Applying for college...?

Question

im 20 yrs old, and i graduated from (homeschooling) just recently.....i want to attend college, but have no idea how to go about doing it....i dont have a college couselor to talk to, and have so many questions...when i look at college sites i just kinda get lost and overwhelmed....im not fully sufre what i would like to major in as of yet....but i have a few ideas....will this hold me back terribly??

if i didnt attend conventional school and dont have a counselor or someone to talk to, who can i talk to so that i can have questions answered?

any help is much appreciated cuz i would very much like to apply soon....


oh and how do school loans work? i have no money, i live pay check to pay check....and my credit is terrible....(i know i sound like i mess at this point, right? lol).....

arent there government loans? how do they work?

is there a better alternative?


thank you a bunch


-Calli

Answer 1

Are there are a couple of schools you are looking to attend? If so, then make an appointment to talk with a financial aid officer.

In lieu of that, there are a couple of websites to give you some good information:

www.fafsa.ed.gov
www.finaid.org

Regarding loans: in order to be considered for a federal Stafford loan, you have to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid - www.fafsa.ed.gov). What this does is generate an EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Schools will use the EFC in conjunction with the COA (Cost of Attendance) to determine your financial aid package.

For Stafford loans, your credit is not an issue. If you would be applying for any private loans, then yes, that may be a problem. But not for the Stafford loan.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You say you graduated from home schooling recently. Do you have a GED or something to document your graduation?

If so, I'd suggest that you go to the best community college that you can find close to your home. It is a great place to start college and costs much less than most 4 year schools.

Go to the Admissions office and see if you qualify for admission. Be sure to bring your documents outlining your education. Get a list of the courses they offer and see if you can find several that are of interest to you.

If you are convinced you only want a 4 year school then I'd suggest that you find a school where you can work and take courses part time. Then you might qualify for the education benefits. Most schools let you take a course for free each term. You might be able to work something out that will let you work while you are getting your degree. It will be a long process but meanwhile you can clean up your credit and not go into excessive debt in order to get your college degree.

Please note that financial aid requires your parent's tax return information if you are under the age of 24. So, if you aren't married, don't have a child, haven't been on active duty and aren't an orphan, you will need your parents to fill out the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid).

Congratulations on your plans - a college degree will certainly help you. Feel free to ask questions on my blog:
www.PayTuition.blogspot.com.

Answer 3

Well, there are private college advisors, but it sounds like you probably couldn't afford them. You might be stuck doing your own research into school initially. You might want to start with the College Board's site (www.collegeboard.com), because rather than giving their own preferences, they just list common information about all schools. You can put in your qualifications and preferences and they will give you a list of schools for you to consider (this will be made harder by the fact that you were home-schooled, because you won't be able to feed in a GPA, I assume, or a class rank). Unless you plan to take the SAT, your best bet would be a community college. Almost everything is available online these days. This site can offer some help. While there is a lot of junk on here, there are several of us who work at universities and whose goal is not to convince you to attend our own school! We can probably help at least as much as a lot of high school counselors can (mine was useless!).

On the financial end of things, yes there are federal loans available, but if you have no money, you may also qualify for grants, which are better because you don't have to pay them back. What happens is that when you apply to college, you also have to fill out a form called a FAFSA. It is a general statement of your (and your parents') financial status. On the basis of this, schools will put together financial packages for you. They will tell you what they can offer you in grants, in loans, in work-study, and in scholarships. They will also tell you what they expect your family's contribution to be. On the basis of that, you can choose a school which is reasonably affordable for you and which also meets your academic needs. What I should tell you about the FAFSA is that sometimes a school with a higher stated tuition rate will offer more than one with a lower tuition, so it is hard to predict what you can afford. Don't make your decisions based upon perceived affordability alone, because you might be cheating yourself out of some good possibilities which you didn't think you could afford.