Can't go to college

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Okay so i just woke up smelled the roses.... I had a talk with my family and it seems i have no money for college. I'm now looking into becoming an attorney but...
i'm planning on doing to years at a community college and then transferring to my local university..
is this a wise decision.
i can save money going to a CC first, right?</p>

2

<p>It sounds like a sensible and workable plan and will not, in any way, keep you from your goals of becoming an attorney.</p>

3

<p>this generation of Americans is probably the most spoiled in the history of mankind. I’m not meaning to criticise you at all, it is simply a result of post WWII prosperity in the US from 1946 - 1970 when Europe and Japan were still rebuilding from WWII and there was no real global competition. </p>

<p>My Dad worked his way though college (UCLA, then Long Beach St.) while working full time and supporting his wife and baby at home, with no help from his infirm, aged mother. I recall he got home from work (Hughes Aircraft I believe at the time) and did homework late into the night. </p>

<p>I worked my way through college with $2k per year total support from my parents, which in today’s dollars is about $10k per year. My wife worked her way through the last 2 years of college after her parents ht hard economic times.</p>

<p>Yes, community college is how a lot of families do it… live at home, work 10-20 hours per week, pay $2-$3k tuition total per year, and knock out 50% of your college on the cheap.</p>

<p>Then transfer to an In-State school to finish up at about $10k-$15k tuition. If your parents cannot help, go one year, take a year off to work, then finish up.</p>

<p>You can DO THIS! And in the process re-connect with how most of the world lives, and how Americans lived prior to the recent boom years.</p>

4

<p>Absolutely the best way to go. You can usually hold down a job while you go to save money for later. CC’s are totally underrated; there are some wonderful teachers at many. Class sizes are often smaller. You have to remember that college confidential posters are not typical of the general population; a much larger percentage head off to 4-yr. programs than is typical over-all. Also, when you graduate from college and are looking for a job or at graduate school, no one cares where you started out in college, but only where you finished.</p>

5

<p>“no one cares where you started out in college, but only where you finished.”</p>

<p>Wise words. Go to community college, do well there, and there is no reason why you cannot fulfill your ambitions.</p>

6

<p>A CC is a very good option, although keep in mind that a lot of colleges provide merit or need based aid. It could be worth it to apply to some colleges that offer generous aid. Some of my friends attend or might attend great four year colleges that offered them a full ride, some merit, some need based. If you target colleges that offer great aid, you could end up paying even less than you would for a CC. I’d say plan it so that both of those options are available, and go with the one that is ultimately cheaper. Law school can also cost a lot of money, so you definitely want your undergrad to be cheap. (scholarships are available for law school as well, but I don’t know so much about that).</p>

7

<p>Yes, you can start at a CC. :)</p>

<p>If I remember correctly, you’re low income. If you’re income is low enough, you will qualify for some aid from the federal gov’t and perhaps from the state of Texas.</p>

<p>You need to keep your options open and apply to some schools that you can commute to, schools that might give you a scholarship, and a CC.</p>

<p>Which colleges are close enough to commute to for you?</p>

<p>What is your likely EFC? If you don’t know, try this…<br>
FA Calc
[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator - Finaid)</p>

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<p>Yes, a dentist I know did exactly this. Two years to a community college, then transferred to UCLA where he worked to earn money and then on to UCLA dental school that he attended on military scholarships. After graduated he worked for number of years as a Navy dentist to pay off his military obligation and now is in private practice. </p>

<p>If you can deliver the good in the classroom, there many different ways to pay for an education. Concentrate on getting good grades at the community college.</p>

9

<p>there are many ways around the “money issue” so many of us panick over. if your familly has low income there are so many types of financial aid you can apply and quailify for. not to mention scholarships and loans. with loans you can build upi your credit and you’re not expected to pay a cent back until you’ve graduated. just give it a shot</p>

10

<p>LonghornChick – I think it is time for you to start researching different ways to handle college costs. There is a section of this Board called Financial Aid & Scholarships, and I just bumped into this recent thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/909739-paying-college-your-own-new-york-times.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/909739-paying-college-your-own-new-york-times.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;