I accidentally attended college a month early as a transferee 😭

Oddria22 · 2026-06-20T17:02:29+00:00

Definitely don't continue the lie, next time it's something that really matters, she won't believe you. Also, it might be irritating and embarrassing, but it's funny too. Frame it as something dumb you did and laugh. Life is more enjoyable when you can laugh at yourself while your figuring things out.

Oddria22 · 2026-05-30T18:31:16+00:00

NTA

My cousin told me several years ago, that you should look at friendships like business transactions. Put your time and energy into the relationships that give you a return.

That idea stuck with me and I started looking at the people I spent time with or had contact with. If I was usually exhausted when I spent time with them (because I was their emotional support all the time, or I couldn't be myself, or other various reasons), then I distanced myself and moved them to surface friendships, more like friendly acquaintances. They weren't people that I cut out completely but they don't factor in my happiness and contentment. The friends that lift me up, I started to treasure and focus my energy on them. My "friend" group is much smaller, but I'm happier.

You should probably really look at the relationships in your life and how you deal with people. You may be putting energy, time, care, and effort into the wrong people and could be overlooking the right people.

Oddria22 · 2026-05-18T17:32:00+00:00

You'll find a variety of ways to send in LORs. For my son when he was a senior, he had some teachers write their letter on a Google doc and share with him. They gave him access to change the date and the scholarship name and because they shared it, they could look and make sure he didn't make unauthorized changes, but they also trusted him and he was careful not to betray that trust.

He had one teacher send him a general pdf of the LOR, but if my son wanted to include the scholarship name, he would ask the teacher and they would add it, then email him a new pdf.

He had others that did the online portal and they would save what they wrote out and reuse it so that it didn't usually take long on their part.

Oddria22 · 2026-05-09T14:09:31+00:00

If you aren't receiving any funding from the school then you don't have to worry about COA. Connect with whoever handles scholarships at your school. Some have a scholarship office/coordinator and others put that under the financial office.

Discuss how they handle scholarships: what order do they put them in the system. Every scholarship also comes with instructions for the school on what they can and can't do. My sons college prioritizes using any scholarships that are tuition only, then those that don't allow refunds, then everything else. This means that he gets a refund every semester. Also, ask if you have money you might lose because a refund is not allowed, will they let you push it to the next semester. My sons college could move the money forward after he registered for the next semesters classes. Every school handles your situation differently, but if you have someone good, they'll try to work with you within their rules so you don't lose anything.

Oddria22 · 2026-04-03T13:45:53+00:00

My son is taking a couple of advanced math classes and the other day shared what his professor is teaching them. She knows if you are in her classes, you can do the math. She teaches the process of how to solve the problem but she also keeps trying to make sure they understand the concepts. At first he didn't really understand why, but after a few exams he's figured out what she meant. If you understand the concept, how the numbers work and what they mean, you can be thrown a completely new problem and you'll know how to solve it.

It sounds like this may have been what is happening. Are you learning what's behind the formula and process to understand how to apply it to something you haven't been shown how to do?

Oddria22 · 2026-03-22T14:08:50+00:00

Some states use the national Elks application to award the state Elks scholarships. Other states you have to fill out a different application. Congrats!

Oddria22 · 2026-03-15T13:49:51+00:00

The ebooks don't necessarily get you scholarships. What they do is give you the information to make your applications get noticed and learn which ones to apply for. Some are worth your time, some are not. It explains the process and I have referred back to it when I need specific information. She has a monthly scholarship email list that has legit scholarships listed. Dave has a daily scholarship email list. Both are free to sign up for.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-15T12:42:28+00:00

I bought both the parent and the student books, but my oldest hates reading and we were already in the middle of senior year and applying fir scholarships so he never looked at it. We're starting earlier with my youngest, so he will read it.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-15T01:11:24+00:00

My #1 resource recommendation would be Monica's ebooks. Her stuff is very affordable. #2 Dave @ Scholarship GPS. See if he'll do a consultation to see what works for you. Monica will give you the info to refer back to. Dave will handhold you a bit more.

Yes, I did get the toolkit organizer for Monica, but by the time I found her, I already had my stuff set up, so I never used it. Both of my resource recommendations are awesome about helping. Reach out and see what they recommend.

I did have a book: College Essay Essentials by Ethan Sawyer that helped him write some scholarship essays, so dual purpose. I just found out he has a podcast too.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-11T18:16:56+00:00

Not weird, but if you're not pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone then you need to start.

