<p>Also, I can really empathize with your situation. For financial and other reasons, I actually did start my undergraduate education at a community college.</p>
<p>The good news is that community college can be a worthwhile experience. For me, it was actually the high point of the years spent obtaining my (first) Bachelor's degree. It's the last two years, not the first two, which really become problematic when there are financial constraints. There usually aren't any truly cheap options for these years.</p>
<p>Do your parents realize that a lot of scholarships are only available to incoming first-year students? If you have or can get such a scholarship, it might be penny-wise and pound-foolish to go to community college. It might save more to lock in the scholarship now while it's offered, making it available for all four years, than it would save to attend community college but have to pay full price for the remaining two years.</p>
<p>Even if you have to start at community college, there are universities where the last two years are reasonably priced. Such schools may be your in-state public universities. If your in-state public universities aren't a good option for you, there are other relatively affordable options. States vary widely in how much of a surcharge they assess OOS students relative to in-state students. For example, the University of Minnesota only charges OOS students $4,000 more per year than in-state residents. The State University of New York system has relatively low OOS tuition, even after a recent 20% increase. (If you are in fact in NYS, this is a moot point...) You could even attend university in Canada. International tuition at Canadian universities is often lower than OOS tuition at US universities of a comparable quality.</p>
<p>You could also initially attend a four-year university which is cheap enough that you don't need any financial assistance from your parents. For example, you could go to your local "directional" school. "Directional" public universities are often significantly cheaper than flagship public universities. As noted above, you could also go to a university which offers substantial merit aid.</p>
<p>Then, you can transfer to the university you really want to be at for the final two years. As a result, the number of years for which you have to pay for this university is reduced from four years to two years. This may make it possible to attend a university which you couldn't have afforded for all four years, at least without taking on excessive debt. The advantage of this approach is that you at least get two years at the university you really want to be at. Also, your diploma is from this university. This might be a preferable outcome compared to spending all four years in an environment you don't enjoy as much and then having a diploma from a less prestigious university.</p>
<p>Despite your financial constraints, it's critical not to attend a university which is a poor fit. It's easy to blindly apply to one's in-state public universities without ensuring they're a good fit first, on the assumption that one cannot afford anything else. (An incorrect assumption, for the reasons noted above.) It's easy to think that because a university is all one can afford, it's better than nothing. This isn't necessarily the case. If you attend a university which is a poor fit and earn a low GPA as a result, you're in worse shape than before you started. Also, the net amount of personal growth in an environment which is a poor fit can be negative.</p>
<p>Good luck! Your situation may not be an easy one, but there are solutions.</p>