<p>$800 a month is a drop in the bucket for someone living INDEPENDENTLY in California. Depending on the location, it’s not likely that you would even be able to fine a rental for that cost (never mind food, utilities and insurance).</p>
<p>I agree with others…your best and least risky financial option is to stay in the current state you reside in…and finish college. You can always to to grad school in CA or try to get a job there.</p>
<p>I have a kiddo going to school in CA. It is VERY expensive…very. There is no way she could earn enough money (while attending school) to show that she was self supporting. No way she could be “independent”. </p>
<p>I think you are being unrealistic. Unless you are living in mid-town Manhattan, your costs of living in CA are going to be significantly HIGHER than where you are now. And taking a housing subsidy from your aunt would be a red flag to your claim of independent status from your parents.</p>
<p>What do your PARENTS suggest you do about college? Have you had this discussion with them? Are they contributing to your college costs now? Do they intend to continue (they can’t if you are self supporting, you know that…right??)? </p>
<p>Folks here are giving you excellent advice. I’m sorry it’s not what you want to hear…but it’s the way it is. There are few ways to gain in-state status in a different place from where your parents reside. AND in most cases, it takes a full year to establish instate residency if your parents move to a new state.</p>
<p>Stop saying it’s unfair. It’s plenty fair. In state rates are for families who reside in THAT state…not for folks who are trying every way they can think of to game the system.</p>
<p>“In state rates are for families who reside in THAT state…”
AND, I would add, PAY CALIF STATE TAXES, [often for decades!!!] to make a college education affordable for INSTATE residents.</p>
<p>OK…here’s an idea for you. Move in with your aunt in CA. Live there for a very low cost…or free (you need to negotiate that with her). GET A JOB…and work for a couple of years…and save every single penny. Then apply for college. At least you’ll have enough money to pay for a CA CC by then…and maybe even a Cal State if you commute…even AT the OOS rates. </p>
<p>You’ll have to buy your own health and car insurance. But at least you’ll have a chance to save some significant dollars towards your education.</p>
<p>Or stay where you are…and find an inexpensive place to live.</p>
<p>I just have to ask…why do you think the cost of living in CA will be less for you than in whatever place you are at now??</p>
<p>Are you being serious? It’s more then $800/month for a room? Where do you guys get this information? Not trying to be disrespectful but that seems very unrealistic. My aunt has had renters and she charges that same amount. She’s not helping me out. She’s treating me like an adult who pays rent and lives there. I would also not that my mother and father paid state taxes for many years there before we were born I would say 10+ and then they left, they never received aid from the state so, yeah I don’t see why just because I moved out of state I shouldn’t receive the benefits. (I know that sounds wrong but its just a response to monleparkmom) </p>
<p>Here are the stats: I really don’t have an option and I could always apply to a private university or take out loans as I’m prepared to do what it takes to receive my education even if it means being in a load of debt after college. I’ll be in approx $100,000+ maybe in debt if I attend Grad school anyways. I’m going for a Medical Career.</p>
<p>I will still be applying for FinAID, because I pay taxes and deserve to collect from my contributions. Even if it means having to pay out of state which I hope not, but even if I attend a University here in my state. My parents don’t have the money to support me. I would still have to work part time to full time to pay off balances which FinAID and the school don’t cover. </p>
<p>By the way, my aunt rents her house for $1,200/month if I paid $800/month I would nearly be paying off her rent. So that’s why I’m saying where are you guys getting your stats. I’m going by what my AUNT tells me. </p>
<p>I plan on paying $300/month for rent $100-200/month on utilities. She told me that’s more then enough to cover for at least 1/4 of the entire cost on the house. Might I mention she has 2 kids and her husband living with her. Also the Cost of Room and Board estimates imposed by California colleges on average living at home end up being around $4,500/month which is less then I will be paying to my aunt.</p>
<p>Yes…the CA colleges KNOW that the cost of living each month in CA is more than what you are paying…you have just noted that yourself.</p>
<p>DD rents 1/2 of a bedroom (she shares with another student) in a house in CA…her share for 1/2 of the room is $650 a month. Do the math…if she had a room to herself, it would be $1300 a month.</p>
<p>Oh…and that $800 a month you are going to pay your aunt…if you are trying to be independent from your parents (which I seriously DOUBT will fly)…YOU would have to earn that money…and the money for every other expense you have including your community college tuition. How will you do this? You will not be allowed to accept one penny from your family.</p>
<p>While living at the parents’ home with free rent. But that’s not the situation you will be claiming you are in. You will be claiming you are independent of your parents and relatives. You will be claiming you are paying market rent. For an independent self-sufficient adult to budget $800/month for rent and food, in California? Wait a minute before I get up from the floor… OK, I’ve stopped laughing.</p>
<p>By the way, what area of California are we talking about?</p>
<p>Agree with Cardinal Fang. Where in CA are you talking about? You can check craigslist to see what other rooms are going for in that area. If your aunt is charging so little, she would be swamped with renter applications should she ever advertise.</p>
<p>I just looked at Craigslist. Looks like rooms around here start around $500-$600/month for one room in a shared house. But that doesn’t include utilities, and of course it doesn’t include food either.</p>
<p>WOW people here are being mature, yeah right more like jerks. Independent from PARENTS it never states that you have or can’t live with relatives. It is market value, that’s what she rents it to other people. What do you want me to be living in a mansion or something. LOL No I’ll be living in a single room with basic use. GET REAL! People in California especially Hispanics live in one house and share the payments that go into a house. I WILL work full time and sustain myself. If my parents decide to give me a gift which they can because it states that it will just not be included into students income, then so be it. WHICH I doubt anyways since the money conversion would rip them off. </p>