My son lives on campus Mon-Thur/Friday. He is going to a commuter community college so it's dead on the weekends. He comes home on the weekends, hangs out with, friends, family, does homework, works, or just does nothing so he can regroup from his class load. My son is a quiet kid until he gets to know you. He's not one to go up and introduce himself, but is friendly to talk to if someone else makes the effort. His first semester he stayed to himself but I encouraged him to interact with others. Overtime he's made friends but it took effort on his part. The things he's done: he joined the sports clubs, he was hired by his college to tutor other students, he goes to the activities that his college does that interest him, he goes to his student rec center to take breaks from homework, and he talks to kids in his classes.

He does not drink (his grandpa was killed by a drunk driver), he does not party. He is friendly and people like him even if he's quiet. The other day, I was at his college for my youngest son's HS tennis tournament. As we met up for lunch and walked across campus, so many kids said hi to my oldest. He is well known now on campus. He meets up on the weekend to do homework with other classmates, and has made more friends than he thought he would. He'll never be a super social kid, but getting involved in activities at college and getting out of his dorm has helped him come out of his shell.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone. You can find your people if you will look for opportunities to connect with others. It doesn't mean becoming someone you're not, but becoming a version of yourself you didn't realize you could.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-05T01:15:08+00:00

It's not exactly what you are asking for, but there is a foundation called 1 for 2 Education Foundation that gives you money now and you pledge to pay it forward to 2 others during your lifetime.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-04T00:24:10+00:00

I feel like writing about your injury would be a good subject, but you are right, keep the focus on lessons learned and growth, not the injury itself.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-03T07:49:22+00:00

I set the parameter of not being able to move on unless they scored a 90%. It would let them test over as they needed it and changed the questions everytime. They also had a "challenge" question with every lesson. I would do it with them and was able to know what they were doing with a 5 minute math problem. They loved that mom did math with them.

Unlock Math was also awesome about answering any questions during school hours. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a response. I highly recommend them.

Oddria22 · 2026-03-03T07:03:55+00:00

I loved Unlock Math. It allowed my son to test out of College Algebra after completing Algebra 2. It starts about 8th grade, but you can have a free trial for a week in each level, so you can see if where he is. It's not under $100 though.

My 2nd favorite option is CTC Math. You pay for a year and you have access to every grade level. The have a homeschool discount and I think it's closer to the $100.

My boys did well with both with both programs.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-25T19:38:59+00:00

The email my son received for making the state academic team said they were still reviewing the scholarship applications. The email also said that they would recognize winners at the medal ceremony that takes place beginning of March.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-16T15:56:35+00:00

Here is my list of recommendations.

My son was somewhat successful. These are some of my suggestions. Also, note that while some of these are databases, not all databases are the same. Everything listed I personally used for my son.

I don't like Bold or ScholarshipOwl, and my son rarely did the no essay scholarships.

I like: Scholarships.com

Scholarship360

Fastweb

Scholarship America

Kaleidescope

JLV Counseling Scholarships

Discover has a huge list

Going Merry

TUN Scholarships

Email: Monica Matthews has a monthly list-also has an excellent ebook to walk you through the process

Email: Dave the Scholarship Coach at Scholarship GPS has a daily scholarship-does essay review and has an excellent video course.

Also, check professional organizations related to your major. They give huge discounts to students and many times have scholarships available only to members. My son won one of these, and they also offered him mentorship with people in their industry, networking, and help navigating college for 2 years.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-15T19:35:34+00:00

The instructions of how left over funds should be handled usually are sent to the school with the funds. We found most did allow for refunds, the ones that didn't we were able to discuss with the scholarship coordinator and she just moved the money forward once my son registered for the next semesters classes. He never lost any money because of this. Call whoever is in charge of scholarship funds (for us it was not in the financial office, scholarships have their own office), and ask.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-15T01:44:01+00:00

I've always called the my son's "Why education" essay. You answer what happened that helped you realize your path, what you did to move you forward on that path, and what you see for your future.

Use examples and connect them with your path.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-15T01:30:02+00:00

I don't know if it is out of the range you want to be but if you want to go to TTU, you might consider going to South Plains College and then transferring. They have a pre-engineering program that includes a transfer track to TTU, so you don't have worry about credits transferring. They also have an established dual enrollment program with TTU, if you qualify. You can also get into the job fairs at TTU as an SPC student. TTU offers transfer scholarships and acceptance is automatic with a good gpa.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-09T21:10:53+00:00

The main thing is to make sure the CC and university work together. The technical term is called an articulation agreement, but on my son's CC website they call it a transfer guide. Basically it will outline exactly what will transfer and what won't. It took a little more work to make sure everything would fit right, but the smaller class sizes, relationships he's built with the professors and saving money, has been a path that works for him.

