<p>Actually there are a couple of public universities in Minnesota that are very reasonably priced and cost the same for instate and out of state students.</p>
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<p>Good thinking…please please continue to look for public colleges in Pennsylvania. There are many of them and there certainly must be at LEAST one that has paralegal studies.</p>
<p>Right. Quite honestly, I’d much rather go OOS to a place that would cost no different than me staying in state here. HOWEVER, If it’s my only option, I’ll elect to stay in state. I can’t really find too many in state schools though.</p>
<p>PA.'s PHEAA financial aid programs vary depending upon where you go to college. Assuming that a person is eligible for a $2,000 per year state grant for example, They may get $2,000 if they go a college in PA, $700 if they go to a college in certain other states, and $0 if they go to college in other states.</p>
<p>To the original poster, one option is to find a college in a location where you can easily visit NYC on a regular basis. For instance, if you find a college in Phila., there is frequent rail service into NYC. The cheapest is to take septa to Trenton and then NJ transit to NYC, as opposed to paying Amtrak fares. There also are cheap buses into Chinatown.</p>
<p>For paralegal studies, you should study in a state where you eventually want to work. That is because some of the studies will be specific to a state, and you want to take advantage of the school’s career network.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s the thing. I would very much like to be able to go to school in NYS so it’s much easier for me to get a job in the city, and that way, I become a resident of it. If I can find a reasonably priced school there, that’d be fantastic. Also, thanks, guys, for leading me in the right direction; I was so blind by my life goal that I ignored several aspects.</p>
<p>*I can’t really find too many in state schools though. *</p>
<p>??? You’re in PA…what do you mean that you “can’t find too many in state schools”??? </p>
<p>Do you not know how to look for schools in your state?</p>
<p>It took me 2 seconds to google Pennsylvania Community Colleges and this came up…</p>
<p>[Pennsylvania</a> Commission for Community Colleges - Home](<a href=“http://www.pacommunitycolleges.org/]Pennsylvania”>http://www.pacommunitycolleges.org/)</p>
<p>and here’s a list of about 15 CCs in PA
[Pennsylvania</a> Commission for Community Colleges - Member Colleges](<a href=“http://www.pacommunitycolleges.org/content/blogcategory/14/40/]Pennsylvania”>http://www.pacommunitycolleges.org/content/blogcategory/14/40/)</p>
<p>What I’m mostly looking for is a school like that one person suggested that includes on-campus housing. That’s what I was talking about; it’s really easy to find th CC’s in PA.</p>
<p>Do you mean a CC or a 4 year?</p>
<p>Very few CCs have on-campus housing.</p>
<p>And, since money is a concern, I would advise against on-campus housing anyway. It’s usually more expensive than what you can get off-campus.</p>
<p>*Have you looked into Pennsylvania Technical College? It is an affiliate of Penn State, offers paralegal studies (although it appears to be a BS, not an AA) and has a very good reputation. I know some graduates of their computer program that work for the FBI.
It is located in Williamsport, not as exciting as NYC (or Philadelphia) but the students seem to get involved in Penn State sporting events/football games.</p>
<p>You would qualify for instate tuition (approx $13,100) plus room and board. The students I know that went there loved their on campus housing, which was apt style.
