Being Declared Financially Independent?

Paying for College
1

<p>I am 18 years old and looking to enroll at a two-year community college and then transfer to a 4 year institution. I live on my own, in my own apartment which I pay for by myself. I pay for everything myself. Car, insurance, utility, rent, education, etc. i have no contact with my parents. I moved from Maryland all the way to Portland, Oregon by myself, moving away due to religous conflicts. My parents will not suppprt me financially so I used the money I had saved up ($10K) and made it work. Got a job here in Portland, just recievedmy residency and driver's license, and now plan on going to Portland Community College for 2 years and then transfer to Portland State University to recieve my bachelors. Problem I still considered financially dependent. I want to see if I can recieve aid but it's kind of hard when you're considered a dependent to a family who makes $150,000 a year. I understand the reqs to be declared independent, and I meet none, I'm just 18, not 24 also. But it says your college can sign you off as an independent for special circumstances. So my questions: a) Can a community college do this? b) Can I get them to sign off before I'm even enrolled, and if not how do I get financial aid before school starts then? and finally, c) Do you think they'll sign this off as a special circumstance?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>HI Beck,</p>

<p>Unfortunately, your situation is not considered a special circumstance. Your parents unwillingness to pay because you do not see eye to eye is not a reason for a dependency override. The good thing is that you have been able to make it work without financial assistance from your parents. Try to mend fences with your parents so at least they will file the fafsa in order for you to be in a position to borrow money for your education.</p>

3

<p>BeckHanson, the answer is that it is not done just because a famlly won’t pay. You can try. You can talk to them and see if someone there can give you some advice, if you tell them your story. But according to some experts on the board here who have worked in college placement and financial aid, the news is not good. And one of our own here works with some of the toughest hard luck cases around being in the NYC public arena. But it does not hurt to ask, and see if there is any possibility. </p>

<p>You should look at the merit awards that the college might have available to you. You can also look at what the requirements are for instate , in area tuition and how they enforce it. Get to know all the ins and outs of the college to best take advantage of them For example, here in NY, our local CC does not seem to enforce or check whether one is in state or not. You give a in state address and state you are in state, and that’ s it. But many, if not most 4 year schools that do enroll a lot of OOS kids are much more fastidious about checking for OOS residency and a whiff of a parents living OOS could quash any possibility for instate tuition.</p>

<p>YOu will need FAFSA completed to get financial aid. If our parents absolutely refuse to fill it out, you can say this, and get the $5500 unsubsidized Stafford loans yourself. You get the money by semester, however, if you apply second semester, you can possibly get the whole amount then if the Cost of Attendance justifies it. You usually do not get the money until the drop date and it goes to the college and they take all that they are owed first, with anything left given to you at that designated date. If you don’t have the money right now , you might want to work, save and start second term.</p>

<p>The financial aid is just not set up to be a way to strike out away from your parents and help you buy your independence but to help you as a family pay for your college. Those in your situation often just try to get a good handle in the job market and wait until age 24 to start taking classes and get through school part time, while working full. That’s how most people do college, by the way. The frat party, state u, sleep away scene is for a minority of students but has become a stereotype.</p>

<p>Good luck, and I hope you get some good info from the college.</p>

4

<p>Unfortunately they would not even talk to me. It’s “sinful” to them; my goodness.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help. Kind of offtopic, but what exactly do you suggest job-wise by “getting in the workplace”? I have nothing to attach to my resume besides 2 years of retail. Am I supposed to work full time retailfor the next 6 years?</p>

5

<p>Despite the very low chance, it can’t hurt to try. You can always go talk to a FA officer about a possible override. </p>

<p>Either way, best of luck to you. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have parents like that and I think you’re doing a great job on your own.</p>

6

<p>Whatever job you get, you look for ways to do better and go for it. My son got a job in retail that did not make anyone excited. Within a year or so, he was tech manager and the moved up to corporate. All without a college degree. You have to be on the ball and take opportunities as they come. </p>

