a semester abroad. The credits get transfered over to the University I am attending in Canada. Yes it is very amazing! I like about 40 minutes from London so it is very accessible! :D

That's awesome! I hope you're having a great time! =) I'm one of those weird people that have never been out of the country, so I'm jealous!

I've never been anywhere other than Canada.. but one day!! I wish my college had study abroad. Alas! We are too small for such luxuries

Okay I know this is silly, but I don't want to tell my college friends this haha. I think I have a huge crush on my best guy friend... it's really bad. I don't know if it's just because I'm lonely and he's always there or if it's because I really do like him, a whole lot. And I'm stuck because I can't say anything to him since I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way (he recently asked another girl out for coffee and seems to have had a good time). Anyone else out there going through something similar? Any advice on how to slog through? Thanks!

i had a very similar thing happen..I never did anything about it..I just thought maybe i was just desperate and he was always nice to me because we were best friends. He started dating a girl shortly after i realized I liked him..and he seems happy..so..i kind of regret not telling him because we aren't even that good of friends now because of this girl. its hard...good luck!

Thanks Katerina! I hope we stay friends if he starts dating this girl seriously, he had a girlfriend for a looooong time and just broke up with her before the summer. So maybe it's because this is the first time we've both been single at the same time... But I think I've always had a soft spot for him haha.

The idea recently entered my mind to get a double major in English (which I'm already getting) and history. I mentioned it to my mom and she said to investigate it, which I just did. In order to get my English degree, I need 9 more hours of English, 4 of science, 3 of math, and 9 upper division non-English. In order to get a second degree (which means you take 30 more hours of classes than you'd need for 1 degree), I'd need the math and science and 33 hours of history. To get a second major in history, I'd need the math and science and 30 hours of history.

If I take 2 history classes at summer school and the math and science, I'd need to take 18 hours a semester to get both degrees and graduate "on time" (which is May 2010). I've taken 18 hours before and I did all right. The history adviser advised that I take as few hours as possible when I do the senior research project class (which I'd take in the fall). I could do an intersession class in December to knock it down to 15 hours in the fall.

I can't decide what to do. My mom also mentioned the possibility of me taking a semester or year off before I go to law school and I could finish the history degree then, if necessary.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Geez, that's a tough one. If this is something you really want to do and are passionate about, I'd go for it. At least start taking the necessary classes if you're still undecided; you can always back out later. Feel it out for now if you have the time.

you can always end up mastering in history as well...

Lynn, The plan is for me to go to law school after I graduate. The real question is do I want to try to graduate in May, July, or December (at the extension branch of my college that's in my home town)? If I graduated in May, I'd have to take 18 hours both semesters next year and I couldn't get my minor in French. Someone mentioned that you can walk if you're only lacking either 6 or 9 hours. If that's the case, then I can take 15 in the fall and either 15 or 18 in the spring (depending on the 6 or 9 question).

My family is mostly worried about the stress this is going to place on me. But I'm personally tired of not stepping up to a challenge that can only lead to good things for me. I'm tired of wondering, "What if I would have done..." Very rarely (can't think of a time) do I do something challenging and wish I hadn't.

Lori, after wavering on it for nearly three years, I've finally made the decision this past month to double in English/Genetics. I still wake up afraid that I've ruined my life (I can be histrionic at times), and I still wonder from time to time what I'm doing when I'm sitting in biochem lecture and every other word is flying over my head , but I haven't regretted to the point where I'd want to withdraw my double-major declaration.

It's not going to be easy, and I think in part, it comes down to what you love more: the subject or your GPA. It's okay if you don't like history as much as getting into a stellar law school if law's what you really want to do.

I checked out the courses for Human Development at the CSU and it doesn't look promising. Most courses are at the Hayward campus(Im going to the Concord Campus), if there are any courses at the Concrd Campus, they are at night time or online. :( What the hell man.