<p>I've been wanting to go to college since I've graduated high school in 2011, almost 3 years ago. The problem is that my parents refuse to help in any way possible. So that means no financial aid from FAFSA either, they won't even help me apply for that. I don't know where to start, I don't know how to apply for colleges, I don't understand how I'd even be able to pay for living expenses if I do go to school. I want to go to college full time, especially since I'm already so behind and most of my peers are going to be seniors next year. It's making me so flustered and depressed. I need some advice on what to do and where to begin.</p>
<p>First, what is the reason your parents won’'t fill out FAFSA so you can get financial aid? It doesn’t obligate them for anything. </p>
<p>Why haven’t you been going to community college?</p>
<p>What were your HS grades and SAT like?</p>
<p>Join the military and then go to college on GI benefits. Or, if you are inclined look at ROTC. You need to apply to the ROTC program separately from the college but they pay all tuition and board as well as give you a monthly stipend in return for a commitment to serve. </p>
<p>Another option is to apply to a community college in your county that will almost guarantee you entry. Then, you can use their counseling center to understand the process for applying to colleges. Really not hard, every college website will usually tell you exactly what to do. And at this point, you are no longer a minor so the financial aid would be based on your income if your parents won’t contribute. </p>
<p>First thing that came to mind was also the military. Obviously, don’t join if you really, really don’t want to be in the military. But this is the way my husband did it - after attending college for a while that was unaffordable and his parents refused to help him with, he joined the Air Force, traveled all over the world for four years, and then got an honorable discharge and the GI Bill. They’re currently footing the bill for him at Columbia’s School of General Studies.</p>
<p>Attending a community college from home is another option that’s already been suggested. If you’re still living at home, you could probably commute and cover the costs using small federal student loans (the financial aid office at the community college can help you apply for them). Then you could transfer to a four-year college to finish your bachelor’s, if you want; your community college will have a transfer admissions adviser who can help you.</p>
<p>And at this point, you are no longer a minor so the financial aid would be based on your income if your parents won’t contribute.</p>
<p>This is not true. You’re considered a dependent student until you turn 24 except in certain other circumstances (you have a child, get married, become a veteran, or are a ward of the court or orphan).</p>
<p>If you graduated high school in 2011 that would mean that you’ll be 20 or 21 this year. You’ll be an independent student when you turn 24, so another option is to wait another 3-4 years until you can be an independent student. You’ll be eligible for more financial aid (although not a whole LOT more), and the FAFSA won’t require your parents’ information anymore.</p>
<p>HOW TO APPLY
Go to the website of any college that you have heard of, and look for the “admissions” tab. It should become relatively easy to find their application procedures. </p>
<p>Most colleges do require the ACT or SAT test in order to get in, and almost all colleges need those tests in order to give you scholarship money. If you have not taken those tests, then that should be your first priority. My advice is to take both the ACT and SAT tests, because some people do much better on one than they do the other.</p>
<p>MILITARY OPTION
Even if you do not feel like you are a military type of person, the Air Force is more like civilian life than the other military branches. Really, it is not as different as you might think. The Navy, Marines, and Army are very different than civilian life, of course. So, you might want to avoid those branches.</p>
<p>Also, the Air Force can teach you technical skills which would be valuable when you return to civilian life. If you decide you like the Air Force and you are reasonably bright, they might pay to send you to college. See those options at the following website:
<a href=“http://www.airforce.com/benefits/enlisted-education/”>http://www.airforce.com/benefits/enlisted-education/</a></p>
<p>OTHER OPTIONS
Regular college degree - Go ahead and apply to at least a few colleges, including some private colleges that are not necessarily prestigious, but where you feel you might fit in. These lower ranked colleges sometimes give great financial aid without loans, if you are considerably smarter than other students (have good high school grades, and good ACT or SAT scores). So, especially target colleges you have never heard of; check their admission rates and the ACT/SAT scores of their freshman students. Also apply to a couple of your state universities – you never can tell what kind of help you might find.</p>
<p>Online degree – more and more opportunities to earn a degree online are being offered. This allows you to take you time, and work while earning your degree. For example, Colorado State university has a very good online program. See their website here:
<a href=“http://www.online.colostate.edu/”>http://www.online.colostate.edu/</a></p>
<p>So does Penn State: <a href=“http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/”>http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/</a></p>
<p>Central Michigan University is considered very good for online education:
<a href=“CMU Online Students | Central Michigan University”>https://global.cmich.edu/cmuonline/</a></p>
<p>IN SUM
Don’t let you parents hold you back. They are who they are. But need to be who you are, too!</p>
<p>
No…they don’t. The Army will pay one or the other, and the others pay for tuition, books and a stipend. Not room and board. What the AF pays is determined by which scholarship you receive…if you receive a scholarship. Less than half do. The Navy may be even harder to receive a scholarship than the AF. PLUS many of the students receiving scholarships are not getting them until their second or third years in the program…and no…you are not reimbursed for the previous years of college. The post Iraq/Afghanistan military is FAR from an automatic ride to college.</p>
<p>Clarification on ROTC. @ agiages you are correct. It is a “tiered” approach and tuition coverage is more based on what tier you fall into. The higher tiers are the more needed areas. At least that is how the Navy works. True, the sun and moon need to be aligned to get the full freight. </p>
<p>So, you’re 21. In the adult world, that’s still very young. Don’t worry - these three years may seem a world (and they may be) but they’re not. NO ONE will care that you were 25 when you graduated from college. What will matter is what you did at the college you attended.
Are you married, do you have a child, are you living independently and holding a job or are you living at your parents?
Did you enroll in community college or have you not taken a class since high school?
What was your HS GPA?
Did you take the SAT/the ACT, would you be willing to retake those after preparing for the tests?</p>
<p>Tomorrow, get yourself to the community college closest to where you live, and walk into the admissions office there. Speak with a counselor about what you would need to do in order to enroll. Find out about financial aid and scholarships. And yes, many community colleges do have scholarships that don’t require your parents to file the FAFSA. My own kid had one of those for two years that covered all of her tuition and fees there. Ask about guaranteed transfer (articulation) agreements with 4-year colleges and universities. Ask about scholarships and aid for community college transfers at those institutions. And again, yes, some 4-year institutions do have merit-based aid for community college transfers that would not require any information from your parents. Ask about studying part-time while you work full-time, that is an option that many people pursue - in fact more people do that than go away to college. Even if you decide not to enroll at the community college, you will learn a lot of useful information that will help you with your long-term plans.</p>
<p>You can do this.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>