<p>Paintgirl, how on earth would net expenses total around $12600 to go to community college in Virginia when you have a place you can stay? With PELL, Virginia’s state grants, and loans, it should be a wash. Maybe not even have to take out all those loans. W&M is a fantastic school, way up there in national ratings. TO go there at state prices, again as a commuter, would be such a luxury. You don’t want to live there because you don’t like the living situation? Given your predicament, that is your best choice. </p>
<p>You have the gap that your ideal choice would need you to cover. You have better alternatives than most students do. If you can somehow come up with the money to go away to school, then, fine. Remember you will have to do this each year, and you will be living right on the edge financially that way. With that option you have available, I don’t think friend, family members, charity groups, organizations are about to ante up anything for you to get to go to some private school. You are in the clover, compared to where many find themselves when such a tragedy occurs to the primary parent. </p>
<p>You could go to community college, get a job as, say, a nurse, nurse’s assistant, or paramedic, and build up some income from there. Then, once you have steady income, you can apply again and fill in the gap.</p>
<p>Essay…to do what you are suggesting, the student would need to take the requisite training courses for either a CNA or paramedic. </p>
<p>If the OP is interested in CNA training, there could be an inexpensive short course available at a community college that would all but guarantee a job upon completion. In my area those classes are even free in some cases.</p>
<p>I have two grandmothers. One lives in williamsburg and the other lives in petersburg. The one in peterburg has no room in her home, not to mention she smokes and so do my uncles that live with her. I am not a smoker and am not putting my health in jeopardy. As for the one in williamsburg, the guaranteed admissions program comes with benefits: going to a state school at community college price for tuition. Not interested in being a CNA. I help my grandmother in williamsburg with those duties because it is needed for her. But I don’t see myself doing that for a long amount of time. Especially for handicapped persons who are required to have two nurses instead of one lifting and carrying the person. My grandmother is a two nurse patient. She is obese, if I can’t lift her including her trolley, then that exhaustive work if I am doing that all day is going to be bad for someone like me with a terrible back and bad ankles and knees. I can do a job standing long hours (10+) but if it is excessive lifting and carrying, I can’t do it. If anything, I wouldn’t mind being a phlebotomist for a couple of years to help pay for school and get my hands on experience but I am going for the ultimate goal.But I won’t put off going to school. </p>
<p>I agree with Dragonfly, I think the military would be an excellent option for you. Not only because of paid employment, but you can make a long term plan to serve, use your GI bill for college, and then apply to the Uniformed Services of Health Sciences (USUHS) for medical school, if that’s still your goal after graduating from college. It will take longer than going to community college and then transferring, but you will get lots of great benefits, steady pay, healthcare, housing, and if you get into the medical school, your entire education from start to finish would be ‘free’. Google it, do some research, and explore some other options. </p>
<p>With back, knee, and ankle issues, military service may well be out.</p>
<p>“If anything, I wouldn’t mind being a phlebotomist for a couple of years to help pay for school and get my hands on experience but I am going for the ultimate goal.But I won’t put off going to school.”</p>
<p>That could work. The training for that is usually pretty quick.</p>
<p>paintgirl417 glad you are starting to think of some workable solutions.</p>
<p>Keeping the GPA high has been a theme with poster; they are correct.</p>
<p>Try, try to continue school with very little debt. I just talked to my optometrist today. He went into his graduate degree with no debt. His wife worked as registrar at the school, so his graduate school was half price; he still borrowed $85,000 to finish his degree. On a 10 year payment plan, it was $1300 a month payments. That is why you hear of people paying forever on their student loans.</p>
<p>The military option is closing off with reduced funding and funding cuts. Some ROTC programs are only taking students studying engineering. We are waiting right now about DD’s selection for summer training and if so, if she is going to get the full package offered or something less…</p>