[kicker]

I googled what I wrote for thread title - got hits but too complicated for me in current cog fog,. I have twins going to college next year , cost will be outrageous!! Has anyone gotten anything? I will call NMSS, see listings for other states, but not my own.

[Desinie]

I know the NMSS has some scholarships that can be applied for. I'm 2 years away from my son going to college and it's a scary thought for lots of reasons, isn't it?

[kicker]

Unfortunately (!!!!!!??) both kids very bright, will go to fairly good colleges ($$$$$$$$) and I can's say no to that. Life has allowed me to be a fairly indulgent parent and while both good, they continue to ask for stuff (kids!!) and are used to getting. I guess we all want our kids to be happy. Fairly "good" colleges- the numbers overwhelm and scare me to death. We are in that place economically where no one can/will help us but can't really afford it ourselves and retirement coming with no employer pension scary too. We'll manage (as always) but will look for help where I can.

[Dejibo]

I had my children go to the city college to get the basic courses behind them. The boy HATED it! He did the basics, got his Asc degree, and ran for the hills. The girl LOVED it. She worked hard, took the English 101 and Math 101 type courses for a fraction of what the private colleges wanted, and even ended up on the deans list which netted her a scholarship for 3 years running. She then decided to move onto a more private type setting, and with the help of couselors, and those in the know, she was able to qualify for exisiting scholarships based on her grades, and income levels on her own.

Have you considered city colleges to get the basics behind them at a fraction of the cost? Those credits, and courses easily transfer to the higher up schools once the basic courses are over. $4k for english/math/science/ and so forth prep classes was certainly easier on my budget than $40K.

[soxmom]

Originally Posted by Dejibo

I had my children go to the city college to get the basic courses behind them. The boy HATED it! He did the basics, got his Asc degree, and ran for the hills. The girl LOVED it. She worked hard, took the English 101 and Math 101 type courses for a fraction of what the private colleges wanted, and even ended up on the deans list which netted her a scholarship for 3 years running. She then decided to move onto a more private type setting, and with the help of couselors, and those in the know, she was able to qualify for exisiting scholarships based on her grades, and income levels on her own.

Have you considered city colleges to get the basics behind them at a fraction of the cost? Those credits, and courses easily transfer to the higher up schools once the basic courses are over. $4k for english/math/science/ and so forth prep classes was certainly easier on my budget than $40K.

This is what my senior in high school will be doing..My oldest goes to
UMass and we get no help at (except for a few small scholarships which
we are very grateful for.)

[kicker]

NMSS has schlorships for Children of a parent with MS - a $1,000 or more (every cent helps!!), application dates for 2010 Oct. thru Jan. I'm trying!! There are others too. Good luck.

[tkrik]

DD18 signed up at collegeboard dot com at the beginning of her senior year. It was such an awesome tool and so helpful. It kept her on track, gave statistics, deadlines, etc. and many suggestions for grants and scholarships. I definitely recommend the site and completely understand why the high school recommended it.

Additionally, check out the websites for the school the boys are planning on attending. On the sites they may have a list of scholarships specific to that school as well as other information. In doing this with DD18, I found out that we qualified for a program that is run by the school. I called their office and got all the information and throughout the year communicated with them often to make sure we were on track.

Basically, the program is for any incoming freshman right from high school. They must be a resident of the state, qualify for the federal grants, have a family income below $42,000, and be accepted in to the college. DD18 received 3 grants and the program contributes pretty much the rest of her tuition. She not only is able to go to the school but live on campus and her meals are included. She does have to do a work study job to contribute the rest of the expenses.

She can continue on the program for the remainder of her education as long as she remains in good standing (academically and "behaviorally" - in otherwords, don't get in trouble).

It takes some work to find these kinds of programs but they are out there. There is also a site, not sure of the name, something like wacky scholarships, that lists all sorts of "wacky" scholarships. It is definitely worth check that out as well. I am sure you can google it and get the site.