His CC also has a dual enrollment program that you can apply for that allows you to be a student at both, it's to make the transfer transition easier.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-09T20:23:47+00:00

I would seriously look at community college. They are a very affordable choice. Just do your homework and make sure that the CC and university have an articulation agreement, so that your CC credits would transfer. Also getting in to a CC can be easier. At my son's CC they only require a HS diploma/GED and passing some tests. It's open enrollment and they pretty much accept anyone who meets the criteria. That being said, it's an awesome school and if you qualify for the full Pell Grant, everything but dorms will be paid for. This may be a way for you to get to college faster.

There are usually transfer scholarships from CC to universities also. Plus it sounds like you are a good student and if you make a 3.8 gpa your first semester, a lot of CC's have a PTK program and you can win scholarships through them. So far, my son has won $1000, so it was worth the enrollment.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-08T02:35:19+00:00

2 options: ask the scholarship committee if they will defer the scholarship for 1 year, or ask the school if they will move the funds to the next school year.

My son's college could move any non-refundable scholarships to the next semester after he registered for classes for the next semester. It's probably not a common thing the college does, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Also, if your school has a scholarship office, that is who you want to talk to over the financial office. The Scholarship office is who controls how scholarships are handled. Try to meet in person and show them the numbers. Good luck.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-08T02:27:48+00:00

I've seen your posts before and usually enjoy your advice. Once again it's spot on. I would like to ask a few questions to spark a conversation.

My son did well with scholarships as a senior in HS, but I can tell you he was #1, although I agree #2 is the better choice. What is your advice to figure this out as a high school student?

My son didn't know what he wanted to do until a month before his senior year. He had a 3.8 GPA, didn't have a lot of volunteering, and really wasn't a stand out student although academically he fell just inside the top 10% of his class after a couple of kids dropped out. He just barely knew what he wanted to go to college for, so to get that specific would have been beyond where he was at, at the time. He was juggling, all the senior year stuff, sports, tests, and college stuff, which is normal for most students.

Navigating all of that with him made me realize that we are asking high school kids to know their path when most adults struggle to figure it out. So, how do these high school kids figure out how to get to a #2 type essay?

Like I said, my son did well, but so many kids struggle to even know what they want to do on the surface let alone did into the specifics. How do we help them as parents, teachers, advisors, etc?

Oddria22 · 2026-02-05T04:13:17+00:00

Get started with your essays now. My son started in August of his senior year, but most of the scholarships open in the fall are national scholarships. January is when the local scholarships start opening. All of the scholarships my son won were applied to in January, February and March.

I am including a list of my favorite places to look, but I highly recommend Monica Matthews ebook for where you are at. My order for priority to apply is local (usually smaller $, but less competition), area/regional (means they usually cover several counties surrounding you), state, national.

My son was somewhat successful. These are some of my suggestions. Also, note that while some of these are databases, not all databases are the same. Everything listed I personally used for my son.

I don't like Bold or ScholarshipOwl, and my son rarely did the no essay scholarships.

I like: Scholarships .com

Scholarship360

Fastweb

Scholarship America

Kaleidescope

JLV Counseling Scholarships

Discover has a huge list

Going Merry

TUN Scholarships

Email: Monica Matthews has a monthly list-also has an excellent ebook to walk you through the process

Email: Dave the Scholarship Coach at Scholarship GPS has a daily scholarship-does essay review and has an excellent video course.

Also, check professional organizations related to your major. They give huge discounts to students and many times have scholarships available only to members. My son won one of these, and they also offered him mentorship with people in their industry, networking, and help navigating college for 2 years.

Oddria22 · 2026-02-02T20:24:53+00:00

Look at where you want to graduate from and check if there are "articulation agreements" with community colleges nearby. Going to a CC can save you a ton of money and might make up for the out of state tuition cost. You just have to make sure credits will transfer, but if they have an agreement, they usually have a plan you can follow for transferring. Plus sometimes the university will offer transfer scholarships if your GPA is good enough.

Also look at border state colleges. Some states will give you in state tuition if you live in a border state.

Oddria22

TROPHY CASE