Posted by Jay Bertolet on August 03, 2002 at 08:54:49:
In Reply to: Raising money to buy an F tuba posted by Michael Roest on August 03, 2002 at 00:17:01:
Depending on your finances (and those of your parents) and how your school financial aid package shakes out, you might try doing what I did. Get your tuba teacher (Rex or Wes?) to sign a letter stating that the F tuba you want is really necessary for your college studies. Take that letter to the financial aid people and see if they will roll the costs of the new F into your overall financial aid package. In my case, part of my schooling was paid with loans and they just added the cost of my bass tuba purchase onto that. The trick is not having reached the maximum amount you can borrow because there are limits. If you have some more room to borrow and the financial aid people are convinced that you really need the equipment, they might allow you to call the horn a school expense and purchase it with student loans. These loans are always a good idea if you have to borrow and can get them. They have the lowest interest rates of any loans I know of, except 0% car loans you sometimes see. Check it out and see what the folks at financial aid say.
My opinion for what it's worth...