Okay so I’m graduating from High School in 2016 I want to become an OBGYN I know it is 4 years of college, 4 years of med school and residency. My parents want me to go to community college to save money and be able to attend a four year university, but I want to attend a university from the start because I want to complete the required courses in one place, but keep in my I have 7 siblings and there is no money saved up for us for college not one penny. I just don’t know if I will be able to afford a four year university but that is what I really want to do. How will I afford a university where the tuition is 30,000 a year. I feel a university is where I need to be.
What do you think I should do?
How will I pay for the university?
I think that you should apply to unis that have generous financial aid packages. If your grades are good, you could try for merit scholarships at mid level unis and work your way up later. Good luck!
Your parents may not understand that the BEST merit scholarships and aid are given to incoming frosh…not transfers.
It may be CHEAPER for you to go to a four year univ than to go to a CC then transfer (many sadly find that out too late).
Your parents need to understand that you may not be able to transfer later because you will have missed your opportunities for great aid as an incoming frosh.
What are your grades?
Did you take the PSAT? score?
When will you take the SAT and ACT (take both).
You need to find a univ where your will get the BEST aid as an incoming frosh…that will pay for all four years.
Agree with mom2collegekids - you and your parents need to get a better handle on where you are likely to get the best financial and merit aid, before giving up on 4 year schools. If you have strong grades and test scores, you have a shot at getting generous merit and financial aid. You also need to review now what scholarships (need based and merit) are available in your high school, in your school district, in your state and nationally for someone with whatever your unique background is.
As a general rule of thumb, schools offer the most generous packages to students whom they feel are academically in the top tier of their admitted students, bring unique perspectives to campus, and/or will contribute to the community in unique ways. Look for schools that are generous with financial aid (there are lists here in CC of those schools) and then check the common data set for that school (google it) to see how you compare to their accepted student population. (Section C of the Common Data Set).
Last point: Do not go deeply into debt - medical school is wickedly expensive.
OP- I fully agree with the posters above… don’t give up on a 4-year college. If you can give us some info, such as your unweighted GPA, the classes you’re taking (AP? IB? honors?) and your PSAT score, we might be able to give you some suggestions for places where you might get a lot of financial aid, making it cheaper than community college.
Okay I’m online schooled through k12 virtual academy I have a 3.0-3.5 GPA I have A’s and B’s I’m planning to take the SAT’s this year I really want to make sure I will get accepted into medical school a lot of people that go to community college then transfer to a four year university don’t get accepted into medical school that often.
Also I will be the first in my family to go to a university if that matters.
First to college matters (but college includes university). If your parents attended any college or community college, you may not be viewed as first generation to college: Check the definition with each school to which you are applying. Your on-line schooling is also unusual and probably worth sharing.
Medical schools frown on kids who take the ‘tough’ classes at community college as a way of avoiding being evaluated against their peers in their university or college. A student who, because of financial necessity or other reasons, needed to attend at community college before transferring to a 4 year school will not be penalized. The med schools understand that you are not trying to get around your school’s potentially tougher grading system. If students from community college don’t get into medical school as often as those at 4 year schools, it is probably because there is some other factor at work like letters of recommendation that aren’t as strong since the relationship with faculty was so much shorter. Or lower MCAT scores if the classes they took at CC weren’t as rigorous.
It also matters greatly what state you are a resident of. There are many states that have their own medical schools and reserve those seats almost entirely for in-state residents. If you are one of those, that is advantageous. If you are home schooled because you live in a rural area, there are also medical schools with programs that target future practitioners in rural communities. You can’t just apply and say ‘I’m going to be a rural doc.’ The want proof that you are from that kind of community or have lived and worked there long enough to know that you are really committed. As with any non-transparent competitive process, there are lots of angles but your job right now is to get into college and get top grades and excellent test scores without going into debt. Best of luck!
If you have 7 siblings you might be a candidate for Questbridge. My son qualified thanks to his 3 younger brothers and 1 younger sister.
@greeninohio what is Questbridge?
@N’sMom my dad actually went to a CC for two years that’s the only thing.
What if I went to a alternative high school and then a four year university?
Questbridge is a program that helps low income students apply to highly selective schools like Yale, Northwestern, Pomona, etc. All of their partner schools guarantee to meet 100% of students’ financial need. A student who is admitted to a school like Northwestern might have a COA (cost of attendance) significantly lower than a flagship state university.
@greeninohio Okay how do you apply for that?
You have to get that GPA up. Basically, 4.0 is not high enough to “make sure” you can get a medical school acceptance.
@JustOneDad is cheaper at a community college or a university? Which is better?
Yes, college is much cheaper if you take two years at a community college, but as a number of posters noted, you need to watch very carefully how the financial aid is going to work.
You can get into medical school from just about any college, but you have to demonstrate the same level of excellence regardless of where you are.