<p>My friend’s DD found a job with Pearle Vision or the like in selling glasses, and has now moved up to the point where she is considering becoming a optometrist. She has two years of CC as her educational background. I think she is working on certifcation as an optician right now. If you get a job as in a doctor’s office or medical center you can work your way up as aide in various departments and then look at where the best money/job opportunities are. </p>

<p>You waitress, move up to hostess, then to manager. It means being on the ball on the job and looking for the steps up.</p>

7

<p>I want to get a doctorate in physics. Is 24 not to late to start your first year of college when you want to get a Ph.D?</p>

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<p>BeckHanson,</p>

<p>Pay a visit to the Transfer Advisor at the community college that you plan to attend. Have a little heart-to-heart about your long-term goals, and the best way to achieve them. There are colleges and universities out there that do have big merit money for tippy-top CC graduates. It is not easy to land those scholarships, but people do so every single year.</p>

<p>You also can take a look at the jobs that are available at the university where you would like to finish your BS. Often those jobs (even as in maintenance or as an office assistant) come with educational benefits. If you are willing to put in the time, you can even complete your full degree for free.</p>

9

<p>You will find people of all ages in PhD programs – I wouldn’t worry too much about that. </p>

<p>You needn’t wait until you are 24 to start – you may be able to start taking community college classes on a part-time basis while you are working if you can afford to spend any of your income on school. You could also try MOOCs or open courseware with the intention of testing out of some classes (find out what you’d be allowed to test out of and how, and whether you’d get credit or just higher placement). </p>

<p>Reading between the lines on the disagreement with your parents, you may be able to find some outside scholarships for youth in your situation. </p>

<p>You’re obviously very resourceful if you’ve managed to move out on your own at 18 and make that work. Happymom’s idea of targeting big transfer scholarships is a good one.</p>

10

<p>I am not able to private message because I do not have enough posts, but your comment about being “sinful” leads me to believe you might be interested in the Point Foundation.</p>

<p>[Point</a> Foundation - The National LGBTQ Scholarship Fund - Point Foundation](<a href=“http://pointfoundation.org/]Point”>http://pointfoundation.org/)</p>

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<p>I think focusing on a PHD right now is premature, though it is great to have a long term goal in mind. You need to figure out how to make ends meet day to day, before you even start thinking about college. You have rent to pay, bills to pay, unless you have someone to cover your room and board situaition. Don’t you need funds? </p>

<p>For college, do visit the school and bring your transcript and test scores and see what they have for you. There might be some merit awards, usually not very big ones, but sometimes something that can defray the cost. Find out the cost of going to the college, and see if the financial aid office can assist you on the independence angle. If not, explore the possibility of taking out the $5500 in Loans for your first full year of college. Don’t jump right into it, because you have limited loan amounts that you are permitted to take, and if you blow it, that’s it. We see many sad posts from those who jumped into going to school to fast and before they were ready, flunked out or dropped too many courses, or switched around on things too many times, and used up their Stafford money. That is the only clear thing I can see that you can get right now to pay for your education. The other way is to eke out what you can, bit by bit and take a course per term. Summers often give the opportunity to take 2 courses so you can finish a semester within a year quite easily. </p>

<p>I am not making light of this. It is very difficult. You need to sit down with the college, go to the library or go online and research what all of your options are. As I said earlier, for most people, going to college is a long, arduous, expensive process that they do, but by bit. The principal of our local school’s wife is also school principal for a Catholic school and she finally got her PHD last year, and she is in her late 50s. Little by little, she got her courses, degrees, certifications, masters, additional courses when she wanted to switch from teaching to management of school, another masters, and finally a PHD. And this is someone who had parental support at the onset and her husband supporting her thereafter. But school was not her whole life either. She worked, took time off, raised a family, did other work, and lived life during those years. As her kids grew up, she put some of their educational goals ahead of hers. So it can take a long time to get there. </p>

