When we left Krissy Simmons, she had been accepted to the January 2007 program at
CHIC University of Cosmetol
ogy an Empire School in Portage, Michigan, and was preparing to quit her full-time job in order to accommodate the five-days-a-week, 9-5 type of schedule that
beauty school typically requires. Switching to part-time work, Krissy anticipated major problems paying her tuition. Her parents were unable to help since two of her three younger siblings were also in college. To sort out her options, Krissy made an appointment to meet with Don, CHIC’s head of enrollment.
“Don was the most helpful, understanding, approachable guy!” Krissy recalls. “And let me tell you what he had to deal with every day:)! I didn’t qualify for hardly any financial aid, but Don helped me get as much out of the available student loans as possible. I took out approximately $13,000 in student loans sent to me in quarterly checks. About $9,000 paid for school, with the rest helping me pay bills. Later on, in June 2007, I would finally get a little help from Uncle Sam. Until then, I was on my own.”
At 24, Krissy was used to her independence but knew that moving back home would save her beaucoup bucks. Her parents seemed supportive of her decision to enroll in
beauty school, but would her request to live at home change their attitude? Next time Krissy will let us know how this played out.