Going back to college..

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I imagine I've decided that I want to go back to college.

My last attempt was back in Fall 2010, I dropped out after a Summer semester in 2011.

It's been nearly five years since I've even really, seriously, deeply thought about college how I am right now. I didn't want to pick something "useless" (not useless to me, but to my family.. thats another story) like Fine Arts, I thought about going for CNC Machining.. but I'd really like to just get back into art and make a career out of it.

I had a really poor GPA at the last college semester, I was in really bad shape. And the college I'm interested in applying to is directly connected to the college I have gone to, I don't really want to be refused due to this.. Fafsa was going to put me on probation, but I'm not sure what it actually entails at this point.

Anyone have any advice?

I'm 24 now, so I can thankfully apply for fafsa myself and not need a parent to present their income..

First you should ask yourself, what made you get a really low GPA and drop out last time? Has that issue been resolved? Also, an even more important thing to ask yourself is, how much debt do you expect to go into? Do you expect you'll be able to pay that debt off with no problem? Depending on the artistic subfield you want to go into, employment prospects may be too grim and pay too low to make college worthwhile. Figure out current tuition at the school you're going to and multiply it by 4 years (or however long you'll be going) and put it into this calculator http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml. Whatever the monthly payment is, you'll be paying more than that (since tuition is guaranteed to go up every year).

Also, NEVER ever ever take out private loans (Sallie Mae and such). They are worse than the mafia. And yes, there is "income-based repayment", but keep in mind the interest on those loans will keep ballooning even if you don't have to pay anything. Then when the debt gets wiped away you'll end up owing taxes on that amount to the IRS, who, again, is worse than the mafia.

Have you tried on online school? Most colleges are going to online schooling. For me, it was very easy. I do not have to fight for parking or waiting in lines just to get a class or even physically attending the school. I am graduating from George Washington University next year. I took all of their classes online.

pineapplehead's advice was good to consider the cost of any loans you'd have to take out and the real-world implications of paying those back. Especially with an art-related degree, the sad reality is that job prospects aren't great, so repayment will be difficult. I would be very hesitant to recommend someone pursue a degree that would require loans unless they had a very good career lined up coming out of it (to the point that I am hesitant about my brother getting loans for his engineering degree - engineering is a good field, but getting a job in any field is a challenge these days). So, make sure before signing up for any loans that you are very well-informed about what they will cost you on a monthly basis and what you can reasonably expect to be earning after completing your degree.

Consider, too, what benefit the degree will have for you. Art colleges are often high-debt, but the flip side is that art often doesn't require a college degree. Actually, depending on which art you wish to pursue, some arts almost prefer artists that don't have college degrees. You might want to consider what alternative training options are available and if some of them may be more economical.

However, if after these considerations you determine that pursuing a college education is the best option for you, then by all means go for it. The first thing to do is to fill out the FAFSA and to do so in about a week. The first date that it can be completed is January 1, 2016, and the sooner you complete it the more aid will be available to you, so I would strongly urge you to apply to your chosen school ASAP - even today - for the 16-17 school year and then fill out the FAFSA on the 1st or as soon as possible after the 1st. Then get a Financial Aid Award Letter from your school and see how it looks. Again, as stated above, look at the amount of the loans and make sure it will be reasonable. Don't take out any more loans than just what is minimally required for school (you're usually allowed to take out more loans for "living expenses", but don't unless you absolutely have to - it's not free money!).

Then, when the semester starts, make sure you put the effort into your courses to keep your GPA up and make it worth your time and the money to take the courses. If this is what you want to do, and what you think will be the best way for you to be able to pursue your interest in art, then it's worth putting in the effort (even into the classes that seem boring) so that you can get through it and get on to better things in the future.

If you are on probation with FAFSA, then you'll have a whole other mess to work through, but we'll hope for now that you're not. If you are, you'll need to talk with the financial aid office at your old school and/or your new school to figure out what needs to be done to resolve that...but hopefully you didn't end up on financial aid probation, and you'll be able to start at your new college with no issues.

^^^^^^^^^this is excellent advice!! !! !

My previous issues were a lot to do with instability, from mental issues to home stress and the sorts. Most of that has been helped/taken care of, and I feel that I need to just 'move on' with my possible education I suppose. I'm not getting any smarter working in retail for a photo lab. I live on a current yearly income of around $10,000 net, so simplifying things is going to help me. Especially when things in my job life are consistent/within accepted parameters and home life will be whatever I make it because no one else will have the ability to influence it negatively.

I've already taken around $3000 in loans out from the last time in college. I will also be taking out a $5000 loan for the year, which will likely be paid off by Spring 2017 without problems (if not earlier, I tend to have more cash saved than spent). I'm aware of the interest, and I'll be working as I do go to college so I'm not really worried about it. I pay monthly bills now.

My financial plan is as sound as I think it can get, I won't pay rent and I have a significant space that will be heated/cooled when needed.. where I can cook food, sleep comfortably, and not be forced to live a way I can't live. I don't use the tv, game systems, or anything like that anymore.. so I thought I'd just bypass them and live off grid inside a 24ft motor home (private seller). I'm very financially responsible, my credit score is almost impeccable (especially for my age, or so people exclaim). I'm just preparing for the time I need it to buy land.

I'm currently attending a community college, there are practically zero prospects for an associates degree in arts aside from being able to put a portfolio together and get into a four-year. But with the college, fafsa practically pays my tuition and pays me back some cash. So I have tuition paid, as well as my books, basically by the federal government. For at least two years in one major.



I've tried online classes, and I am trying one (and only one) for this semester. I have issues with staying extremely focused on them, but I really want to take more because I'm scared of being called a disturbance and being pulled from a class like I have had done to me before at the previous college. But that's really awesome that you can do that, congrats on that.



I discovered that my period of probation had already passed, fafsa paid my entire tuition and then some for the spring semester. I'm going to put my best foot forward in this, because I don't want to miss this opportunity. I know that I have very little documentation on my mental health history, but my neuropsych that I should be seeing pretty soon was done in december. Not really sure what it will tell, it won't say anything on the social issues I deal with but.. I've never been tested for anything before.

I feel that I fail to have the structure needed to pursue different methods of art right now, I feel very muddled but after this associates degree I will try to find my passion. If it's photography-based, which I feel it might be, then I'll look forward to saving up money and then pursuing that. Saving is much easier when you have control over your rent and utilities, plus I do love my vehicles.

Thanks for the comments everyone.