sj, I am so glad to hear the surgery went well
I'm so sorry so many of you had rough childhoods or difficult parents. I'm glad we have each other for support.
Sean, what Omnis said. Check out this page: [link]
The scholarship database, the fast web one they recommend, is what our college counselors recommend. You can also make an appointment with someone at the school to talk about financial aid options. I put myself through grad school without any help from my family--it wasn't easy and required a lot of work and penny pinching, but I used a combo of student loans and scholarships and work with the school and made it through. There are programs out there for non-traditional students. You can do this! Also there is no age limit for federal aid for AA or BA degrees; fill out the FAFSA (that page explains it) and you'll see how much you qualify for. You may need to delay for a semester (none of these things happens instantly), but maybe not--a college counselor at your school can walk you through your options.
Great advice from the birthday girl! (Happy b-day Pix!)
For the record, Financial Aid is how I paid for grad school as well. You can do it! That's what student loans are for. Heck, it's how I paid for undergrad as well. I had 4 jobs on campus. I was busy.
Happy Birthday, Pix!
Sean, what Pix said. You were planning on starting right away, right? Even if you have to put it off for one semester while you figure out your financial options, it would be worth it. It sounds like something you really want.
Prove him wrong. Kick ass. Get a degree. Let him eat crow. Channel that energy. I believe in you. I think you can do it. Put the nose in the books, and get that degree. At best, it will take a few years. Plenty of time to come up with a plan. This is a major reset time for you. It's like stickball in the street, and the ball goes down the drain. "DO OVER". That's where you are. Don't listen to the negativism. Capture the positivity of the reset. Ride the wave.
All of this. Going back to school is an opportunity for all sorts of cool new stuff.
Happy birthday to my sorella Maria, also! And thanks.
Happy Birthdays, Pix and Maria!
I'm a little reluctant to jump in here because I have my own birth family issues involving parents who wanted me to be happy as long as I lived life the way they saw fit. But when I saw Sean say,
Looks like the "Go Back to School" plan is going to be aborted before it even starts, because "I don't have a plan that he can see."
Sean, for what it is or isn't worth, anyone who would walk out on a family, including a 3-year-old son, without an airtight reason (say, longterm hospitalization) doesn't deserve an opinion on how other people lives their lives.
Sean, for what it is or isn't worth, anyone who would walk out on a family, including a 3-year-old son, without an airtight reason (say, longterm hospitalization) doesn't deserve an opinion on how other people lives their lives.
I don't know your dad, but it does sound like he wants to pass judgment on everything you do that doesn't fit his plan. But it's not his plan; it's YOUR plan.
Also, I honestly can't understand his comment that you "don't have a plan he can see." Uh, the plan is to get a fucking degree. That's fairly obvious. If he doesn't see that, and doesn't understand the utility of a degree in this society, well, he really isn't that smart, PhD or no. (Does he think he would have the job he has now without that degree? I mean, SERIOUSLY.)
It sucks that you don't have a father figure to listen to you and give you advice, but I gotta say, your dad's -- I don't want to call it "advice," because it's not, so let's call it "input" -- isn't worth a goddamn.
This is your path, not his.
Happy birthday to Pix and Maria!
Sean, you can do this. Pix is right about looking at scholarship options. And Steph is right, getting a degree IS a plan, and your father's input is just hurtful, so don't give it any weight.
