Hey all!
I don’t want my summer go wasted, and it’s almost the time for college applications.
I’m rising senior, class of 2016
To begin this…there is absolutely NO WAY for my family to pay for college. in fact we are on the edge of bankruptcy.
I understand resources are limited, and I’m doing only this OUT OF DESPERATION
I did some research, browsed through some websites, but nothing so far seems to work?
for instance, websites like fastweb… how likely am I going to get scholarships from those nation-wide websites?
Is there a way for which I can just ASK for scholarships from big foundations or even local organizations? (I know this sounds desperate…)
I tried to find some local scholarship sponors but most were insanely specific… for ex yesterday I saw scholarships for devoted Christian and children of war vets… and i was like -___- I’m an atheist immigrant child…
here is little background about me:
Moved here when I was 10… now 17… yet to be naturalized as a citizen (probably will go for the naturalization once I turn 18)… I don’t do sports at school… have spent weekends working and summers working to help pay off debts…Don’t have anyone in family with influences… parents never graduated middle school due to poverty… only thing I have to my advantage right now is my grades? I do have straight As… 4.83 GPA, 4.0 unweighted… that’s about it (sigh)…I’ve once worked as a manager in a Chinese buffet… but for most time I work as either waiter or host (one bring u to seat and ask for drinks)…ik!! super technical… it gets trickier when you have to memorize the all 10 drinks!
Honestly…if i can’t get funds…i will probably drop out and start idk working in restaurant for couple years… save up and start a business or something…
and trust me…this is the LAST THING I take.
PLEASE ADVISE ME!!!..
please bear with me… the grammar is just horrendous…
Break is over now…dinner is about to start
I want to major in chemistry and biology, and work my way towards MED school.
Have you taken the ACT or SAT? If so, what were your scores?
@undeuxtroiscat I took the june 6th one… my range should be around 2000? will take it again this October, hoping for 2100+
You need to look at these threads, particularly the Automatic Full Tuition and Very Low Cost OOS threads.
It’s best to have an actual score in hand, but your estimate will have to do. I would suggest trying the ACT as well.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html#latest
I highly doubt ‘asking’ foundations and corporations for scholarships would work out. That’s not how it works
@madison85 psat from junior year was around 1800…
Family income is less than 30k a year with monthly debts and mortgage
Do you qualify for Gates Millenium? Also consider Questbridge.
also taking 7 APs next year (mostly science courses…so pretty sure will ace them with As)…
@madison85 thanks! will check it out…never heard of em
@undeuxtroiscat thanks for the link! wil check it out
@undeuxtroiscat North Carolina…forgot to mention sorry…
was aiming for fullrdie at Chapel Hill
@undeuxtroiscat no! thanks so much
@Madison85 and @undeuxtroiscat thank yall soooo much!!! These links all seem promising…although I know there are a lot of competitors…but worth a shot!
UNC Chapel-Hill meets 100% of need and has a good acceptance rate for in-state applicants (53% last fall). It’s a Questbridge school, but whether you apply through QB or not, your need will be met without loans. However, the QB app does help in the sense that the essay prompts/questions allow you to share your story more in depth, which if done properly will increase your odds of getting in. Plus, many QB partner schools will accept it in place of the Common App (won’t need to submit 2x), giving you more options. Yes, getting into most QB schools is uber competitive, but if you do well on your SAT and write well-crafted essays, UNC should be a match for you as an in-state student. You’ll be fine. 
You can estimate your aid here: https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/unc
I bet they’ll give you an affordable package.
Okay, take a deep breath. Do you have any local state colleges? Those are generally pretty inexpensive (especially if you can live at home) and tend to offer scholarships as well. Is community college for a couple of years an option ? Some states offer free associates degrees now. You can transfer your credits to a regular 4-year school afterwards.
You could get a job at a company that offers tuition reimbursement, lots of companies do. Not an easy thing to do, but you sound bright and it’s something to think about. You may not be able to attend your"dream college", but there’s something to be said for getting a degree without any debt.
Finally, have you considered the military ? Even if you’re not interested in active duty, you could go National Guard or Reserves, they’d help you with your naturalization and of course you’ll get the GI Bill to help you pay for college.
^ Transfer students usually get poor aid. There’s no need for the OP to attend a community college when he/she has an instate option (which just happens to be his/her 1st choice) that will very likely accept him/her and surely meet his/her need.