starting college in 3 weeks, paying by myself, extremely stressed?

Been there, done that. I was 17 and did exactly the same thing. Living cheaply, here are some tips:

-Work at a place that has food, when worse comes to worse you can always get a meal at work either cheap or free.

-If you are going to college in a small town get a bike or scooter. Cars are expensive to maintain.

-Get roommates. That is an obvious one.

-When you splurge by going out with your friends make sure there is a happy hour buffet. You are too young to drink, but you can have a coke and still enjoy the buffet for free.

-Buy used text books.

-Apply for every loan, grant and scholarships there are.

-Giving plasma can pay pretty good in a pinch, but I hated that darn needle.

-Wait on getting a pet (if you live off campus). A pet will eat into your budget.

-Get use to cooking, it is the cheapest way to go.

-Make good friends with macaroni and cheese, Top Ramen, P B and J, and hot dogs and Hamburger Helper. You will be seeing alot of them

-Learn to barter. You can debug a computer, your friend can cut hair; you get the picture.

-Discover how much fun the free and cheap things can be. Some of my fondest memories are of going to all the festivals at the local community centers with my friends and watching the little kids have a blast. We enjoyed popcorn, cokes and cookies for like 25 cents a pop.

Remember poverty and youth generally go together very well. That is why the have student discounts at so many places. When it comes to being short on funds you certainly will not be alone.

Good luck.

Stay strong and be blessed. I also am going through the same things your saying. I just had to fax in some more paper work today so I know that its not something you want to be doing. No I am not you age but 23 to be exact. I started off in a community college and when I actually went off to live in a dorm I was really nervous. But when I got there I was fine as could be. Trust me, you will find someone to show you around. Hopefully you will get a great roommate like I did. Just enjoy your last three weeks because your going to need them.

I’ve been putting myself through college, you don’t need to stress about anything. Financial aid is taken care of until you graduate, so it’s not like you have to pay it back now. Once you get settled in the dorm and start making friends, you will have no problem getting around. You will more then likely have freshman orientation, and they will bring you around all over campus and make sure you are familiar with it so you can get to classes. It’s scary at first, but will probably end up being one of the best experiences ever!!

Join the military or at least the national guard,, rite now there getting a bad rap because of the Iraq war but just because you join does not mean you are getting an all expenses paid vacation over there there are several options available and many that you can even apply towards whatever career field you are pursuing (from piano players to pie makers),, and the experience is priceless you meat people from all around the world and get to travel to .(without even having to pay a cent)!! consider you’re options be paying off youre college loans and living pay check well into you’re 30s or 40s,, or have you’re degree in what you want by the time you’re 30, be well travelled have friends all across the US and the world. and be debt free. i myself did the military route and have no regrettes. ill be getting my masters in a year without a cent in student loans or debt and I have a brand new car that fully paid for to top it off,, and im only 23( a year and a half behind my pears,, but they don’t have as many friends or have been as many places as me and they have a crap-load of debt,, there all ways complaining about to me as well) So weigh you’re options and go chat with a recruiter and if the Military is just not you’re thing or you don’t qualify (for health reasons or sump tin) @ least you get a free lunch out of it,, and you cant beat that.

I would have suggested a year off, or two first, working and saving as much as possible. Then work part time and do junior college, then transfer.

If your grades were very good, try to negotiate a partial scholarship. If they won’t budge, take your money elsewhere, soon, where you’ll be rewarded for your effort, and have less stress. Try to take up running, or archery or some sport, smartly. If you can get good, you may be able to earn a scholarship the last year or two.

Good job you should be proud of yourself not many kids can do that without help from someone it is hard to do it by yourself but it will pay off in the end. I was a broke college student in the beginning had to live off of soups for a min but as long as you stay focused you should do well

Its gonna be tough on you and I really hope you’ll be able to pull through. Remember not to stress yourself out too much & take some time out to relax whenever you can

I did my degree part time while working (abt 30K) on shifts, and at the same time supporting my elderly parents, with a diabetic mom whose avandia meds cost $5 per pill…

You can make it. plan yourself properly & you’ll be fine