Is there hope?

[LOVEthroughINTELLECT]

To understand my question you have to understand my academic history. Basically, I enrolled in college right out of high school 15 years ago, had a good first semester, had a bad second semester--only passed one class, and that was with a "D"--, and then got off to a good start my third semester but then saw everything collapse and again passed only one class with a "D".

Fast forward to the spring of 2001. After seven years of good academic performance--and after getting myself back into good academic standing after being suspended after my third semester--I got a failing grade in a couple of classes.

Basically, I have attempted a lot of credit hours.

I have been out of school since the end of the Spring, '01 semester. I have 58 credit hours towards a Bachelor's degree. I am nervous about applying for readmission. I was on a roll, but after that disastrous final semester before my now five year old hiatus I wonder if I will be accepted for readmission.

But the admissions office is probably the smallest hurdle. The real hurdle is: Am I going to be able to pay for the rest of my undergraduate academic career?

I payed my own way for ten years. But for the '00-'01 academic year I accepted federal student loans. However, before I could be offered aid I had to appeal to gain eligibility. My percentage of credit hours completed out of credit hours attempted was at a level that made me ineligible for federal assistance.

But now it is my understanding that I have exceeded the number of credit hours attempted that one can have and still be eligible for federal loans. In other words, I should have graduated by now. I don't know if it is something that I can appeal or if there is no way around it.

Sure, there is aid other than federal loans. There are grants. The problem is that my household income is too high for me to be eligible for grants. It is my understanding that there is state aid. Well, if the federal government can't help me any longer then I suspect that the state can't help me either. There are scholarships, people keep telling me. Well, I could be wrong, but I doubt that scholarships would amount to more than pocket change.

I am thinking that I am going to have to work two jobs for several years and save, save, save. Maybe take one or two classes every fall and spring just to stay enrolled. And then when I have a big chunk of cash saved up, try to enroll full-time and finish what I started twelve years ago.

At this rate I may graduate before I am, say, 45 years old.

Or should I just give up?

 

[Doubledb]

To understand my question you have to understand my academic history. Basically, I enrolled in college right out of high school 15 years ago, had a good first semester, had a bad second semester--only passed one class, and that was with a "D"--, and then got off to a good start my third semester but then saw everything collapse and again passed only one class with a "D".

Fast forward to the spring of 2001. After seven years of good academic performance--and after getting myself back into good academic standing after being suspended after my third semester--I got a failing grade in a couple of classes.

Basically, I have attempted a lot of credit hours.

I have been out of school since the end of the Spring, '01 semester. I have 58 credit hours towards a Bachelor's degree. I am nervous about applying for readmission. I was on a roll, but after that disastrous final semester before my now five year old hiatus I wonder if I will be accepted for readmission.

But the admissions office is probably the smallest hurdle. The real hurdle is: Am I going to be able to pay for the rest of my undergraduate academic career?

I payed my own way for ten years. But for the '00-'01 academic year I accepted federal student loans. However, before I could be offered aid I had to appeal to gain eligibility. My percentage of credit hours completed out of credit hours attempted was at a level that made me ineligible for federal assistance.

But now it is my understanding that I have exceeded the number of credit hours attempted that one can have and still be eligible for federal loans. In other words, I should have graduated by now. I don't know if it is something that I can appeal or if there is no way around it.

Sure, there is aid other than federal loans. There are grants. The problem is that my household income is too high for me to be eligible for grants. It is my understanding that there is state aid. Well, if the federal government can't help me any longer then I suspect that the state can't help me either. There are scholarships, people keep telling me. Well, I could be wrong, but I doubt that scholarships would amount to more than pocket change.

I am thinking that I am going to have to work two jobs for several years and save, save, save. Maybe take one or two classes every fall and spring just to stay enrolled. And then when I have a big chunk of cash saved up, try to enroll full-time and finish what I started twelve years ago.

At this rate I may graduate before I am, say, 45 years old.

Or should I just give up?

college is expensive that for sure. most students i know (cause i am one of them) take out loans to pay tuition. It sucks thinking of having to pay all of that money back + intrest but the only other way is to do what you are doing... and a lot of colleges i know say you have to have all your classes within 7-10 years... so, only taking one or two classes wont work for a lot of people.

I definity think you should try to continue... seek out some financial aid - maybe somone might give you money for tuition. Its avery hard situation and i really feel for you.

-Doubledb

 

[ChildOfGod20]

what are you going to college for? and what is God calling you to do? I'm going to college for elementary education because it is my calling and i know that if that's what God wants me to do then he'll make it work. if going to college is what God wants you to do then don't give up, just trust in Him and work hard. but if going to college is not what God wants you to do then maybe that is why it is so hard for you. i'd spend some time praying about it.

 

[LOVEthroughINTELLECT]

what are you going to college for? and what is God calling you to do? I'm going to college for elementary education because it is my calling and i know that if that's what God wants me to do then he'll make it work. if going to college is what God wants you to do then don't give up, just trust in Him and work hard. but if going to college is not what God wants you to do then maybe that is why it is so hard for you. i'd spend some time praying about it.

