^upon discussion in PM to clarify things, OP has never even met his father (father “saw” him twice but apparently OP has no real recollection and is dubious father would recognize him physically), he’s called TWICE in the past 4 years -this does not qualify as sufficient contact-, and he didn’t pay child support to the mother but sent $50 here and there to her with zero since 2016 - this also doesn’t qualify since child support would have had to be paid in 2018. Obviously Op’s dad may wish to screw with him and send $50 in 2018 but would it really “count” as paying child support?? The schools have not been able to locate him, nor do they send him transcripts or grade reports as they would in a divorced family/NCP situation. In similar situations I’ve dealt with, most colleges granted the NCP waiver.
ETA after checking PMs.
Obviously OP could fudge the truth but it does sound like OP’s dad is not a custodial parent in any sense of the word.
(the “father sent men to beat me and my mother” bit sounds far fetched, I agree)
Any competent lawyer could find this allegedly “missing” dad in under 15 minutes. The man has remarried- that leaves a footprint. The man has a job- or at least a source of income- that’s a footprint. The man sent money to India which unless it arrived in a cardboard box from a “drop” location in Montana, is traceable. The man has assets- which again, unless they are under his mattress in a zip lock bag, leaves a footprint. There’s no evidence he’s fallen off the face of the earth or is in jail, and since he’s likely to have a credit card, a cellphone subscription and/or cable television, finding his name, address, and place of work is a “three click” exercise on any database. Maybe four if he’s using his middle name as his first name.
I think posters encouraging this kid in the belief that his NCP can’t be found are indulging a fantasy.
OP- your best bet is the truth- your dad is currently not in your life, and has stated that he won’t pay a nickel for your education, and has taken no interest in your life now or earlier. And let the chips fall where they may with the schools requiring a NCP waiver.
Your dad not paying the child support or alimony which he was legally required to do is on your mom (who likely got very, very, very bad legal representation during the divorce) and not on the colleges.
Be truthful. It’s your only path forward right now.
Big hug to you.
@austinmshauri, “And I’d be careful about claiming that your dad sent people from TX to India to try to physically harm you unless you have some sort of proof. If you know nothing about your dad and these men didn’t catch you, how do you even know they work for your dad and that he sent them to hurt you?”
They were locals, paid people. But I would like to refrain from discussing further personal & sensitive details on this forum in the interest of me as well the forum. I really appreciate your advice.
I’m getting the affidavits of statement from my doctor and attorney tonight.
What do you all think about University of Dallas? Has a BS Finance program. Net price is around $3-4k. It’s a Catholic school. The thing that I really dislike about this school is the core curriculum comprising of compulsory courses like English literature, compulsory Biology lab (I hate Biology), theology classes, philosophy, etc. They say they want to develop a student into a leader with emphasis on faith. “The Core is an opportunity to inquire into the fundamental aspects of being and our relationship with God, nature and our fellow human beings.”
I think they’re more like ‘Save the world’ type. I’m more interested in hardcore, heavily math & CS laden Finance / Economics program like the one at Steven’s NJ. I don’t think I’d be happy in this school. Inputs from current and former UD students is appreciated.
@GuessME5
MANY colleges have core curriculum requirements. The reality is this requires students to learn about lots of varied disciplines. Believe it or not…some students actually change their majors based on courses they take in the Core…because they really liked them.
Is there a college out there that doesn’t have a required English Literature course…? I can’t think of one. Even my engineering and music majors had this requirement.
It is not “Save the world”. It’s more like…wanting their students to have a broader view of the world.
@GuessME5 Some schools always the core subject to be satisfied with tech flavored classes. For example, my guy ended up taking technical writing for Eng req.
I don’t think you have the ablity to ‘not like’ the core curriculum. You want their money, you must accept their requirements.
Many schools are 200-300 miles from an international airport. Students figure out how to get there.
Dropped University of Dallas as I didn’t like it’s core curriculum and focus on liberal art courses. The finance program there is weak compared to others on my list. Moreover, it’s a Roman Catholic school and seems to put a lot of importance on faith. Was underwhelmed after interacting with my friend’s brother who is a senior now.
I know it’s not too affordable and requires NCP info, but I’m adding Steven’s NJ on my list. I’m already in love with it’s Quantitative Finance program heavily infused with Math, Stats and CS. I’ll give it a try, maybe I could get a better scholarship than what NPC showed, maybe I could negotiate the FA package if they take me in. This one I’m adding just based on my intuition, and I’d like to listen to it this time.
I’m not at all interested when it comes to biology, philosophy, literature and such liberal art classes, even though I score above 95%. I’m worried if my lack of interest gets the better if me, the grade would slip. And when it comes to theology classes, I’m really put off. I don’t know much about my own religion (though I’d recognize as Atheist), let alone Christianity.
I know most of you, experienced and knowledgeable people will be mad at me right now, but more than money, happiness is required and I don’t think I’ll be happy at that school, which could be a ‘deadly’ problem later. I’m more of a numbers guy. 22 on list.
