Current Events > Is it really as easy as it sounds to attend college if you're poor?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Lets assume you have no money whatsoever

Can the government give you aid where you dont have to pay a single penny out of your pocket?

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they're grants for sure...

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For a 2 year degree yeah the government will pay for all of it

if you look for grants (like the Pell Grant), you don't have to pay if you qualify.

there are also scholarships you can look for.

but if you apply for financial aid, you'll have to pay that back, iirc.

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It's dependent on many different factors. But it is possible to attend CC without paying for anything out of pocket. I did it
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Just go to the college and sit in a class. Theyll eventually figure out you arent supposed to be there, but by then you're an expert in Quantum Physics.
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Community college should be free but you'll still need money to live on while you're going to school as work hours are bound to be an issue, unless you're still living at home.

Housing and transportation requirements mean that rosey views of FAFSA paying for everything are more or less an illusion.

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Duncanwii posted...

Just go to the college and sit in a class. Theyll eventually figure out you arent supposed to be there, but by then you're an expert in Quantum Physics.

I've always wondered about this. Just walk around with a backpack and you'll fit right in. You're kinda limited to the big auditoriums where you can just blend in with the masses, can't really go into those small 8 person labs or anything.

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Well I did, but it depends on your situation.

I still lived with my parents at the time (who were also poor) and went to community college, then transferred to a relatively cheap state college so FAFSA basically covered everything between grants and federal loans as long as I remained fulltime.
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Yes

Some ways of going are more financially responsible, but actually getting accepted is very easy

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No.

first, you will need parental involvement, which a lot of poor families lack on the academic side of things. Your parents fill out the FAFSA. Without that, any sort of aid is hard.

even if everything is covered by financial aid you will want to try to find as many ways to pay for college as possible. Grants and scholarships are preferable. Grants are basically free money, scholarships are free money so long as you met / continue to meet some requirements, and for some of them send a letter once a semester / year to describe how youre using the money.

loans falls into federal subsidized, federal Unsubsidized, private. Federal subsidized arent terrible loans, I maxed those out. Unsubsidized and private loans suck and should be last case.

so if you want to attend school next year, now is the time to start filling out scholarship and grant applications. Dont ignore smaller scholarships, I won quite a few $250 and $500 scholarships where I was the only or one of the only candidates.

When you are in school continue apply for scholarships and grants. There arent as many available as to incoming freshmen, but they exist and a lot of students dont bother with them.

ROTC is another popular option, but that requires joining the military after college (which if you do it right can be a great career move).

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g0ldie posted...

if you look for grants (like the Pell Grant), you don't have to pay if you qualify.

there are also scholarships you can look for.

but if you apply for financial aid, you'll have to pay that back, iirc.

"Financial aid" is a broad term that includes grants, scholarships, loans, work-study, etc. KILBOTz covered it pretty well.

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^ oh yea, true

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What state are you in?

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archedsoul posted...

What state are you in?

CA

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AzNDarkSamurai posted...

CA

How old are you? Are you still a dependent or independent?

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Duncanwii posted...

Just go to the college and sit in a class. Theyll eventually figure out you arent supposed to be there, but by then you're an expert in Quantum Physics.

I'll take "things people who have never been to college say" for a thousand Alex

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