I did it!

Originally Posted by cheyennedonna

Not anything at all to do with the edge, but you all feel like family. I just got my semester grades - 4A's and final GPA - 3.88. I will receive my Associates of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and move on to a 4 year college this spring. Wish me luck finding the money to continue.

*claps* Outstanding AND impressive! I'm very happy for you, Cheyennedonna.




As for me, I barely scraped by this semester with a 2.0 (my lowest GPA since I started college last August---I go from a perfect 4.0 to a 2.0 in one year). Although it could be worse; I could still be on academic probation for being a transfer student, but "oh, well...." Hopefully in the Spring I can come out with at least a 3.5, but since I'm taking 18 hours, I'm not too sure...

Anyhow, the money is DEFINITELY out there, Cheyenne. I would know: since I started college in August of 2009 (after serving in the military for 6 years) I found out that there is MILLIONS of dollars in grant and financial aid money that gets overlooked each year because people just do not apply for everything they can find. With the economy the way it is, college and university enrollment is at record highs because of the large number of unemployed going back to school to spice up their resumes with certifications and finally get those hard-sough Bachelor's Degrees that didn't seem to matter 20 years ago. Scholarships are your best bet because the money is free (just like a grant, but without the restrictions), but make sure you check into state-sponsored/resident scholarships and grants and MAJOR/DISCIPLINE specific scholarships too! There are a LOT of those out there that people also tend to forget about...which is why thousands of people end up standing in line for hours at their school's financial aid office.

It makes states look good by the number of people who enroll in colleges and universities (which has the unfortunate side-effect of affecting tuition rates across the board), so as long as you have the desire to go to school, someone somewhere will pay for you to go. As for whether it's free or not is a different story....

It's also interesting that you chose Elementary Education as your field. BEWARE if you don't already know: Elementary Education is the one the largest majors in colleges/universities in the USA (especially among women--no offense), so competition for funding is fierce!

One thing I HIGHLY recommend you consider is becoming an Honor's Student: the reason being is because as long as you keep your grades up, the Honor's Program will provide you with a very GOOD scholarship that will take care of most of your tuition and expenses. I was fortunate enough to try it out this past Spring, but I found that it just wasn't for me.

Originally Posted by ShiningT1g3R

It's also interesting that you chose Elementary Education as your field. BEWARE if you don't already know: Elementary Education is the one the largest majors in colleges/universities in the USA (especially among women--no offense), so competition for funding is fierce!.

I switched my major to secondary education with the spring semester; and I joined the Phi Theta Kappa program before I left the community college. I've been fairly lucky with scholarship money so far; but, due to the switch mid year I'm having a hard time for the next 2 semesters. Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by cheyennedonna

I did it!

Indeed you did! Congratulations Cheyenne. Your granddaughters must be very proud, as are we all since we really are a family.

Woohoo! Congrats!

May the new year bring you luck and prosperity in your educational pursuits. With the number of people you've helped on the forum, it's clear you were meant to be in education.

Originally Posted by cheyennedonna

I switched my major to secondary education with the spring semester; and I joined the Phi Theta Kappa program before I left the community college. I've been fairly lucky with scholarship money so far; but, due to the switch mid year I'm having a hard time for the next 2 semesters. Thanks for the advice.

Good stuff! When you transfer to a 4-year college or university, Phi Theta Kappa becomes Phi Beta Kappa (same exact thing, but for the bigger schools). As a plus, you will have access to MUCH more grants and financial aid than most other students because PBK is a bigger organization that is recognized world-wide instead of just regionally or nationally. With you changing your major to Secondary Education, you also have a benefit because GOOD Second Education teachers are so very hard to find these days (and the government realizes this), which is why MANY states offer special financial incentives for people to become teachers. If you're looking for money to fund your degree, it's already there! You just have apply for it and keep your desire to finish school; which for you, should be no problem at all.

I'm also on the teaching path---but I want to teach English as a foreign language so I can travel the world while I do it; however it's far more difficult to accomplish because there are no national standards or certifications that I need. Apparently all that is needed these days is simply a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in teaching a subject and being familiar with a foreign language. Easy, but much harder than it seems...

Which is why my ultimate goal is netting the Fullbright Scholarship!

Originally Posted by sarah11918

Woohoo! Congrats!

May the new year bring you luck and prosperity in your educational pursuits. With the number of people you've helped on the forum, it's clear you were meant to be in education.

...Couldn't say it better. LOL