<p>If your situation is as bad as described, then you need to start thinking strategically right now. This means creating several plans of action to get yourself out of your situation. </p>
<p>Pick schools you want to get into, and apply to them. Then pick schools you know you can get into, and apply to them as well.</p>
<p>DO NOT get hung up on “this school is beneath me”. Remember, your goal is to get out; and once you get out, the whole world is what you make of it.</p>
<p>Oh, my bad; I didn’t realize that I threw New College into that. Thanks for catching it ;)</p>
<p>This is an old inquiry but I still think it rings true to some people and there is a lot of important information unsaid. I was disowned at 18 and a senior in high school. There are somethings I wish I would’ve known. </p>
<p>America doesn’t really recognize you as a potential student. They consider you financially dependent on your parents until the year of your 24th birthday unless you are in or have been in the military, a parent or married (and same sex marriage doesn’t count). So without the ability to apply for financial aid, low interest loans and even some scholarships you have to fend for yourself, (up to 50k a year or more). Parents feel this is harmless, because they paid for their college tuition on their own 30 years ago with a summer job. Tuition has went up over 1000% since 30 years ago and has far surpassed normal inflation. It’s not possible. You could possibly start out in a community college, but you would again, have to pay your way, and currently (2013), the cheapest community college I can find was $90 a credit hour. However, if you take a credited class, you will never be able to be considered financial independent and THIS is what you are striving for! </p>
<p>If you were disowned or abused during your time as a minority and others (of higher status) know, you can attain two letters from professionals that state just that and you have been financially independent for x amount of weeks, months, years. So therapists, teachers, mentors would be the best bet for that. These letters and a statement of your own will go amongst a committee and you will be approved or denied. Apparently, approval is hard to come by.</p>
<p>If you are homeless for any amount of time as a high school student, let the high school know. Many schools have policies that you will go right into financially independent status and some even help you financially. I didn’t know about this, I was too busy taking online classes at the library and finding a cheap enough place to live while living out of my car/ friend’s houses. I know this isn’t something you certainly THINK of when you are homeless, you are mostly thinking about how little you can spend on lunch and if you can skip some meals to save money but THIS IS IMPORTANT. I found housing within a couple of months and then, even though I was paying for rent, I was considered financially dependent on my parents. </p>
<p>If you don’t have access to declaring financially independent status or you are denied you need to wait until your age says it. If you have a passion for learning, check out coursera, MIT open courseware, iTunes U and many other free uncredited classes that are out there. Try to find a good job that doesn’t require a degree, such as sales, customer service or manual labor but DON’T GIVE UP! When you are “independent” apply for financial aid and attend a community college. Make sure to DO WELL in school, and make as little as you can. Be part of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, work on anything that comes up that is related to your field. Examples: If you are interested in STEM careers, put your feelers out for internships, research ops and work study positions in a lab. Apply to transfer to another institution with your AWESOME new resume and like I said, keep what you make down to a minimum, I have received a nearly full scholarship from my top school which was nearly half need based grants. </p>
<p>Make sure to analyze your degree before attending a school. It might be a waste of time. English, history, philosophy, psychology, creative writing are ALL WORTHLESS degrees unless you decide to stick with it til your masters or further and then you can teach. If this is a hobby of yours or a passion that you can’t live without, that’s UNDERSTANDABLE, but there are a lot of free courses available online and there are a lot of social groups out there for discussion. If you are interested in music, dance or anything like that, MAKE CONNECTIONS and try to find internships or low rank jobs in your field. College is not worth it at that level and recently, outside of STEM fields, it seems like a waste to go to school.</p>
<p>Please use old threads for research only.</p>