I'm University bound! Yeah me!!!

[mattsmom27]

I have attended community college but had pretty much given up my dream of University. Having a child just after your 18th birthday and then having another child 6 years later, and then having one turn into a difficult child, well let's just say I figured myself out of the game.
This has been a emotional issue for me for many years. I feel like I'm wasting my intelligence, I'm giving up on myself, I'm putting everyone's needs ahead of my own. I could not (more like would not) put the financial cost of education as a priority for myself. I always had something I wanted to do for the kids, or something big to buy for the home, etc etc etc. Then add in the fear of what if I fail. Mind you I had a consistent 4.0 in college and I "KNOW" I can do it, but the mind, it plays tricks!
Soooo .... today I did it after alot of thought and budgeting and hedging and giving myself chances to talk myself out of it.
For financial reasons I have to start my first year as a part-time (half course load) student, but by next year I can enroll and afford it full time. It is a whopper, about $7000 per full time year for tuition and books, then there's transportation (I dont' have a car, but the bus does go to the Univ.) and any child care expenses for easy child. It is going to mean leaner times around here for 4 years. The kids are just simply going to have to adapt, and the payoff at the end is worth it financially for all of us as well as emotionally for me!!!!
The great thing is that because I love learning and am a quick study, even though I am starting part time this year, I will be able to catch up the missed courses and still finish my degree as if I had started full time to begin with!
So there ya have it, my uplifting soul fulfilling dream come true decision of the day. I'm so excited now that I've followed through and registered etc, I can hardly wait for summer to pass for that first day of the beginning of making something happen that I wished for 14 years ago!!!
I am taking a BA(honors) degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. I then have the option of moving an hour and a half away to go for a masters degree or to go medical and go for a Clinic Psychology degree, or to stay here and do just one additional year and recieve my education degree so that I can teach at a high school level. So my options are open and I have a few years to decide where to go when I finish the Bachelors.
I can't wait to be lugging around books and shushing the kids while I study!!! I am a lover of learning and it helps that this was the dream I've had since I was so young I can't remember not dreaming it.
I have watched several members here go back to school and I've been overjoyed for them! To all of you, you have inspired me and made me see that despite all of your hurdles, you can do it, so hey! So can I!!!

I nearly forgot to mention that I have also figured out how to manage all of this without taking out a single solitary student loan! So I will graduate debt free! That is definitly one perk of not doing this when I was younger!

Can I get a little woop woop?!?!?!

 

[WhymeMom?]

WOOP, WOOP, WOOPIE! Glad to hear it, and I bet you will be setting the bar for the other students, after all you've got the EXPERIENCE.....hope you have the time of your life....

 

[hearts and roses]

:bravo: WOOP, WOOP, WOOP!! :bravo:

Excellent! Congrats and the best of luck!!

 

[house of cards]

I am sooo impressed. What an inspiration!

 

[judi]

That is so very cool. For me, deciding to go back to school meant that I had less time to obsess over my difficult child. It made things easier. And...yes, the emotional reward is huge! Good luck.

 

[Suz]

Melissa, I think it's wonderful. Now share your secret. How on earth can you do it without any student loans?

(I take it you are feeling better?)

Suz

 

[Hound dog]

:bravo: Absolutely awesome!!! :bravo:

Good for you!! And hey, you can always say you're setting a great example for your kids. :grin:

Hugs

 

[DDD]

Here's a Hip Hip Hooray for you! I'm sincerely impressed. DDD

 

[Luminosity]

I am happy for you and extremely jealous..... can I go to Nip U vicariously through you????? :smile:

Lumi

 

[Marguerite]

That's really great news. Ands if you found you could study well before - now you've learnt to prioritise, you'll find the information sticks even better now.

I did my best study after I had kids. Sometimes I thought I'd never have the time to do assignments, but we managed (husband was studying right along with me). And what I read last thing at night stayed locked in my memory, even if I'd fallen asleep over the book.

A recommendation - read your textbooks cover to cover, like you're reading a novel. Then when you get to the work in class, you will already feel confident with it and the extra information will stick much better.

Way To Go! Congratulations!

Marg

 

[mattsmom27]

Thank you all for your well wishes :smile:

Suz, first yes, I'm feeling better. I have my moments and surely will have more but I've decided to just not dwell when I don't need to and instead start putting positive things in place again.

As for the lack of student loans, I actually had over $60K of student loans for community college medically forgiven after college. This eliminated my need to pay and also saved my credit from being destroyed, but also eliminated the opportunity to apply for future student loan funding. I figured that was it, the gig was up, University wasn't going to happen. Recently I started thinking where there is a will there is a way, I just couldn't accept that my dreams weren't going to happen. So I started googling some stuff and making some calls. So this is how it boils down:

First, I have independent income enough to pay the rent, bills, support the kids and I. We have no car and I rent, don't own, and that won't change until I'm done school and working. But at least we'll get by until I'm working.

This leaves tuition, books, transportation (monthly transit passes) and any child care for easy child. Soooo ... I start year 1 as a "part-time" student. This eliminates half the tution costs, book costs etc for year 1. I will have to come up with about $2000 up front for start date in September, so I'm plunking it away and that's all there is to it, we will all learn to be resourceful and more appreciated of what we have. We are fortunate that I have a nice apartment, nice furniture, no credit card debt, loans etc. So we don't have big things to take care of. I can handle the $2000. Then once I've started classes I can apply for a $2500 per year bursary based soley on financial need, I meet all criteria so am gauranteed the bursary. There is also bursaries based on financial need for summer school, which I'll take next summer, 2 courses fully funded, leaving me only 2 classes short of full first year course load come Sept. next year.
Sept. of year 2 of my program I will be enrolled with full course load. I have a year to keep socking money away each pay period, I can be gauranteed my $2500 bursary, and once I hit year 2 there are so many bursaries it isn't even funny. I happen to qualify for more than most because I am first off a mature student, second I am aboriginal, third I am considered disabled, fourth I am not eligible for loands and fifth I have high financial need. THere is also the special needs department for disabled students that will purchase me a new laptop to make things easier and will help buy my books etc.
During year 2 I will save the portion I need to contribute for year 3, and during year 3 I will save the portion I need for year 4.

So while it won't be free, and it will still probably amount to me contributing about $300 a month out of pocket, what a small price that is to pay for a serious education!!! So, we won't order pizza every Friday, instead maybe every second or every third. I can definitly save a ton just by making my coffee at home instead of the about $150 a month I spend at the coffee shop up the street etc. I don't even know if we'll miss the money if I knock off the coffee shop!!!!!!

There ya have it, no student loan debt :smile: :smile: :smile: I wish I had known all of this years ago, but something tells me there is a reason I didn't. I think now is my time, the right time, difficult child is in the best place mentally and emotionally he has ever been. He is NOT the same kid, dare I say I want to call him a easy child, or at least a typical teen!! easy child is older now, turning 8 on Friday and her father and his new wife moved their business here to our town , sold their house and bought one here. So many days I would normally have had to pay a sitter, he can take his visitation during those periods. Heck in the winter she's gone with her dad 3 nights a week for hockey anyhow!!!! Which also means those 3 nights a week I don't have to put her needs aside to study etc.

 

[Suz]

Melissa, that sounds like a fabulous plan. I am applauding your determination. Good luck!!!

Suz