I don't think I can go to college afterall

Paying for College
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<p>When I do the net price calculators, they usually say my EFC is in the $7000 range. But, when I actually see what the net price comes out as, the financial aid that will be offered, schools will say $20K plus in loans after the EFC has been paid. This includes the state universities. My parents are not in a position to sign for any loans, so I am on my own for this.</p>

<p>I feel like I have wasted high school. I sweated and worked hard through tons of AP courses. I will have 12 done by the time I graduate. I have taken and passed with a 4 or higher in all but one test so far. I have good grades and my teachers keep telling me how they are just so sure I will get in whereever. But reality is, the money isn't there. </p>

<p>Now instead, I am going online and applying for minimum wage jobs. Fine. I don't have a problem with working. But in the fall, instead of going off to college like everyone else in my classes will be doing, I will be working fulltime at a minimum wage job. Community college is not even an option because of all the AP credits. I actually already checked. I was told I was welcome to go there for a semester, but anything beyond that would be a waste because no one needs more than 60 credits to transfer to a 4 yr school. And after that semester, I STILL cannot afford a 4 yr school.</p>

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<p>What are your grades and scores? If you have very good grades, the top schools will meet financial need.</p>

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<p>Do you qualify for any large enough merit scholarships listed here?</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Any local 4 year state schools? Also, get those credits so that you can be in line for that 4 year degree in two years. If you save up your loans that you are entitled to during that CC year, you would then have enough to go away to college for your junior year If you are that close to graduating that you just need one more year, and some more extensive borrowing is not as dire as it is with many kids. Plus you might come out with some other aid possibilities then. Look also at some local privates. One of them gave my son a full tuiton award and he did not have terrific scores or over the top gpa as his profile.</p>

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<p>

I think you would need to attend at least 2 semesters or more. AP credits usually only for first year classes; you still have to take second year classes in order to graduated with a associate degree.</p>

<p>Job prospects for associate degree holders are certainly better than the high school graduates. See <a href=“http://www.economicmodeling.com/2013/05/06/the-associates-degree-payoff-community-college-grads-can-get-high-paying-jobs-and-here-are-some-examples/[/url]”>http://www.economicmodeling.com/2013/05/06/the-associates-degree-payoff-community-college-grads-can-get-high-paying-jobs-and-here-are-some-examples/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>If there is a community college within commuting distance, look into that. In most cases, students can fund the costs of a local community college with the Direct Loan plus some part time work. It doesn’t matter that you have taken AP courses, especially of you find a two year AA program to complete. For example, our community college offers a program in nursing. It is a two year program at the community college. Any AP courses would NOT apply to that program.</p>

<p>The Net Price Calculators will not be particularly accurate if you have parents who are self employed, own their own business, are divorced, own rental properties, own properties other than your primary residence.</p>

<p>How is it that you already HAVE financial aid packages from the colleges for the 2014-2015 school year? The deadlines even for ED are just now happening. Or are you guessing on what the net will actually be? Even ED financial aid packages have NOT yet been sent.</p>

<p>Other threads indicate you are a reasonably strong student…what ARE your SAT and GPA? Have you looked on the thread for guaranteed Merit awards that is a stickie at the top of this page? What can your parents contribute? What state do you reside in?</p>

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<p>“Community college is not even an option because of all the AP credits.”</p>

<p>That statement is blatently false and you contradict it in the same post. You CAN go and get your AA very quickly at a comm college very inexpensively. Maybe in some program that can lead to higher paying jobs, or finding a job altogether. Which can also lead to more possibilities.</p>

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<p>

With 12 AP courses you would probably not get more than 36 credits. You can’t do 24 credits in one semester, so you would need at least 2 semesters to get 60 credits. Also, whether the 36 credits would satisfy precisely 36 of the credits you would need for, say, engineering, is unlikely. </p>

<p>I transferred from Community College to U with 103 credits, so it’s not like they would throw you out after you hit 60 anyways.</p>

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<p>^ You may be surprised by the number of credits you may get from some AP. I have seen 12 credit or more for one foreign language AP with 5. With 12 AP scored 4 or 5 if the school allows, it may add up to a lot more than 36 credits. I have seen someone posted with similar number of AP scores and got 80+ credits.</p>

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<p>

True, one of my kids had 49 transfer credits and still stayed at the community college for 4 semesters.</p>

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<p>Overdramatize much? You mentioned on another thread about UTD. Is there a reason you can no longer afford that?</p>

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<p>What the heck is going on? In another thread you discussed possibly attending UT-Dallas. why all of the sudden are making this thread?</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I have a reading learning disability because I used to be hearing impaired. My reading SAT score was a 640. My math and writing were 730 and 720. No matter how well I do, it seems I have to look at…*</p>

<p>Your M+CR is a 1370. Have you retested since these scores?</p>

<p>You can get good scholarships at some schools. Why aren’t you considering those???</p>

