My situation is a bit complicated, not sure how to best explain it so please bear with me. Last year, I started attending Knox College, a small liberal arts college in Illinois. I attended for a year, from Fall 14 to Spring 15. Unfortunately it did not go well. ADHD and feelings of depression (especially during winter), among other things, made it very difficult. Out of 9 classes, I withdrew from or failed 6. Come Fall 15, I couldn’t return to Knox for various reasons, including wanting to sort out my problems and get proper help before going back to school.
I very much want to go to college for spring term. My options at this point are a local community college, a 4 year state university, or Knox. However, there are issues with all of them. For one, money. I can get decent financial aid, but I still need money to cover personal costs. At absolute minimum I need a couple hundred bucks for textbooks. If I want to go to a local 4 year university, there’s $400+ for the housing deposit and housing application fee. Knox would require around $150 - $180 for transportation costs as it’s far from home. I’ve had a few job interviews but no luck actually landing a job so far and my family cannot help me.
Community college is obviously the least expensive option. I just really do not want to stay home for another year or more. I want to live in a dorm and not be here. I don’t want to get into specifics as to why but if I can leave, even if it means going to a more expensive college, I’ll take it.
On the other hand, while Knox is wonderful, it has its drawbacks. Illinois winters suck; I like being able to go outside and take walks, and there isn’t much opportunity to do that when it’s extremely cold for 2 - 3 months (except for occasions the temp hits the high 30 or early-mid 40s). It’s a quarter system, so terms go by fast. It’s less forgiving than most colleges are if you fall behind. As mentioned above, it’s far away and requires a plane + train to get to which is a pain, not to mention the cost of doing that multiple times a year. I could stay in town over summers but there’s no guarantee I’d be able to. Also I feel bad about crawling back to Knox after royally screwing up in my first year.
So…I don’t know what to do. All my options have serious negatives. I know this is a decision only I can make but I wanted to get other thoughts on this situation, if anyone has advice or anything.
Why are your options limited to Knox or Community College?
Your post has reason after reason why nothing will work. Yet thousands of other kids make those cold winters work. They find jobs-- both my 15 and 17 year old kids currently have jobs.
OK, practically speaking:
I’m someone who also isn’t a fan of the cold. I live in NY and, while I love snow, I hate cold. (bizarre, right?) So I understand what you mean. But I’m guessing that Knox has a sports facility where you can exercise each day. And, with the right clothing, outside is manageable for short time periods.
But, more than that, why not simply consider other schools, ones which do NOT require “plane + train”??? The schools my son is looking at are all within a 4 hour drive, so the commute is considerably less expensive than the ones you mention. A plane to school simply isn’t happening in our house.
There are schools, even community colleges, that have dorms. (Two in NY are Broome County and Tompkins-- I’m not sure what’s in IL.) There are schools with lower price tags. There are places that are hiring teens, you need a bit of luck and a strong dose of persistence.
I think you should take a deep breath, stop making excuses, and hit the college match sites.
All colleges will have costs - even the community college will require you to purchase books and pay commuting costs. How will you get to class every day? Do you have access to a car? Even if you do, who will pay gas and maintenance? If you have to commute by public transit, how much will that cost? If the transportation for Knox is only < $200 (and that’s all you have to pay), in the long-term that’s probably cheaper than the commuting costs to get back and for to community college.
As for walks, I used to live in central PA. I took my dog outside for walks in freezing weather - my personal threshold was 14F. I would take my dog for two 45 minute walks per day as long as it was above 14F. I wore good gloves, a great puffy coat, a scarf and a hat, and some warm socks. And you’d only have to do the traveling thing twice a year - once for winter break and once for summer - unless Knox also closes down the residence halls during other breaks. (You could try to travel home with a friend who lives closer for Thanksgiving.)
Hm, from what I’m seeing the community college might be your best resort. From what you said (correct me if I get it wrong) the only thing you’re worried about studying in the community college is being at home and not in a dormitory. You can probably look into it on a different perspective, You can spend more time with your family during weekends which is one of the problems students staying on dorms often cry about