Parents obtain PLUS loans. Do the parents have to be US Citizens? What about in case of divorced parents? Is the custodial parent able to obtain PLUS loans?
No, I don’t want my custodial parent to obtain such loans. What I’m thinking is the FSA website says that if a parent is ineligible to obtain PLUS loans, then the dependent student is eligible for a higher amount of Direct Loans ($9.5k and above year wise).
In my case with my circumstances, is this possible? To prove CP is ineligible for PLUS and thus procure higher Direct Loan.
I have been hiring quants and finance people for over a decade.
You do not need a degree in quantitative finance to get a job as a quant.
You can make up your own major at any college in the world by studying stats, applied math, econometrics, and getting some programming experience. And of course- just being great at math.
If you can’t afford Steven’s then just because they’ve got the degree you think you want, that’s a bad reason to put them on the list.
You will also be poorly prepared for the Real World in finance if you’ve never taken literature, philosophy, history political science et al. The people who make a fortune in oil and gas understand macroeconomics and the history of various conflicts in the Middle East, understand environmentalism and why it is or isn’t important in thinking about the Transatlantic Pipeline and the sensitivities of First Nation populations in Canada. The people who make a fortune in Tech understand psychology and human behavior. The people who work at DE Shaw and Bridgewater read books and newspapers and keep up on current events and know why Marxism failed in some societies but succeeded in others and know about the tension between Taiwan and Mainland China. And why Brazil’s path towards industrialization was different than Singapore’s.
Just free advice.
Yes, the Plus loan borrower has to be a citizen. Only one parent has to apply, but that parent has to be a citizen. It is not possible for your mother to apply and be rejected in order for you to get a higher loan. Don’t count on that.
You are taking a lot of schools off your list because they aren’t exactly what you want. Hope that system works for you.
You won’t get more money at Stevens (no apostrophe). It is very expensive to live in Hoboken.
@blossom, @twoinanddone, that was indeed a great advice. I’m just undoing what I did after you enlightened it. Maybe if I get the CommonApp fee waiver and have less than 20 schools to apply, then out of intuition, I’ll apply to Stevens and see what happens.
You will still need money to send scores to 20 schools. Right now if you are eligible for SAT fee waivers, you can only send 8 score reports. You will have to pay $15 for each additional score report.
I’m eligible for SAT fee waiver but don’t know how to procure one as schools here don’t get such waiver cards from College Board. Maybe I’ll try emailing the EducationUSA of India asking if they could help me get a SAT fee waiver. $15 per each school is still too much.
Atlanta is not the closest airport to Mississippi State, Birmingham is 146 miles away and Memphis 165 miles.
@HeartofDixie, that’s still a very long distance to Starkville. It’s a pain to travel such long by road (I hate long distance travels) even though it’ll be only be 5-6 times a year.
@GuessME5
Check the colleges. A LOT of them run shuttle service to the airports during graduation.
Heck…Dartmouth is in the middle of no where…and not near any major airports…and they get plenty of applicants. They also run the Dartmouth bus to Boston…every day, I believe.
Cornell isn’t exactly next to a major international airport either…and they have plenty of applicants too…and shuttle service.
Plus gotta add…you live in INDIA and you are planning to fly someplace 5-6 times a YEAR? Where? To India?
For the shorter breaks, many colleges do not close the dorms.
My own kid came home twice a year…only. Summer and December. And the airport was a ten minute bus ride from her college campus. BUT the airline tickets were pricey.
University of Dallas is a hardcore Catholic, Neuman-approved school in the vein of Catholic University of America - Think BYU for LDS students. It’s not Fordham or UScranton or even Notre Dame. So, you’re right in taking it off your list.
But if your goal is to function in upper class circles, you must have the liberal arts knowledge and skills - art history, music history, literature, philosophy, foreign languages, political science, political economy, history, are all social markers in addition to stretching your mind and making you a more knowledgeable, adaptable, interesting, aware person. You can be a great technician, if you’re a total social doofus who can’t handle a sophisticated conversation you’ll go nowhere. So, if you have high aspirations, understand the concept of habitus and plan to take 1/3 classes in art, humanities, social sciences, and general science/technology classes that aren’t technical.
Stevens is a bad choice: they do not meet need. They don’t care whether you can afford to go or not. They don’t have enough money to provide a full ride.
Your custodial parent is not a citizen and is thus inegilible for PLUS loans.
@MYOS1634, I totally understand your valuable advice. I’ll give into the core curriculum and liberal art courses, but at least I want the school to be not religiously affiliated. So I’ll let that school go.
@GuessME5
Don’t be close minded about religiously affiliated schools. Many are very ecumenical and provide excellent undergrad educations. I am particularly partial to the Jesuit colleges as they need have a great sense of community plus a commitment to community service…both valuable.
They all have core course requirements.