Need advise for my financial situation. Help. Please.

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Roseattle

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My tuition has been bothering me for a long long time. I came to US when I was 18. My mom who has been living in US for a long long time. I was told I was 8-month old when she left my father and I for international student opportunity. I started working to make my college tuition when I could speak a little English(after I came to US for about 4 month).

It's been almost 6 years by now. I am a Junior in University of Washington. I made it from ESL classes to this point with my own support. The big problem is just right in from of my face now. I have been burning my savings for just 2 quarters and my saving is running out. My stepfather and mom are well educated. They make very decent money, but they don't pay anything for my education. They always say that most of American kids pay their own tuition to go to college which I highly doubt because ALL of my friends are supported by their families even their families don't make as much as my parents do(maybe I just don't know the real statistic). I can't get any financial aid from government because they make very decent money. My GPA in community college was decent (3.6), but I don't have other extracuriculum activities because I have been working just for money, which maybe is why I couldn't get any scholarship. Now my GPA is going down(3.2:scared:) because I am just having hard time to study while work:(.

I don't have a car and any health insurance(hoping not getting sick but I went to ER when I was working because I almost passed out). I worked 32+ hours when I was a full-time student in community college. I will be 24 this July. I only weigh around 130lb with hight of 5'11. I am like going to die soon, which is why I largely reduced my working hours lately.

My goal for the next a few years is to go to dental school. I don't want to have any debt in Undergraduate school, but it seems to be impossible now. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE give me some advise or directions for me to move on. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Sincerely,

Yunfei

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If you are working you can be considered an independent status from your parents since you probably file your own tax returns. You may not get scholarships but you can get stafford loan assistance. If you don't want debt, I suggest you just work your way through school. I'm not sure that I understood your whole post but make sure you aren't overworking yourself. If it takes you a bit longer to get through school be grateful that you still have that opportunity!! :) Good luck.
 
Independent for taxes and FAFSA are different.

As of July you are independent from your parents for FAFSA purposes and would be eligible for subsidized stafford loans. Did you not answer this question from the FAFSA? Were you born before January 1, 1985 (question 48)? That would have made you eligible for sub staffords unless you made a whole lot of money and your cost of attendance is low.
 
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Sidenote, most of the people I know in bachelor programs are married automatically making them independent so I misspoke when referencing tax returns. Sorry for the confusion and good catch TMP!

Since the OP is 24, that is in reference the independent factor on top of the fact that they file tax returns (just a side caveat - its more of the fact of the age with undergraduate loans than the tax returns - unless you meet the list of qualifying criteria for independent students). Bachelor's degrees are pretty lenient on the "subsidized" Stafford amounts for students that are dependent (up to an upper middle class income amount), graduate school obviously even more so.

The OP still can qualify for at least some unsubsidized student loans as they are NOT based on your parents income.
 
Can I just say that many many many undergrads have some debt. At a certain point, if your health and performance suffer b/c you work a job too much, then what's the point of bothering at all? Especially if you are going to professional school. A certain amount of undergrad is a drop in the bucket.
 
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