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sathorSo, this is "da plan."
Work as soon as possible to both save cash and get my diploma finally so i can get transcripts transferred. Preferably some help from parental units, and maybe getting back what my sis and her ex boyfriend owe me ($400) to help with that.
Set up to enter as a 2nd year (probably) student at a university. I doubt my A.A. will direct transfer. If it does it'll take a lot of work on my part, and I'm not entirely against redoing a year of college, or at least a semester, to get back in the swing.
I intend on getting my B.A. Once I have that, I'll consider trade school if I can't find something decent to tide me over...of course there's always the chance all of my former teachers and professors weren't lying when they said I was a genius. In which case there should be a lot of pressure for me to continue to graduate school, and a lot of aid as well.
With the estimated reward from the federal government, plus whatever I get from the state, I should actually end up with a surplus every year (or less in loans) as long as I stick with a public institution. Privates might give me more aid, though, and I'll consider some of them.
If I'm lucky, I can go to a school with a music program and take some electives, maybe finally get some real training on piano, or maybe even studio engineering if I pick the right school. Engineering is more rare. Duquesne might be the only one with a program, and it's incredibly expensive ($40,000 or so/year. Too much, honestly, without private aid yearly in the area of 25,000.)
But right now my options are looking like Duquesne, Allegheny, Edinboro, Grove City (In order of cost, highest to lowest.)
Everything has worked out almost perfectly - get this:
If I had received a pell grant before, for instance...for my two years at JCC, I wouldn't be eligible for as much now. And the reward would've been much lower then, because I was not an independent student.
Grove City is somewhat tantalizing. Religiously minded females are probably a better bet for me, considering I'm not a big fan of the casual relationship or the backstabbing fuckery. Not to mention I have an appreciation for religion of all forms, so I wouldn't really have a problem attending mass for credit. It's also one of the cheapest universities in Pennsylvania, and not that far from home. Edinboro and Allegheny are closer, though.
I found an apprenticeship program for outdoor lineman and other electrical related fields. They have a school in Philadelphia. Their sample math test was a breeze, nothing beyond moderate-difficulty algebra. If that's all electrical-specialists need, I am rather surprised they get paid a median salary of $51,000. Why does it seem like all of the trades are well paid for very little intellectual effort?
My FAFSA really changed almost everything about how I feel. I was worried about living in dormitories...now I could care less, because I won't be saddling any crazy debt even while living on-campus. I might be able to manage off-campus with enough institutional aid, actually. Independence would be awesome. Ultimately being a twenty-four year old around a bunch of 18-22 year olds will be somewhat nice. And I have a feeling there'll be some benefits in the dating front because of that, too. Not to mention I can get smashed while all the kids stay sober, har har har...man, I am actually rather excited about it.
Also, another benefit will be "taking back" a part of my youth I feel like I was screwed out of, as a result of a number of different factors. Like my fucking exes, for one. And also the fact I grew up in this geographically fuck-all area. I'm not saying I'm going to party my ass off...dangerous to do so in a situation with minors as an adult...but I'm sure it's going to turn out well for me, in any case. Education is never a bad step, and a B.A. with some kind of trade skill will look very well balanced to any employer, if I end up not moving on to graduate school.
Work as soon as possible to both save cash and get my diploma finally so i can get transcripts transferred. Preferably some help from parental units, and maybe getting back what my sis and her ex boyfriend owe me ($400) to help with that.
Set up to enter as a 2nd year (probably) student at a university. I doubt my A.A. will direct transfer. If it does it'll take a lot of work on my part, and I'm not entirely against redoing a year of college, or at least a semester, to get back in the swing.
I intend on getting my B.A. Once I have that, I'll consider trade school if I can't find something decent to tide me over...of course there's always the chance all of my former teachers and professors weren't lying when they said I was a genius. In which case there should be a lot of pressure for me to continue to graduate school, and a lot of aid as well.
With the estimated reward from the federal government, plus whatever I get from the state, I should actually end up with a surplus every year (or less in loans) as long as I stick with a public institution. Privates might give me more aid, though, and I'll consider some of them.
If I'm lucky, I can go to a school with a music program and take some electives, maybe finally get some real training on piano, or maybe even studio engineering if I pick the right school. Engineering is more rare. Duquesne might be the only one with a program, and it's incredibly expensive ($40,000 or so/year. Too much, honestly, without private aid yearly in the area of 25,000.)
But right now my options are looking like Duquesne, Allegheny, Edinboro, Grove City (In order of cost, highest to lowest.)
Everything has worked out almost perfectly - get this:
If I had received a pell grant before, for instance...for my two years at JCC, I wouldn't be eligible for as much now. And the reward would've been much lower then, because I was not an independent student.
Grove City is somewhat tantalizing. Religiously minded females are probably a better bet for me, considering I'm not a big fan of the casual relationship or the backstabbing fuckery. Not to mention I have an appreciation for religion of all forms, so I wouldn't really have a problem attending mass for credit. It's also one of the cheapest universities in Pennsylvania, and not that far from home. Edinboro and Allegheny are closer, though.
I found an apprenticeship program for outdoor lineman and other electrical related fields. They have a school in Philadelphia. Their sample math test was a breeze, nothing beyond moderate-difficulty algebra. If that's all electrical-specialists need, I am rather surprised they get paid a median salary of $51,000. Why does it seem like all of the trades are well paid for very little intellectual effort?
My FAFSA really changed almost everything about how I feel. I was worried about living in dormitories...now I could care less, because I won't be saddling any crazy debt even while living on-campus. I might be able to manage off-campus with enough institutional aid, actually. Independence would be awesome. Ultimately being a twenty-four year old around a bunch of 18-22 year olds will be somewhat nice. And I have a feeling there'll be some benefits in the dating front because of that, too. Not to mention I can get smashed while all the kids stay sober, har har har...man, I am actually rather excited about it.
Also, another benefit will be "taking back" a part of my youth I feel like I was screwed out of, as a result of a number of different factors. Like my fucking exes, for one. And also the fact I grew up in this geographically fuck-all area. I'm not saying I'm going to party my ass off...dangerous to do so in a situation with minors as an adult...but I'm sure it's going to turn out well for me, in any case. Education is never a bad step, and a B.A. with some kind of trade skill will look very well balanced to any employer, if I end up not moving on to graduate school.
