20 year old girl moving to California (Sacramento, Arcata: apartments, loan, home)

[1stGenerationAmerican]

Hey there!

Basically, I am a US citizen by birth, but I've spent my whole life moving around the world. Now I'm wanting to move to the US. Perhaps I'll go to university. How easy is it for someone with only a high school diploma in America to be financially self sufficient? I would like to live and work somewhere, and eventually go to college. I am moving to the states all on my own and do not want to ask my family for money. Is it possible?

I've looked at cities on the west coast.. Portland, Eugene, Arcata. What do yall think?

[Berrie143]

Seriously? You want to move to CA and completely support yourself with only a high school education? What kind of work experience do you have? What kind of savings do you have? Getting a job that pays you well enough to support yourself with no college education and little to no job experience is literally almost impossible.

And why are you posting about cities in Oregon on the CA forum?

Honestly, you're better off staying with your family and going to college wherever they are and THEN thinking about it.

[Ruth4Truth]

Where do you live? What nationality are your parents? If you can qualify for a free college education anywhere in the EU through your parents, you should do that. What languages do you know? Anyone can get a free college education in Sweden, and a lot of the instruction in some of the universities is in English. It would be worth looking into. You can get a student visa when you enroll in one of the college programs. Swedish isn't hard to learn.

To get in-state tuition in CA, you'd have to live and work in CA for a couple of years. Conceivably, you might pull this off by blending into the hippie scene in Arcata, living with a bunch of people in a shared place, and getting whatever job you can find. Starbucks pays for grad school for their staff managers. I don't know if they'd pay for a BA, if you somehow made it to shift manager.

HOWEVER: BE AWARE that college tuitions have exploded in the US. Most parents can't even afford them anymore.

That said, if you have top grades and outstanding SAT scores, you could get into some private schools with full scholarships, if you're fully independent of your parents and wouldn't be counted as a dependent on their tax statements. Stanford gives full 4-year non-loan scholarships to anyone making under $125,000. That would be you, if you apply as an independent adult. But you have to meet their stiff admissions criteria.

For school in Arcata, you could apply for a Pell Grant (federal, based on financial need), and look into their financial aid options. You could probably get a work-study job on campus. But first you'd have to establish yourself as an in-state resident.

[1stGenerationAmerican]

Hey and thank you two so much for replying!

Sorry about posting in random sections..I've never used this forum before.

So here's a short biography of my life: My mother works for the German Embassy, which means we move every 3-4 years. My mom's German and no ties to my dad exist. He's not even listed on my birth certificate. I was born in D.C., hency my US citizenship. That was followed by Switzerland, Turkey, Germany (home?), Texas, and Kenya, where I graduated. My mom still lives in Kenya. Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that I don't have a good/close relationship with any of my family. We're just all too spread out..

Now you might think I'm crazy for not just staying in Germany (my current location) and studying for free. But firstly, I'm not eligible to study here without taking a foundation year first. (I have a High School Diploma and some IB certificates). And more importantly, I do not feel at home here, so going through all that extra trouble simply isn't worth it for me. I've been jobbing in Germany for the past 6 months and I always knew I wasn't going to stay. Stay in this society of senior citizens and freezing temperatures? Unimaginable.

My goal in life right now is to go somewhere beautiful and start a real life there. I am the only citizen in my family and it's time for me to plant some roots in the US.
I've been a nomad all my life and I don't want it anymore
I know this is a crazy plan but it's the best I've got. My flight is booked already. I will be going to visit my aunt, who also emigrated from Germany to Vancouver when she was 19. Looks like the anti-Germanness runs in the family... In Vancouver I will take my SATs. After that..my 'plan' was..go to (insert awesome hippie city) and find a job. Waitress, cat cuddler, whatever.

All I want is to live somewhere nice and peaceful, where i can get a ****ty job and a ****ty apartment and pay my own bills. How can that be so difficult! I hate being an adult.

[1stGenerationAmerican]

Truth4Ruth, thanks for giving such an informative reply! I appreciate it a lot.

That's another reason I'm drawn to the US..so many options. Financial aid this, scholarship that, in state, out state, DC TAG, whatnot. There are endless options, it's amazing! There are loads of things I need to find out, especially about independent status since no one in my family ever paid any taxes in the US.. super confusing stuff. But I'm used to it as a third culture kid.

[frugalfraggle]

I grew up in California. I'd probably go to Arcata if it has to be California. It tends to be a very down to earth, left leaning, hippyish college town. Otherwise, I would strongly consider Oregon or Washington. I believe they have a better cost of living.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by 1stGenerationAmerican

Hey and thank you two so much for replying!

Sorry about posting in random sections..I've never used this forum before.

