by Lorraine Nyc

Created on: November 12, 2008

Have you ever wanted to go to college? Think maybe you are too old? Been out of school too long? Don't have the time?

Well, I am a single mother of one who is by no means independently wealthy. In fact, I actually get paid to go to school. Sounds shady huh? Well it's not. I earn every bit of it. I have been on the Dean's List since I had enough credits to qualify me to be there.

I know that everywhere there are ads that say they have free info on getting into school and blah blah blah. The fact is that the information really is free, but most people don't know where to look or even begin. And of course there is always the time issue. Who has any? I know, and drive to school? Who can afford the gas? Umm not me by any stretch of the imagination. Why am I even writing this? Because I am utterly sick of people trying to take advantage of those that are trying to survive. The gap between the rich and the poor grows wider and wider and everyone is focused on making a dollar. I'm sure I could run an ad with this information and make some money off of it somehow, but I'd like to be able to sleep easy at night knowing I did something RIGHT instead of PROFITABLE.

So, let's get started because yes, here is where I actually give you information for free on how to get into school without spending any money.

Obviously if you don't have a diploma or GED you are going to have to get one. If you can't afford one, then call the Dept of Education in your state and find a grant for obtaining your GED. They are out there and if they don't get used up, the state loses them. So yes, they may be helpful in providing information. Even if you don't think you can pass a GED, the brush up classes are free, it is only the test that they charge for. And just so you know, I took my GED at 30 and it was quite easy! So, at least take a pretest and see if you even need to study. I went and took my test and figured if I failed it I would at least know what I had to study, but I passed with flying colors!

Even before you have your GED you can start applying for financial aid. Simply go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ It's free and only takes about 10 minutes, but it opens up all your financial aid options. DO NOT pay someone to do this. Now you can start applying to colleges. Personally, I started with a community college for many reasons. I was broke so I didn't have money for an application fee. Community college is also way cheaper and most are set up to transfer to a four year college if you plan to do that. So, let's just start with that. tomorrow we will work on fine tuning the process. Just know that it is nowhere near as hard as you may think!

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