<p>Perhaps I am wrong, but MY concern with the poor freshman grades and the talk now of being “burned out” and going to CC “later” and “getting a job” sounds more like a high chance of having an (eventually) 24 year old living with me, going out at night and eating my ice cream while I work and never getting a career of her own and NOT a worry about debt. </p>
<p>Do I think kids get pushed hard and get burned out: YES. Do I think too much debt is taken on for college: YES. But what happened your freshman year? What is going to be different after taking some time off? What in other words, sorry to sound harsh, is going to make the maturation happen???</p>
<p>Thank you, 3bm103, for the clarification. I also looked into the conditions for the refunds they would receive. I need more information from them about their taxes, then I will compare that to the loans they will be signing onto. </p>
<p>TempeMom: I am worried about never wanting to return, but I know I was not ready to go to college this year. I believe I would have more motivation after working a year because I would be paying for it. It is unfortunate, but I think most college kids would do better in school if they had worked and saved for it. My freshman year had a horrible start because I got into an abusive relationship with a significantly older man. I left him the end of 1st semester, but he was threatening me and I stopped going to classes for a couple weeks. I did get the cops involved and lost all contact from him, but I was unable to pass my 1st semester classes at that point. Second semester, I was just disappointed in myself and lost motivation. I don’t want to blame my failure in school on my situation because I chose to stay with him and not do better after he was not in the picture. I think I will do better at home (even if I don’t take a year off) because it will be a more familiar environment.</p>
<p>Here’s an idea that might work for you: if you become a part-time student and take an online/evening/weekend class or 2 at the CC while working this year, you can stay in practice school-wise and earn some credits while still working. That could be helpful because a) you’d be earning credits towards your CC degree while also focusing on work, b) you’d be able to pay for 1-2 classes a semester and still save money (they cost about $500 each where I live, I guess they may go up to $1000?). So then when you go into full-time CC, you’d probably be able to graduate in 1.5 years and save money there.</p>
<p>Thank you for your gracious reply. </p>
<p>That, of course, sounds like a tough situation that you had to deal with. Are you aware that you will not be considered financially independant for college though unless you meet stringent criteria…like being married, military or 24??</p>
<p>My concern if you were my daughter/neice/friend is that there this age that you are in is where people really blossom or fail. Move forward or stall. And those moves effect their whole lives, their whole careers. Of course <em>some</em> people don’t go to college until 30 and turn out fine but most do their big push to college at 18 and their lives boom upwards then to grad school or a career in the mid 20’s…that window is pretty specific and the working world expects people to proceed under that model…it’s one thing for a “kid” to drive a beater car and live in a cruddy apartment and eat ramen everyday but we think differently once you get to a certain age…it’s like a train…certain “Stops” happen in a certain order and once you step off the track it can be hard to get back on. NOT impossible but hard. And if you are, by any chance, a person who doesn’t do well in the face of adversity it becomes that much harder…you will find yourself the “older” kid in a group of youngers, trying to blend into peer groups you don’t have the same things in common with anymore, AND THEN those things become negatives too…</p>
<p>There was a book about this last year that I wish I could remember the title of…</p>
<p>I have looked at my state’s definition of dependent, yes. </p>
<p>I totally understand where you are coming from. I am afraid somewhat afraid of that happening and that is why I waited until last minute to leave my 4 year school. I go back and forth between feeling like a failure and thinking I am making a logical financial move. I do not want to be a burden on my parents, though, because I have wasted so much of their money already. I am excited to work and will gladly do it! I plan on getting my associates in 2 years and moving out after that, and hopefully, working as a paralegal. After I have worked in that field for awhile, I would like to think I will be able to decide if I would stick to that job or try to get my bachelors again when I can pay for it on my own and am sure of what I want. I know I could grow at a…faster rate (?) at a 4 year college, but I still think I will be learning a lot by taking an alternative route. I appreciate your advice, though, and will be sure to keep that in the back of my head when I move home and am taking classes. </p>
<p>Luisarose: I am considering part time certain semesters after similar suggestions if I need to make a compromise plan to my parents. My only worry is that they will want me to be in school full time because that is how they will receive their tax refund, but I will try. Thanks for the suggestion!</p>
<p>The American Opportunity Credit can be claimed in only four tax years, and those must be tax years in which the student is an undergraduate. If you were to complete a four year degree on a normal schedule, you would actually be in college during five tax years, and you and your parents would be able to claim the AOC for any four of those five years. If you spread your education out a bit longer, you or your parents still can claim the AOC for four years. However there are rules about being a full-time student, and about whether or not you are a dependent for tax purposes, etc. etc.</p>
<p>The amount of money that your parents would get back for the AOC is probably not much compared to how much they are likely to actually be spending for tuition, fees, books, and materials. So while it is a nice bit of money (we recycle it every year straight back into the account that we use to pay Happykid’s bills) whether or not it is meaningful for your parents is a whole other story.</p>
<p>There are other tax breaks that you or your parents can claim for your educational expenses if you aren’t eligible for the AOC. Again who can take them depends on a number of factors. Spend some time this summer reading through <a href=“http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf[/url]”>http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf</a> and discuss the various options with your parents.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have had a rough year academically and emotionally. It makes good sense to step back and sort through everything that you need to sort through before you jump back into college full-time.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>