Emancipation or other options

Paying for College
81

<p>I’m going to punt here. Your only choice is to find a job in some city and rent a room in someone’s home for a low cost. It will get you out of your town, and on your own. You probably won’t have a fancy lifestyle or lots of extra money, but you will be away from your home. </p>

<p>Do this until you are 24 years of age. You will then be eligible for need based financial aid without parent information. Maybe your income will support you taking a course here and there at a community college, or online. </p>

82

<p>OP, have you talked to your parents about what they want you to do, or what they expect you to do after graduation? If you can’t have an honest discussion with your parents, I think you are stuck. No stranger here on the internet is going to be able to solve your problems. Only you can solve your problems - it’s just going to take some effort and initiative. </p>

<p>My last advice to you (with all the limitations you’ve put on other solutions) is to wait until you graduate from HS and turn 18 and then leave home. If you need help, please go see your HS counsellor. Don’t tell me that she won’t help - you haven’t tried. Explain your situation. If she doesn’t help, go to a local pastor. Two of my foster kids were in similar situations to you - one was an immigrant kid kicked out of his father’s house because his new step-mother didn’t want him; the other was gay and kicked out because his father couldn’t handle it. Both of them lived with my family for a few months, finished HS, got jobs, went to CC and are now self-sufficient adults with good jobs and happy lives. </p>

83

<p>How can he leave home after high school graduation? Who will give him a ride and some money?</p>

84

<p>Either he figures out something himself, or he stays at home and watches his sibling and takes care of the house full time. His parents will be relieved to have a full time house and caretaker. </p>

<p>IMO, the OP should just do this for a while until he figures a way out Yes, there are ways. Involves some help from others All of this experience caretaking, he is likely to find someone looking for an au paar type arrangement near the CC and he could work something out that way. Those who have family members needing a lot of care and many with disabilities need caretakers just as OP’s parents do. OP can work out some part time deal for live care. I can come up with other ideas too, but they really have to come from the OP and he has to be truly motivated to make this work. There is no incentive to his parents to lose this arrangement, as they have clearly convinced themselves that until their son figures it out on his own, he might as well be serving the family. </p>

85

<p>Well i have been saving for quite a while (with no job there really isnt much) but since Tennessee gives free cc starting next year would it be worth it to take all of that (only 1500$) and buy a car (can i buy one with that little). I have thought about doing this but that would leave me with nothing for books and other necessities but it might allow me to find a job (but if i buy one that cheap i am scared that it might break down at which point i couldnt pay for repairs) plus i am not sure how i would cover insurance</p>

86

<p>You can use the ideas above that work for you to earn more money all of next year (which might put you at a grand total of $2500) then buy a car. Take a gap year and work full time then move to Tennessee and be very strict with your budget and continue working to afford books. Do you know what room and board would be?</p>

<p>Have you seen this list? <a href=“http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/”>http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Alabama State University is the easiest to get a full ride from, then you wouldn’t even need to take a gap year. Their deadline is coming up though, July 31.</p>

87

<p>@206377 However, @Sethm2015 has a 27 ACT is not going to retake it.</p>

88

<p>@206377, is the deadline July 31? All I see is a December 15 deadline. Have we missed something major?</p>

89

<p>He can still go to:
Troy with full tuition
Tuskegee with full tuition+books
Alabama State University with a full ride, or if he raised his ACT by one point he would get a full ride+$1,200 pocket money every year (Suck it up and retake it, that ~5 thousand would be a huge weight off your shoulders)
UArkansas with full tuition+room
Howard with full tuition
Florida A&M with full tuition+fees
Prairie View A&M University with a full ride</p>

<p>There is also a GPA requirement for all these schools, but if you have a 27 ACT, you probably still qualify. Their application deadlines are sooner than most schools so you should apply ASAP.</p>

90

<p>@206377 The OP has taken it 3 times, and the first time was the highest score. It was been suggested more than once that he retake it but he won’t. There are many good suggestions for the OP that he is not interested in pursuing or cannot, due to circumstances beyond his control.</p>

