advice for a college student trying to find her way?

[pachyderms]

Hello there, I am an eighteen-year-old completing her second (full time) semester at a community college.

I feel very stuck in my situation. I dream of eventually transferring and getting a degree in either fine arts or cultural anthropology, and would love to study or volunteer abroad... Mostly, I want to be independent, knowledgeable and able to travel.
My college is honestly wonderful, but its opportunities are limited. In highschool, I was disorganized and with an average GPA so I did not gain any sort of finance from a scholarship for college. In college, I have maintained a 3.7 GPA and all I want to do is to further my education as much as I can... I have finally found my drive.
Due to financial strains my parents cannot help much (university tuition, housing fees, abroad opportunities are sort of beyond them), and we are barely able to even afford classes at my current college... Transferring is going to be very difficult. I am willing to get a job of my own, but we live an hour away from the city and am unable to afford a car, so it is time-consuming enough to make it to class. I was a nanny last summer, and tried to hold on to the money as long as possible, but now I only have $300 left. I had a car then. I feel like any amount I make will be insubstantial at this point
I am kind of overwhelmed, because my main goal at this point is saving money... I don't know where to start, when I have hardly any as it is. I am a hard worker and, I hope, decently intelligent
Any advice on figuring out where to go from here to get there? Money-making, opportunity-grabbing tips? Summer is coming up and I want to spend it wisely. How do you people "grow up"? I want to start living and I feel trapped and bored.

[anamoly]

With FAFSA, you should be able to get all the AID you need. The government gives out great loans and most important - GRANTS. You can apply for scholarships. Talk to someone who knows about them - your college, even being a community college should have the resources you desire.

[silicon toad2000]

Have you considered working full time and studying part time?
I don't know how things work in the states, I'm from Australia. So I can only draw on my own experiences.
Maybe get together a plan. You want to be independent, knowledgeable and able to travel. At this stage of your life I beleive the key to all of these things is working.
A job can provide the funding to become independent and provide a valuable balance for knowledge gained at college.

[sheffy4]

I agree with the other posters so far. Definitely make an appointment to see an Academic Advisor at your college. They will tell you about all the grants and scholarships you can apply for. Then, apply for every single one you can.
Silicon Toad had a good point, too. If you are not in a hurry to get a degree, consider being a part-time student with a full or part-time job.
I would say the fastest way to "grow up" is to move into your own apartment (with roommates or without), and learning how to manage your money.
A tip: once you get another job, make a point to save at least 10% of your income. Every pay check that comes, calculate 10% and immediately deposit it into a savings account. It may not sound like a lot, but it gets you into the habit of saving.

[SchoolisHard]

Here is what you need to do:

Look at nearby universities that offer community college scholarships. If any of them offer no-questions-asked transfer scholarships for bright CC transfer students, stick it out at CC for another year. Transferring with a nice 3.7/3.8 GPA should give you a nice chunk of cash at most universities.

[cardano]

I was in a somewhat similar situation. My parents couldn't really afford college, I had no car for 4 years, and for the first couple years I had no idea where to go. Now that I am done with college and looking back, here's a few helpful pointers:

1. Similar to the other posters: try getting scholarship or government financial aid first. For me, most of my loan came from a corporation, CitiAssist, which lent more liberally and still maintained a low interest.

2. Limitation creates opportunity. I didn't have a car so many jobs were out of the question since I didn't want to sacrifice valuable time traveling. Because of my disposition, I was looking at work I can do in front of the computer, which I eventually found. It ended up providing much needed income, more freedom, and something useful I can put on the resume.

3. Find meaningful internships: Not the ones that require you to staple paper and bring over coffee and a cream cheese bagel, but those that challenges you, pertinent to your interests, (and potentially provides travel to another city). This is based on my personal experience as well as from my close friends. I can't stress how important this is.

Good luck!