<p>Ohm- I have heard of those but they simply do not have the rep that a school like UT could offer which in the field I am going in is somewhat important and also those are Christian schools which as an LGBT student I have hangups with</p>
<p>Going to a school with an okay rep is better than going to a school then having to drop out because of transportation or cost issues.
Also, have you talked to any students at those schools? A vast majority of Christians at a college age don’t care about those things anymore. Don’t write it off before doing research.</p>
<p>I don’t see what other options you have other than bike. You don’t have money to buy a car, your family won’t allow you to use theirs, you don’t have anyone to drive you, you can’t use public transportation…the only other option is by taxi or hitchhike, but that’s not realistic. You need to bike to work until you can either buy your own car or until you can afford to put your name on your parent’s insurance. The former would be better in the long run, but the latter sounds better if you’re so desperate not to bike. Like other people have said, biking 5 miles is not very difficult, it wouldn’t even take an hour after a month.
Why would you only work 1 or 2 hours a day? Part time can be up to 20 hours a week, and judging by your financial situation, you can’t afford to do less.</p>
<p>Who knows how our family situations compare? In any case, I’ll echo aunt bea…how badly do you want it? To go to law school you need great drive and determination…do you have it? If you do, you can demonstrate it now by the sacrifices you make today. Maybe one sacrifice would be to get your education any way you can, even if UT won’t work for you in your current situation.</p>
<p>CoO doesn’t have a rep for being friendly to the LGBT community; in fact, it’s on one bottom 25 list for gay friendliness. But Berea seems better, if this thread is to be believed: <a href=“Is Berea College gay-friendly? - College Life - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/792361-is-berea-college-gay-friendly.html</a></p>
<p>I don’t know much about it myself, but like 206 says, do the research before writing it off.</p>
<p>Seth, what do other young people in your town do? My bet is there are others who don’t have cars, don’t go to college, etc. </p>
<p>Surely they don’t all just sit at home.</p>
<p>And five miles is NOT a lengthy bike ride unless you live in the mountains. You need to help yourself here.</p>
<p>Well, an entitlement attitude is not going to work. You have to suck it up if you truly want a college education.</p>
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<p>You said that you qualify for Hope…good. that isnt just a couple thousand. It should cover tuition at most/all Tenn publics. </p>
<p>Did you already graduate or are you a senior?</p>
<p>apply to all the Tenn publics…maybe some give merit for a 27. What is wrong with some of the other Tenn publics? there are some good ones…MTSU, UMemphis, UTenn Chatt, etc. </p>
<p>You cant just focus on Utenn if it isnt affordable.</p>
<p>Well, I guess your parents will have a live in house boy or couch potato next year then. A car is not going to magically materialize. How did you learn to drive anyways?</p>
<p>So your parents can drop you off at the nearest homeless shelter and you can live there for a while when they kick you out, or you can walk the 5 miles to it if they aren’t giving any rides.</p>
<p>I am not being sarcastic, by the way. That is an abbreviated version of what often happens. Parents expect kid to come up with solution. Kid can’t and doesn’t. Parent can’t and doesn’t. So kid is home all day with nothing to do and nowhere to go with no way to get anywhere. An argument ensues, parent kicks out kid. </p>
<p>You will be independent for fin aid purposes when you become homeless, but the aid you likely will get from that may not be enough for living expenses and going to college. It’s not that there is a pot of gold waiting for those with Zero EFC as I explained in a post. Finding a job is also a process, not something that usually drops into ones lap, nor is finding a place to live that works out.</p>
<p>You can join the military. They’ll give you a ride to work every day.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to do that, get a job next summer where you live where you work - camps, tour guide, resort. Become a forest fire fighter. Work on a farm.</p>
<p>This forum is great for very high achievers with high GPAs and high test scores. The regular posters can advise whether to go to Brown or Princeton, and the benefits of UVa versus UMich. For everyone else, the advice is always the same - go to a cheaper school. It sounds like if you can’t go to UT-Kx you don’t want to go to college at all, and if you don’t change your attitude, I think you’ll go no where at all. You have a year, and people are making good suggestions of other (cheaper) colleges, but you reject them. What do you have to offer the colleges? Why should they want you, why should they pay for you to attend?</p>
