<p>Austin: she wants to go away to school and doesn’t have the means or money. CC’s are not a bad thing or something that she has to be “consigned” to. If she’s having difficulty with maintaining good grades, with the CC’s, she can learn skills to keep her on course for her grades. </p>
<p>Since you are assuming she has to care for siblings, this should keep her close to home. I’m familiar with being poor. I’m also familiar with students who are poor but have achieved good grades regardless of situation. </p>
<p>The OP wants to help, but if the student doesn’t have the means or grades, the university can’t vouch for how well she will perform in university level coursework. </p>
<p>What state does she live in? Do any of the publics in that state commit to covering Tuition and fees for very low income students? If she works during the school year now, and works next summer, could she save up $4500 towards the cost of room and board? Could her mom kick in something since she wouldn’t be buying groceries/transportation for her? </p>
<p>So much depends on what is available in her own state.</p>
<p>If she lives in a state with state aid, then with Pell, State aid, a student loan, and hopefully some w/s and maybe some Perkins and SEOG, she probably could go away to a state school. </p>
<p>However, she needs to be told to expect to work to pay for some of this…work a lot during the summer and work-study or a part-time job during the school year. I hope she understands that this is the norm for many/most students and that she isnt being “denied” because she is poor. Frankly, most kids (even middle class) cant afford to go away, so she needs to understand that if this all works out, she is lucky. </p>
<p>I dont want to be flamed for this, but sometimes lowish income kids think everyone else is getting X…when the truth is a lot of middle class kids arent getting X either. </p>
<p>^^^I agree with everything @mom2collegekids has said, and I would add that even a 30k loan burden is a lot for a recent grad whose parents are unable to provide much tangible support. I would be super careful before taking on that amount of debt if I knew my parents were unlikely to be able to help post grad. There are interview suits and work clothes to be purchased, perhaps a vehicle will be needed to get to and from work, even Christmas and birthday gifts that kids with more middle class parents can more or less count on are unlikely to be forthcoming. </p>
<p>I think that may be the case here. I suspect a kid whose dad died before she graduated from high school and whose mom is receiving public assistance wants what she envisions is “normal.” If her friend’s mom walks her through what’s available, I think she’ll have a better idea what average kids are doing, and (I hope) be more satisfied with whatever options she does have. </p>
<p>OP here. Thanks everyone- I did meet with the friend and she said she wants to go to an LAC a friend of hers went to (sorry for the dangling participle).</p>
<p>I think she really does have unrealistic expectations. She didn’t know her actual GPA but I’m getting the sense that it was lower than I thought. I told her it’s best to have safety schools in place (like our local community college which is one of the better ones) but didn’t have the heart to tell her an LAC was a stretch. Hopefully her story in a well-written essay will help her out in admissions, but not sure how the financial part will work out.</p>
<p>Statistically, those who are poor do NOT have an easier time getting money for college, particularly going away to school. The numbers are skewed by those who get full need met by PELL and Direct Loans who are commuting, and those who have the stats to get accepted by schools that give generous financial aid. Money is a huge issue for college students and a leading reason why so many cannot complete college. It’s also a huge problem for those who borrow to go to college and find themselves unable to make the loan payments when they come due, and this is true for parent and student borrowers alike.</p>
<p>In my state, you can get full need met by the State University of NY system up to tuition and fees. PELL, DIrect Loan and NY state TAP which is the state fund for those who have need will step up to meet those costs. But beyond that, you gotta dig in deep unless you get merit money. The tuition costs are relatively low, and there are local state schools available everywhere, so where the problem arises is when students get the idea, like the OP’s friend, that they have to go away to school, and are looking for money to pay for that. </p>
<p>I’m not discouraging anyone from applying to such options. Maybe something will pan out, but EVERYONE should have a school on the list that is definitely affordable with no caveats and that will accept the student. That’s usually the local state school or community college. The rest is all gravy, and it’s like buying lottery tickets to go for those choices.</p>
<p>to the OP: a little story for your friend. Nephew did ok in high school, nothing great. Made no plans at all. Summer after graduating realized all his friends were going away then he announced he’d go to community college. Very hard for him as he didn’t even have a license and no way to get there. Father unemployed mother working as a babysitter (under the table). He found a job at a gas station down the street and figured out how to get to school day by day with rides from friends, etc. Eventually he bought a ■■■■■■ car which still got him from point a to point b. Well, nephew buckled down, did well in community college and got automatic transfer admission to a state school after getting his AA. He will graduate next year all honors with a BA and go on to a more stable life than he grew up in. He is very happy. Your friend can do the same. She’s had some hard knocks in life and they will only make her stronger. If she wants this it will happen! Good luck and give her a hug. All us helicopter parents sometimes forget–these are KIDS. Kids live in the moment, unless our helicoptering helps them traverse a certain path. This girl is doing ok and her dreams can still come true. If it had been me I probably would have been a D student.</p>
<p>You need to tell us what her exact SAT/ACT score (will she retake?) and exact GPA are, as well, if possible, strength of curriculum.
In addition, you need to know how much exactly her family will contribute toward college from savings/income or if all she’ll get is state grant + Pell + Perkins + Stafford + work study (+ whatever money she’s managed to set aside from her own work.)
Is she currently working and saving?
There are sleep away colleges where she may be able to enroll but they’re likely to be far away (ie., Midwest, South). For example: Lynchburg, Doane, Lycoming, Alma, Davis&Elkins for sure, and depending on the actual grades/scores, Ursinus, Gustavus Adolphus, Millsaps…
Depending on these (grades&scores), Berea may be a good opportunity. Only lower-income students can apply and they’re quite selective, but all students who are admitted, thanks to generous donors and alumni, get free tuition + room&board as long as they work for the college.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. FYI she isn’t getting back to us on the scores etc. At this point it’s up to her-we are willing to help her as long as she wants it. </p>