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This is a little bit old but when I was in college I still "lived" with my parents but I paid every dime of my college, expenses, etc. while in school. I was able to live on campus and be on the meal plan at a private college with the help of scholarships, grants and student loans and what I made in the summer. It is very do-able. Like the previous poster said, check into private schools. It was MUCH less expensive for me to attend a private school then it was a state school.
Many of our friends have kids going off to school now and most of the kids are 'making' money going to school. They have secured enough through aid and scholarships that they have money left over to cover extras like books, movies, etc. Yes, they will have student loans when they are done but they are not bad and actually will help you establish a nice credit rating as long as you pay them back.
What do you want to study? There are enough people here from various areas that can make recommendations for programs/schools that are good in your field.
I work full time and go to school full time. Its completely doable. Id have to say that based on the info, the only thing you need to do is take the ACT, as that will be needed to get into a 4 year college. Absolutley you can transfer into one though. Since youre financially independent, FASFA should help you out as well. Doing good on the ACT though will really higher your chances of scholarships. Pick a 4 year college and look at the minimum test scores they accept. Good luck!!
Wow, thanks everyone for all the feedback. This really helps. Also, to answer the questions nitokenshi asked me:
1.What do you want to major in?
I want to get a B.S in Radiation Thearapy.
2. How many credits do you have left?
A lot, this is my first year in college.
3. Why haven't you found a job with tuition reimbursement?
I thought that was only possible if you were studying to be a teacher or work in hospitality.
4. Why haven't you talked to fin aid about scholarships?
I have a lot of trouble communicating my educational plan at the school I'm in now. Everyone tells me to go to the North Campus (which is over an hour from where I live) to speak to an advisor, since at my campus they are all "ghetto"/ treat you like a number. Perhaps I should have put more effort into it, but I guess I'm always busy so I forget to do these things.
I work full time and go to school full time. Its completely doable. Id have to say that based on the info, the only thing you need to do is take the ACT, as that will be needed to get into a 4 year college. Absolutley you can transfer into one though. Since youre financially independent, FASFA should help you out as well. Doing good on the ACT though will really higher your chances of scholarships. Pick a 4 year college and look at the minimum test scores they accept. Good luck!!
You don't have to answer these questions, but:
How do you manage? Any advice? What do you do for a living?
The only other people I know that are around my age who depend entirely on themselves (not family, inherited money, etc.) either are not going to college, are exotic dancers, or go to school part-time. Maybe I'm running with an odd croud.
Tons of places offer tuition reimbursement like ups, bestbuy, mcdonalds just to name a few.
Without an AA degree you will not be considered a transfer they will need your test scores and h.s record if you have one. So it will be very very difficult especially to get into a medical program.
Tons of places offer tuition reimbursement like ups, bestbuy, mcdonalds just to name a few.
Without an AA degree you will not be considered a transfer they will need your test scores and h.s record if you have one. So it will be very very difficult especially to get into a medical program.
So does this mean my possible majors will most likely have to be limited to A.A fields of study? I don't think you can get an A.A in radiation therapy
~I'm financially independant 19 year old.
~I have a GED.
~I never took SATS or ACTS.
~I am attending community college trying to get a transferable degree.
~I work full-time, which makes studying/being a student really difficult.
~I live in Florida (Miami).
Is it possible for someone like me to transfer to a 4 year college or university without my associates degree?
Can you transfer with just a few community college credits?
Is it possible for me to get loans to pay rent with (or groceries) ?
Have you been in this or a similiar situation?
Anything you say will help.
If it is not possible, please let me know.
I feel like 4-year institutions are much more helpful towards students. I want to live partly off of loans and study full-time while working part-time. I really need answers. I think if I even tried to ask someone at the school I go to about this, I would get zero information and zero help.
Thank you!
YES! go to the website of the college you want to tranfer to...click on prospective student and then transfer student....they will tell you up front what you need to be a transfer student. Many is simply 30 credit hours, and some there isn't a requirement at all.
Then they will have info about who they take credits from....if it's same state, that is. If you go to another state it will be different....transcript evaluation.
Good luck!
You don't have to answer these questions, but:
How do you manage? Any advice? What do you do for a living?
