<p>I have a huge, HUGE dilemma over here and you have no idea how much I would appreciate it if you guys could help me out.</p>
<p>To spare myself for the long explanation why I'm going to end up at a Community College...I'll just skip right to this:</p>
<p>I live in the Twin Cities area and the two closest CCs are MPLS CC [and tech] & Normandale CC...both are I think, well known, and very good CCs as far as I'm concerned. But my problem is that I cannot stay with my family and commute to the CC. Just because of many underlying problems like, transportation (it's awful here in MN and i dont own a car..yet...) and distractions + family problems at home which wouldn't be the ideal place to be coming home to do college work.</p>
<p>And, you know I can't be working + going to school to pay for an apartment on my own..that's just way too much for me to handle right out of HS! = college dropout :/</p>
<p>On the other hand, I was considering moving with my older sister (who's a grad. student @ WPI) in Worcester, MA ( greater Boston Area) and go to a CC there and commute, since I'm sure they have better public transportation/resources available AND it would be a better environment to be going to school in. I did a quick google search and found that "Quinsigamond Community College" is the closest one in the area..but I'm not sure if it's a good CC. I've heard that this one CC called "Middlesex CC" is quite good but i'm not sure how far it would be. Another concern of mine is that I'd have to be paying Out of State costs (OOS) since I'm not a resident of MA..not really sure what the OOS is but..after 1 year I'd claim residency, right? I feel like the pros of moving to MA for a CC outweigh its costs...</p>
<p>So what would you suggest or recommend for me to do? I'd highly appreciate some responses/answers.</p>
<p>I’m not sure you’ll be able to “claim residency” after one year of going to the community college in a state where your parents do not reside. In some places this is possible and in others it simply is NOT. You need to check that. You WILL be paying out of state rates when you enroll. At some places this means you pay OOS until you complete your program there.</p>
<p>@thumper1: thanks for the response; I’ll check if it’s possible for me to claim residency where my parents don’t live…i never thought of it like that…thanks for pointing it out.</p>
<p>But overall which option makes more seems like the better choice?</p>
<p>Is your sister actually in the position financially to support you? Unless she offered or your parents are helping her out, this seems like a kind of selfish thing to assume of a student in their twenties.</p>
<p>^ @ ginab591: Not really, I wouldn’t obligate her to pay for my expenses…i can take care of that. My parents(s) might help. She has her own apartment + job anyway.</p>
<p>honestly, i think i could live off of $200 a month…</p>
<p>But does she have room for you/money to feed you? I just think she should agree to this before you make it part of your plan.</p>
<p>Personally I know I would treat my sister as more of an equal than a child and expect some kind of financial contribution for her unless I was completely financially stable, which very few grad student are.</p>
<p>In states that will allow you to establish residency, you typically have to prove you are self supporting and you did not move there for the purpose of going to school. You need to see if MA allows this, but it would mean moving there and working for a year without going to school.</p>
<p>@ginab591 & 2college2college: I will definitely go check up/look up MA’s residency laws…I’ll also try to sit down and talk to my couselor again/…i mentioned about this to him briefly but i didn’t elaborate too much.</p>
<p>If you lived with a relative and went to Quinsigamond CC and took 12 credits in the fall and 12 credits in the spring, annual tuition would be about 4 368 in the fall and 4 368 in the spring, 8800/year. More if you took 15 credits/semester. That is pretty expensive for community college tuition.</p>
<ol>
<li>How much money is available to fund your education?</li>
<li>What are your hard stats (SAT/ACT, GPA, rank)?</li>
<li>What is your EFC?
