That's it, I have no shame

So, it's official... I have reached the point of true despair.
As I'm sure you'll notice, I've added a "make a donation" link to this beautiful blog of mine. Before you voice your heartfelt cries of injustice, allow me to explain:
My trip to London should run from around July 9th to August 12th, and will cost somewhere in the ball park of $7,000 US. That estimate (and a very low one at that) is taking into consideration tuition and fees for American Intercontinental University, and also for OSU (since I'd like to receive graded transfer credit), airfare, and living expenses for the 5 weeks I'll be abroad.
Shit... now that I think about it, lets be realistic and jack that up to $8000, since AIU housing doesn't include meals.
Anyway, the flight alone looks like it's going to cost around $650, which is about $600 more than I'll have in my bank account after this quarter's tuition and books are paid for.
I've applied for grants and scholarships through OSU for the trip, but I can't count on those because by my guess, those can only add up to about $1500 (unless I'm wrong, and I hope that I am). So, that leaves me to come up with the rest of the money between now and June.
Why not apply for a private loan? Because, due to some very bad financial planning during my first few years of schoool, my credit is shot.
So, hopefully now you're a little more clear as to why I've suddenly become so desperate.
But lets not call it desperate, lets call it ingenuity.
I am pledging here and now that any and all donations made to my newly created Maria Goes to London Fund will be used soley for the purpose of funding my study abroad. I don't know how exactly to asure you that I am keeping my promise, so I guess I need to do a little more thinking about that one. All I can do is post to this site and hope that anyone who might stumble across is in a generous mood.
Thanks for your time.