the magic letter.

So as you may know, our oldest child, David, finished homeschool early this year.  He really wants to go to Matt & my alma mater in the U.P. of Michigan.  And the goal is to do college with no debt.  So the plan was to live at home, attend community college (covered entirely by his Pell Grant) and then transfer up to the U.P. for his junior year.

Enter what I call the "magic letter."  So we arrived in Marquette and there was a letter for David from the state of Michigan telling him about this scholarship program that would cover his tuition & fees for the first two years, and then a significant portion for the last two years.  We knew before we moved to Arizona five years ago that he qualified for this program, because we had been on state assistance for a certain amount of time.  But we figured he no longer qualified, since we had moved out of state.

David filling out info at the NMU Admissions office.  Can I just say how surreal it was to be there as the *parents* this time, instead of the students!?!

Anyway, long story short, we met with financial aid & admissions people on campus, and all he has to do is establish Michigan residency, and the scholarship is his!  So, he plans to move to the U.P. in January or February to establish residency, and then start school up there in the fall of 2013.  This scholarship, along with the Pell Grant and another scholarship he qualifies for because of academic merit, will almost cover everything.  Along with a part-time job, he will be able to get through college without debt.  Amazing. :)

So.  We are looking at him leaving the "nest" a bit sooner than anticipated.  But he is ready.  And if there was a town 2,000 miles away for him to be in, we couldn't pick a better one than our former hometown, with a built-in support system of people up there who love him.  :)