91

<p>Frankly, I don’t see how many of these ideas are going to get you to college. The bicycle idea has merit until it becomes February and you get snow and ice. Then what?</p>

<p>Here’s what I’d recommend, and it’s a crazy idea, but I’ve suggested it before. I don’t know if anyone has followed through on it. </p>

<p>Go to Harvard! Seriously. </p>

<p>Pass your driving test, pack a bag, take enough money to hitch a ride to the Greyhound station and buy a one-way ticket to Boston. Find a job, any job, that pays you enough money to live indoors. Get settled. Make sure it’s a day job. Drive a taxi if you must. Drive days though. You are going to need your nights. </p>

<p>The Harvard Extension School is a branch of Harvard for non-traditional students. </p>

<p>extension.harvard.edu</p>

<p>Most of the classes are at night. If you study liberal arts, the undergrad classes are about around $1000 each. There are some small fees too every semester for registration. That’s going to cost less than $40,000 for a whole degree. The extension school is very high quality and sends many students to law school. I think you can even use student loans if you take at least 2 courses, for this but I’m not sure. </p>

<p>To get admitted, you need to take 3 courses including Expository Writing and get certain grades. All of the sections of the required expository writing class fill up on the first day of registration. </p>

<p>Then you are admitted. The school itself is quite demanding, but it really caters to working adults. Become one. It might take you 6 years or more to get your undergrad, but you will have attained an excellent education, and will be self-sufficient. Hopefully you can get admitted to law school at that point. </p>

<p>There may be other schools and situations with similar programs, though I don’t know if they are as inexpensive. Perhaps look into them in a warmer climate. </p>

<p>It’s risky. You will grow up fast. Indeed, it starts to get chilly around here in October, and you’d better be living indoors by November. </p>

<p>But perhaps you can be creative and find a way to make it work for you. </p>

<p>Nothing is THAT risky if you already have nothing. </p>

92

<p>206- I will look into those a bit more although i have already checked most of those out and thanks for compiling that
madison- There are few suggestions which have been good many simply dont work and then there are a few which have and i will explore
Classic- Honestly i have never heard of that before i will have to do some research there but i will definitely look through it.</p>

93

<p>@Seth2015 I like @OHMom2 's suggestion of Berea College which appears to be LGBT friendly (although it doesn’t appeal to you because of the Christian atmosphere?) and offers free tuition to all admitted students. </p>

94

<p>Well like you picked up on I prefer non Christian colleges (though I commend them for being lgbt accepting)
Also mentioned earlier in the thread were reputation and rural vs city</p>

95

<p>If you are determined to go to college, I’m sure you can make it happen. You have choices and options. You are not helpless. It may not be easy, and it may not be the path that you always envisioned, but it can happen. Just keep moving forward and quit making excuses. Take a few of the suggestions here - or talk to your school counsellor and come up with other ideas - and go for it. I will be very interested to hear from you a year from now!</p>

96

<p>@mdcmom‌
“Your application, deposit, transcript, and ACT/SAT scores must be received by the Office of Admissions & Recruitment no later than May 10th for Summer Semester and July 30th for Fall Semester.”
<a href=“Undergraduate Admissions | Alabama State University”>http://www.alasu.edu/admissions/undergrad-admissions/index.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

97

<p>IDK why you think Berea is some kind of step down from UT?</p>

<p><a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/berea-college-1955”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/berea-college-1955&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>USNWR rank 76 in country of National LACs, 31% accept rate, yield is off the charts. Plus all kinds of accolades like Kiplinger’s best value college - over Amherst, Yale and Harvard.<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/college/T014-S001-10-best-values-in-private-colleges-under-20k/”>http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/college/T014-S001-10-best-values-in-private-colleges-under-20k/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>OK, off my Berea soapbox.</p>

98

<p>@206377 Thanks! I was looking at University of Alabama, where we have interest, instead of Alabama State. My bad.</p>

99

<p>I will give Berea another look honestly aside from being rural i like the northern factor (a lot of more affordable schools are in the south). Either way thanks for the information</p>