<p>The scholarship covers everything except books and “personal expenses”, so she has room&board.</p>
<p>If it looks like it is inevitable that the OP is going to be homeless, it might be a good idea for her to find a homelss shelter and check in there, if there are no friends and relatives that will take her. That way she will have control of the process rather than being kicked out with most of her belongings still in the house and having to scramble it appears as though this is a volatile situation that she has long been aware is brewing. It’s not as though the college is going to be a nirvana for her in that she does not have housing there. No money, out you go, and she hasn’t been there yet to make the contacts so there is a sofa that she could take. No better measure of future resources found than current ones, so who does she know NOW that can help her. </p>
<p>Unless a kid has a full ride or close to it so that s/he can move to the school, a situation that is so bad at home is likely to go worse when school commences. The same cast of characters and problems just continue. Unless the student has stepped up to make some changes happen, it’s just a disaster awaiting. It’s not as though anything is going to be different when commuting to school as it was when commuting to high school, maybe worse as the student will be wanting more freedom and even with a cooperative, helpful parent, those are rough times as boundaries have to be established. </p>
<p>^that applies to the school where she may commute, but not to the school where room&board is taken care of. (Commuting would be pretty risky in that respect, for the reasons you describe). Which is why it’s crucial to help her figure out how to keep that scholarship.</p>
<p>I must be dense. What I saw was one school that would cost $700 if she COMMUTED. The other school was $7000 and would entail living NOT at home…which sounds like a lot more than books and personal expenses.</p>
<p>Regardless. The student needs some trusted adult to help get this final and updated FAFSA done ASAP!!</p>
<p>Sorry, there was another (third) school, where everything is covered except personal expenses and books.
The school that costs $7,000 has been set aside for now and the choice is between commuting to a nearby college or attending the full ride school which is farther away.</p>
<p>I agree about the trusted adult helping out.
Preferably a trusted adult who’s attended college.</p>
<p>I am not looking up the back posts, so if the OP wants to summarize the situation, so all of us see exactly what the choices are, it would be helpful. </p>
<p>But the school will not give aid if the parent does not fill out the tax form. They CANNOT give out federal aid without the verification and my guess here is that PELL, state grant, loans, a lot of government aid is involved. If the OP’s father has not filed his taxes yet, the school financial aid office needs to be told and some extension has to be gotten or the OP’s aid will be flushed, at least the non entitlement parts of it. Then she won’t be going anywhere. If Dad won’t budge, the choice is to go check into a homeless shelter, and tell the school that development and try to refile as an independent on an emergency basis. If OP is still living at home and Dad is just not filing his taxes, the aid will be gone. </p>
<p>thanks for the lecture?
As for the FASFA it was filled out I filled it out in February by myself, however I did hand it over for my dad to fill out the Financial information, then I sent it in that is that. I received my award estimates from all of my schools, however a week or so ago I was receiving emails saying that in order to receive my aid I need to fill out the FASFA. (which is why I posted because I filled it out & I received my FA packages). </p>
<p>When I looked through my dads financial info. section it was filled out, but he had it posted as ‘will file’. I asked him to fill it out so I could submit it and he told me the other day he does not have his tax returns so no, and he wont know when he will. He does have his own business. </p>
<p>Slippery rock FA included: PHEAA grant, Pell Grant, Unsubsidized/subsidized loans, work study & SRU scholarship that together leave me with about $3,000 to pay for.
