<p>Well lets be upfront about all this. </p>
<p>I’m a poor 19 year old white male who lives in Cleveland Ohio. I graduated from a semi-prestigious “College Preparatory High-School”. I did very well in anything that involved writing but for most part my academic career is decent to complete crap. I never took my SATs or ACTs. I’m basically constantly broke despite working a full-time job. I’m about to get insurance through my job which I haven’t had in about 12 years, which you can only get by working full time. I know I can come back to job should I go-away to school. However, I have basically zero funds for anything. </p>
<p>I know I could got to Community College here in Cleveland, but here is where it gets complicated, I live with my Ma, me and mother do not like each other, I can be a lazy ****<strong><em>, and she tightly wound </em></strong>. I hate living with her, it’s killing me really. Now, I want to go away for school if possible, I don’t care if I live on campus or not I just don’t want to be at home anymore. I also have a few close friends who are looking for roommates and that is another carrot being dangled in my face. With enough people we could live comfortably. </p>
<p>Taking a loan is also completely out of the question. I absolutely refuse to take a loan, not in this economy. Which is probably never going to recover. In addition to all that, I’m also an amateur stand-up comedian. And to be honest, that is the only thing I really want to do for a living, hokey, stupid, impossible, ill-fated, none of things has ever detoured me. I want to be a comic. </p>
<p>That’s basically it. I’m Poor, stupid, with no academic credibility and with a ******** long-shot dream. </p>
<p>Any advice?</p>
<p>What do you want to major in? Where (besides not community college) do you want to go to school? Do you need college to be a stand-up comedian? (I have a daughter who is a theatre major, and we know that a degree is no guarantee of ever working in her field, just as no college does not mean no possibilities in performing arts). Sounds like you mostly want to get out on your own…so can you keep your job and get an apartment? Or move to where your friend/roommates are, have cheap rent, and be employed by day for rent money, working on your craft by night? I’d imagine that most college towns have opportunities for comedy… Just a thought…</p>
<p>Will your mother give you information to fill out the FAFSA? If your mom is low income, then you may be eligible for a pell grant. You won’t need your mom’s financial info after you turn 24, so you could wait to go to college. </p>
<p>If you are working full time and live with your mother, why are you always broke? Maybe you need to first save some money before you move out. </p>
<p>You might also want to consider working during the day and taking one night class.</p>
<p>"Taking a loan is also completely out of the question. I absolutely refuse to take a loan, not in this economy. "</p>
<p>Sorry, poor or not, nearly everyone takes out some kind of loan. Unless your parents are rich enough to pay for everything. No money, then you get a loan. Period. It might not be ALL loans, you will probably get some grants, too. But no one gets a free ride, especially not a “poor white male” with grades that are “complete crap”.</p>
<p>McDonald’s is hiring.</p>
<p>Never taking the SAT or the ACT isn’t necessarily a barrier. Check out this list of colleges that [do</a> not require the SAT or the ACT for admissions purposes](<a href=“http://fairtest.org/university/optional]do”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest). There are a bunch in Ohio, including the Ohio State University campuses and one university (as far as I can tell) that’s actually in Cleveland (Chancellor University – don’t know anything about it though). </p>
<p>However, the thing is a lot of schools require at least one of them for the purposes of scholarships so if you never want to take them (even with a fee waiver) that might present a problem if you’re looking for merit-based scholarships. </p>
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<p>Not necessarily, and why would anyone quit a full-time job on the chance that they might get an even crappier job with fewer benefits and the same or lower pay?</p>
<p>If you want to dedicate your time to stand-up comedy as a career instead of a hobby, going to college and working full-time might be hard to juggle. If it’s anything like acting, the process of networking and finding and securing gigs is a full-time job in and of itself. You might have to exercise the option your job is giving you to either go to college at least part-time and work on the comedy thing on the side until you’re sure that A. you can really make a living out of it (if you think the economy is going to be bad for the rest of your life, being a full-time comedian is even riskier than taking out a small loan for college) and B. you have a steady comedy job lined up so that you can begin building a career.</p>
<p>As was said above, without filling the FAFSA you can’t really be sure what your financial options are. Need-based aid requires at least the FAFSA at most colleges, and merit-based aid often requires submitting SAT/ACT scores, GPA/transcripts, or both. There are some opportunities based on essays, community service, or other non-numerical things like that – your best bet for applying for those would probably be through the high school that you graduated from.</p>
<p>Because of your age, you are a dependent for college financial aid. That means, like it or not, you are going to have to work with your mother to apply for financial aid. You’ll need her 2010 tax forms as well as yours, and assets current to the date you fill out the form. Yes, I know. You are really dependent on her, you want to get away from her, etc, etc. Doesn’t matter. You are stuck until you are married, have a child, are a veteran, turn 24, or have a court order that is acceptable. </p>
<p>What is your mother’s income approximately, and yours? Try the on line FAFSA estimator to get an idea of what your EFC is. Unless your income level is very low, loans are about all you can get. </p>
<p>You will likely be able to get a Stafford loan for $5500 for freshman year, which could cover local state college costs, particularly CCs’. But that isn’t enough to pay for room and board. Nobody is going to want to pay for that–why should they? Sleep away college is a luxury. The only way to get that paid is if you have high test scores/grades and some college gives your financial/aid and or scholarship to cover it. </p>
<p>Have you considered joining the military? It’s really one of the few ways of getting room and board paid.</p>
<p>And to be honest, that is the only thing I really want to do for a living, hokey, stupid, impossible, ill-fated, none of things has ever detoured me. I want to be a comic.</p>
<p>I think you mean “deterred.”</p>
<p>So be a comic. It’s a blessing to know what you really want.</p>
<p>Certainly don’t waste money on college if you’re just trying to find yourself. You can do that for free.</p>