If you’re willing to leave Oklahoma, there may be some residential colleges in the Midwest that would be interested in your profile. Not sure if they’d be cheaper than OSU/OU but if you’re interested you should hurry since applications are often due on Feb 15. Many are “free to apply”.
www.commonapp.org
Look at Gustavus Adolphus (MN), Juniata, Elizabethtown (both in PA), St Michel’s (in Vermont); Wabash, St JOhn’s MN, Goucher (if you’re a boy); Saint Benedict’s/MN, Agnes Scott College (if you’re a girl); NC A&T, NCCU, Prairie View A&M (those are HBCU’s but you can apply regardless of race or ethnic background). If you’re interested I can look into it a bit more for colleges with applications still accepted and good financial aid for students with your profile.
All in all, while those may be similar to UTulsa and may be less expensive (since they’ll be residential which TU can’t be), you may like it better at OU, which is a strong university. In fact, if you do well at OU, you could join the Honors College: you’ll need to get a minimum of a 3.4 GPA your first semester and you’ll be admitted, which will tak you to small classes with many National Merit Finalists, and in the meanwhile select a LLC to make the large university feel smaller (Scholastic and Global Community would be very good, the first one if you’re serious about getting good grades and succeeding in college, the second one if you’re curious about the rest of the world)
@Whenhen may be able to tell you her story and how she chose OU.
IN the meanwhile, you can read all this: http://www.ou.edu/publicaffairs/oufacts.html
The TRIO suggestion was very good, too - ask about it.
Other than that, you have to reconcile yourself with the idea you can’t have everything. So your choices are:
- attend OU or OSU, take loans, live on campus
- attend TU, take loans, commute
- attend community college, no loans, commute
Residential experience, no loans, isn’t possible right now.
Your savings allow you, if divided up into 8 semesters, to make room&board+ books + incidentals doable without excessive work hours during the year. (Congratulations on working so hard. Did you put that on your applications under EC? On the CommonApp, work is considered a “strong EC” because it develops resilience, adult responsibility, etc.)
I agree that community college is by far the worst choice because for lower income students, starting at a 4-year college is the best option to guarantee you’ll actually graduate from a 4-year college (starting at a 2-year college as a lower income student lowers your odds dramatically so I don’t think it’s the right solution, especially since your results definitely indicate you have what it takes to succeed at a 4-year college – if you know to ask for help immediately - if you’re offered a “bridge” program, take it; but in case you’re not, know that the ONE element that’ll make a difference is knowing right away where the learning center is, its hours, how you get a tutor, and use it even if it’s to get from B to B+ , and not hesitate to ask for help, go to office hours, etc, etc, those resources are there because ‘asking for help’ is a proof of maturity in a challenging setting, vs. high school.)
So, since community college is not recommended or acceptable, it means you’ll have to take loans. (There will not be any magic scholarship fairy - many parents and students think money will “appear” if it’s really needed. It doesn’t. Even if you’re right to hope and apply, have a good contingency plan - which I understand you thread is about.)