<p>Ebola, I’m going to ignore the ancillary static here and try to address your situation. First of all, congratulation from going from high school drop out to accepted to a selective university. It is am amazing achievement. Be aware that the reward for this is to be on the same footing as everyone else who cannot afford to go away to college. We are at a point, in this country, that indeed, most kids who get their high school diplomas can start college. Our many state supported community and local schools along with programs like PELL and Staffords make this possible. There is no guarantee that your way is going to be paved to any given school, for sleep away college and more expensive options than the local state school. To get other options, you gotta be so desirable to colleges that they bid for you, offer to help you pay. Has a lot more to do with what they feel you can do for the college, than what you have done for yourself. You have done a great thing for YOU, YOURSELF in getting you to where you are, but in terms of colleges paying you for your achievement, it does not work that way.</p>
<p>So, saying, I think the UI UC and a bunch of other flagship state schools bear some responsibility, along with the states to providing affordable 4 year options to their residents and shame on them for not having them available. </p>
<p>Yes, there are options out there, and you gotta sift through them and see what is available to you. Talk, talk , talk to UI and see what they can do. Would a gap year, a year at an inexpensive state school help. Take out the full Stafford loan that you can, and set up a joint account with a parent and pay your living expenses to them in it , and that can be an added amount to the ante next year or the next (even better) to pay for a 4 year option.</p>
<p>Where the huge gap in getting a college education exists is that once a student finishes 2 years of college credits, there is scarcity of affordable resources to finish that degree, due to lack of state schools in an area that have a 4 year degree and that not all affordable schools have programs in every student’s field of aspiration. I find it amazing that there are major cities where once you get your 2 years of credits done, there are no affordable options within a commutable distance . You gotta buy a car and incur (especially with gas prices these days) heavy expenses commuting or go to a residential college which in many states is a very expensive proposition. For some state, the only local option is an expensive state school. I don’t think the cost of these colleges, when they are the only game in town should be beyond what is doable with loans and part time work, but they too often are.</p>
<p>RE: joining the military to take advantage of the generous educational and other benefits. PULEEZE! As OP states, the military uses this as a carrot on a stick to entice people to join! And people join up all the time for all the "benefits’ whether or not they believe in the military or what it does. Have you not read all the sad stories about young people who live in economically depressed communities and turn to the military because it is the “only game in town??” My niece (in her 30’s with 2 kids and a long-time boyfriend) joined for health insurance benefits and post-service educational benefits. She’s having a great experience and claims she wants to go to law school when she gets out.</p>
<p>RE: Parents income. Yea, $140,000 a year sounds like a lot but it doesn’t go far when one has multiple children, lots of debt and only gained a high paying job 2 years ago. I’m not saying they aren’t or shouldn’t be responsible for their past actions, but I do get tired of posters implying that low to mid 6 figure incomes are a ton of money. [now I’ll probably get bashed]. </p>
<p>We live in a high-tax town and state, pay a lot for insurance (health, house and car) and my h drives 100 miles a day to get to his job (@$4 a gallon, it adds up quickly). H was unemployed for a while and lucky to get this job, so please don’t tell me that he could/should find something closer. I have read this admonishment before to others on cc. Throw in some recent huge car repair bills and our college savings plan got thrown off course unexpectedly (through no fault of our own; we drive 9 and 7 year old cars and are trying to max out their life).</p>
<p>The OP’s postings are well-written and he seems like a very respectful young man and I wish him well. Please keep us posted on your plans and how they turn out.</p>
<p>“This situation seems unreal to me, why is higher education only available to my peers whose parents happen to make less than mine, or that happened to be born with a darker skin tone?”</p>
<p>The vast number of options that are available to others that are not available to you are those of your peers whose parents happen to make more than yours and who are willing to bust their financial back, bank accounts, and take financial risks to pay for their kids’ college. The only guaranteed option that those with parents a lot poorer than yours has is the PELL grant. As for skin color, that alone isn’t going to bring in money. There are diversity, URM scholarships, but they are hardly a plethora. A lot more kids getting money for pure academic excellence, usually led with high test scores, athletic prowess and other things a school wants in their community.</p>
<p>That you are disadvantaged with the parents you have is the result of the birth lottery and there is nothing much that can be done about that. There are kids who have families so dysfunctional that they get killed by them. We still haven’t shut that down yet, so the mere inability to pay for college is long ways down that list of social inequalities that need to be addressed. </p>
<p>And if you are truly color blind, yes, that does shut down certain options to you. My cousin went through an air traffic controller program, only to be denied any employment in the field for that reason. You have to be able to pass the test as given by the organization as a standard. He never knew he was color blind as he is not completely so, just in certain shades and not all screenings will catch it. But the military and certain occupational ones will catch it. He tried a number of times and could not get by those standards.</p>
<p>Upstatemom quote:
"RE: Parents income. Yea, $140,000 a year sounds like a lot but it doesn’t go far when one has multiple children, lots of debt and only gained a high paying job 2 years ago. I’m not saying they aren’t or shouldn’t be responsible for their past actions, but I do get tired of posters implying that low to mid 6 figure incomes are a ton of money. [now I’ll probably get bashed]. "</p>
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<p>Many times we fail to put ourselves in someone’s shoes and therefore miss the mark.
So, I challenge you to take YOUR same situation and make it work on a $40,000 per
year salary versus the $140,000 salary or any “low to mid 6 figure income”. Go ahead
and imagine it! Most american families live on $40,000-$50,000 (median income) per year.</p>
<p>"PULEEZE! As OP states, the military uses this as a carrot on a stick to entice people to join! And people join up all the time for all the "benefits’ whether or not they believe in the military or what it does. …My niece (in her 30’s with 2 kids and a long-time boyfriend) joined for health insurance benefits and post-service educational benefits. She’s having a great experience and claims she wants to go to law school when she gets out…</p>
<p>It is good to hear those stories. I think my perception is biased because my job was evaluating those trying desperately to get out, and most of the time the answer was “no”.</p>