3a. Are you eligible for Pell Grants?</li>
</ol>
<p>@Midwest2momkids: Itasca is kind of far…and as a back up they don’t even have an guaranteed transfer agreement with the U of MN (only for the Twin Cities + Metro area). I’m still looking into going to schools in wisconsin… but thank you! and yes, QCC is pretty expensive…wow…i know that at MPLS CC it’s like, around $7000 something a year …everything included…</p>
<p>@noimagination: 1.) $0? my dad doesn’t contribute a penny to our household even though he has money (doesnt live in the country)…and my mom (single parent; but still married) says, “hell no, I’m not paying for anything! whatchu talking about?” haha. I suppose she expects me to get big scholarships to fund my way through college…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Not good…school is pretty competitive SAT- 1750, ACT-25, GPA: 2.7,</p></li>
<li><p>I think it’s 0…i’m still not sure what my EFC is b/c i haven’t fill out my FAFSA yet. But my mom’s income is around 50k-60k.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you qualify for a Pell Grant, then you would earn a University of Minnesota Promise Scholarship worth full tuition at any UofM campus. TC and Morris are probably both out of reach given your GPA, but the Duluth or Crookston campuses might be possible if you apply soon.</p>
<p>^ my rank used to be top 25% then it dropped…and now i’m barely in the top 50%…actually a little below …more like the top of the bottom 50%…it’s competitive with GPA standings.I know, I know I’m a failure. But I’m determined to make all my wrongs a right once again. I know, I dug a pretty big hole for myself. Now i’m feeling it. You have NO idea how much i regret this. It’s okay though… </p>
<p>I think it’s possible i may be qualified…i’ll read through that again and come back to you…</p>
<p>Yeah, take a look at that information. Need-based aid through your in-state schools would probably be the best option.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t qualify for the U-Promise scholarship, there are some other need- and merit-based programs in Minnesota that might be workable for you. It would help if you could get into the top 50%, but that is not essential.</p>
<p>Regardless, you need to apply very soon. You can always turn down an admissions offer in the spring if the finances don’t work, but you may miss out on some valuable opportunities if you wait much longer. December 15th seems to be a common priority deadline, so you have about two weeks to get things together.</p>
<p>^ definitely! btw, the MN state schools work on a rolling basis…but still…i will try my best to put my self together! it’s just that the way i feel is that i have this “why bother, i’m going to get rejected anyway mentality why should i waste money?” (nope, im not cheap! haha).</p>
<p>I know the U of MN (TC)is a reach…i even withdrew my app …I had a fee waiver though ($50!) b/c i went to one of their workshops! The U is pretty nice though.</p>
<p>I was thinking about majoring in Econ + finance ( but finance would be my actual major) w/ a minor in accounting. Hby?</p>
<p>The decisions may be rolling, but I think it is probably to your advantage to apply before the priority dates especially given that your stats are perhaps a tad borderline.</p>
<p>You can certainly apply to TC. I just wouldn’t get your hopes too high.</p>
<p>I see no reason why you can’t at least be admitted to some of the other MN state schools. The money may or may not work out, but that’s a somewhat separate issue.</p>
<p>As far as majors go, I think there might be a slight advantage to accounting over finance at relatively less prestigious schools. Still, all three of your choices are very solid and I don’t think you need to decide that for certain now.</p>
<p>So, to sum up what needs to get done:</p>
<ol>
<li>Try to get a firm handle on your EFC, Pell eligibility, and general financial situation.</li>
<li>Pick out some of your state schools and get in applications.</li>
<li>Maybe think a little bit about how you can improve your home situation if you ended up stuck at a CC in MSP.</li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with noimagination, get your application completed for TCs. Usually the date for ALL the materials to in is med December. The College of Lib Arts has a separate page for scholarships so don’t forget to fill that out. I would think with your ACT you would be able to get into Duluth and Morris. If you are at all interested in life sciences you should check out the new Rochester campus.</p>
<p>And… If you were in my family, I’d have you put in an application to Simpson College which is just outside of Des Moines. They really want students that aren’t from Iowa and really want some students with a wider world view. My niece whose ACT was in the bottom 25% got a really nice financial aid package from them. The college is associated with the Methodist church but they are not evangelical at all. ashttp://simpson.edu/admissions/academics/majors.html</p>
<p>When you say that your dad lives out of the country, are your parents separated? If yes, only your mother’s income is reported on FAFSA. If your parents are still happily married but just not able to share a home, then both parents income is needed. (I am not a financial aid expert so double check this.)</p>
<p>noimagination: thank you so much for letting me know about pell grants! i AM going to apply for it…i am eligible :)</p>
<p>@twomules: thank you for the links…they were helpful…im definitely going to appl for as many scholarships as i can (that im eligible for ).</p>
<p>btw, twomules (or anyone else) i was thinking about attending MNSU-Mankato if I got in. Do you know anything about that school? I plan on transferring out after 1-2 years of course… The only thing i know about it is that it’s a huge party school! haha. But i don;t know if i’d be better off attending a state school or a CC…help please :(</p>
It’s okay though… </p>
btw, the MN state schools work on a rolling basis…but still…i will try my best to put my self together! it’s just that the way i feel is that i have this “why bother, i’m going to get rejected anyway mentality why should i waste money?” (nope, im not cheap! haha).</p>