So here's a short biography of my life: My mother works for the German Embassy, which means we move every 3-4 years. My mom's German and no ties to my dad exist. He's not even listed on my birth certificate. I was born in D.C., hency my US citizenship. That was followed by Switzerland, Turkey, Germany (home?), Texas, and Kenya, where I graduated. My mom still lives in Kenya. Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that I don't have a good/close relationship with any of my family. We're just all too spread out..

Now you might think I'm crazy for not just staying in Germany (my current location) and studying for free. But firstly, I'm not eligible to study here without taking a foundation year first. (I have a High School Diploma and some IB certificates). And more importantly, I do not feel at home here, so going through all that extra trouble simply isn't worth it for me. I've been jobbing in Germany for the past 6 months and I always knew I wasn't going to stay. Stay in this society of senior citizens and freezing temperatures? Unimaginable.

My goal in life right now is to go somewhere beautiful and start a real life there. I am the only citizen in my family and it's time for me to plant some roots in the US.
I've been a nomad all my life and I don't want it anymore
I know this is a crazy plan but it's the best I've got. My flight is booked already. I will be going to visit my aunt, who also emigrated from Germany to Vancouver when she was 19. Looks like the anti-Germanness runs in the family... In Vancouver I will take my SATs. After that..my 'plan' was..go to (insert awesome hippie city) and find a job. Waitress, cat cuddler, whatever.

All I want is to live somewhere nice and peaceful, where i can get a ****ty job and a ****ty apartment and pay my own bills. How can that be so difficult! I hate being an adult.

the problem is that it has been many years since someone with a crappy job could afford even a crappy apartment. Most crappy jobs in the US aren't even full time, they limit your hours so that they don't end up paying you benefits. Finishing your education will mean the difference between having a good life in the US and becoming another person living at or near the poverty level and struggling from paycheck to paycheck. Social services in the US are nowhere near what they are in Europe, in most places you can't get cash aid or even medical care unless you are supporting children. Is there a chance you could stay in Vancouver and attend some type of technical school before you venture off on your own to the US?

[HappyinCali]

So this might seem random, but my wife used to live in Las Vegas and we always thought that Vegas is actually the best place for a HS-diploma only person to make a decent living. First of all, apartments are dirt cheap. Second of all, there are a lot of job (if you can get them) that require no education and pay good money – Cocktail Waitress, Waitress at nice restaurants, valet, bartender, dealer, repairman etc. She knew a bunch of people with blue collar professions and you could have a good life there.

The downsides are that it is a very cyclical market (right now it is doing well), so layoffs can happen at any time. It got obliterated during the crisis. In addition, if you have any vice, Vegas will bring it out.

However, if you get good grades/SAT scores, you could attend UNLV (which is not a great school), basically for free. My wife did that. She got good grades and currently makes 6 digits working for a large financial corporation and had 0 debt. In addition, if you are smart, you will literally crush it (do really well) at a school like UNLV and then you could be in a great shape for a good graduate school. Also, I think there really are not that many college educated people in Vegas (anecdotal), so getting a job with good grades and college education, might be possible.

If you don’t have a plan, I would consider Vegas. It is cheap, has a lot of entry level jobs and you could attend college there cheaply.

Also, from there you are 3 hours away from LA and I think the desert's natural beauty is under appreciated.

[MtnSurfer]

Do you have any areas of stronger skills and/or professional interests... beyond basic survival? While in school were you better in certain subjects than others? Any jobs that may have appealed to you perhaps while growing up?

I don't know if you have thought about it, but if you joined a branch of the military you would have instant place to live and eat. Then if you put in your time you'd come out with the GI to pay for college.

Although some mentioned far northern CA, the economy is pretty bad there. So its not the best place for finding a job having no college education. Unemployment is pretty high. I'd target a city with more job opportunities and lower cost of living, possibly Sacramento.

Vancouver is not that a bad of a place to get off the ground. Right across the border is Seattle and Portland not too much further south.

Derek

[1stGenerationAmerican]

Is the situation in the US really that bad? I know there's absolutely no social safety network and I will miss that. But I am very much looking forward to the "anything is possible" mindset.

As for my interests..I actually have a huge variety of interests so I'm not sure what exactly i want to study yet. It will either have to do with development aid or nature conservation.

I'm thinking Cali probably can't and shouldn't happen anyways due to the water issue.. Seems to me like people aren't taking it seriously enough.

Okay..can anyone tell me how a young person with no help from their parents can pay for college? All the college counselors at my school had to say about it was "don't worry about paying for college". Wtf. Thanks for nothing. GI bill sounds wonderful but I would never want to be associated with the military. It's also just not something for someone like me..

Is financial aid and a part time job generally enough to support oneself? Can anyone name some affordable west coast cities which does NOT require the use of a car?