<p>A young woman who broke with her parents and lost their support just got her degree 8 years after the break. Her school, a private one, refused to consider her independent for their financial aid even after she turned 24, a problem you won’t have with public schools. At the price the school charged, it took her that long to get her degree from them, and only after some reconciliation and some funds from the parents. They are still estranged, but the situation is better after all of these years. But the young woman has enjoyed vibrant life in the area of her college, found work, found a house to buy, found friends and a community, and her finally getting the degree was just one thing going on in her life, not a major goal. She probably could have gotten a degree from another school sooner, but she just let things go being too busy with life itself for a while. She’s now 30 and studying for a advanced degree at a state university in the area, even as she continues to work. I have no doubt that she will make the goals she had at the onset, but it took longer, though not wasted time at all. She is now a mature self sufficient woman, as opposed to a young flighty girl 10-12 years ago. </p>

<p>So school is not the big priority for you right now. You need to get knowledge, mature, learn to be self sufficient. Going off to college gives young adults ( I call them kids still) a slow immersion into the process and yet allows the to learn pretty much on their own, as opposed to living at home and going to school or to work as many do. Not every one, in fact most do not, “go off” to college. Most kids will be looking for work, working to become self sufficient while still living with parents, until they can get the money to be on their own, and find a place and life for themselves. Even college grad end up back with parents when they cannot find work to support them. It’s expensive out there.</p>

<p>So focus on becoming self sufficient and learning what resources are available to you before jumping into something without understanding the ramification. Know the rules and how things work and what resources you might be able to tap. </p>

<p>Though you may not want to “hear” this now, if any reconciliation with family, don’t close out that possibility. The fact of the matter, the basic fact of life, is that ones parents are usually the ones who provide most of the support to a person, in part because no agency or organization is going to do so. Finding resources is very difficult, as most places are out there looking for money FROM you not FOR you. Big distinction and a tough one. Good luck.</p>

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<p>You mention having funds that you used to make your move? Where did you get the money, your car all of the things you currently own? Did you not have a job? Or are these all things given to you by your family?</p>

13

<p>The OP mentioned 2 years of retail experience. I assume he/she is still working retail to make ends meet now.</p>

14

<p>I started working retail at 16 and by 18 had saved up $10,000 myself. I moved far away from my old home and just got another job in retail here. </p>

<p>As for reasons for being estranged with my parents, it has nothing to do with sexuality. I just simply did not subscribe to their particular beliefs. They believe if your child does not live exactly by their beliefs it is sinful to talk to them or have any contact with them; sort of cult-like. So, in other words, no chance of reconciliation. </p>

<p>I suppose I should just get in a firm financial spot, then reassess my situation and try to at least go part time if possible.</p>

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<p>What are your SAT, ACT and GPA. Are they high enough for merit scholarships? Do you need to stay in Seattle? You might consider applying to some huge merit schools next fall.</p>

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<p>Yankeebelle brings up some questions that I also have. Have you taken the ACT or SAT1 and what are your scores? What kind of GPA do you have from high school? What sort of courses did you take at high school and how rigorous was your high school (did it tend to send graduated to selective schools, local school or the main state schools?) Have you taken AP courses? Trying to gauge whether merit awards are a possibility here. Look in the archives for Momfromtexas , a poster who wrote some interesting methodolgies on how to get full ride scholarships when one is not a top of the top candidate.</p>

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<p>I’m actually in Portland. My SAT is 2100 but GPA is 3.1. I took 3 AP’s and got two 5’s and one 4. My school was one of the best in the state.</p>

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<p>Beckhanson, look at those threads. With a 2100 SAT if the two point score is also commensurate, there may be schools that are willing to give you a full ride scholarship. If you want to go for some of those, you don’t want to take community college courses, as that could botch you eligibility for them. Most of such awards are not for transfer students. Using her methods, you may find some schools wiling to give you a full ride without needing FAFSA or other info from your parents as you are looking for Merit money.</p>

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<p>I will definitely look into those, thanks, but do you think I can get them despite poor grades? My grades were pretty bad.</p>

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<p>What is the breakdown of the SAT? A 3.1 is not bad. Is that GPA weighted or unweighted? </p>

<p>Portland State has a full tuition scholarship for a 1200 Math and Verbal SAT score, if you apply by Dec 1. Ask them if it’s automatic or competitive. You would have to figure out living expenses. But working and saving for another year will help. You could apply to be an RA your second year. </p>

<p>Is there any other part of the country you would consider living in, or any you rule out?</p>