The website is pct.edu. *</p>
<p>Is this the post that you’re referring to?</p>
<p>Bikaben, most state schools will makes themselves affordable for their in state students. How that works is different in each state. Ask your counselor. Here’s something they came up on Google:</p>
<p>[Pennsylvania</a> Scholarships and Financial Aid - Grants, Student Loans, Fellowships - Students, Application, Program, Fafsa, Deadline, and County](<a href=“http://www.stateuniversity.com/financial-aid-articles/pages/7690/Pennsylvania-Scholarships-and-Financial-Aid.html]Pennsylvania”>http://www.stateuniversity.com/financial-aid-articles/pages/7690/Pennsylvania-Scholarships-and-Financial-Aid.html)</p>
<p>Yes, that’s the post I was referring to. And the reason why I really don’t want to stay here is because my home life is rediculous and I want to get out of this house if possible.</p>
<p>And also, quite honestly, I’m a very intelligent person and am flexible; I don’t HAVE to be a paralegal. I’d love to be in a Law field, or a Security field, or a teaching field, I’ll even do hands on stuff. All I want to do in life is establish myself, make a decent income, and move to NY after college. So if you guys could help me out further, that would be amazing. Thankyou so much</p>
<p>Do you have a guidance counselor that could help you find schools with the program you want with in state tuition?</p>
<p>Community College of Philadelphia has paralegal studies leading to an associates degree. It is just over $2200 a semester for about 13 credits. You could still move out and live away from your family for a heck of a lot less than $50,000. It is located on Spring Garden St which is not a bad area to find apts.</p>
<p>And a quick google search led me to the American Bar Ass site that has a list of schools in PA with paralegal studies at all levels, associates, bachelors and post bach. </p>
<p>Try [American</a> Bar Association - Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice](<a href=“http://www.abanet.org%5DAmerican”>http://www.abanet.org)</p>
<p>Yes, I have a guidance counselor, but honestly, she really doesn’t know too much. I asked her a few questions already.</p>
<p>And bhmomma, that’s a great idea. I wouldn’t mind doing that at all. Also guys, please read the last post I posted. Honestly, the goal is me doing something in one of those fields in NYC after college; if there’s anything I could do that’s just as affordable in that state, doesn’t have to be in the city, that’s ideal because I just want to make sure I can get a job in NY once I’m done college.</p>
<p>What worries me about staying here is that it may be more difficult to get a job there if I went to college here, like what happened to my uncle.</p>
<p>The thing is there will never be a school as affordable as an instate CC. With in state tuition and hopefully a grant from the state, it will by far be your most affordable option. </p>
<p>Check on whether during an AA paralegal you would be learning anything specific to one state. I’d guess not, that you’d be learning transferable skills.</p>
<p>A person with your determination and optimism is the perfect person to make this work. I think you understand that there is a lot to take into consideration before you make the leap, especially paying out of state fees for a cc education in such an expensive city. have you looked into how long you will have to reside there before you are considered a resident? Can you live there and work a while before you iron out the paralegal schooling thing? You do have options that will let you make a go of it in the city if you are realistic about the sacrifices you will have to make. If you have friends or relatives there, maybe you can room with them. If not, do what a lot of young people do and live two or three or more to a room. Look into other schools that have paralegal programs, on-line, private, etc, that might have better placement results and therefore be worth the huge loan you’ll take. There used to be excellent paralegal training programs that were less than 2 years, so check that out. Anyway, take it slow, do your homework, be realistic and make smart decisions but also realize that innumerable people take leaps of faith and it all works out, so it can for you too. Your believing in yourself is more powerful than anything. Make it work.</p>
<p>Thankyou above poster. I will do anything it takes to accomplish my dream… ANYTHING. I just need to figure something out.</p>
<p>Just be very wary of 2 year for-profit colleges. They often deceive students about their job prospects and income after college, and have been known to deceive students about their loan terms. Often the credits don’t transfer to 4 year colleges.</p>
<p>I still think your best best is to find a community college in PA that offers paralegal studies and that would be located where you can regularly spend time in NYC. Northampton Community College outside of Bethlehem is one of the few community colleges that has any on-campus housing. However, if you are living in a low cost area (which is much of PA as opposed to NYC) and find another student as a roommate, off-campus housing shouldn’t be that expensive.</p>
<p>One additional thought about community colleges in PA - for some, there are residency requirements to get the very lowest tuition. Some community colleges are funded by participating school districts. If you are a legal resident of one of those school districts, you get the very lowest tuition rates. If you are a resident of PA but not a resident of one of those school districts, you pay a moderate rate.</p>
<p>Other community colleges do not have this distinction.</p>
<p>If this situation applies, it would be cheaper to apply to a community college near where you currently live than one in another part of the state. The next question would be: how long does it take to get residency status for a community college? I’m guessing that it would not be very long.</p>