I’m out the house at 18. She’s already taking care of my grandmother (whose health is failing). I don’t wanna put more burden on the house for four more years.
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Thanks so much! It’s also in NC in a student friendly area.
Thank you so much. These are all being added to my list. I am comfortable anywhere the people around me are comfortable with me. I mean I definitely try to make the effort to not bother others, be friendly, kind and to mind my own business (if for nothing else than not wishing to make anyone else uncomfortable with me). So as long as others are open to having me around then I welcome the chance to be there. However, I am aware that some peoples comfort levels are different. I just don’t want to be excluded or ostracized if I can avoid it.
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It is pretty far from you, but you might consider Augsburg in Minneapolis. It has good support for students with ASD. It’s in a really interesting part of the city, with decent public transit. The undergrad population is 19% Black, although I would guess that about half of those students are Somali-American, so that’s probably different from NYC. Not 100% sure about the major though. It has Biology and Environmental Studies, but I don’t know about the strength of its facilities etc. I don’t know about the financial aid, but I know a kid who went there after he aged out of the foster system and they gave him good aid, but that was 10 years ago, so who knows.
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Same!!
Do you have any family living in other states? For instance, if you have grandparents living in Florida, you can get the Florida in-state resident rate.
I’ve heard that it’s fairly easy to establish residency in Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arkansas. (@WayOutWestMom, can you comment on NM?) If you wanted to leave the east coast, those places have some relatively inexpensive state schools that would be in a city with public transportation (I think), and not too distant from natural beauties.
- U. of Utah: Salt Lake City
- U. of New Mexico: Albuquerque
- New Mexico State: Las Cruces
- U. of Nevada: Las Vegas
- U. of Nevada: Reno
- U. of Arkansas: Fayetteville
That said, New York’s in-state rates will beat some of these, and you may qualify for free tuition if your family’s income is below $125k as part of the Excelsior program. If your family’s income is below $80k then you may also be able to use the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) toward colleges (it might only be for privates since the Excelsior would make the publics tuition free, but I would definitely reach out to them to find out more). Or if the publics have a charge for some of their support services, then perhaps the TAP could go towards that.
Anyway, just throwing some thoughts out there in case any of them sound appealing to you.
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I cannot help with specific suggestions, but have to say I am so impressed with how you’re taking charge of your life, with so much stacked against you and having so little support from your family. And I’m so impressed with this community, with so many people already having come up with so many good suggestions.
From your writing style and your course rigour it appears very clear that your SAT score doesn’t reflect your abilities. Are you getting accommodations? If not, your school should look into that and help you with it.
Otherwise, you’re the kind of student test optional was made for, another reason to relax about this going into this process.
I hop this community will continue to rally around you. I’m rooting for you!
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Thank you for giving us a better picture. The more pressing issue at the moment seems to be supporting yourself when you turn 18. Has your mom said you HAVE to move out when you turn 18, or are you inferring that? Are you turning 18 soon? If she has said you HAVE to move out, do you have any relatives who would be willing to take you in and let you stay with them? Do you have any source of income like a part time job? Will your mom let you stay on her health insurance,
or are you on an assistance health program? Sorry for so many personal questions; my momma head went into overdrive, so trying to make sure your basic needs are taken care of first. 
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It’s not easy to qualify for in-state status in NM.
The student would need to:
- be 18
- prove financial independence from their parents
- live 12 consecutive months in NM before they apply for resident status
- undertake overt acts that demonstrate an intent to make NM their permanent residence.
For #2–this means they can receive zero financial support from their parent(s). A student must be able to demonstrate they are 100% self-supporting through employment or other sources of income. A student must also file and pay NM state income taxes and will be asked to provide their previous year’s NM income tax form as proof.
For #4. This means obtaining a NM driver’s license or NM Official ID card, registering to vote, presenting a rental agreement and/or utilities bills in their name at a NM address.
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It’s really not difficult. “Financial independence” effectively means parents don’t claim on taxes, but can still receive money from them. Federal financial aid is another matter, but NM residency isn’t difficult and the WUE/LUE scholarships effectively give that.
Here are the conditions as set by NM:
• Intent to be a resident, which on the Petition
• US or permanent resident status
• Financial independence (under the age of 23), or parents are NM residents and claim student as dependent
• 12-month consecutive presence in the state requirement, as demonstrated by lease, home ownership, or unofficial transcripts (this is the one that students assume is the only important requirement)
• Overt acts: NM driver’s license, car reg, voter reg, utilities. Must document 2 of these. Out of state license or registration is deemed an act inconsistent with residency.
Must meet all 5 conditions. There are some exceptions to the 12-month presence requirement, too detailed to list here. That’s about the only place for wiggle room.
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