<p>I know $800/month is very unrealistic if I lived alone BUT I WONT! I will be sharing rent with other adults and I will be paying my part! Also, I wont be moving into rich places by all means. The area is called Whittier. </p>
<p>Compaq10, thanks at least you’re giving optimistic looks. That’s what I will be doing.</p>
<p>I’ll be living with my aunt most likely if not somewhere else where I will rent like an adult, attending CC par time probably. I looked up craiglistings and saw many places that offered rooms for as low $300/month or $4-450/month w/utilities. SO I don’t know what you are talking about. Please stop posting here if all you going to do is bash and make fun of people.</p>
<p>Heck look at this I even found some as low as $260 dollars, yes I know they will not be the best of the best but hey if that’s what it takes to live then so be it.</p>
<p>From other threads…this OP wants to got to the CC in Whittier CA. He/she currently lives in Kansas (according to other threads). He/she visited CA and decided to transfer to UCI. He/she would like to be a doctor in the future. </p>
<p>To the OP…you should take the advice to call the the CC in Whittier and discuss your case. They will tell you candidly what you can and cannot do with regard to CA residency. If you attend the CC this year, you WILL need to pay the OOS rate. I can’t see any way around that. Whether or not you will get instate next year is the CC’s decision using THEIR criteria. </p>
<p>BUT you really need a “plan B”…just in case this all doesn’t work out. And you also need a plan B for UCI. As you noted in your previous posts on another thread…the acceptance rate for OOS students at UCI is very very low. I don’t know whether your admittance chance would improve if you came from Whittier CC…another question you should ask at that CC…do they have an articulation agreement with UCI…in other words, if you satisfy the CC requirements will UCI automatically accept you AND accept all of the courses towards your degree?</p>
<p>Regarding your sharing an apartment…I pointed out our costs…with our kiddo sharing a ROOM in a house. Personally I think you are getting quite a deal if you are paying only $800 a month for a single room AND your food. Our CA college student pays $650 a month for 1/2 of a room and that doesn’t include food.</p>
<p>But whatever…</p>
<p>Call that CC and see what they say. </p>
<p>And just for the record…the cost of living in Kansas is MUCH MUCH less than that in California.</p>
<p>Everyone here is trying to help you. Based on what they have posted, chances are your plan is not a good one. If you call people trying to point this out to you jerks, you may very well end up without the right information and end in a bad situation.</p>
<p>Frankly, it’s you who needs to get real. Becoming a resident is not easy and is unlikely before you’re 24. Getting a college degree isn’t easy for many today. You need a good strategy and the folks here are doing their best to help you. They’re not jerks because you don’t like the facts.</p>
<p>Would you like the truth now or in 2 years when you’re not a resident of any state?</p>
<p>“Please stop posting here if all you going to do is bash and make fun of people.” ???
Why don’t you take your own advise, instead of posting immature rant like the following-
“WOW people here are being mature, yeah right more like jerks”</p>
<p>With that attitude you are sure to get lots of people to want to help you- NOT!
FYI, every year, someone asks how they can get instate CAlif tuition when they are not from Calif and don’t qualify. And every year we Calif parents try to tell them that it WON’T WORK, because it won’t. Whether you want to hear that truth or not it is up to you.</p>
<p>Yes I know its much less and I have a plan B in fact. If it doesn’t out I will return to my state which only requires 6 months to be considered in-state again. I would only have to be out of college for 1/2 a year. My aunt has a second home which she rents out for $600/month. She is offering me a room which will most likely be in that second home shared with other people for $300 which I assume is to cut the rent in half. estimated cost of food should generally not exceed $200/month. I’ve lived there for the summer and all I spent was about $30-40 for a week and a half. I will pay her for food which she will cook. I don’t plan on going out to eat everyday. Here is Kansas where I live food is WAY more expensive (cause every place has its trade-offs) and we spend about $250 to $300 a month for a family of 4.</p>
<p>YES I know I will pay out of state this semester and the next and most likely for 2 years but I want to become a resident of California for when I transfer to a UC or CSU. That’s the future I’m looking into and asking for advice. CC will be covered with FinAID with pell grant and other grants offered to everyone. ALL I need to worry about is a place to live which will be around $300/month. So living on Full income I’m sure I can support myself. People make that much money in 2 weeks part time. I will also have a job or am pretty sure I will when I arrive. My cousin has a plumbing business which he might employ me as an assistant of some sort.</p>
<p>For UCI, here is the relevant rule about residency:</p>
<p>*You are considered to be financially independent if you meet all of the following criteria:</p>
<p>You are single.
You were not claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes by your parent(s) or any other individual for the two tax years immediately preceding the term for which classification as a resident is requested.
You can demonstrate self-sufficiency for those two years and the current year. *</p>
<p>The Pell is *not *offered to everyone. it currently requires an EFC <4619 for any Pell grant.You will get some Pell grant based on your current EFC. That is probably the only grant you are currently eligible for. You will not get the full Pell grant however as that requires a 0 EFC. As the EFC increases the Pell eligibility decreases until at EFC of 4619 you will not be eligible for Pell.
</p>
<p>As your income increase your Pell will decrease. Once you have ‘full income’ you will may lose the Pell grant alrogether. Students have a certain amount of income protection (@ $4000 a year currently). Anything over that 50% goes to the EFC. And remember once your EFC hits 4619 = no Pell. </p>
<p>You need to understand and take into account all these factors when you are making this decision.</p>
<p>That’s 5 years for me to no longer be a resident even if I try to become one in another state. So I assume I’ll be safe if I leave and have no luck. I can just apply for KU where I will instate tuition. So I guess that’s Plan B for me.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom: I am and can you explain that in a little more detail. I didn’t understand it fully.</p>