Major help for a senior!!! Please

College Search & Selection
1

Hello, I am currently a lost, stressed out senior in hs. I know it is kind of late, but a lot of colleges still have open applications. I am in a struggling situation where I am not getting any support from my family for college, and I cannot gather too much undergrad debt. So I need a college that is willing to give really good financial aid. What I am asking is for good colleges to apply too. Sorry if this sees so jumbled ( I am really stressed out)!!

Stats:
State- NY
Major- Nursing
GPA 3.7 W
ACT 26 27 superscored
Rank 7/39 :confused:
2 AP’s (school only offers 2)
A couple of college credits from local community college
very small rural school

NHS President
Student Council VP
Creating a book club
created a feminist club
in a college level health program in my county
lots of community service
2/3 sports athlete ( decided not to do track this year)
MVP of track 2017
PBIS student representative
first college generation student
there are many other things I could list, but I think this gets the point across about the type of student I am.

2

For nursing, I’d continue with community college.

3

If your parents can’t help pay, then you have to be careful. The community college suggestion is good, because you will probably be able to pay with student loans and earnings from a part-time job. My fear is that you wouldn’t be able to afford this at a residential college, although it wouldn’t hurt to apply and see what kind of package is offered.

4

Make sure your parents can at least fill out the FAFSA. If they can’t pay, then they can’t pay. There is usually financial aid you can get. Community college is a great way to start if this is coming from your own dime. It’s a good inexpensive way to get your prerequisites done. After that, just transfer to a university and finish your degree.

5

without demonstrated need you’re not going to get FA. So if your family circumstances are poor then you may qualify for aid, but if it’s just your parents are unable/unwilling to pay then you may be out of luck.

A path you should explore is getting an Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) which qualifies you to take the RN test. As a licensed RN you can support yourself while going to school part-time to finish your BSN degree. I know people that have done this both straight-thru and after working a number of years and deciding their promotion prospects would be better with a BSN. Look for a CC with a good NCLEX pass rate.

The ADN → BSN route has become popular for many nurses because it is difficult to get into direct-admit nursing programs, and once holding an RN via the ADN degree it is much easier to get into a RN->BSN program.

6

Instead of community college, you might be able to afford to commute to a nearby residential college. After you are admitted to the nursing major, some scholarship opportunities might open up that would allow you to move onto campus for your upperclass years. For example, the military has large scholarships available for third- and fourth-year nursing students, who repay the military by serving as commissioned officer RN/BSNs. There may also be scholarships available for people who pledge to work in under-served areas after licensure, etc.

7

Community college most likely will be the best option.

But also, check out Berea College. It is a quality LAC that covers all tuition for all students. I don’t think it has nursing, which might be a deal breaker, although you could probably complete a nursing program once you have a bachelors. Many in my family are nurses, but I don’t know how that would work. And a student’s interests can change over time.

http://www.berea.edu/about/quick-facts/

Here is some info about the seven “work colleges” in the US.

http://www.workcolleges.org/about-work-colleges

Good luck!

8

It looks like Berea does have nursing.

9

Do you have a rough idea of your parents’ income? NYS residents with incomes < $125k get free tuition at the SUNYs. Are you within commuting distance of any of the 4-year SUNYs?

10

Your GPA and ACT score are good enough for significant merit at some of the places discussed in this thread. If you could raise your ACT score (or get an SAT score that is higher) you would be eligible for more of them. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2006094-2017-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html#latest
A lot of the cut-off dates have passed, but some are still open. You also could contact the admissions offices, and ask about applying even if the date has passed. Check the websites to see if they offer your major.

If you like what you see, but the date is passed, think about taking a gap year, and apply next fall. That might give you a chance to work and save some money for the expenses that aren’t covered by the scholarships.

11

SUNY and CUNY schools offer free tuition now don’t they? Correct me if I’m wrong. Best of luck!

12

Yes, deadlines are fast approaching. Take this weekend and get some applications done. You can do it!

13

Since you’re a NYS resident, your tuition is taken care of through Excelsior. If you find a better offer through a merit scholarship at any SUNY take it - I think Plattsburgh has good scholarships. Delhi, Canton, also have nursing.
Do apply to a CC you can commute to that has an honors program and PTK. Also TC3 which is residential (dorm), has an honors program (apply) and is relatively cheap. Since excelsior covers tuition regardless of what it costs, the difference would be in room and board costs. Those are usually lower at residential CC’s than at 4-year SUNYs.
I don’t know whether the deadline for HEOP might have passed so look into it quickly.
Where have you applied so far?

14

@sybbie719 is one of our NY state experts. She should have ideas for you.

15

If you live in NYC, you need to get a CUNY application in asap (actually today is the deadline to be guaranteed a seat for the fall). CUNY Freshman Profile:

www2.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/page…/Admission-Profile-2017.pdf

IF you attend a NYC DOE public school and are eligible for free or reduced lunch (hopefully you have filled out a lunch form):
Fill out the application tonight
See your GC first thing in the morning to get a CUNY fee-waiver code
enter the code on your application. They will pull your transcript from the DOE
Use CUNY UAPC SAT/ACT code 2950 to have your scores sent through the processing center (this will save you money from sending your scores to each individual CUNY school)
Make sure you put down at least 2 Community colleges that have nursing programs

Unfortunately, none of the CUNY schools have direct entry for nursing. You will be admitted to pre-health and will have to met the pre-reqs to get admitted to nursing.

If you are eligible for seek/college discovery **do not ** forget to fill out the financial information in box 31.

https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/seek/eligibility.html

Also check the box for ASAP. If you are not eligible for SEEK/CD as long as you receive $5 in federal or state aid and you are eligible for ASAP at the CUNY community college, your will get free tuition, books and metro cards.

For SUNY
Bing and Plattsburgh are the only SUNYs with direct entry to nursing. Your challenge is that nursing is a popular major with limited spots. Scores a little low for Bing, but in the range for Plattsburgh.

For Excelsior

2018-2019 income is under $110k
Since it is a last payer, you must still apply for FAFSA and TAP.

you will be eligible for a 5.5 k loan. how do you plan on paying fees/room and board?

ETA: I see that you live upstate so none of the CUNY info pertains to you.

Based on your list, you have a bunch of schools where none give good aid, so financially they are out of reach (which is probably why you feel that financially you are on your own. The schools on your list are probably not financially feasible options for your family).

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21042073#Comment_21042073

I also see that you were accepted to Oneonta. Unfortunately Oneonta no longer offers nursing or pre-nursing.
https://suny.oneonta.edu/pre-health-professions/pre-nursing

If you apply to the SUNY 2 year schools (which will most likely be pre-health) directly through the school’s website do not use the SUNY application google the community college and apply on the CC website, it will be a free application.