@woogzmama, I know it is one year. In the Option #3 I listed, I suggested moving to California in the summer and going to work full time as either Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable clerk in a small business for 2 years because of this clause:
Even with this (I am not sure how to interpret it), the parents may have to refrain from claiming the OP on their income taxes for 2015 and 2016 for matriculation in 2017. It could be that she could work for only one year, and the parents not claim her on their 2014 and 2015 taxes, but I think the “and demonstrates self-sufficiency for those two years and the current year.” clause would bite her if she tries to matriculate prior to January 2017 (if she moves to California and starts a job by mid-June of this year).
Maybe one year, maybe 1-1/2, maybe 2 years. The point is that by going directly into the workforce out of high school, she can improve the value of her education, figure out her finance and options, and STILL graduate with her class (or pretty close to it) because of all the college credits she has already accumulated.
Deferring college, in this case, is the best course of action IMHO- especially if the deferred time can be used as a sort of internship to help focus her studies.
How is the OP supposed to be able to afford to move to CA? I don’t think she has money for an apartment and I think she said that her parents aren’t in a position to help her.
Sometimes you just have to let it go. The OP has decided it is going to work and doggedly refuses to believe evidence to the contrary. Belief is not going to change the reality of the situation, as the OP will find out. Life can indeed teach lessons.
Sometimes the adults follow up on a thread for other students who may happen by later. Mikemac is correct, though. Sometimes, people have to learn on their own. Good luck to you.
After reading this for so long, I was kind of hoping for a happy ending where the OP would come to a realistic understand of her current predicament or, at the very least, admit that she will talk to a financial aid officer at one of these schools she’s applying to and then later inform us of what happened. Alas, though, this is life, and some people will do as they please.
Best of luck! I hope you do what’s right or, better yet, that your plan works.
OP, be open minded. One problem in OP’s calculation is he/she pooled the possible grant/loans from 4 years together in the beginning. In reality, you get the aid one year at a time and you need to come up with the rest of CoA for that year first. If you don’t have that money, you can’t even do the first year. Question like this come up every year. It is not easy to change a state residency while being a full time college student. Obviously, this is not the answer OP wants.
CSULB and CSUF are not participating schools but there are plenty of other ones. CSUN is on the list and at $8,200 it is pretty darn cheap. If you like Long Beach then you can tolerate Northridge.
Mikemac is correct, though. Sometimes, people have to learn on their own. Good luck to you.