this is a lot to take in but i’m weeding thru it.
what are my odds of transferring to a good institution after doing community college for two years? or any of the original institutions i applied to?
I don’t have much to add OP except that I am glad you are getting good advice from other posters – and I am really impressed with your maturity and motivation. It is a stressful time and you have not gotten the results you hoped for but you sound like you are focusing on the positive. Wishing you all the best as you sift through all this info and make some decisions going forward!
75: They have a variety of scholarships and they're much easier to get than PSu's and PItt's, especially wrt test scores; it doesn't mean OP would get a full tuition scholarship even if applying in October.... and odds are even lower now. But still better than zero.
More findings…
Youngstown State - sure, not your cup of tea either and only a notch above commuting to branch PSU or Pitt Bradford, BUT… for LESS than just PSU branch tuition, you’d be able to dorm there (perhaps planning to transfer). They have a bunch of automatic scholarships as well as some competitive ones. Deadlines haven’t passed, except for the Honors college - but you can email Honors and plead your case, due to family circumstances* you need to apply to new colleges and have been recommended YSU and its honors program, state how you’d love discussion-based classes and …, highlight course rigor (list your honors and AP classes), a book you’ve read and loved, why the honors college would be perfect for you… , mention Honors Housing (<-important since you may win a housing stipend…) and ask permission to apply, perhaps offer to attach a paper you wrote for a class for instance.
(And then, apply for the Honors Scholarships, which “stack” on top of the automatic ones).
Tuition is $8,000 (nearly half of PSU branch which is about $14,500 just tuition/fees) if you live there: The Affordable Tuition Advantage rate is offered to students from the following counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania; I don’t know if Pheaa is portable (ask Youngstown, I think I read sth about it) but since you didn’t have $6,500 in Pheaa it’s still a better deal, especially since you get to dorm.
http://www.ysu.edu/content/office-financial-aid-and-scholarships/scholarships
http://www.ysu.edu/academics/college-creative-arts-and-communication/journalism-major
http://www.ysu.edu/academics/college-liberal-arts-social-sciences/professional-and-technical-writing-major
http://www.ysu.edu/academics/college-liberal-arts-social-sciences/political-science-major
http://www.ysu.edu/academics/honors-college/facilities
http://www.ysu.edu/academics/honors-college/how-to-apply
- I know it's not family circumstances but you can't say "I messed up with my college list because I had no guidance and didn't find CC till now" :p
There are two main cases:
- community colleges with transfer agreements. For instance, PA CC’s have transfer agreements with PASSHE schools. TC3 in NYS has a transfer agreement with Cornell. Unfortunately, PA CC’s don’t have any transfer agreement to colleges at the level you wanted to get into, not even to PSU and Pitt who use their branches as expensive CC’s. (Higher education in PA is screwed up
) - lateral transfers: it means you attend a 4-year college, preferably a good one, and you transfer to a good or better college. For instance, you attend Lycoming and you transfer to Gettysburg, or you attend Haverford and you transfer to Penn.
An issue is that transfers get lousy aid. The merit scholarships available to freshmen aren’t available to them. So, you must be able to transfer and be admitted to a 100% need college and those typically take few transfers.
should i email and ask about honors college BEFORE submitting an application?
@momcino thank you so much. im doing my best and ill definitely keep you all updated.
I just stumbled across this thread and I really feel for you. I was in your situation 30 years ago coming from a low income situation, pell grants, etc. You sound like your grades and SAT scores are good - I’m really shocked you aren’t getting more need based aid with only a 3k EFC. I really wonder if you would get more aid if your FAFSA was filled out correctly indicating “some college” for your parents instead of “4 years plus”. I would call the financial aid office at Penn State (if this is your top choice) or better yet, make an appointment to meet with them in person and discuss your predicament. You are smart not to take on too much debt, even if that means going to community college and then transferring.
someone at a penn state regional campus actually filled out our fafsa. it had many mistakes. we are going to call. if we dont get anywhere over the phone maybe we will make an appointment. i would love the connections at bellisario but it is what it is at this point.
Btw it bears repeating: since neither parent has a 4-year degree, you ARE first gen and must indicate it (ie., ‘some college’ and ‘community college’, not ‘4years’ which indicates getting a 4-year degree).
It won’t help at Penn State (I don’t think) but do correct it for them, correct it on common application, and correct your FAFSA and CSS profile too.
For Youngstown, since the competitive scholarships depend on honors admissions, yes I’d email first. Be very polite," Dear Dean x",… “Thank you. Sincerely, … …”
I didn’t calculate anything but do it…
Total costs with room and board and no scholarships are $17,000. Deduct all the automatic scholarships you get (first gen gets something, your sat/GPA get you something).
Honors would mean 4k extra off tuition and 3k off dorming.
St Bonaventure is too expensive so scratch it.
Susquehanna and Lycoming remain in the running.
You can pm me your common app essay if you wish. (Don’t forget to correct the wording for your parents).
@Lindagaf can help with essays too.
If you attend a psu branch you graduate from Bellisario through the 2+2. Your transcript does not indicate you were at a branch. (There how they get all these kids attending branches).
Go over your FAFSA with a fine tooth comb and enlist the financial aid forum for help - they’ve been helping dozens of kids this week alone.
PMd my app. im correcting the common app for my parents, my parents dont wanna correct the fafsa til we talk to penn state but after that or depending on what they say i’ll correct it and see if anything else is wrong. ill also look at the FA forum. i will email Youngstown tonight or early tomorrow.
You’re doing amazingly well. Stay focused, you’re going to be fine. 
You guys have helped tremendously and I’m really grateful. Wish I could’ve found this sophomore year.
@ACollegeHopeful3: am a believer when there are roadblocks in your life, something better is coming. Praying for a victorious outcome for you!
Read through most of this thread and wishing you much luck! As you check your options-- in Pittsburgh, you also have Carlow. Their website has a chart with the scholarships available. It’s located in Pittsburgh right near Pitt main campus and I believe is test optional. You’ll be in a college town and a very good university!
As my husband tells our kids, “be brave for a minute”. This is an opportunity to move outside your comfort zone. It can be as easy as joining a couple clubs, saying hi to the person sitting next to you in class, etc. Try to get outside your shell a little bit every day. I am an introvert and can tell you it gets easier the more you practice smiling and starting conversations with a “hi.”
Those both help a lot, ty!
You will absolutely be fine. You are focused and self motivated and learning to navigate life’s speed bumps and road blocks. That’s all this is - it doesn’t change your destination, but forces you to look at the map and find a different route by learning the landscape, how to read maps, and asking me for directions along the way. Trust me when I tell you that this is what makes someone an excellent navigator (and journalist!) You will go far!
Lol I did not mean “asking ME for directions” clearly I am NOT a journalist!
@tinytownmom haha no worries! Thank you for your encouragement.