<p>You have all been very helpful. Thank you!</p>
<p>Thefool, your advice and offer to help me to edit my essays is the most kind and I truly appreciate it but luckily this is the one thing I have covered. One of my best friends has a mother who is very capable at helping with these kinds of things and she has promised to help also me. Also her big brother, who will be a senior in very selective college this year, has promised to read not only my friends essays but also mine and give feedback. </p>
<p>I will be careful with the first generation thing. I will certainly not want to be dishonest. Though I dont even really know for sure, if my paternal grandparents have been in college, it is just something my biological farther told my mother and he is not the most trustworthy person there is. I have never met them and neither has my mother and I have a very limited contact with my biological farther. He has major issues and I dont even want him to be part of my life. My step dad has been my real dad as long as I can remember.</p>
<p>It seems that this may be that one time when it may actually help that we had to take big investment loans for the farm. The debt makes our income very small at the moment but it was needed to keep farm running in the long term. Of course having much debt also makes our farm worth much less than it would be if it was debt free which could help me in the FA department.</p>
<p>As for giving up my dreams, it is not something Im ready to do. It is just so, that I try to keep open eyes for all kinds of possibilities. My mother thinks I should try to go college as cheaply as possible, study the things Im most interested in (science) and use that time also to think what I want to do after college. She thinks I know so little about different types of professions and options that I should take my time to learn and decide after that, what I will want to do. She thinks that I basically know three different professions for the more highly educated people, a doctor, a lawyer and a teacher and that is why I cant yet make a well educated decision about what I want to do when I grow up. I dont totally agree with her but I have to admit that there have been times in the past when she has known better than I what would be good for me or what I will like or dislike. </p>
<p>Anyway, this thread has been very helpful for me. I will certainly try the QuestBridge program. I will also apply to wide selection of colleges and hope I will be accepted to some that give exceptional financial aid or merit money to someone like me. I was able to get fee waivers for SATs so I think I will be able to get them for college applications also, which would help a lot. If everything else fails our state flagship really is one of the cheapest schools and Im sure that I will be accepted and I will probably also get at least some aid or scholarships so it will be possible for me to go. And while it is a tier three school, Im sure I can get the education I need also in there. </p>
<p>For privacy reasons Im not comfortable telling my exact state, but it is other of the Dakotas. So at least I think I will be underrepresented applicant in almost all schools which could help. </p>
<p>Thank you all for being so kind and helpful for me.</p>