@greeninohio and @JustOneDad I really want to go straight to a four year university but now I’m scared I will have to much debt to go to medical schooll, but I feel a university Is where I need to be. What are you guys experience?
Do your homework. Others have pointed out that it may very well be cheaper for you to go to a 4-year university. If you start looking now you will have plenty of time to make an informed decision. Start looking now, though. The only truly personal advice I can give you, from going through this process with my son, is that you really need to start looking now and learning what it will take to get to where you want.
Acceptance letters and financial aid stuff hasn’t come in yet for us, but I think we wasted too much time with an unrealistic list - too many reaches and safeties and not much in-between. I think my son will make NMF, but until we find out I will lose a lot of sleep. If he gets a rejection letter in the mail from National Merit in the next few days we will be scrambling to find a directional school that we can afford unless one of his reaches comes through - and comes through at an affordable price.
If your online academy has a college counselor, you should meet with him/her in person to discuss your goals, and the best way of achieving them. To get into a college that will offer you good merit aid, you will need to bring up your gpa, have excellent extracurricular activities, have compelling recommendation letters from people who know you well and who can attest to your abilities, and have the opportunity to visit potential schools. You will need to apply strategically, to the schools that are most likely to admit you at a price you can afford. Merit aid is essentially discounted tuition. Schools will offer you discounts if they feel that you will be a valuable addition to their student body. Finding these places will require research on your part, and good advice from some adults who are familiar with the system.
If you have good stats (you’ll need to spend several months, with work every day of every week, on the SAT or the ACT) and are lower income with many siblings, your best bet may be colleges that promise to meet 100% need. THose may be cheaper than a public university in your state.
Explore this website: it’s dedicated to first gen students.
http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/blog/colleges-that-meet-100-of-student-financial-need/
This is another website:
http://www.imfirst.org/
First assignement in your college preparation regimen: go to your local public library and borrow Hold Fast to Dreams by Zasloff and Steckel.
(If you don’t have a card: it’s free. 
Go get one and enjoy!)
Community College is a BAD idea for students aiming at medical school. Starting at community college reduces the odds of finishing the 4 year degree AND med schools frown on CC classes because they’re typically less rigorous. An exception to that is California because CC are relatively similar to directional university classes (and even there, med schools frown on CC classes!) In addition, if you attend community college first, you forego your chance at the best scholarships - full tuition scholarships and full rides are reserved to first year applicants. Transfers typically get lousy financial aid. So, you may save on the first two years and be stuck for the last 2 years…
Finally, you want a college that has plenty of resources for you - that works with Trio, Upwards bound, Posse foundation, has a strong writing and tutoring center, good personal advising, etc.
Note that 4-year “directional” university (directional = // “a direction”, like “Central State University”, “University of West State”, University of State at CITY…) can be about as easy to get into as community college if you’ve taken a college -preparatory curriculum, have at least a B- average, and have an SAT or ACT score (even a low one).
It depends on your state, of course, but calculate the costs of community college + 2 years at the flagship full pay, vs. 4 years on a full tuition scholarship at a directional public university in your state. The results will be clear. Show them to your parents. 
Of course, this supposes you’ll do the work to get that scholarship.
And if community college is the only solution, so be it, but there HAS to be a better solution for you. Explore the other solutions. Keep community college as a last resort.
Go to your local public library. Borrow the Fiske Guide (any edition, 2007 on) and start reading. Put a post it on every university that sounds good. Stick to your state for public universities, but for private universities, the sky’s the limit!
College of Idaho, Eckerd, and Simmons all sound good? No problem…
Once you’ve preselected three dozens universities (:p) run the Net Price Calculator. In your search engine, enter NPC and the college’s name, then see how much each would cost.
Write it down like this in a notebook (your “college notebook”):
Z College. (tuition + fees + room&board) - (scholarships&grants) = $…,000
W University (tuition + fees + room&board) - (scholarships&grants) = $…,000
DO NOT include any type of loan in what you write (you will see them onscreen but don’t include them in your notebook - loans have different names; the “good” ones are called stafford, federal, subsidized, unsibdidized, Perkins; the “bad” ones are called PLUS.)
Start looking at standardized tests. If you’re from a lower income family, you should qualify for fee waivers. Study seriously before you take the tests. Plan on taking 2 subject tests in May or June. Most homeschooled students will need to take 2 or 3 subject tests to demonstrate mastery. Plan on taking the ACT in April and ask for the complete report, with questions and answers + your answers so that you can work from your mistakes and not repeat them. Focus on EC’s - since you’re the master of your own time, volunteer in hospitals, clinics, even pet clinics and shelters! Take an EMT course and help EMTs, get your First Aid Certificate from Community Education.
Do you participate in clubs at your local high school or in church/temple/mosque?