To answer your question I will simply copy and paste what I wrote in [post=21641071]this post[/post]:



I wanted to respond to [thread=2527630]this thread[/thread], but the difficulty I have articulating my vision made me hesitate. Then, unexpectedly, I finally found a source that directly and concretely connects the vision that I have had since I was 16 or 17 years old to the world of formal employment. Finally I have a source that states unequivocally that what I have had in my heart since I was in high school is in fact a bona fide vocational field with concrete avenues and job opportunities.

After all of these years of struggling to explain what I want to do with my life and what kind of work I want to do--after years of getting responses like "The Peace Corps is just volunteer work. How are you going to make a living?" and "What are you going to do with Anthropology?!"--I can finally word my vision with the confidence of knowing that there are concrete activities that correspond with it and that make a formally recognized career path.

If you read this article pay particular attention to the sentence that says, "Another thing those images fail to convey is that combatting these problems can be more than volunteering; it can be a full-time occupation." And, much to my pleasant surprise, the article touches on a question that I have never been able to begin to answer: Does a career in international development preclude marriage? And, most importantly, it affirms my ideals and values; it affirms my conviction and my understanding that the work can be about helping people who are already helping themselves--helping them in their own development efforts, not being paternalistic.

There is a pattern in my interests and my academic work. When I took an introductory world politics class I was especially interested in the part about international economic relations and in particular the part about foreign aid. I chose to write my term paper about the issue of foreign aid. I concluded from my research that historically the practice of foreign aid has mostly been powerful, wealthy countries serving their own interests. I concluded that the wealthy countries of the northern hemisphere should increase aid to the less wealthy countries of the southern hemisphere but that it needs to be for the recipient countries' development efforts, not for the donor countries' development efforts. In other words, it needs to be purely altruistic for a change. And I was especially interested in similar themes in Geography courses. A book that I read on my own--not for college coursework--and that touches on a lot of issues that interest me is Economies and Cultures: Foundations of Economic Anthropology, by Richard Wilk. I was especially interested in the part about how Neoclassical Economics may be culturally biased and may not apply to non-capitalist societies.

Basically, I am mostly interested in the theoretical side of "development", and I want to be a leader in finding new ideas and shaping policy in that area. But I also want to be involved in applying those ideas and implementing those policies. Right now I am an Anthropology major. If I don't complete an undergraduate degree in Anthropology then I may switch to Geography or to a topical major (design your own program) and in several different academic departments take courses specifically related to international development. A masters degree in Public Administration, Anthropology, Applied Anthropology or Urban Planning are paths that I might take after completing an undergraduate degree.

I dream of being an innovator in solving social problems. I am already full of ideas that are waiting to be tested and possibly implemented. I don't know if I will ever be able to turn my vision into reality. But at least I now know that there are people out there who share my convictions, values and specific interests and that there are indeed concrete, formal careers that correspond to those convictions, values and interests.

 

[fishstix]

Is there hope? Yes, there certainly is. That doesn't mean that the road will be easy though. Scholarships can be substantial, and in some cases can cover all one's expenses and then some (and no, I'm not talking sports scholarships). There are decent scholarships out there that you can win just by writing a really good essay or by belonging to a certain community service organization.

Probably your best bet would be to save up as much money as you can from work. And even if you decide not to use it for school after all, you'll have a nice nest egg saved up for something else. Talk to a course advisor at whatever school it is you are thinking of going back to. He/she may also be able to give you information on scholarships/bursaries that you could apply for. It's a good idea to apply for any scholarships that you might remotely qualify for, even if you don't think that you have a chance.

(BTW, there's nothing wrong with graduating at 45 )

 

[FlatpickingJD]

. . . At this rate I may graduate before I am, say, 45 years old. . .

And how old will you be in 11 yrs if you don't go back to school?

Where there's life, there's hope. I know you have the intelligence to succeed in school, and money shouldn't be the sole thing holding you back.

As for scholarships, yes, some are truly small in amt, but some are quite large. Go to the library and look at the scholarship books there. You'll be surprised by what's out there. No joke, there are scholarships for left-handers. Or for Scandinavians (or those of Scandinavian descent) who are studying engineering. The point is, that there's money out there for all sorts of things. Don't give up.

 

[awesome liver]

after a while, you should probably just give up, i mean it's just throwing money toward something you may think you really want, but maybe you just miss the college lifestyle vs. its academics, in which case, you might be happy to live near or on some campus town or run a bar.

 

[ChildOfGod20]

you seem to have a big passion for the peace corps and anthropology stuff and i'm sure God has placed that on your heart for a reason. i wouldn't give up on it. spend time with God and ask Him to help you with it. Go to the college financial aid office and ask if they can help you find scholarships to apply for. explain your situation. also, since you have 58 credit hours you are half way there! don't give up now! and you could also take out a loan. in my prayers

 

[MetalBlade]

that is a tough one, but since you have 58 credits I wouldn't give up! Just pray about it and ask God to guide you, either through your classes or to your final decision on this hard question.

 

[StJohnCalvin]

Or should I just give up?

Never give up. I had to quit my job last April and only focus on college. It helped alot. I would also suggest getting a tutor for those subjects you are having problems with; they helped me greatly. I went to college 8 years after graduating High School, and it was not easy, and I had a semester where I did my worst, but I stuck through it, and I am going to graduate this semester. Never give up.