<human>: Can you provide a brief overview of the text?

I graduated in 2011 at the age of 17, I have a December birthday so I was always young for my grade. I was home schooled til the 6th grade, we lived in Washington, DC and the school system was pretty awful, so my (hippy-ish) mom educated me and my 2 older brothers. It was always thought of as "unschooling" not homeschooling. We didn't sit down and have lessons, we went to museums, the zoo, and performances. I didn't really understand school when I started (my mom had to go back to work) and as a result didn't do as well as I could have. I graduated with a 3.1 UW, a 3.6 weighted and scored a 33 on my ACTs, I was more capable than I was dedicated to my work. Ultimately when applying for schools I was disorganized and didn't have the money to go to the schools I got into without crippling loans. I've spent the last 2 years cooking in fine dining restaurants, currently one with a Michelin star. I am the youngest cook by 6 years but even cooking at this level I make 10 dollars an hour and work til 2am most nights. It's not a lifestyle, or career I can maintain, and upward mobility is painfully limited. So... that all being said, I've realized that spending the last two years supporting myself, I've grown up enough that I can dedicate myself to my studies in hopes of more long term goals. What do... How does this all translate into my applications in a compelling manner? What schools should I be steered towards for affordability and value? (most likely majoring in economics or tech in some way)

I know I wrote a lot, so:
<bot>: Dicked around in school, got okay grades in AP classes, did well on tests, had no money, worked for 2 years, want to go back to school