That University of Phoenix - the largest for-profit university in existence…?
I hate to point out the obvious…but could your parents consider getting jobs? Could they ask the other five people living with you to leave?
Is there a community college within commuting distance of your home? Your Pell Grant plus the Direct Loan should,cover the tuition costs for a community college. Maybe you could,get a two year degree in some field where you could then work. Then move out…rent a room…and work yourself to save money for completing your four year degree. You may have to do that part time while you work full time…but you can get there.
And once you are done…plan to get a job.
I’m going to hazard a guess that the desirability of the parents working has occurred to the OP but, like any individuals who choose to be unemployed, the parents are resistant to the suggestion that they look for and engage in paid work.
yeah unfortunately i’ve asked my parents to work, but they would get angry at me and tell me that they don’t have to get up and work if they don’t want to. they’ve been unemployed for 6 years. and yes my dad could get a job, probably a very decently paying one, and my mom probably could get an alright job, but they chose to be selfish, and i always realized this, but not fully until today just now. im now questioning why for 17 years i had to eat ramen noodles, miss out on some christmases and the ability to go to the dentist when my parents were fully capable of letting that not happen… and even now. its not like they were in a wheelchair or something. what is wrong with people
the other five people are my 24 year old sister, her 24 year old boyfriend, and their 2 and 3 year olds, and my uncle (dads brother) but he is never home much anymore, he’s a bodyguard to some dude, and doesnt contribute much if at all. i think my sister works part time but she doesnt really contribute anything to us, and I dont even think she saves her money. she smokes weed with her boyfriend, and goes out at night. and unfortunately her boyfriend has no job after living here for 4 months and plays call of duty in their room all day. but since they have 2 kids its not like we can send them out on the street
im not trying to draw any pity, but thats just the reality of how it is lol. i’m just going to keep on hammering act prep in my head until september and by january i’ll be able to see how far i’ll get. i’m not sure if its that my parents dont want to help me as much as they can’t even help themselves. but it angers me a little to know that many parents are breaking their back to make sure their children can have it better, and that things could have been a lot better all this time, but they chose to not make that happen when it was most likely a much easier choice for them than it could be for many others
@Rob248, my younger daughter received reduced-price lunches during her junior and senior years of high school, because of our low family income (my husband was fired and didn’t apply for any jobs; I feel your pain!). This made her automatically eligible for a reduction in many school-related fees and also for reduced or zero application fees for some of the colleges to which she applied. This was four years ago, and in a different state, but it’s possible the same policies might exist at your school and the colleges you’re interested in applying to. I’m sorry you’re having to endure such difficult circumstances, but I admire your fortitude and grit. Keep at it!
From a random message board (a person with GI benefits trying to decide among 3 options for where to get his MBA):
*
3) Full time at University of Pheonix.
This schools probably is the worst academic school and might look bad on my resume. However, the way UOP sets up their classes, I can be a full-time student and recieve the full housing allowance while still working my full time job. I have co-workers taking the classes for their MBA and it’s super easy, where the longest paper they write is 4-5 pages. Sounds like a crap degree, but when you add up the money from housing allowance, in 18 months, I will be able to* get over $20,000 tax-free.
*What do you guys think? Would you go for a free quality education? or get $20,000 tax free for a poor education. I probably wouldn’t even put UOP on my resume after I graduate, but how often do you get the opportunity to get $20,000 for free?
I can assure you my dad has gambled that away if he did get it. There was a time when he said he was getting extra money every month. Then before he was even done with college, he said his allowance ran out and he had to start paying it out of pocket lol
Univ. of Phoenix would not be my choice, but my ex-SIL got her MBA from UOP, paid for by her employer and is a very high paid exec there. Her undergrad degree is in French from a city college, which she attended after leaving Northwestern’s Honors program. She just didn’t like Northwestern and she really didn’t like the honors program.
Not every online program is terrible (and she did go to classroom courses too at Phoenix), and not everyone wants to go to a full time program.