Reader's comments on this article Add a new comment on this article

from frmrjoyish Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:28 (Agree/Disagree?) I haven't looked at those sites as they were not responding, but I just wanted to say that as far as finances go, there is no reason why anyone in the USA can't go to college. You can get grants if you have a low income or even if you're not low income, loans are available. With grants or loans and a part time job, everyone can go to college. If you can't get grants, yes, it'll suck to have to pay back loans but at least you'll be in a better position than with out a degree. (reply to this comment)

From Amy1974 Wednesday, August 13, 2003, 13:20 (Agree/Disagree?) If you are a US national, this is what you do, what I did, and what I recommend: Live and work in your city and state of choice for one year to gain residency. The reason you should work is so that you can make money (of course), but also to prove that you do indeed reside in your state, city, county of choice. If you try to prove you reside there but don't have a paper trail proving such, it can make your life harder at the University Financial Aid office. When you move somewhere, as soon as you can, go to the University(s) financial aid office and explain your situation, what you may not know is that depending on your age, when you fill out a FASFA form (I forget what the acronym stands for, it is the Federal financial aid form the gov. uses to calculate the amount of grants and/or loans you will get depending on your income), YOU WILL NEED YOUR PARENT'S SIGNATURE!! I am not sure how old you have to be to be considered financially on your own, but you need to talk to the Fin. Aid office to let them know your situation, to tell them (as I did in 1992), that your parents will not sign this form for "security reasons", that you need to be considered your sole provider (there is a word for this, I am at a loss for what it is). Here is what I did to get my undergrad education: 1. lived and worked in a city for one year 2. talked to the Fin Aid office and filled out the FASFA form, biological COG mother refused to sign it which set me back six months as I had to prove that I didn't receive any parental support 3. I went to a community college for two years where I got an associates degree (AA), and then I transferred to a four year university and finished out my BA. Note that many people choose to get an AA at a community college because it can be quite a cost saver, usually univerities are more expensive. Some Ideas for funding your education: 1. If you don't have much money, you should qualify for Pell grants, scholarships, or at a minimum student loans which must be paid back 2. You can join the US military, which would probably make most people on this site just gasp...alas, I am putting it out there 3. There is an organization called "AMERICORP", you can work there for six months to a year (or more) for a small monthly salary, then after your year is up, you will get an educational stipend 4. Get a job with an employer who offers education tuition assistance, many co.s do this but their benefits vary, some cos offer tuition assistance for course work that is related to what you do at your job, so, this can be restrictive. Some cos. offer assistance but require that you pay for the course work up front, pass the class with a B grade or better, and then you can be reimbursed. We aren't talking about hard jobs here, UPS package handlers used to qualify for tuition assistance, I am not sure if that is still the case. 5. Apply for scholarships, there is a lot of money out there, you just need to meet the requirements and market yourself well in the scholarship application. good luck (oops, I forgot, Luck comes from Lucifer, and shouldn't be used!!!) (reply to this comment)