<p>hi, new poster here, stumbled upon this website looking about more information on ROTC scholarships</p>
<p>long story short, i cant really take anymore credits in my community college (will be hitting about 80 in fall 2008) and i finally have to transfer to a university, i decided on UIC, Loyola, or possibly U of I (illinois), the thing is my dad had a work injury which basically paralyzed him for over a year (the employers refused to give him workmans comp, we faught for it but its nearly impossible to win) and they had to file for bankruptcy</p>
<p>now i think my ability to get student loans is out, none of my relatives would want to cosign with so i think im runnning out of options, do you guys have any ideas?</p>
<p>in the fall i was planning to get a CNA, that way i can just take care of the elderly from Sat morning-sunday morning, so i can rack up 40~ hours a week of income just for a weekend of work so it doesnt affect my schooling, but with an apartment, classes, food, even then it wont be enough</p>
<p>what would your EFC be if you submitted the Fafsa. are you eligible for Pell or other grants?? Did you talk to the FA office of the schools you want to apply to? You will certainly be able to get at least a stafford loan (I assume you will be a junior so that will be 5500).</p>
<p>[FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://WWW.Finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://WWW.Finaid.org) Start reading</p>
<p>Marc, as Sueinphilly said, you need to run numbers though FAFSA to see if you are eligible for federal money. Also need to talk to your counselor and see what experience they have had with kids transferring to 4 year schools in terms of admissions as well as financial aid. You would be eligible for the $5500 in unsubsidized Stafford, in any case. </p>
<p>The other alternative, is to continue current living arrangement and look for a state school in your area where you can continue to go to school. A lot of kids do that here. Many work part time and go to school part time so that it takes longer, but they can pay for their own education. There are some companies, like Circuit City, to name one, that will reimburse tuition for a course or two if you do well in it. They may be worth researching. Also if you work for your CNA, you may want to do it without your own apartment. Saving on rent may be the answer.</p>
<p>Marc936 -</p>
<p>If you must work to support yourself, look at distance ed programs. One that may work for you (depending on your major field) is Ashford University (<a href=“http://www.ashford.edu)%5B/url%5D”>www.ashford.edu)</a>. The physical campus is in Clinton, Iowa which is about two hours west of Chicago on the Mississippi River. Ashford will accept up to 90 (yes, ninety) transfer credits. My sister graduated last month with a B.A. in Elementary Ed. She was one of about 40 students who had completed her degree entirely on the campus. There were about 200 more at that graduation ceremony who had earned a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree through the distance ed. programs!</p>
<p>You are in a tough situation. I wish you all the very best.</p>
<p>my parents make too much altogether to receive an financial aid since my dad was able to get surgery and started working again last year</p>
<p>i would stay at home and commute to UIC/Loyola, it is just that my sister is a screw up (she has a kid, and a husband, yet still lives at home ***?) i really dont want to be a burden on my parents by them paying the extra load of me staying at home, along with my neice, sis, and husband, this place is small enough as it is, so im just trying to find other ways besides staying at home to pay for college</p>
<p>and for the distant learning college, idk, i was planning to go to UIC since their biochemistry department is really good</p>
<p>might i add one more thing, uhh my gpa isnt too high, i got really depressed after my family had the whole financial problems and my dad not being able to walk that my GPA is pretty shot, i originally went to ISU for a semester, but never went to class and just sulked in my dorm the entire time that my GPA plummeted to a 1.1, i went back home and took community college and got mostly A’s and a few B’s (1 C though, my calculus teacher refused to give me a measly point out of 700 to bring me up to a B), but even then my GPA is still a 2.78</p>
<p>marc – I honestly think you already know the answer to your question. Since you don’t qualify for FA or scholarship money, you are going to have to figure out a way to pay for college. That may mean working and saving money, that may mean working while attending college part-time, and it may include some small loans.</p>
<p>You would be foolish to borrow huge sums of money to attend college – have you had to borrow any money these past years? You will be independent once you turn 24 and will be eligible to qualify for FA without your parent’s information.</p>
<p>You are eligible to borrow money without qualifying for FA – you will still need to file the FAFSA and I believe the amount is limited to $5500/yr (may be less – not sure, depending on your dependency status, etc)</p>
<p>Hopefully you can figure out a way to make it work – but taking out large loans is not the best idea. You would be better off to stay living with your family, as much as you don’t want to, than borrowing a ton of money to get out of the house.</p>
<p>When you apply to transfer, your most recent grades are the most important. In other words, your “mostly A’s and a few B’s” at your community college are what the colleges will be looking at rather than that really bad semester at ISU (even though you will have to submit a copy of that ugly ISU transcript as well as one of the really nice community college one).</p>
<p>If you really, truly, need to move out of your parents’ house, you really, truly, need to have a sit-down meeting with the transfer counselors at your current school. Ask them (among other questions):
Where have they sent students with a record like yours in the past?<br>
How much merit aid did those students squeeze out of the colleges that they ended up at?
Are you competitive for any kind of merit aid based on your grades at the community college?</p>
<p>When you are in the process of applying to the colleges that look good to you, have a sit-down meeting with the financial aid officers at each college. Bring your parents and their financial records. The financial aid officers may be able to take into account your father’s medical and financial history and the fact that your parents are supporting your sister’s family when your family’s EFC is calculated.</p>
<p>You certainly are correct that if you are looking at biochemistry (or any other lab science) distance ed. is not a viable option.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Marc, I’m sorry that it’s been difficult for you. I am hoping that your dad gets better. I do want to tell you that you can still get $5500 in unsubsidized Stafford loans regardless of financial situation. But you do have to fill out FAFSA to get the money. That is the quickest, easiest, place to get a loan for yourself without a co-signer. Your father may be able to get a Parent’s loan through a lender that the school recommends despite his bankruptcy. You can pay the interest or make the payments on that loan for him, perhaps. If living at home is really a problem, look for a cheap room, a share. Get a part time job. It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done. Take care, and I am thinking about you. Let us know how it goes.</p>