u/Outside_Log5031

living at home is not an option.

my main questions:

1. whats a reliable resource for learning about student loans?
2. can i take out a student loan before entering university? if i'm planning to secure a place by june, when should i take this loan out? when am i supposed to pay it back?
3. can i immediately pay off a student loan as soon as i have the money or do i need to pay it in increments?
4. are there different kinds of student loans? which one is the best?

i'll (18F) get about 14k in OSAP, so i was planning to use the remaining amount after tuition (9k) to pay rent. rent is about $700-950/month including internet+utilities+parking, and i'm only planning to take out the student loan beforehand so i'm able to pay off september while OSAP is still processing. once the first wave of OSAP ($4500) comes in, i'll immediately pay for the next four months of rent. i will do the same for the second wave of OSAP ($4500) in january. that would leave me with about $700 in spending money, where i'll probably be using "too good to go" and "karrot" 24/7 to minimize grocery and other essential costs.

my goal is to work during uni + obtain at least a 10k scholarship per year in order to graduate with minimal debt. i'd also like to try and max out my TFSA as well.

i'm very new to this entire process and i would like to navigate it in the best way possible. i am very open to any constructive criticism and would greatly appreciate the help 🙏 thank you so much

let me preface by saying that i am not a lazy student. i have 400+ volunteer hours, am very active in my community, and am currently on track to graduate with two diplomas. however, in my last year of high school, i faced some extenuating circumstances, including living without electricity at home for 9 months, experiencing near homelessness, struggling self-harm and bullying, as well as enduring verbal/physical abuse with bruises and blood. this caused me to enter a "robot state" where I just worked constantly without processing my emotions.

in february, i ran away from home and moved into a safer place, but i still had a heavy workload and never really had the chance to emotionally process everything. it was normal for me to go 2-3 days without sleep to do work, and when i did sleep, it would be on top of my school laptop. i went through all of this, i survived, but i never allowed myself to slow down.

by mid-march, it legitimately took a toll on my health. i became super sick for two weeks straight, and at one point i lost oxygen and almost fainted for god knows what. this was also around the time where the majority of my assignments for two major courses were due. i wasn't able to complete it to the best of my abilities, all of which were submitted incredibly late, because i was trying to recover physically.

i managed to previously maintain a 93+ average despite it all, and now it is likely going to drop to 88. i need a 90 to be considered for my top choice program. i feel so ashamed of myself for letting this happen. i maintained near-perfect scores in university-level classes while i was living without electricity, and yet i'm failing two of the easiest courses that my school has to offer.

i want to resubmit my assignemnts and ask if they could be regraded, but report cards are due tomorrow, and i'm unsure if they'll still consider it. my teachers are incredibly kind and laidback, but i don't want to come off as overbearing.

tl;dr i went through a lot this year, and my recovery period unfortunately overlapped with the time when major assignments were due. what would be the best way to explain this to my teachers and respectfully request for my assignments to be reconsidered for grading?

thank you!