<p>You can make it work, but it is work. No one is going to come to your home, pick you up and deliver you to Knoxville. No one is going to pay for it. I have one daughter going to an OOS school and she has 4 sources of funding. The other is going to a private school and has 5 sources of funding. All of them have required an application and all of them have required a ton of follow up as the sums haven’t been received by the college, haven’t been credited correctly, need more paperwork, etc. It isn’t easy but it is what they need to do to go to college without loans.</p>
<p>Once again the bike thing is invalid for several reasons time effort money the list goes on and on</p>
<p>Most other people in town do have a car however a good number of them live in the towns or near the towns center</p>
<p>A few others borrow their parents car and most without a car say they aren’t going to college.</p>
<p>Lol at the entitlement thing one thing I should mention is that I was able to land an online journalism internship that pretty reputable.</p>
<p>Guys I simply am not looking for a Christian college ( I do recognize that many young people whom are Christian have evolved however being the highly outspoken person that I am I’d prefer to go to a more liberal or moderate area)</p>
<p>In terms of the other schools once again rep is important I had 2 cousins one who attended an ivy league one that attended a never heard of college and both graduated with the degree I wanted cousin 1 got a job directly after cousin 2 hasn’t found one in over 2 years.</p>
<p>If you are asking me what else I considered before cost elimination UVA Georgetown GWU American U<br>
Many schools in the DC or surrounding area and many northeast schools</p>
<p>You need to be able to afford your college costs. Your sample of two cousins is irrelevant to you. Maybe that second cousin is more picky about location and entry level job than the first.</p>
<p>You need to first figure out IF your parents can help you pay for college at all. If no, you will have to think of some alternative plan. I can’t believe those who don’t go to college in your town just sit at home, and eat popcorn all day. </p>
<p>Come up with a plan…surely there IS a realistic one you can pursue.</p>
<p>If you aren’t willing to put in the time and effort to ride a bike 5 miles you aren’t going to accomplish much. There is little to no cost in biking as you could probably pick up a bike on craigslist for $0 to $25. </p>
<p>This is a case of grow up and do what you have to do. No one is going to fix this for you. </p>
<p>I agree with @twoinanddone you could join the military but with your attitude I doubt you’d make it through boot camp. </p>
<p>I live in a neighborhood where a lot of kids go to Ivy league colleges. My kids go to schools that have a high % of Ivy admissions. Also , a lot of kids go to local schools. For those with no job connections from the onset, the choice of course of study and the job market is the what has the biggest impact in finding a job with a living wage.</p>
<p>But you are not looking at ivy league schools. You are trying to get to a free community college and haven’t been able to come up with a solution to that. If you and your parents cannot come up with a resolution, you will either be a house boy or couch potato, until your parents throw you out.</p>
<p>Ok a lot of helpful answers to start but seems like a few posters have began to internalize things
Military is not for me I am very smart and cunning but growing up I learned to be a 3rd parent to my siblings while my parents worked and likewise I demanded respect which they gave me
it was a great responsibility learning lesson however I also developed a strong attitude of pride and likewise I don’t have the physical fortitude nor would I likely take orders from a captain (please don’t relate this to a boss because at my internship my boss was nice and never talked down to me and as such I gave her the up most respect.)</p>
<p>Like I said during the school year with my other responsibilities there simply is not enough time for the bike thing to work
I still have 1 summer left but honestly if everything went right ( I purchased a very cheap and sturdy bike, I interviewed and go the job, I am able to hold the job for the whole summer) I might be able to make 1 thousand which probably wouldn’t even pay for half a car</p>
<p>So lets try this again with other options ( yes I know there are few)</p>
