<p>Okay, so due to some unforeseen circumstances I was forced to sign up for fall classes late. All four classes (12 units) are actually 8-week courses (instead of the normal 16-weeks, so twice as fast), which started today. I submitted my financial aid last month and I should receive my award letter any day now. </p>
<p>The thing is, all the classes I'm taking this semester are, well, useless. They are transferable, but they don't fulfill anything from IGETC (most of which I've already finished). However, I really do need the grant money for the winter and spring semester's books and the only way I get it is if I remain a full-time student (at least 12 units) for the whole semester. I've already taken a look at the syllabi for my 8-week classes and they are pretty intense (three chapters a week with heavy emphasis on homework and threaded discussions).</p>
<p>Anyway, I was wondering what I should do? I'm honestly completely lost right now. I guess another alternative would be to take the semester off and work for the next two months, which could help pay for my books and other expenses next semester but I don't even know if I can even find a job in such short notice (especially with zero previous work experience). But hey, if you know any place that's willing to hire a hard-working, but otherwise inexperienced worker, let me know!</p>
<p>Also, do you guys know roughly how much a CC student would get from Pell Grant if they're a full-time student with an EFC of 0? I know it might be different for everyone, but I just want a ballpark estimate. </p>
<p>if you finished most of your igetc, then you have no problem. just take some non-igetc extra courses to fill up your 60 units, then finish up igetc next fall. </p>
<p>as for your job question, i work at ae and it's my first job. they are actually hiring right now for seasonal people, so i would try to give it a shot. just make sure u are 18+</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, but I wasn't asking about how I should fulfill my 60 units, as I'll have no problems with that. I'm wondering whether or not I should take these useless classes just for the grant money (which I do need). </p>
<p>The last thing I want to do is mess up my GPA this late in the game with a few classes I don't even need. Four 8-week courses, despite none of the classes actually being hard, can be brutal.</p>
<p>I know it's ridiculous, but I just feel like taking a class P/NP will be a stigma on my transcript. I got a 'W' for a class I withdrew from late (didn't even know of a deadline) while I was in high school, and I vowed to never get anything like that again (even though I know W's don't really even count). Basically, I have some sort of ADHD about keeping a clean college record for grad school.</p>
<p>But anyway, taking two classes P/NP might not be a bad idea considering they're not a prereq, or heck, even a transfer requirement. I'll have to think about it.</p>
<p>Back to one of my questions though, does anyone have a ballpark estimate on how much a community college student would earn from a Pell Grant (assuming they are eligible for the max grant)? I applied last month and I should receive my award letter any day now. I was told I could earn up to $4700 (assuming I meet all the requirements to earn max grant), but that just seemed like too much for a CC student. However, this was coming from the financial aid guy at my school.</p>
<p>That's my point. Take these "useless" classes just to fill up your 60 units with the grant money that you are going to have to get to spend for some courses anyways. Then in the Fall, finish Igetc. I don't see what the problem here is. </p>
<p>you know, taking like 1 class for P/NP isnt going to hurt you if it is, as you state, "useless." </p>
<p>I don't know anything about Pell Grant so I can't help you there.</p>
<p>At my work I've seen plenty of transcripts where people take classes irrelevant to their major for P/NP during undergrad. Most of these went on to attend top-notch (Harvard, JHU, UCSF) med schools. It's not that big of a stigma. In fact, I remember reading somewhere on the UC website that you may take up to 12 units P/NP without considerably affecting your competitiveness. Of course, you should probably translate this as "2-3 classes and you will slide."</p>