Affording College Alone

Colleges and Universities A-Z Arizona State University
1

Hi all- I’m really hoping for some help and advice from those who have gone through this process already. I am going to be a freshman in the Barrett college at ASU this Fall. I have family issues and my parents do not want to be part of the college process for me at all. Of course, this includes financially. I will be funding my own education which is fine- I luckily received plenty of merit based scholarships for ASU. I have been working 2 jobs for a while so I have money saved up to pay for the typical things like dorm items, plane ticket, food, etc. I cannot get any federal aid since my parents do not want to provide their finances and I cannot become emancipated yet. I have a couple thousand left for me to pay, which I will take on student loans but still apply to more outside scholarships too.

I will be traveling and moving in alone, so I’m a little nervous I’m going to forget something big or just the little things I won’t know to prepare for. I’ve purchased all my dorm items I think I’ll need and have had them shipped to my mailbox at the university. I plan to fly down for my move in day and use uber to take all my stuff there. What kind of things should I prepare for? I just plan on setting up my dorm but were there any items people needed they didn’t expect? I also had a question about textbooks. I know I need to buy these and will try and get cheaper ones online but I read mixed reviews of people waiting until the class to see if they need different books or hear what the professor says. Should I buy them now or is it OK to wait then? I will be majoring in electrical engineering but do not have my own laptop. Most people say you can just use the library if you don’t have a computer but not sure if it’s dependent on major. For those in engineering, do you rely a lot on the computer?

Thank you so much for help

2

I don’t think you will be able to get a loan without their FAFSA. Someone else on the forum can answer this.

Did you pay for the health insurance yet? Depending on the school it may run anywhere from $2K to $5K.

3

I’m also entering ASU as a Freshmen in Barrett this Fall, so here are a couple of things I’ve picked up during my research:

  1. Make an appointment with a financial advisor immediately. Many of the advisors in college really care about helping students out, and will even bend the rules and go out of their way to make sure they do well (at least in my experience). If you are having trouble with loans or scholarships, a financial advisor will know exactly what you need to do. You can either call one and try to get information over the phone, or make an appointment as soon as you get to ASU.
  2. You will probably always realize you need something for your dorm you don't have no matter what. My best advice is to get an Amazon Prime account. If I remember right, college students get a few months of a free trial, then a good discount over other people. It will allow you to buy something fairly cheap and fast if you need it.
  3. I would recommend holding off on textbooks until the first day of class unless you know that you will definitely need them. Since I live in the area, I've taken some community college classes taught by ASU professors, so I know a little bit about how they go. One professor I took told us on the first day that she would only use the slides from our lectures to create our tests, so a book would have been a waste of money. Another had a quiz at the beginning of every class on what we were going over in class that day, so reading ahead using the textbook was required. Luckily, professors will often give about a week to get your books, so if they are required, you can use that Amazon Prime account I mentioned above to order them and have them shipped to you quickly. Worst comes to worst, you can buy the book at the bookstore after your first class if you really need it.
  4. You will likely be needing a computer a lot. You will need to be able to do some programming according to your major map, and many math or science classes require online homework. A laptop is not absolutely necessary, but it will be very helpful. However, Barrett did offer technology grants for some students last year to purchase a computer worth up to $1,000, and they may do the same thing this year. You can easily get a decent school laptop for only a few hundred dollars. I would talk to a Barrett advisor and see what steps you can take to apply for this grant during the Fall so that you can have a laptop in the Spring.
4

I’m an ASU alum and my daughter will be a freshman at ASU-Barrett this fall. First of all @galaxy8 - congratulations on your admission to ASU, Barrett and Fulton School of Engineering, I am impressed with your accomplishments, especially considering your financial circumstances and having to go it on your own - no parental involvement. You can do this - keep up the good work!!