<p>Few? You know a few? How about listing them. You say you live “out in the country” with no way to get anywhere to access public transportation that will get you to college. There is noone who can give you a ride. You have no money and your parents aren’t giving you any. So what can you do when you are stuck in a house that is far away from anything? </p>
<p>If you don’t know anyone who will step in and help you, there is no solution. If you are going to school or anywhere now, I assume there is a school bus taking you back and forth or someone is driving you or the school is within walking distance or you are being home schooled. Once finished with high school, the bus option would likely be over, right? So you are stuck somewhere and no way to leave the home. I guess your parents want someone at home to take care of the house and kids. If you don’t figure something out, your parents may well have you stuck at home and you might as well clean, cook and care for the kids while you are so stuck. </p>
<p>Finding opportunities often means making contacts with others and connections, and that is something important in life. My kids walked to work–a half hour walk, when I couldn’t or wouldn’t drive them for about 2 weeks and then somehow they got rides from fellow workers, people they met, etc. My son doesn’t have a car and is not likely to get one either so he does rely on rides from others and walking.</p>
<p>Also my husband, my SIL and A LOT of people I know around here commute 1 1/2 -2 hours each way to work every single day. This is not unusual in this area. So do a lot of kids who commute to college in NYC. So if it takes getting up at 4 am even and riding the bike to a central location to find a job, then that’s what you have to do. You need to start looking at who you know that may be able to give some assistance in terms of rides and whatever. If you have zip in that area, then you are lacking in that skill and you do have a problem. </p>
<p>But, no , a car is not going to materialize from thin air, nor likely a job that pays enough for you to buy and maintain a car. If you cannot come to some resolution with your parents about this, you need to start thinking outside the box. I’m sorry you are in that situation, but you have been given due notice by them.</p>
<p>Seth…do you have any relatives who live closer to one of the community colleges who might give you lodging while you attend community college? Maybe you could barter…house work, maintenance, babysitting, yard work, in exchange for housing.</p>
<p>Cpt- I have obligations to my siblings to take care of them becuase my parents often work schedule where one sleeps while the other works and they are either very young or with severe disabilites (Cerebal Palse, Bipolar Disorder) That is what i am saying its hard enough to make time for a job if i had a car but cutting into even more time with a bike is not going to work. I’ll admit when i said few i was being optimistic but still no means no when it comes to that option just trust me i can go into family details for hours but its not going to change the bike thing. </p>
<p>Thumper- My closest Family outside of my Immediate is in Ohio and i am not even that close to them so that really isnt an option.</p>
<p>So, it seems to me that you will stay home and take care of your siblings. My feeling is that is what your parents want any ways. Makes it a lot easier for them. Take care, and good luck. </p>
<p>Any chance you could car pool with someone else…chip in for the gas costs? Surely others are commuting from the “country” to their job locations.</p>
<p>Can you carpool with one of your parents?</p>
<p>I’m sorry but all I’m hearing from you is excuses for,why you can’t do anything suggested. Start to think of things you CAN do instead if things you can NOT do. </p>
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<p>Ozarks may be LGBT-intolerant but Berea really isn’t. I believe it’s very supportive, actually. It’s Christian but a very progressive sort of Christian.</p>
<p>Re: biking, I thought we were talking about biking to school, not to work? Ideally you’d find a job at school (or in that town) so you can save to buy a car. The biking thing would be temporary, I’d think.</p>
<p>In any case, it sounds like your parents want you at home to help with your siblings. Are they OK with you going to college at all?</p>
<p>Can you explain the amount and type(s) of effort you are willing to put in to find a solution to your situation; include any specific details that come to mind such as hours per day or week you can devote to working on a solution and thoughts on people you can seek out for guidance at your school or in your community and time (if greater than zero) you want to devote to improving your test scores. What is your plan aside from asking strangers for advice on CC? What have you been doing all summer - what is a typical day like for you?</p>