Some obstacles in going to college

Parent Cafe
1

I’m a student trying to go to college, and as the title says I’m running into some problems. I’m 18 years old with a GED, and will be 19 this summer. My family’s plan my whole life has been community college and then transfer to local college/university. Because of various circumstances, we have to relocate and I do not qualify for need based aid at my CC.

Now I have to plan my schooling around several contingencies:

Relocating after my first two years of CC
Relocating after my first year of CC, transferring to another CC, and going to the U from there
Relocating on my own to go the U across the state after CC
Not relocating whatsoever and going to the local satellite U

I’m really at a loss. I want to avoid private loans as much as possible. I could see them being worth it to finance the last two years of my schooling at a four year university, but not for community college. My family says they’ll be able to help me financially with tuition, but we’ve yet to have a conversation about exactly where that’s going to come from. Basically, I don’t know how I’m going to pay for school or get through college with this going on.

1 I have enough money saved to pay for my first year of CC out of pocket with my own earned money

2 There’s no merit. I don’t have a GPA, I don’t have SAT or ACT scores, never took the PSAT. Nothing, nada. I was homeschooled, and the plan was to avoid all of that and just be a transfer student. I didn’t even know about any of this stuff until it was too late. So I have no option but the CC-to-university route.

3 I have some college credit earned after high school, and at both my university options, any college credit after HS graduation puts you in the transfer student spot.

4 No, the military is not an option. I am medically ineligible. If I could serve, I would.

5 I’m calling tomorrow to make an appointment to talk with a counselor at my local CC next week

All that said, what can I do? What are my options? How the heck can I do this?

2

You may want to consider waiting one more year. It could resolve some issues and increase savings. You could enroll local part time and still work.

The councillor is your best bet for advice. You also don’t want to get too many credits at CC without knowing they will transfer or they are money wasted, which it does not seem wise for you.

Patience. It’s a long life, so do what is best in the long run for you.

3

Are you moving to a new state? IF not, then enroll in the CC near your new home.

4

Your best option is probably to complete your AA or AS degree at just one CC. So, find out about the CCs near where you will be living after your family relocates. If it is in a different state, ask each of the commuting-distance CCs about their enrollment policies. Often the residency requirements to be considered a local student for tuition and fees purposes is less than the full year that most 4-year institutions require. Some CCs will immediately after you arrive provided you or one of your parents moved there because of a job transfer.

5

We’re homeschoolers too. If you can graduate from a cc, you generally don’t need SAT scores.

You can’t take out private loans. You can get the federal student loan ($5500 as a frosh, $6500 as a soph, and $7500 each year as a junior & senior). What state were you in? Did you move across that state or are you in a new state?

6

It may be relevant as to what your state of residency is, and whether the relocations will be in the same state or to different states. Some states’ CCs and CC->university transfer paths are better developed than those in other states. The relocations can also affect your residency for in-state tuition (often, there is a waiting period even if you otherwise meet all requirements).

7

Hey all, thank you for your replies.

We’re staying in state, so residency is not an issue. I’d rather not name my state, privacy and all that, but what I can say is between CCs and the public universities here, they have VERY good direct transfer agreements. It helps that I’m majoring in Computer Science; math, physics, and programming all transfer very cleanly between my two options for finishing my Bachelor’s. I’ve spent hours pouring over the credit transfer guides class-for-class. The only thing I have to be careful about are the general ed/liberal arts requirements, but that’s as simple as checking the transfer guide and picking another class if it doesn’t transfer.

Further, the tuition costs between my two Junior/Senior year options are nearly identical, so there’s no problem there The one not within commuting distance is a couple hundred dollars more expensive.

Any of the community colleges I might be going to if we move next year are 4+ hours (one way) away from where I live currently, so not within daily commuting distance. Believe me, if it were within an hour, or even two hours, I’d suck it up, bite a chunk out of my savings to buy a car, and do the commute. That would simplify one problem.

@HRSMom : In terms of waiting another year, that isn’t really a great option at this point. This is the second time I’ve been basically told “We’re not moving at this time/this year PersonalParadox, so go ahead and start working/enroll in college” As they say, things happen in threes, and I’m not sure if next time around will be “Third time’s the charm!” or that one about bad things happen in threes. Stupid superstitious phrases aside, I would prefer to spend as little time as possible at home. School and work combined do just that and keeps everyone off my back.

@austinmshauri : I mentioned lack of SATs to cover the fact that I basically have no eligibility for test based merit aid. As for federal loans, your comment prompted me to look into that. I was under the impression that due to my EFC, I couldn’t get subsidized OR unsubsidized loans. I checked it out on the FAFSA website and now I feel like a dolt, as I can get the unsubsidized loans with no financial need necessary. That limits me to $3500, $4500, and $5500 respectively; None of those amounts are enough to cover all of my CC or university tuition, which means Parent PLUS loans or co-signed private student loans for whatever difference I can’t cover with work, but thank you very much. That takes a load off of my mind.

All that said, clearly I have a lot to discuss with the counselor next week. I also need to get the FAFSA filled out as soon as possible; completely forgot about it because I wasn’t supposed to be going to school this year and I might just be taking loans this year.

8

Realized just now I misread the limits and what I posted about subsidized loans. Whoops. Yay edit time limits.

9

You may have to work part time and go to school part time. Check into Starbucks, I recently saw a short feature on the news where Starbucks will pay for online courses for employees.

10

“the plan was to avoid all of that and just be a transfer student.” I realize it’s too late for you, but for other readers, I would say why on earth would you skip these tests and thereby throw your chance at huge scholarships out the window.

11

Ask the councillor if there is any way you can be severed from your parents, financially. Surely there must be a way!! Parents who withhold fafsa info must be few, but not unheard of and there met be a process, even if it is a pain!!

12

@HRSMom - I don’t see any evidence that the parents have refused to file the FAFSA, just that this family is getting things together rather late in the game. In the original post, it was stated that the parents are willing to help pay for the education, but specific numbers haven’t been discussed.

@PersonalParadox - It looks like all the CCs in your state share a transfer credit database that would allow you to see what courses are applicable toward degrees at all of them and at your state Us. If that is so, then go ahead and take a couple of classes this fall at your local CC that you know will apply toward your long-range degree plan. You can finish off an associates degree there or elsewhere if you find out an associates degree is useful in the transfer process, or you can apply for transfer to the state U when you are ready without an associates degree. Given that your parents don’t have a definite move date, it might be worth your effort to identify a place where you could live while finishing out the semester at your current CC if your parents do move before the semester ends.

13

Have you looked into taking CLEP exams as a way to earn college credits inexpensively? You’ll need to see if hte schools you are looking at will accept them, but most will. If they do, you could spend some time studying and earning college credit before enrolling (and spending any money on school fees). Earn as many credits via CLEP as you want and then enroll in college. Much cheaper this way.

If you are unfamiliar with CLEP, they are similar to AP exams but can be taken by anyone at anytime (in contrast to APs which are only for high school students and the test is only offered once a year). College Board oversees both CLEP and AP exams.

Let me know if you need more info on this option.

14

You are looking at the big picture and while that’s smart, you may find it a good idea to chunk things down. Nothing says you have to decide right now what you will do in one year or in two years. Just get started in a community college. Get that first semester out of the way and start into the next. As you move forward, you will have a better understanding of what direction you want to go. Your goals are highly attainable, just take it a step at a time. You may like the CC you are at and decide to stay another year. Or maybe you’ll decide you’re better off to transfer after one year. Right now, you don’t have to decide. Take a deep breath. You are on your way. Best wishes to you.

" Life’s a dance, you learn as you go…"