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<p>The state of Texas has a law against going over the required credits to get a degree. It is called the “Excess Credit Rule.” Plus, yes, UTD is still on the plate. But, when I checked, not all my recommenders have submitted their recommendations and deadlines have passed. Obviously, I do not know for sure that I won’t get scholarships. But I am extremely frustrated over having to declare my major at the state universities in order to get scholarships, but then I will lose those scholarships if I change my mind on my major later. So now, at 17, I have to say, pretty much 100% certain, what I will major in, or I will be screwed. And a major change later on not only will financially screw me out of any sort of financial aid, but also, put me over the legal limit for credits. You go over that legal limit, you have to pay out of state tuition. If I cannot afford instate tuition, how can I possibly even think of paying out of state tuition. So I am sitting here trying to figure out, for 100% certain, what I am going to major in, and feel like I have just a few weeks left to make that final decision for the entire rest of my life, or college is out. And even once I decide, and commit, for the entire rest of my life, no guarantee I will get any aid. But without that commitment, no aid will happen at all. When I told my relatives about why I have to decide my major now, they all insisted no one ever declares their major before they start college. Then I showed them my admission letter to the state university and they were shocked, and even they agreed that was all wrong. And unlike many parts of the country, private schools which meet need are pretty much unheard of where I live. I have actually applied to the only school I have found within 1000 miles that will meet need, and I am doubting I will get in. Even if I started messing with schools in, say, the Northeast where financial aid would be better, the travel costs to get to college in the first place would cancel out the financial aid that meets need. </p>

<p>And I did already call the state universities that I applied to. One flat out told me that I should not be applying if I cannot pay (that was UT Austin). The other two state universities told me that if I do not qualify for pell, I will not qualify for any state funding at all. They said I need to just work extra hard on the scholarships then. They at least did not tell me to not apply in the first place.</p>

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<p>See [Registrar:</a> Excess Credit Hour Rule](<a href=“http://registrar.tamu.edu/general/excesscredhr.aspx]Registrar:”>http://registrar.tamu.edu/general/excesscredhr.aspx)

I don’t think AP credits count toward Excess Credit Rule.</p>

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<p>^4kidsdad is right, AP credits don’t count. You also get 30 credits over and above the degree requirement. Even with as many transfer credits as I had years ago, (what with some of them being remedial), I probably wouldn’t have gone over the requirement, and I topped out at 177 for that degree. You’re getting worked up over something that is mostly in your imagination. What’s the REAL problem?</p>

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<p>Something seems very wrong here…</p>

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<p>Of course you CAN go to college. It might not be your first choice school, or even your third choice…but there ARE options out there for you to pursue. </p>

<p>I’m also a little confused about exactly what your financial situation is. Can your parents help you at all?</p>

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<p>You say that your parents can pay their EFC, right? About $6k???</p>

<p>You can delay sending your AP credits if necessary. Don’t send them after you graduate. Send them later. However, I suspect that AP credits aren’t the concern under that rule.</p>

<p>Anyway, there are schools that will give you large merit w/o declaring a major. Try Miss State. Bama would give you 2/3 tuition for any major, but that’s not enough. If you were an Eng’g or CS major at Bama, you’d get free tuition plus $2500 per year. You’d have enough money then with parent money plus a Stafford loan. </p>

<p>What will Texas Tech give you?</p>

<p>Remind your recommenders. Send them email reminders. Schools are more lenient about teachers missing deadlines for LORs, so that may not hurt you if they get them in soon. </p>

<p>Also, look at Truman State. Lowish OOS cost and good with merit.</p>

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<p>OP, you need to talk to people at the colleges that truly know what they are talking about, and you need to clearly describe your situations. What you are presenting here is outright incorrect. You are no different from many Texas or any number of other students. You have have some AP credits, many AP credits–so what? THey don’t count unless you send the scores and ask for them to count, and at a number of schools not all of them will count. Dual enrollment and AP credits do not count towards Excess credit rules. You need to sit down with your guidance counselor and ask for opitons.</p>

<p>FInances can be a problem if your parents cannot pay anything or much for college. That would mean looking for local options. SInce you do have a lot of AP credits, look at some state schools. Any of them local? Your parents would be putting $5-10K a year towards your support if you live with them and commute to school. You just need to pay for the tuition and commuting costs. Find a part time job and all is sweet. You can borrow up to $5500 but you may not even need that. </p>

<p>With an EFC of $7K,no, you are not PELL eligible. WIth a zero EFC, the max Pell grant is $5600 and it is reduced as financial status is increased and with an EFC in the $5-6K level, it phases out. So all you are guaranteed to get is the $5500 in Direct Loans freshman year with the amount increasing a bit each year.</p>

<p>My recommendation is for you to go to some local school, take out the loans and stash the money, thring not to use if at all possible and getting as many of the general requirements you can. Look to transferring to a 4 year college unless you can find one that can fit the bill nearby. If you can commute to a 4year UT, you are in the gravy, baby. You can get your degree most likely in 3 years, maybe less. Get some career certificate in the process to put yourself in a good position for finding a job and you will then be better off than most college grads. </p>

<p>With your test scores, there may be college willing to work with you in terms of financial aid, but really, your EFC is usually the least that you will have to pay, and packages will usually include that $5500 loan in them. BUt take a look at the list of schools that have some good awards. Wash and Lee is offering some goodies for families under the $75K line. SOunds good to me. Albright College, a small school in PA, guarantees to meet EFC up to tuition, room, board charges. But in many cases, you many have to come up with that $7K at very least. Otherwise, you stay at home, commute. My guess is that there will be some local private schools that may offer some nice awards too. Ask your counselor what some have been for students at your high school in the past.</p>