<p>I’m still trying to figure out what hydrogeology is . . . but I did a search at the website for the [American</a> Society for Engineering Education](<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/]American”>http://profiles.asee.org/) and came up with these [search</a> results](<a href=“http://www.asee.org/search?search=hydrogeology]search”>Search) for “hydrogeology.” It’s a fairly manageable list of schools, most of which offer a B.S. in hydrogeology.</p>
<p>“Hydrology,” on the other hand, produces a much longer list and I’ll let you tackle that one yourself.</p>
<p>What you’re going to want to do, if, indeed, your goal is to get an engineering degree specializing in either hydrogeology or hydrology, is visit each school’s website, look at the cost of attendance, and figure out what scholarships, if any, you might be eligible for with your ACT score of 30. (You can also re-test and raise that score, if need be.) Don’t worry about GPA requirements at this point. Don’t forget to check both the general; admissions page and the engineering school’s admissions page - you might find scholarships in both places!</p>
<p>Another approach would be to get an undergraduate degree in geology, which you could do at any school that offers that major. I have no idea what your career path would be if you went that route . . . but that’s something you can also research yourself.</p>
<p>Take a look at [this</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html]this”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html) on CC that lists scholarships at some schools that are automatically available to applicants who meet certain GPA/ test score requirements. You can then check those schools to see if any of them offer the major you’re interested in.</p>
<p>It would be the least expensive for you if you could find the major you’re interested in at one of the state schools where you’d be eligible for in-state tuition - either in Indiana or Montana. I understand that you might not want to go back to Montana . . . but if it could save you $20,000 per year, it would be worth considering.</p>
<p>About taking classes at your local community college . . . you should find out if you can take classes without pursuing a degree. Your eligibility for almost all of the scholarships at engineering schools and other universities will disappear if you end up having to apply as a transfer student rather than as a freshman. So, whatever you do, try to avoid doing anything that would jeopardize your standing as a freshman applicant.</p>
<p>And how colleges are going to view your community college classes will likely vary from one college to another. So, once you have an idea what schools you might be interested in applying to, contact the schools directly to find out if they’d be willing to treat you as an incoming freshman applicant.</p>
<p>As for your homeschooling background, you can also ask the schools what documentation they would need, if any. If your mother didn’t make a transcript for you, you might even be able to take some SAT subject tests to demonstrate what you’ve learned. Schools are used to dealing with homeschooled students, so it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
We’ll just work on getting you there.</p>