<p>Hi,</p>
<p>It seems likely (though it's not certain yet, and I don't want to count my eggheads before they crack :-) ), that I might be accepted to Emerson College in Boston for the fall of this year. If I am accepted, I absolutely plan on going, but of course, it's a private college and the $$$ is way more than anyone "regular" could afford out of pocket. I'm 24 and filed the FAFSA independently (EFC = $0), which means I'm eligible for the max amount of the national Pell Grant and the in-state "MassGrant" as well. But that's only a drop in the bucket for a ~$40K college; if I don't get any of the scholarships I've applied for, I'm either SOL and will have to attend a state school (not being snobbish, but none really have the focus on creativity in liberal arts like Emerson does), or take out a substantial student loan that I'd most likely be paying off until I die, or the world ends, whichever comes first :-( (And longevity runs in my family -- well in upwards of 80 years! -- just so you know.) I've never held a job, and it's not likely I ever will, due to chronic anxiety that prevents me from working; however, I refuse to be "on welfare" for the rest of my life (I did apply for SSI/SSDI in the past, and after some time, was accepted, but turned it down because it's just "not me" to be on the dole). </p>
<p>I really would be miserable going to a state school, and none are really a good fit, but my parents are in way over their heads paying for renovations on my/our house (we had severe flooding in New England a year ago, and the house is old and wasn't well-built to begin with, so we're still trying to put things back together again...hey, there's Humpty Dumpty, the original cracked egghead ;-) ). So there's no way they can pay; I can't do work study (again, because I can't work); I'm really going for the study of creativity, and the networking aspect rather than potential "career" applications; anyone familiar with the poem "A Dream Deferred" (if not, Google it), or anyone who can get the basic gist of the title, should be able to recognize why I can't let go of my aspirations or put them off :-( </p>
<p>Any advice? They do offer a payment plan (i.e. month-by-month), but I mean, ~$40K is like an above-average car, and was the price of a house, by God, about 30-40 years ago! I can't receive grants if I default on loans; would the payment plan be a little easier to manage, and if so, how to convince the 'rents to be paying for my..."rent," so that I can go to a school for creative professionals (not just boring, stuffy, wannabe English professors, which I don't "wannabe"), and maybe write the next..."Rent"? :-)</p>