@GuessME5 Just be completely honest in all paperwork. It wouldn’t be worth any trouble.
I just cut short my first list of schools to the ones below, it still isn’t final as I sent really apply to all of them. Your valuable inputs on these colleges with respect to my stats and affordability is appreciated. I’m yet to research private universities with acceptance rates below 30% and which don’t require CSS profile, so I’ll update those later.
- Southwestern University (COA 4000/year, 27000 debt)
- Trinity University, San Antonio (COA 7500/year, 27000 debt)
- University of Dallas (COA 9000/year, 27000 debt)
- University of Mississippi (coa 3700 (1st year) 4700 from 2nd year, 9800 debt)
- University of Arkansas (COA 4500, debt 27000)
- University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (Presidential Elite Scholarship)
- University of Wisconsin, Madison (chancellors scholarship)
- Miami University (full merit tuition)
- University of Tulsa (COA 4100, 27000 debt)
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (Regents, Amigo)
- University of Arizona (COA $230, debt 27000 or COA 5730, debt 0) - no work required but am so for extra money
- University of Utah (coa 0, debt 0, Pell grant only 3000 required this can pocket 2920)
- Bentley University
- Utah State University (presidential scholarship, 100% tuition and fees) room and other costs to be borne by me.
- University of Alabama, Huntsville (Merit scholarship 100%)
- Oberlin College
- University of Chicago UNC Chapel Hill University of Virginia Vanderbilt University (IDOC required)
I’m still a little confused about your finances. You say you can scrounge up $5000 a year…but your parent has no assets. In addition, you say you are living off of the money your mom earned in the late ‘90s while working here.
Where IS this money your mom has? You indicated $0 for assets…but if your mom has money someplace…even stuffed in a mattress or in the account of another person…it’s HER money and must be reported as an asset on the FAFSA form.
So…how much money does your mom have? Because this might make a difference in terms of your actual need based aid.
@thumper1, like I already mentioned earlier, mom’s assets aren’t completely 0. She has around $2,000 cash in hand and around $15,000 worth primary home which will be used towards my education. Plus, I have a grandparent who is going to support me, not huge but every dollar helps. She’s another $25,000 in total assets, which will also be used for my further education. But FAFSA and all financial aid requires me to mention only parents finances, so that is it. I know it’s hard, but I’ve been living on the peanuts paid as child support payments to me by father too. And, I’ve also tested your doubt in some schools’ NPCs and found out that it isn’t gonna affect my financial aid at all.
@thumper1, UChicago is now my main aim school. But I would need your opinion on this - will my chances be diminished due to the fact that I’ve not had any AP exams/courses (they’re not offered in India, but you can just write the exam, but each exam costs $150,so I can’t afford the APs), SAT subject tests - it’s hard for me to afford these but if they could boost my chance I’ll try to do that too, no IB curriculum. Although the national curriculum CBSE that I undertake is rigorous enough and sufficient for college preparation. I really want to make it to UChicago by hook or crook now.
You won’t know if a college’s NPC is accurate until you get a financial aid package from the school. Is your mom borrowing against her home to pay for your education? I wouldn’t recommend that for someone who hasn’t worked in over 17 years.
I’m not sure what you mean by this. The NPCs are set up with the assumption that there are TWO married parents UNLESS the Net Price Calculator specifically asks marital status. This would affect things like U.S. taxes paid (your international mom pays none) and the like.
But with a $0 EFC…you are probably right…and it would not matter. But remember…the NPC is an estimate.
Are you expecting your parent to sell her home to help pay your college costs? Are you expecting her to use $2000 cash in hand to support your college cost?
AND…that $2000 cash in hand…should be listed as an asset on your FAFSA. It’s not $0 if your mom has $2000.
When will you be enrolling in college? The 2018-2019 FAFSA is what is available now…and that is for the 2018-2019 academic year. Most net price calculators are also set for the 2018-2019 academic year. Schools have NOT even come close to setting their cost of attendance for 2019-2020. So definitely view the NPC results you are getting now as an estimate.
@austinmshauri, definitely not going to borrow anything. Such things are tough here in India. It’s just that we’ll liquidate the home and resettle so that I can use those funds. Is there any way where I can drag my father to court to make him pay for my education? Disgusting how some idiots reproduce kids but can’t take care of them.
OP- I say this with love and kindness- your main aim school should be something close to home which your mom can afford based on her current financial situation.
You can look at all these low admit rate schools/high aid schools as a “I’ll always kick myself” if I don’t apply situations, but your reality is that you are likely going to school in India.
You don’t have an instate option (which is what most kids in America have as their financial safety); your borrowing plan is going to leave your mom either homeless or in debt up to her eyeballs; your budget will not allow you to go home for a family emergency or similar.
