@happymomof1
I’m doing the most I can for the moment, but I have noticed myself gaining more responsibility as I continue in my current positions. The therapy center and the goat farm are giving me as much as they can offer, but I feel like I’m progressing rather than stagnating, and so I believe that although they can’t provide me a permanent position, I am gaining worth while experience in the long run.
@“aunt bea”
I informed many colleges about my disability when I applied. None can offer me transportation through their disability services office. There is one private liberal arts college located in Wilmore, Kentucky who would be able to take me to and from their campus farm though, but this service is available to all students.
@MYOS1634
Transportation isn’t available from any university’s student disability services to which I applied, but they will be able to offer me other services such as enlarged textbooks. Lexington is far closer than Cincinnati. In fact, Cincinnati is twice as far. Even if Cincinnati was closer, they still don’t offer animal science or anything agriculture related. As stated before, the disability service’s office can not assist with transportation in any way, but there is one college outside Lexington which could bring me to and from their farm. Campbellsville University didn’t award me a full tuition scholarship however, the scholarships I was awarded equaled their tuition, making it free. Seeing as biology and animal science are so different, it appears I should look for another college. The other university I mentioned earlier has left their offer open. Their aid would leave me close to $10,000 in debt per year, but they are offering me a loan repayment assistance program which would reimburse me each fiscal quarter. Would it be worth the cost? My parents refuse to help because they want to teach me financial responsibility. They also have three children left to raise, and paying such a high price for college would make their life more difficult than it already is.
You have two volunteer positions right now. Clearly your transportation issues aren’t impossible because you are getting to these two places. These positions could fill up your gap year while continuing to give you credible career-related experience. Especially if you can take on increasing responsibility at one or both. In your spare time, you can study independently topics related to your career goals, and apply to places that are affordable and offer your major. You also can work on building your confidence about travel so that out-of-state options don’t appear so difficult to you.
$10,000 each year in debt is more than you should be taking on for a major like Animal Science that doesn’t guarantee a well-paying job right out of college. You already have some sense of the potential difficulty in landing a permanent job in your field. Imagine trying to do that with debt hanging over your head.
You qualify for essentially a full ride at Prairie View A&M. Contact them today, and find out if it is too late to apply. The scholarship is not for gap year students. https://www.pvamu.edu/faid/types-of-aid/scholarships/university-scholarships/ They have Animal Science https://www.pvamu.edu/cahs/department/agriculture/
University of Arizona has an excellent scholarship you’d qualify for, but the date looks to be passed: http://financialaid.arizona.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/freshman-transfer
Several Animal Science options including Equine Studies http://www.arizona.edu/majors
Check the rest of the Automatic Scholarship list here: Start at post #57 for the most recently updated list of links. Some will still take applications if you communicate with them and ask.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21089443/#Comment_21089443
As a student with a disability, you should talk to your state’s vocational rehabilitation program. They may pay your tuition.
Vocational rehabilitation is a program that helps keep disabled people off of welfare programs and in the workforce. The federal government block-grants it to the states to spend as they like on education for the disabled. Because it’s block granted, you need to see what is offered in your particular state.
This is also what I was going to suggest. ^^^ If the school doesn’t provide the transportation, then have the State help you. We pay taxes for these services. So do your parents!
You need to make your disability known so that you can access what your parents have been paying in taxes all of these years. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to use the service! =D>
I have checked with the Kentucky Office for the Blind, and they can’t pay my tuition. I’m eligible for $6,200 plus assistance with textbooks, but it’s still not enough to drive down the price for the other college in Wilmore. I’d be left with $1,971 in out-of-pocket expenses. I don’t qualify for anything from the vocational rehabilitation office because they do not assist people with low vision. I’d need another disability in order to qualify. I’m trying to find more assistance, but I’m not finding it. I didn’t even qualify for Social Security because I’m not considered legally blind. I feel like my only option is to enroll at Campbellsville University and survive through a biology major hoping that future employers will see past the irrelevant major when applying for a position in agriculture. I can either do that, or take on $28,000 to $32,000 in debt and follow my passion.
$1,971 in out of pocket expenses is very low, and you could easily cover that within the 5500 federal student loan limit for freshmen if you wanted to. However, it would be good to talk through our career options with someone since you sound undecided on a major.
Is there a career guidance counselor available through the Office for the Blind? Since your parents are already refusing to support you financially, it is very important that you spend that tuition grant in such a way that you can support yourself afterwards.
Does the other college that’d cost $1,971 include room&board? Does it offer your major?
The other college is $1,971 after the $5,500 in federal direct loans. They offer the major in which I’m most interested, and the price does include room and board. One extra factor to consider is their mandatory study abroad requirement which may or may not increase my debt. From a basic calculation, I’d have a total of $27,000 in federal direct loans and $2,884 in a Kentucky Advantage Loan given the cost of attendence and finanical remain the same across four years. I should note that animal science is not the most high earning field. An entry level salary is around $32,000, but the pay depends on several factors such as the individual farm and overall economic performance.
@SolarGoat - This serious money issue that you are facing is why I think you should check the Automatic Full Tuition and Full Ride list that I posted earlier. There are a number of places where your GPA and test score would qualify you for a full ride, and that offer the major you want. Yes, you would have to leave your current comfort zone, but you are going to need to do that anyway unless one of the places where you currently are helping out can come up with a permanent full-time job for you.
Call each of the full-ride places that you have the stats for. Ask if they would accept a late application from a qualified student. If they say yes, send it in. If they say no, ask about application dates for next year. Then think long and hard about a gap year. The university that you are currently pre-enrolled for doesn’t offer your major, and by your own admission doesn’t appear to have strong contacts in the industry you want to work in. You don’t owe them your attendance at all. Especially when there are better options out there for you.
Checking out the full tuition list: Texas State has an agriculture school with an animal science major. If you can get the automatic scholarship, the out of state tuition upcharge is waived. They are also in the NACAC space available list so they might be one to call.
Why would I apply to an out-of-state university if I’m getting my tuition waived and nothing more? It would leave me in worse debt than if I were to attend any university in Kentucky. Even without out-of-state, the cost of attendence is $23,770. I qualify for no grant aid, and so I would still be paying $23,770 a year, or $93,480. Borrowing close to six figures in debt is worse than borrowing than $29,884.
So there’s a scholarship on top of the out of state waiver, but you’re right it looks like your option on post 27 is better.
I know you love your volunteer job, but you may need to work for money to reduce your college debt.
There is one college whose offer would pay for everything, but I rejected their offer because they are located four hours away from home. I also wasn’t able to get along with the students I met while there. They do have a strong animal science program though. They required their financial aid offers to be accepted by May 1st. Do you think I should see if they would let me attend and accept their offering after first rejecting it?
Yes! Contact them and ask. If they don’t have space for you this fall, ask about second semester or next year.