<p>So I'm 22, going back to school, file independent taxes, and am well below the poverty line. I don't have a computer, and I'm screwed for books come August. I was hoping I might be able to find some grants/scholarships that might help, but my school doesn't offer anything specifically for general college expenses. If there is such a scholarship, I would be delighted to know about it. Any info in appreciated.</p>
<p>I was in a similiar situation a couple of years ago – I started back to school at a community college that offered a transition program for non-traditional students. They were able to lend me textbooks for a few classes (and lend me a graphing calculator needed for math). I used the school computer – which worked out well. I had morning and afternoon classes, and spent the time in-between at the library studying and could use the computer then.</p>
<p>Other possibilities for getting textbooks – see if they can be checked out from the library, ask the professor if they have copies that you can borrow, look for textbooks cheap on the internet (email and get the isbn# early), ask the professor if an older edition can be used for class, ask the professor (and other students that have taken the class) if the textbook is essential to the class (I have spent over $100 on a textbook – only to find out we never even opened it).</p>
<p>If you are a science or math major, the books are much more expensive. you might wait a semester or two to take a class with expensive books.</p>
<p>I do not see anything wrong with using the college computer lab. If you are a student, you pay “technology fees” and the like anyhow, so why not use the computer lab? The only thing you will have to do, wondermoose, is to find out the hours of operation of the computer lab (or labs) and then maybe make a good old fashioned rough draft of any upcoming papers and the like in long hand.</p>
<p>Also, a lot of online shopping sites (like amazon.com) have good deals on books. The main thing is to make sure that you are buying the correct edition and all of that.</p>
<p>Make sure you go by the ISBN number of the textbook when you look for used books ( to make sure you have the correct edition). Often, they are half the price of the new ones, and also, college bookstores sell used texts.</p>
<p>Check with the school to see if there are places that offer really good discounts to their students on laptops or pcs.</p>
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<p>And if you don’t mind writing and highlighting you can probably get the books really cheap. If your school has a message board, request someones used books. As for the laptop, I would think you need to look into using the school computers, not convenient, but affordable. </p>
<p>good luck.</p>
<p>^ good suggestions but even my community college has outside grants/scholarships connected with the college, are you sure your school doesn’t have any outside resources?</p>
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