The only other people I know that are around my age who depend entirely on themselves (not family, inherited money, etc.) either are not going to college, are exotic dancers, or go to school part-time. Maybe I'm running with an odd croud.
A lot of coffee!! I got a scholarship which covered a couple of semesters and left me with a bill of about $1000 per semester. As I said, do well on the ACT and get good grades this first semester or year of classes and you should easily be able to get a scholarship. Remember also, that depending on what your major is, you can get scholarships available to only those students studying biology, education, etc. That narrows down the applicant pool quite a bit. I myself never got any financial aid because my parents refuse to give me thier tax information. Even though I'm financially independent, the Fin aid office at my school made my file as a dependent, so that didnt work out.
I was a receptionist/vet tech trained on the job during my freshman year. I scheduled all my classes in the morning two days a week....school from 8:00am-3:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and work from 4:00pm-9:00 pm. The other four days I worked full time. Then I got a job at an insurance agency and worked full time all week and took night classes. I actually enjoyed those jobs quite a bit. You dont get a lot of free time but it makes you appreciate school more. Living at the dorms would be an option. I never did but wish I had. Work study jobs are an option...get college credit and an income. Even if you dont get a scholarship, the schools bursar office has payment plans where you only pay a certain amount each month throughout the semester...or get a job and get a small student loan. But basically, coffee.
Is it possible for someone like me to transfer to a 4 year college or university without my associates degree?
Yes, it is possible. However, since you are only 19 you will still need to submit SAT/ACT scores. Once five years have elapsed since you graduated from high school, the SAT/ACT scores become nil with pretty much all schools.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pear Martini
Can you transfer with just a few community college credits?
You can transfer with as many or as little credits as you like, depending on how compatible they are with the college you are looking to transfer into. However since you did not take the SAT or ACT, you more then likely would have to complete either two years of community college or get at least your A.A. or A.S. degrees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pear Martini
Is it possible for me to get loans to pay rent with (or groceries) ?
Yes. You can take out unsubsidized loans. Financial aid has two missions; one to help pay for school and/or school expenses and one to help cover the cost of living while you are in school (with the logic being that you should spend most of your time with school work and not work work) However, with the state of the economy right now, unsubsidized Stafford Loans are kind of slim pickings so you would probably have to take out private loans which I would not recommend since private loans usually carry high APR's with them.
Since you are 19, your parents are going to expected to shell out for the EFC. So, unless your parents are at the poverty level, expect to not get so much in the form of financial aid. The best thing for you to do is continue with community college and bust your behind (or not if you are a brainiac) to maintain good grades. Getting on the Dean's list, even at a community college will boost the amount of grant money that you receive and if you make it into Phi Theta Kappa, then they got some good scholarships for community college students.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pear Martini
Have you been in this or a similar situation?
Sort of. I never took the SAT or ACT and I had to struggle with the horrors of being a dependent student as far as financial aid went. But, after many headaches later, it all worked out; although nowhere near the way that I would have liked it too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pear Martini
Anything you say will help.
Stay with the community college and do your best to get into Phi Theta Kappa; or at least the Dean's list if you have an aversion to the club. If you are not an A student, then that is okay as well. Just stick with it and get your A.A. or A.S. and then transfer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pear Martini
I feel like 4-year institutions are much more helpful towards students.
This statement is false. Many four-year institutions simply have too many students to give each and everyone the attention that they deserve. My experience with both is that for the most part, community colleges offer much more help to the students then four-years; although I need to point out the obvious and say that it varies from school to school. Four-year institutions have more clubs and tutors and administration and other activities that will be of benefit to the student, but you have to search those out, and being on a large campus with all of that student life stuff going on can make it hard to find.
Also, I took a class with a woman that actually worked on the board of admissions. She said they actually give preferences towards transfers from community colleges and continuing students, because they dont want to sway them from the path of continuing their education.
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I got a scholarship which covered a couple of semesters and left me with a bill of about $1000 per semester. As I said, do well on the ACT and get good grades this first semester or year of classes and you should easily be able to get a scholarship. Remember also, that depending on what your major is, you can get scholarships available to only those students studying biology, education, etc. That narrows down the applicant pool quite a bit. I myself never got any financial aid because my parents refuse to give me thier tax information. Even though I'm financially independent, the Fin aid office at my school made my file as a dependent, so that didnt work out. 