West Chester FA included: the loans & pell grant. so commuting would come to about $700. </p>
<p>And I wont lie I may not know very well how this whole process works but I have gone to counselors, walked with schools & used this site and look what happened (: missed the deposit deadline and may not have any FA. </p>
<p>SRU scholarship comes up too $1,250. so I need the rest. </p>
<p>Are you saying you did not make an enrollment deposit to any if these schools? Call you top choice ASAP…and explain your dilemma. Ask the what to do. Many self employed folks file for extensions. Schools know what to do about that.</p>
<p>But don’t delay. Call now…or first thing in the morning!</p>
<p>I did not. my top choice I couldn’t afford so it is just between those two. I have till August or I don’t receive aid and I have the weekend to make a deposit. </p>
<p>Between which two? The commuter school and the $7000 school…or the commuter school and the $1200 school.</p>
<p>the commuter school ($700) or the residency school ($3,000). </p>
<p>Can you earn $3000 to cover the residency school? </p>
<p>well I have $2000 in the bank so I would have to earn some over the summer. however, most of the money I make I want to put away so I can transfer out. </p>
<p>Look im just trying to get away from my family, go to college & save money so I can transfer to Temple. </p>
<p>I think you should take ONE step at a time. Concentrating on a transfer to Temple in the future is just going to muddy the waters for now. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Find a trusted adult to discuss the tax thing with your dad.</p></li>
<li><p>Contact the colleges and find out what they do regarding students whose parents are self employed and have filed extensions.</p></li>
<li><p>Figure out your funding for the upcoming school year…and possibly a second year. Yes, I’m saying a second year. Transferring May or May not be possible. </p></li>
<li><p>Are you instate for Temple? Hope so.</p></li>
<li><p>Good luck. I think the key is to get another trusted adult involved…and that has been a suggestion all along, on your other threads as well. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am in state for all of the schools. I have involved many adults and my dad kinda just does what he wants – but I can try again. </p>
<p>Yes, I lectured, and I was mean about a lot of things because you really were not clear in what you wrote and seemed not to know the difference between FAFSA, the financial aid application, and federal tax returns which is likely the 2013 Form 1040 with schedules. Your later post makes things a lot clearer.</p>
<p>Your father owns his own business, so he likely has filed for an extension and will not file until October and will not want to do so sooner. You cannot get financial aid without his taxes filed and the school able to verify the numbers he put on the FAFSA. He put down that he will file, because he had not at the time he filled out the FAFSA. </p>
<p>My advice to you is to somehow get your dad to file earlier. Explain the situation to him. My guess is that he has a very good idea how this works and has gone through this before. Not new to him, so he’ll know what you need. Pay your deposit to SRU and beg for whatever extension you can get and try to have Dad fill out and submit those tax forms so that they can be verified and you can get your aid. From all the problems you are having, it might well be better for you to be away at school, and you are very lucky to have that option. Ask your dad if he can file a return the best he can right away, and amend it later. THis is very important, because you don’t ge t your aid if you don’t do this.</p>
<p>With a job this summer and if you look for work on top of the WS (hopefully that award was not THAT much), and find a ride or Megabus for cheap to get there, you can get away. Perhaps, thereafter you can spend more time with your mother and she can be your custodial parent next year, ending the interaction with your father.</p>
<p>Do be aware that though you may feel this is such a terrible situation, you have a roof over your head right now, whatever amenities the home has provided, and your father filled out the FAFSA. I’ve known parents who refuse to fill out the FAFSA and that is it. A huge wrange then occurs even to get the $5500 unsub. Also, your father earns little enough so that you were eligible for aid, and you are very fortunate that a PA state school picked up as much of your cost as it did. in my state, though tuition is fully covered by the state schools, room and board rarely is. You do have close to a full ride. It’s doable.</p>
<p>Instead of thinking of transferring out, I suggest you focus on even getting to the school and being able to use this generous award you have gotten, and also about putting some distance between you and your father in the future. This tax thing is not necessarily going to be a one year thing, not to mention the fact that you are at his mercy about the FAFSA as long as he is your custodial parent. </p>
<p>I will talk to him when he gets home. I was lucky w. SRU I agree, it was that or commute to WCU and live with my mom. </p>
<p>Hugs to you, TStuart. This has been difficult, I know. I’m sorry I was so mean sounding. </p>
<p>I do mean it, however, in that you had some streaks of good luck in all of this. I know many, many kids whose parent(s) refuse to even fill out FAFSA, And even more who come up with a high EFC, so little or no aid, and the parents won’t or can’t pay. And then few state schools give out enough aid to cover room and board. You won out in three of those areas. SRU is a good school, know a number of kids who have gone there, graduated, and who so enjoyed their time their and all of them that I know are doing well. Start looking for a ride to get out there. Put your nose to the grindstone, doing well. </p>
<p>If you think your mother would be a more cooperative custodial parent, think about spending more time with her than you dad, so that she can fill out next year’s FAFSA. It’s the parent with whom you’ve lived with the most in the 12 months before the day you fill out the FAFSA that is the custodial parent and whose info goes on the FAFSA. She would need a PIN to fill it out, and if she files taxes, as you have found out verification does occur between the forms. </p>
<p>In the meantime, try to stay on your dad and stepmom’s good side. Bite your tongue and don’t flame them. Not much longer if Dad toes the line with the forms.</p>