  1. ASU does not require health insurance to attend although obviously having health insurance is encouraged. (and I realize the federal government has an individual mandate but that's for another forum) There is also a healthcare discount program at ASU called the Bridge Discount Plan which is far less than 2K. see, https://eoss.asu.edu/health/resources/coverage - $129. per semester although the Bridge Plan is not insurance.
  2. As another poster suggested start talking with a financial advisor and Barrett advisor as soon as possible - definitely call ahead and explain your circumstances - regarding the FAFSA issue, coming to campus alone, laptop needs as engineering major etc. perhaps you will at least be able to set up advisor appointments in advance of arriving at ASU. Advisor contact info and process description should be on your My ASU portal.
  3. I'm not an expert on student loans and FAFSA nor am I vouching for the accuracy of the info on the referred websites listed below. However, reviewing this info may help you spot issues to discuss with ASU's financial advisors.

    https://studentloanhero.com/featured/how-to-get-student-loans-without-parents/

https://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/financial-aid-without-filing-the-fafsa -see paragraph, “College financial aid administrators can also perform a dependency override to change your status from dependent to independent.”

https://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/what-can-you-do-if-your-parents-won-t-file-the-fafsa-or-help-pay-for-college

  1. There is a very good public transportation system in and around the ASU Tempe campus - such as the Flash shuttle (free) and Orbits (not sure bit I think it's free) and the light rail (not free) so you can pick up any items you may have overlooked for dorm by using public transportation to get around. https://cfo.asu.edu/transit Also, see campus interactive map which shows routes etc. https://www.asu.edu/map/interactive -click on transit menu ( I'm assuming you are on Tempe Campus as engineering major)

I think that’s all I have for now. And @galaxy8 I believe in you.

5

For your dorm, you really don’t need that much (you may want stuff you don’t need but that another issue)
Stuff you may not have:
A desk lamp, a small rug, a shower caddie;

Stuff you probably already have around that becomes handy in college:

  • two big bags (can be large trash bags you decorate to avoid any confusion) to put your laundry (one for whites, one for colors), laundry soap
  • extra long sheets, pillows, pillow cases, large and small towels, soap, shampoo, toothpaste <=stock up from home if you can etc.
  • milk crates, plastic bags, markers to mark your stuff
  • cereals, cereal bars, uht milk (keeps out of the fridge till opened, exists in small boxes) <= will save money off meal plan if need be
  • flip flops for the shower (not the same as flip flops used outside please)
  • 2-3 wall decorations from your current room, pic from your dog, baby brother, family, view from childhood bedroom window
6

Galaxy8 you are in a similar situation as our daughter.

We practically begged her to attend any public school where she earned a full tuition scholarship (she earned several), but she expected us to pay a quarter of million dollars so she could attend a private Cali “dream school”. We wrote her a long letter detailing the public school options affordable to us and our eagerness to pay for any remaining costs including a laptop.

We were not permitted to broach this topic.

She considered it an affront to her dignity that we might have some conditions on that support. Nothing out of the ordinary, just some basic chores around the house (maybe 5-10 minutes a day) and a display of gratitude for what we were making possible in her life. Instead, we had to write this all in a letter and have her discuss it with a third party, because she refused to discuss any college issues with us.

She assailed our characters, called our marriage a sham, treated us with disrespect and basically acted out in any number of other ways. She did not want any support, financial or otherwise. We were told this in no uncertain terms, quite adamantly, accompanied by rancor whenever we tried to raise the subject, we thought she didn’t or couldn’t really mean it.

In the end, we capitulated and did as she demanded. When she graduated H.S. she moved out a day later with barely a word. She was full of hate.

She then impugned our family at her chosen university to “earn” more “scholarships” by claiming victimhood status. I hope she is unaware that she is actually diverting money away from those that truly do need that type of assistance.

She also doesn’t have a laptop and still needs to make up a financial gap. So here’s our guidance to you, Galaxy8:

Our daughter has spent thousands of dollars from her jobs buying clothes from Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, etc. So much, that she could easily have purchased a high end Mac, let alone a PC or Chromebook. Refrain from buying anything not essential to your primary task - paying for college.

