applying for welfare??? what would you do?

Question

ok i am not trying to follow in the footsteps of my mother, she is on welfare, but for a good reason, she gets SSI, so she isnt able to work, so she gets welfare for me and my brother. i am going to college in the fall and im pretty sure i will get grants and what not to pay for college, but what about my other living expenses you know, i would work but i am gonna be going to school full time, 12 credit hrs is full time and i plan to do 14 or 15, why well i wanna be a psychiatrist and that takes tyically 12 years, i wanna shorten that as much as possible. should i ask for help or should i just stay the way i am and just live poor? i will be making a lot of money later on and all but im talking about right now. i would work but it will be nearly impossible dont you think, i am asking for advice so please dont say i am trying to work the system. Thanks

well i know i cant apply for welfare i dont have any kids, but should i ask for some type of assisstance? maybe i should just stick it out, because most college students are broke, so i am nt the only one!!!!

Answer 1

Did you fill out your FAFSA? If you did then you don't need to worry. Did you mark on your FAFSA that you weren't living with your parents (even if you are). You can always change it.

I just graduated college. My mother was also on SSI and welfare.
Because of her low income I got an EFC from the FAFSA of 0. This allowed me to get loans/grants. It is enough to live off of.
Don't live in the dorms though if you can help it, it is way more expensive than living on your own (trust me). I have lived off my loans/grants throughout college. Sometimes i would have a job just for extra money but you shouldn't have to worry about it.

You won't be living that poor. Well, i don't know your living situation but it sounds like mine. I actually made more money off loans/grants than my mom did from SSI and Welfare. I was able to help her get groceries a couple of times.

You shouldn't have to work full time, if you want extra money just work part time. You'll have enough.

I majored in psychology by the way :) Feel free to E-mail me if you have more questions.

Answer 2

Have you looked into scholarships and bursaries, your guidance office should be able to help you find some. Often there are scholarships for the first child in a family to go to university or college, might you qualify for that?

What about working summers to earn university money. Start looking for a summer job NOW while you're still in school, maybe with an agnecy that will give you skills or a network for when you go to medical school. You may decide after working in jobs like these you don't want to go into psychiatry but psychology instead. It's almost as long as a medical degree if you're thinking about getting a doctorate.

Since you're in the US I'm not sure how ssi will be beneficial to you once you go to college or if they'll even support you.

Answer 3

I dont know how much the tuition is at the place you're applying for, but the financial aid i recieved was plenty to cover mine (about 2 thousand a semester?) plus a few extra hundred bucks sent to me the next two semesters that covered books and a few other things. If you register either under your mother as a dependent or just register as an independent, it seems like you could get a crap load to help you out. Plus, theres usually some cheap apartments around college campuses around (guessing $400 per month with roommates). So back to your question, Id try goin out on my own for a semester or two, and if it doesn't work out, you can always live with your mom until you finish school.

If youre applying for FINAID for this upcoming fall, you need to do it soon! Dont remember the deadline but i really recommend you do it ASAP!

Answer 4

An idea maybe is to get involved with the work study program on campus. There is an option to get involved with it on the FAFSA form. It will provide valuable work experience and cash. However, I also recommend still searching for scholarships, too.

First, the high school guidance office can provide a list of local scholarships to apply for consideration to current high school students. Also, have your high school guidance counselor to check into any state programs for students with a certain GPA or SAT/ACT test scores.

Second, the college's financial aid office and website has a list of private scholarships offered from outside organizations and companies. Sometimes a college major's website will list scholarships, too.

Third, the public library has a book listing scholarships with some not even listed on the web.

Finally, I recommend joining several free membership scholarship search websites. There are scholarships for a variety of things including ethnicity, clubs, hobbies, and even wearing duct tape to the high school prom. Most are updated on a regular basis. Most offer a customized search based on information entered onto a form on the website.

Good luck!

Answer 5

If you qualify for assistance don't feel bad about accepting it. You could probably get reduced rate housing or food assistance.