College Questions?

So tommorrow is registration day for a community college in alabama (calhoun) ive waited to the last day.... mom didnt go to college so i had no clue how it worked, and plus shes not making an effort to make me go which is sad, shes satisfied on me working a 6.50 an hour job than going to college, which im determined to go, i called the advisor center, i found out im late on my financial aid for the fall, :(, so im guessing imma haft to pay out my pocket for clases, my gpa in high sckoo was low, i didnt get a chance to take the ACT(financial problems, but when i filled out the exmpt form they said we made enough money actually alot of money) my mom is a single parent.. so i wonder whats left for me in lifee, i wanna become a software engineer! but its looks like life just isnt on my side, just a person trying to pursue a college degree and seems like everything is goin wrong





is there other colleges that i can go to? i mean my gpa was a 2.3 doesnt seem like i stand a chance ne where

College Questions?
If you are truly determined, then this won't deter you. Plenty of people are in your boat, they have to figure it out themselves because their parents didn't go to college and don't know how things work.





So here's the real deal. Go to the community college and talk to 1) an admissions counselor and 2) a financial aid counselor. Explain to them that you have no clue what you're doing and need their help because you really want to go to college.





They will tell you things to do. Do them!





Mom will probably offer you all sorts of advise from time-to-time but remember, she didn't go to college so the better advise is from the people who have done it before.





If you can't go full time this semester, take one class. Pay for it if you have to (it can't be all that much) but always take at least one class until you're done.





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Reply:It's good that you really want to do this and are taking initiative. If you had low grades in high school, a community college is probably the best place to start out. I doubt you can find another college to start at for this year that will give you financial aid on such short notice.





If you can afford to pay the whole costs then go now. Otherwise, it wouldn't be the worst thing for you to work for a year, save some money and apply to get financial aid to start next year. Or go part time and work part time, so that you can spend your earnings on your tuition. What you shouldn't do is to try to work full time and go to school full time just because you need the money to pay the tuition and you're in a hurry to finish school. Your school work will suffer if you try to do too much, and then you'll never get anywhere. Plus, you will be stressed out and unhappy all the time. If you want to be a software engineer, you'll probably eventually want to transfer to a four year school and get a bachelor's degree, so you need to get decent grades in the community college.