Students generally cannot get larger loans than the 5500 I mentioned above without a cosigner. Do you have someone with enough income and credit rating to cosign a large loan each year?
If you truly want to move to Washington for reasons other than education, the best way to do that is to move to Washington without applying to UW first, get a job and work for a year, then apply to school. Even then, starting at a community college is going to be your most affordable bet. (Check out Bellevue College - they have a planetarium and good pre-UW math/physics.)
Even if you do all that, you still don’t get the biggest in-state low-income scholarship, which is called Washington College Bound and requires you to attend 8th-12th grades in Washington. https://wsac.wa.gov/college-bound
Believe me, I know that cost is the driving factor in most families’ college selection. I was accepted into multiple schools in California but ultimately decided to stay in state and go to UW (the only in state school I applied to). Good luck and remember you’ll end up where you’re meant to be!
On the UW website there’s a section about residency and it says you can still get residency with more than 7 credit hours by doing something like working an off campus job for 30+ hours, which I will most likely do, in order to prove you’re there for more than education
I’ve done this already, thank you! I have several schools I’m looking at that are cheaper and where it’s almost guaranteed I’ll get accepted, UW is just my dream school and I was wanting to see what people thought about how likely it is I’d get accepted to there. I have other schools I’d be perfectly happy going to though, and if I don’t get accepted to UW I’m always able to apply for the graduate program later on!
Do you think it may be best to take a gap year to establish residency beforehand? It’d also make it where I’d be more settled in, so I wouldn’t have to deal with the stress from moving and all.
I think you need to read the residency requirements with your parents to fully understand them. Most states make it pretty difficult for students to establish residency. How would you support yourself if you moved out of state? You’d have to be self supporting (that means not subsidized by your parents).
You need to run the Net Price Calculator for UW. If the net price is more than your family can afford, I wouldn’t bother to apply there. Do you have affordable schools near your current home? You need a couple safeties on your list first.
Your guidance counselor should explain the drop in your GPA. They’ll know what to say and how to phrase it. How are you doing now? Taking care of your mental health should be your priority.
Short story: My family isn’t going to be supporting me financially since I’ll be cutting ties, only talking when necessary. My plan at this point in time is to take a gap year, get a job and find a place to stay in Washington, probably apply to a cheaper college for my undergraduate once I establish residency, and apply to UW for my graduate if I still can’t go for my undergraduate.
Long story: Once I move out of state I’ll be mostly cutting contact with my family for personal reasons, probably only talking to them when I have to, so they won’t be supporting me financially. A family member of mine actually did this at 16 and she’s been supporting herself for almost 2 years now. After some thought I’ve decided my main goal is really moving out and going to Washington at this point. I know a few people there and want to live somewhere I can make a new name for myself, while also getting away from my family. I would like to go to college as well however, and UW will be my top choice for when I finally do decide to apply. If I establish residency I think I’ll do it without being a student first, then maybe go to a cheaper school for my undergraduate and just consider UW for my graduate if I’m able to afford it at that point.
As for my mental health, I’m doing well now! Thank you for asking!