<p>West Chester will cost me less than $700 to commute. Only problem is I don't know where I will be living. (long story short, I am probably going to be kicked out & I am not sure where that will leave me in the long term).
Temple could cost me around $7000 (hoping & praying it does not go any higher) to attend & live on campus.</p>
<p>I have $2,000 in the bank and that is it. I am trying to find a job (hoping to find 2-3 this summer), but no luck yet. I am worried if I go to temple what will I do if I do not have the money, i feel like I will be struggling to get by? and if I go to west chester where would I live (way to expensive to dorm)? Neither parent is helping me & both seem like huge risks. I prefer temple but I am getting to the point to where I just want somewhere to go. Please help me out here? </p>
<p>OP is in quite a dilemma. First problem: her parents might kick her out come graduation, and evidently they won’t pay anything for her college education.
Second problem: West Chester housing will run about 2400-3100 per semester, and the 14-meal/wk plan will run about 1300/semester. Costs of room and board about 8000 plus cereal and milk. Temple is about the same price.
Third problem: student doesn’t yet have the 7 or 8 grand for the year at either school.</p>
<p>OP, could you tell us if these numbers include $5500 in loans, the maximum you can borrow by yourself?</p>
<p>OP, could you also tell us why Slippery Rock, which I believe would be less expensive, is no longer on your list?</p>
<p>I don’t know what to tell you other than try to talk to one of your parents to allow you stay at home. Otherwise you may have to seek social services/shelters so you can go to school. To me Westchester perhaps is your only option.</p>
<p>Umm i know my fasfa inclunes laons (unsubzidised & subzidised). slippery rock is still in but its so far off and the likely hood of getting a job without a car seems far fetched. I just need a place to stay & a school to go to or I am stuck taking a year off. My parents get into moods so one month I could be in the next Im out I just dont want to be stuck commuting from 2 hours away. </p>
<p>Call Temple and speak to the problem with Financial VP or whoever in charge of the Financial Aid and explain your problem to see if they will provide more aid in YOUR situation. Do not talk to a clerical level person, ask for appointment if necessary.</p>
<p>Taking a gap year for financial reason is a good option as well, you are young, a year behind is not a big issue. </p>
<p>Have you talked to the social workers so they can arrange you to live near West Chester? Like a host family so you can work on the house chores in exchange for room and board? Once you have done that for a year or so, you can announce emancipation and perhaps get higher FA that gives you a stipend?</p>
<p>Before you go that route, you may have to do some thing to strengthen your story, since you ARE still living with your parents.</p>
<p>I am 19, so every time I try to talk with my counselors, police (another thing) anyone they pretty much say I am on my own. I am being emancipated june 12, my child support also stops so I will be supporting myself. </p>
<p>So go talk to the social worker and find out affordable(free) housing in walking distance to school, or put you up for adoption or some thing drastic. You cannot go on like you are and you need drastic measures.</p>
<p>^I second finding a social worker outside of school, whose entire job is to help adults (people 18+) in difficult situations. Since your dad will kick you out the minute child support stops, you need to go find a social worker BEFORE then, explain that situation and financial/stability threat, and get things going. It’ll take a LONG time for anything to be processed so the earlier you can start the process the better but once it’s done, it’s done and it’s legal. Being emancipated for college is different from being emancipated before the law. For colleges, you’re not independent until you’re 24 unless you meet some criteria. Getting the social worker involved would help meet the criteria so that your financial aid is not dependent upon your parents’ income but upon yours, solely. The social worker should also be able to tell you what you’re supposed to do wrt financial aid for college. </p>
<p>Anyone have suggestions on who to contact, I can look some up on my own of course. but links would be helpful if is anyone could be kind enough to post them/email them to me.</p>
<p>By May 1st, or whatever the deadline is, you should defer your enrollment with a college, most likely West Chester, so that you do not lose your FA. Get to a social worker ASAP so he/she can explain to the college your situation and if that is feasible to enroll in college this year. You may take another gap semester/quarter to get your financial and housing out of the way. But if you can do it faster than that, you may start schooling in September.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with PA social worker system, some one else may charm in.</p>
<p>I should take my words back, the school that you pick should be close to wherever you will live in the future and affordable, unless you can afford a car. So, speak to a social worker first.</p>
<p>Which school will be cheaper if R&B is not part of the consideration?</p>
<p>Temple U’s tuition is completely covered. It is just dorming costs. and if I could get it down to like 4000-5000 its not that bad if you look at rent in the area (its like 500 a month).
West Chester is 700 (less than) to commute. but 12000 to dorm.
Slippery rock is 3000 (cant commute).</p>
<p>I am not sure if you can get Temple and West Chester deferrals until the housing situation is resolved. But you need to talk to the social workers first to determine:</p>
<ol>
<li>Where to find a cheap housing near a school.
<ol>
<li>How to emancipate so you do not have to put your parents into fafsa as others noted in the up thread,</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
<p>Until then, you cannot risk to loose deposits just for the sake of, that deposits are too important to make or break for you. </p>
<p>Maybe you should start with the Penn Department of State who issues the license.</p>
<p>Many college students/people around that age in the West Chester area share a house with several people. The costs are usually very reasonable, so I would look into something like that, and you could take SEPTA buses to campus if a place is not within easy walking distance</p>
<p>We have homeless care for women only offered by nuns in our area: the Sisters of Mercy. I suggest you find homeless services to start, but try Catholic Charities. You may be “taken in” for a longer stretch with something like that. </p>
im 19. </p>