Rather than go without at the dorm, buying only what she needs when she needs it, she is preordering lots of stuff and will have to pay to have it delivered to her chosen school (in another state). I’d advise you take a bus, and save as much money as you can. Only buy what you absolutely need.

Our daughter also pays for an expensive cell phone plan and has to have an iPhone. A laptop is more important to a serious engineering student than a status phone and cell phone plan. Be prudent in your expenses, sacrifice the non-essentials, so that you can afford a computer.

I’d advise you not to wear expensive, designer clothes to the financial aid office when asking for additional money. Make sure you’re also sporting an old, used backpack and not a brand new expensive backpack. You don’t want to look like an oblivious, entitled rich kid while asking for more need based assistance.

Galaxy8 have you considered deferring college for a year? That would give you the opportunity to earn the money you need yourself and the associated pride that accompanies hard work. Or if your situation is similar to our daughter’s, you could work to rebuild relationships during that time and enter college next year with a firmer foundation.

You haven’t said why your parents don’t want to be part of your college process. Perhaps they are terrible, mean-spirited people unconcerned with your education and well-being. We would not characterize ourselves that way given the similar circumstances between our daughter and you. Have you considered that they could be caring parents whom you’ve isolated with your attitude, behavior and invective?

7

@WashJohnGalt I am sorry for the pain that you are in. And I hope you can eventually work things out with your D.

@galaxy8 I am sorry that you are having an issue with your family, and I know you didn’t ask for any advice with that on this thread. I felt compelled to type something here because of @WashJohnGalt’s comments, which I think are coming from a place of significant hurt. No one knows what your situation is except you and your parents, and even then, I’m pretty sure that you and your parents see the situation dramatically differently. I’m sure everyone here hopes that you can both some day understand each other’s perspective and get to a point where your relationship improves. Sometimes a person’s perspective is just dead wrong, but as humans we all have flaws. If that ends up being the situation, I hope that you all can find forgiveness for the other’s flaws and find a way to still love the other person despite those flaws. Good luck to you.

8

@WashJohnGalt That’s a bizarre characterization of OP’s problem. I know what it’s like first hand to have horrible parents. My selfish mother decided that she didn’t want to help me pay for college, so she flat-out refused to fill out the fafsa. She told me that her finances were none of my business. (I also had to pay the fee to take the SAT myself, out of my part-time job money. She wouldn’t pay for it, because she didn’t attend college, so why should I?) It happens-- why blame the OP? I had to wait until I was considered independent to take out loans myself for community college (actually 27 to be exact, because life got in the way a little.) This is all water under the bridge, as it happened a little over 25 years ago, but it’s a fact–some parents are just horrible people.

I think it’s wonderful that @galaxy8 was accepted to Barrett with scholarships. You are in a much better boat than I was. Never let your parents get in the way of your dreams. (I don’t know your situation, but I had to cut mine off-- my childhood was abusive, and I decided to cease contact with both of them decades ago.)

9

@WashJohnGalt That’s a bizarre characterization of OP’s problem. I know what it’s like first hand to have horrible parents. My selfish mother decided that she didn’t want to help me pay for college, so she flat-out refused to fill out the fafsa. She told me that her finances were none of my business. (I also had to pay the fee to take the SAT myself, out of my part-time job money. She wouldn’t pay for it, because she didn’t attend college, so why should I?) It happens-- why blame the OP? I had to wait until I was considered independent to take out loans myself for community college (actually 27 to be exact, because life got in the way a little.) This is all water under the bridge, as it happened a little over 25 years ago, but it’s a fact–some parents are just horrible people.

I think it’s wonderful that @galaxy8 was accepted to Barrett with scholarships. You are in a much better boat than I was. Never let your parents get in the way of your dreams. (I don’t know your situation, but I had to cut mine off-- my childhood was abusive, and I decided to cease contact with both of them decades ago.)