Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Cerebral palsy or CP is the most common childhood physical disability. It is a permanent physical condition that affects movement. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but various forms of therapy can help a person with the disorder to function more effectively. If you or a loved one has cerebral palsy, join the group to share your experience or get advice from others.
Hello, I recently signed up for college and am set to start Monday. I am attending Full Sail University through their online program. I am going for a bachelors in Media Communications. I am very excited to start this next path in life and think that this will be the perfect fit for me since I had such a hard time with "traditional learning" due to pain and spasms.
My biggest concern at this point is finding funding for the tuition that FAFSA does not cover. I am extremely hesitant to take out Stafford loans because I am on a fixed income (SSI, Foodstamps, HUD) I cannot afford any extra expenses at this time. I have 1 month before the school takes out the loans and then I am locked into owing around 40,000 by the end of the degree. I do not want to drop out before I get started and not wanting to put things on hold.
To everyone who has this disability and attended college. Were you able to get grants and scholarships for cover your tuition, or were you stuck with a pile of debt? Also I am having issues locating grants and scholarships related to being disabled or having CP
Thanks for everyone's help
Chris
My biggest concern at this point is finding funding for the tuition that FAFSA does not cover. I am extremely hesitant to take out Stafford loans because I am on a fixed income (SSI, Foodstamps, HUD) I cannot afford any extra expenses at this time. I have 1 month before the school takes out the loans and then I am locked into owing around 40,000 by the end of the degree. I do not want to drop out before I get started and not wanting to put things on hold.
To everyone who has this disability and attended college. Were you able to get grants and scholarships for cover your tuition, or were you stuck with a pile of debt? Also I am having issues locating grants and scholarships related to being disabled or having CP
Thanks for everyone's help
Chris
Sometimes it is possible to find funding while in school. It depends on several factors. The most important factors are the institution's willingness/ability to provide funding and the student's diligence to search and apply for funding outside funding. Once you start your program you should keep your eyes and ears open for funding opportunities. Coursework can seem overwhelming at first but do your best to keep looking for scholarships and grants.
Although you have been approved for $X loan amount you do not have to use all of it. The approved loan amount is often more than the actual need. Sometimes students end of getting "refunds," or cash disbursements of the difference between the approved loan amount and the actual education-related expenses they incur. While that "refund" seems wonderful when received it is really a government loan with a ridiculously high interest rate! Avoid doing that if at all possible. You can ask your financial aid counselor to send any excess funds back to your loan servicer. Doing so reduces your outstanding loan balance. I can understand your hesitation with regard to loans. I typically try to avoid them at all costs! I finished undergraduate school with about $6K in outstanding loans. After I started school I was able to acquire scholarship money from my school and outside sources
I am attending Full Sail University online which is a compressed 4 year degree. (a bachelors in 28 months) even though it is compressed they still charge you 4 "financial years". It also feels like this will make the search more difficult.