All over the place with college plans!

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Hey, can anyone give me some advice or tell me who I should go to for advice? No one can give me a straight answer!</p>

<p>I am in community college currently. I will end up with a GPA higher than 3.5. Shooting for a 4.0 of course, but I honestly feel at the end of this semester it will be around a 3.7 or so. Anyways, I signed a contract a long time ago with Virginia Tech to transfer there, but changed my mind after I was given 40,000 via the GI Bill. I have always wanted to go to Florida. </p>

<p>Now - first question is, I will only have 26 credits. FSU is the school I want to go to - and these 26 credits are fine by them. I seem to be right on track to being accepted. However, is it more difficult to transfer to a four year university in a different state from a community college? My "backup" Florida school requires 30 credits.. I am thinking I may have to take 17 credits this spring semester just to catch up for my "back up" school! I would also have to take dumb classes that probably won't transfer - like my one credit SDV "how to get around community college" course. What a waste of money. Is this even worth it?</p>

<p>Next thing I am worried about is money. I plan on being a vet, and if possible would like to graduate with no student loans or as little as possible (lol). Here is the money I have:</p>

<ul>
<li>Whatever the Virginia 529 plan will give me. (They will pay all four years tuition if I stay in VA, so not sure how much they will give me to pull that money out)</li>
<li>40k From GI bill</li>
<li>100k From dad passing away</li>
</ul>

<p>I figure I can attend one year at FSU OOS, and it will cost about 30k in tuition/board/etc. I can then establish residency, and pay 20k for 2 more years. I also plan on taking some classes in the summer, but I'm sure that won't be horribly expensive as I will try working during the summer too. So all in all I think I would need about 80k (adding an extra 10k for living, food, etc) - meaning 40k after I use GI bill. Hopefully 529 will give me about 40k, but I'm assuming it will be more around 20k or so. This will leave me with 80k left from my dad.</p>

<p>Now the worst part is vet school. Adding up all the tuition, expenses, room, food, etc, it's about 250k for 4 years. I only have 80k left, so that means 170,000 dollars in debt. Oh god. I heard from a friend that maybe I can offer to work for them afterwards and they will lower or even pay for my tuition. Is this true?</p>

<p>Sorry for all the random guesses and the long wall of text. I just don't know who to go for for help, because my mom never really did this (she joined the navy) and my dad isn't with me anymore. Counselors are, sadly, not of much help. </p>

<p>Thank you</p>

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<p>To establish residency you have to live and work in the state for at least a year w/o going to school…</p>

3

<p>You’re right, I just looked it up… I guess that adds another 20k on to my debt then. I don’t think i’ll be able to afford vet school unless I can make a deal with them where they’ll pay for it. Even then, I’ll still be in loans from living expenses. What is also frusterating is I just found out I have to chose to either break my contract with Virginia Tech and take a different math class (one that doesnt even count towards vet requirements) or take it anyways and have it not transfer. (I could really use one of those board frustrated smiley faces right now)</p>

<p>My mom and her husband might get stationed in Florida, but that’s a might. Maybe then, but I would still have to wait 12 months after they lived there. I was reading on UF’s page:</p>

<p>B. I am a dependent person and my parent or legal guardian has maintained legal residence in Florida for at least the past 12 consecutive months.</p>

<p>Meaning I can’t even move there for a year, work, and then get residency! I’m considered a dependent because I don’t meet any of these requirements:</p>

<p>Independent: a person who is at least 24 years old, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court, or someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, per the U.S. Department of Education
for the purposes of federal aid eligibility.</p>

<p>To make things even more frustrating, if I don’t graduate in 4 years all the money my dad left me goes back to his lovely wife.</p>

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<p>Your mom and her husband are military? If so then you’ll qualify for in state tuition (yay!).</p>

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<p>They were just married a few months ago, and he was just sent off to iraq recently in the Navy. She is a civilian and just works for the navy. Would I still count?</p>

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<p>I have read: “Military students and their family members stationed in Florida or within 50 miles of Florida may qualify for in-state tuition. Military students that do not qualify for in-state tuition but who are using a tuition assistance voucher will pay no more than $250 per credit hour in tuition rates.”</p>

<p>So I wouldn’t have to pay more than 250 per credit hour. Question is, what’s the average price? And who should I talk to so I may get this discount? My family actually may be stationed in Florida, which would be a rather nice help.</p>

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<p>Okay so from experience I know that universities offer in state tuition for Military dependents. When you apply and admitted you just need to get the form from the school and have your mom’s husband (your step dad) fill out the paper and his personnel offer sign (not sure with navy, my dad is army). He should have made you a dependent…you do count since you’re a step son. And I believe it is law now that even if they move while you’re in college you’ll still be able to get in state tuition as long as he is still in the military.</p>

<p>If I were you I’d look at all of my options which would include med school.</p>