I am currently a junior I have an exceptionally bad home life my family is very poor we make in total 12,000 a year I take 3 dual credit course my weighted gap is a 5.4 unweighted 3.4 I’m 15/73 due to a bad freshman year I can make up the bombed classes next year though bringing me up to 6th7th or 8th/73 I want to be a speech pathologist and maybe minor in business or something I also want to try out for their softball team when I graduate I will be a four year starter on my high school team and also throw shot put and discuss so far as a junior two year district champion in both and one year area champion also 5th and 8th places at region I also powerlifting etc. any way I want to know the possible ways for me to go to school considering my family is struggling to pay bills I doubt they can pay for college I’m a Caucasian/African American women and no one in my family has previously went to college and I have a single mother who didn’t go to high school is there any possible way to go to SFA for nearly free I will also graduate with 21-23 college hours
There is always ROTC, too.
Not exactly what I’m looking for but yes if all else fails it certainly an option
Look into Questbridge. Also doesn’t Texas guarantee money if you are top 10% of your class? Is there any way you can pump up your GPA? 3.4 will get you into a lot of schools though.
Talk to your coach and your guidance counselor about what colleges other students with your stats have been accepted to. Maybe your coach can say whether there are schools that will recruit you for any one of your sports. Don’t get hung up on prestige. You want a school that will give you aid. You can borrow $5500 in a guaranteed student loan for freshman year and you probably qualify for about $7000 in Pell grant. I’m not sure if your state also gives any money. Many students end up living at home for the first two years and going to community college because it only costs about $4000 a year.
Take your SAT or ACT tests soon. Figure out what areas you need to improve before taking them again. If you come back with some test scores someone here can probably help you find some schools. Also check out the College Match feature on this site. Good luck.
Yes there is absolutely a way for you to go to college! You are female; minority; first gen college and with low income and you play a sport that could possibly be your ticket at least for a partial or full-scholarship. Have you arranged a meeting with your school guidance counselor? Have you had a serious meeting with your softball coach? You need to get both of them on board with your plan to go to college. Having them on your side, putting you out there as a recruit, etc. is your very first step.
You sound like an awesome kid! You have struggled with a lot and have pulled through and you are making a plan for the future. Start with some small goals:
- Make it a plan THIS week to meet with your guidance counselor. Talk about college, career paths, etc. Your first mid-range goal should be plan on taking the SAT or the ACT. I'm thinking you will qualify for a waiver for the registration fee.
- Next week = meet with the softball coach. Let both of them know how hungry you are and what your goals are for college. There are MANY MANY good schools in Texas that are smaller and not on everyone's radar that will offer you a great ride. West Texas A&M; UNT, UT Tyler, etc. are all smaller schools that will STILL get you where you need to be. SFA is a great school. Do you live near there? What makes you focused on attending there?
Keep on thinking forward and keep planning! (can you tell I’m the daughter of a single mom??? I will be rooting you on!)
Punctuation is your friend. Why aren’t you using it?
Are you purposely making your post difficult to read?
Definitely! I was in the same boat. Keep working hard and apply to a private 4-year college with a generous endowment. These colleges tend to cover 100% of financial need for anyone with family income under 30 - 40k. All you have to worry about is being a competitive applicant!
In some cases, it’s cheaper to go to a private college than a state school because of these kinds of policies. As you begin your college search, check out the top private liberal arts colleges and their individual financial aid policies. You’ll be able to find plenty that offer 100% need-based financial aid for people in your income bracket.
What schools are you looking into? I’m “poor”, by that I mean my income is low enough that I qualified for Pell Grants. I got close to a full ride at Texas Tech. Most of my friends I know got similar deals.
Thanks SFA isn’t to close but it’s not to far, I want to be a speech pathologist and their employment rate out of college is great not only that but if I decide to go pre med they have a fairly decent program. I am not exactly sure why I love this school but I do and now I’m just worried I won’t be able to pay for it but softball and academics are strong so idk I can only hope