<p>My parents are divorced, and my mother passed away recently. My father is in China with his current wife and step-daughter(who is also going to college). I am going into my sophomore year of college this year, and I have a 12 year old little sister that lived with my mom in the U.S. Since I am 18 and of legal age, all of my mother's property, finances, and debt are mine as well. I don't know what exactly to do in terms of financial aid and scholarships...</p>
<p>First of all, I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your mom.</p>
<p>Did your mom’s property, etc, get split between your sister and you?</p>
<p>Do you have contact with your dad?</p>
<p>Is your sister the child of your dad? If so, are you now her legal guardian?</p>
<p>Due to no will, my mother’s property will be split between me and my sister. However, since she is underage, I’m holding her half and managing it for her. However, my mother did not leave much behind. I am in contact with my father, he is here until the 27th to help us, and yes, she is my father’s child and he is still her legal guardian. However, he lives in China and she doesn’t want to go back. It’s just going to be me and her here in the U.S.</p>
<p>It would probably be best for your Dad to have you named her legal guardian for a few reasons. Also, this will help her when it comes time for her to apply to colleges because then she’ll be considered “independent.”</p>
<p>Does your dad send child support for both of you or just for her?</p>
<p>Are you living at home and commuting to a state university? </p>
<p>Did you already file FAFSA for this next school year and then your mom passed after filing?</p>
<p>What scholarships are you wondering about?</p>
<p>What FA did you get in the past?</p>
<p>Hopefully Kelsmom can chime in here about all of this.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest you contact your college’s financial aid department for guidance. You should find someone who can help you navigate this. </p>
<p>I also want to add my sympathy for your loss. Have you visited anyone in your college’s counseling area? Many schools have excellent student support services … they can provide resources to help you cope with your situation. Being in charge of the things that have been put on your plate is stressful. It would be good to have resources to turn to for assistance. When my brother died (also without a will), there were a lot of things to do … new things popped up all the time.</p>