Don’t hang your hat on Chicago. Apply and give it your best shot. But for many of the other colleges on your list it’s going to be hard to claim that you can’t get in touch with your bio-dad (you could if you wanted to; it’s not that easy to disappear even in a state as big as Texas) and the numbers just don’t square with your needs.
@blossom, that’s true. Most of the schools that are on the list aren’t that good that I make a $27,000 debt on their degree. Few schools will be considered, which have full tuition or full ride. Else I’ll try in India itself. As an international student here, the costs run around $7500 per year in India, and colleges here don’t give merit or need based financial aid. And I can’t work here, it’s a visa violation. That’s why I’m looking at all available options. As for truing to contact dad, I’ve located him and emailed him several times, rang him up but he doesn’t respond, just ignores them as if I’m a cold caller. To be open, he even blocked me on WhatsApp, FB, email and phone. So there’s no way I can reach out to him other than sending him a hand written letter which I doubt he wouldn’t receive it, considering he’s remarried.
@thumper1, every NPC that I’ve tried till now has asked about marital status of parents. True that I’ve been viewing the NPC results lightly as I understand costs will be different for 2019-20. It’s the parent’s decision to do that, not me expecting anything out her. All I know is that she’s a true parent, not like my father who escaped from his parental responsibilities. I just received a damaged, China product as a father. I can’t return or replace it, so I’ll have to just forget it. Anyways, thank you for your advice and information that you all have helped me out with, I really hope the best. So long.
Alright, thanks everybody. Your inputs have been valuable. I’ll keep you all posted if I’m being bugged with any doubt or question in any part of this college application process. It’s been a wonderful response. So long!
@GuessME5 The automatic merit scholarships are automatic. You have great options because of your hard work. Good luck!
I think that you’ve done a wonderful job of putting this list together and trying to understand things.
Are you a junior now? You have quite an incredible story.
I had a couple of questions.
- What is the citizenship status of your mother. Is she a US Citizen too? Can you both just move back to the states and do your senior year in the US?
- Can your mother work? The economy in the US is quite good.
If you both moved to the US at semester’s end, you can register at a US High School and potentially take some APs for free.
Your mother would potentially be able to talk to a divorce attorney about suing for back child-support plus interest.
This would also give you an in-state option. Since you will have a bonafide residence in some state for at least a year.
I would also say, that because you are a US Citizen, if the options you’ve outlined don’t work out, rather than go to school in India, you could just move here with some startup money. Get a job, and go to college part-time.
Check out the Harvard Extension School.
extension.harvard.edu
This is very high quality, very low cost degree program for non-traditional students, though the preprofessional finance and computer science courses are not that inexpensive. Nonetheless, you can probably get a pretty fine education, including some courses at Harvard College. I just mention this because though it’s a less straightforward option, the educational quality is quite high, and you will have access to some good resources through Harvard. It isn’t the same as Harvard College, but it’s probably better than some of the options you are considering. The cost of living in Boston is quite high, but the economy is very good. Most young people live in apartments with roommates.
Good luck
you wrote that your mom is not a US citizen, and that you can’t work in India as it would be a visa violation. Which country is your mom a citizen of? If India, aren’t you eligible for OCI which allows you to work in India, just not a a government job?
@Iwonderwhere, mom’s a citizen of India. I’m eligible for OCI, but there are some requisite documents that I need to get from father, which is quite impossible at the current moment, so it’s difficult to procure an OCI. Also, India is a country where students can’t just work wherever they want like in United States, here they require a bachelor’s degree at minimum. So working here is impossible for me. Also, just as a fact, they pays are extremely low.
@ClassicRockerDad, thank you very much.
I’m currently high school senior. It’d be impossible for me and mom to shift out in this crucial year. So I’ve got to finish senior here itself. I’ll check out the extension school. But I’m extremely hopeful that I’ll land into to some good college with full tuition or full ride. Or get selected by UChicago or Vanderbilt.
Does the child support payment need to be increased if his income increases over the years, or is it the same, court ordered default $50/month? The average turns out to be $181/month from what he paid. But that’s still lame amount when he earns over $25,000 a month (excluding his investments, which he’s very good at, a stock market whiz).
Don’t worry about what he should have paid in child support. There must have been a reason it was set at $50/mo. It doesn’t adjust automatically so your mother would have had to request an increase.
If your father makes a lot of money, I’m sure he’d bury your month in legal fees if she tried to fight him from India. Pick a nice school like Alabama with lots of merit. Don’t fight over money as there are never winners, only degrees of losing, financially and emotionally. Win by making a success of yourself.
@twoinanddone thank you very much. Very true, rather than bickering over that rascal with money, it’s better I make success myself. Surely, I’ll try for Alabama too. I wish Lehigh, Case Western & Brandeis accept the CSS Profile Waiver. But I’m highly doubtful. I really appreciate your advice.
Also UT Dallas has a great AES Scholarship. Maybe I could win the honors level which will give full tuition and $6000/year stipend.