<p>Please excuse a hysterical independent 17 year old. I'm not clear that any of my schools (other than SUNY) can meet full aid (including loans). Is there a way to work with them (I've tried to research this but I'm really naive about this and nervous about talking to them) to get full aid from a non-SUNY school? Every one of my colleges has taken my legal guardian's income tax and put it under "parent" documentation (even though they also have the court docs). I won't get any direct $$ from her as she doesn't have it and she will be paying for my inital outlays (deposits, books, moving expenses). But even if she did I'm not sure I can get enough aid anywhere to actually go. Did I make a huge mistake trying to get into non-SUNYs? I'm trying to prepare myself for that. Thanks for any insight.</p>
<p>Did you apply to a SUNY as a financial safety?</p>
<p>There aren’t all that many schools which guarantee to meet full need. You didn’t make a mistake trying to reach for admission/funding at some of those, but you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you can’t afford to go to an absurdly expensive private school.</p>
<p>It sounds like you don’t live with your parent(s). If you have a legal guardian, that person’s income is not supposed to be included on the FAFSA (not sure about the CSS form – maybe someone else here knows?) </p>
<p>If you included it in error you should contact the financial aid offices at the colleges you have applied to and let them know ASAP.</p>
<p>A friend of one of my D’s was in a similar situation (under legal guardianship, parents deceased). It upset and amazed me how badly some colleges dealt with this. The FA people, despite getting full documentation, often didn’t get she was an orphan, despite paperwork proving this was so.</p>
<p>One very well-known school made her write a letter answering questions such as ‘when was the last time you spoke to your mother? What was the conversation about?’ As he mother had died fairly recently, and suddenly (car crash) this was obviously a painful topic. Clearly, they were the same letters/forms required for students with living parents trying to establish independent status.</p>
<p>Despite her legal guardian calling to discuss situation, she still had to go through the intrusive exercise of answering those questions in order to get her FA package. (This was at her #1 choice; after going through that, she decided she didn’t really want to go there).</p>
<p>Anyway, I share this only to say be prepared, and some places may ask for info more than once. Maybe this is because some students try to scam them, when they aren’t truly ‘independent’? In any case, I thought it was another hurdle to a wonderful kid who had been through so much already, and unnecessary…</p>
<p>Maybe your GC can help you with the school applications, and help sort out the ones who are trying to put your guardian’s income tax under parent income. That is not right!</p>
<p>ready2011, are you currently in legal guardianship? Did you submit a copy of the court order that verifies your current guardianship? Did you include any “parent” information on your FAFSA?</p>
<p>I am trying to figure out what is going on, so bear with me. I work in financial aid, and I am surprised that a public U is requesting guardian financial info.</p>
<p>As you move through this, I hope you will keep a log of who you phone/email with each college on your list. It can seem a bit tedious but it can be invaluable for you to be able to say "I spoke to Stacy on Wednesday morning and she said . . . " and move forward from there. Keep notes on who is wonderful and who is chilly (and try to get back to the warm ones next call). </p>
<p>Again and again I have navigated bureaucracies with help from people who decided that they wanted me to succeed (sometimes because they were great people, other times because I worked hard to establish a rapport). A helpful person in financial aid (wherever you end up) can steer you around pitfalls and can make pertinent suggestions. </p>
<p>Please also know that everyone is terrified of college costs at this point in the year. You don’t have the acceptance letters yet and so everything is up in the air. Many, many students end up stitching together a path – some grants, some loans, some work study – and it takes a bit to sort out just what is possible. Good luck. This is challenging for everyone. Please hang in there.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your replies. My responses:</p>
<p>Yes I am in legal guardianship. My dad passed away 2 years ago and he had full custody of me. Biomom has been out of the picture for about 15 years now (I have no memory of her and whereabouts unknown).</p>
<p>Several schools asked for my guardian’s income tax return (not FAFSA, I am independent for their purposes). A few have listed her as a “parent” on my financial aid documents although she has no obligation toward my college. I have sent in letters to correct this but it has not been corrected. I feel as if I’m speaking a language they don’t want to hear.</p>
<p>I have submitted the court documentation for legal guardianship to all schools, but a couple of schools (private) have asked for “official” letters by people who know my circumstances. I don’t know anyone “official” who knows my circumstances. </p>
<p>It seems to me that they just don’t want to accept the guardianship. As if I have a parent somewhere who can or will contribute to college. The court put legal notice out to my biological maternal family before granting legal guardianship and no one responded and she (biological mother) was on SSDI the last time my dad was in contact (1997?). Part of me feels very dejected that I’ve worked this hard in high school. I think SUNYs are fine but, to be honest, I didn’t have to work this hard to get into one. I’m feeling a little foolish at the moment.</p>
<p>I am not sure what to do with all this. Thank you all again.</p>
<p>REady- someone official would be your guidance counselor, a pastor at your church, the Scout Master at your Boy Scout troop, etc, etc. It does not have to mean someone officially in charge of your guardianship. The lawyer who drew it up is one possibility. IF you have had any dealings with the court about this guardianship, a clerk at the court house may be able to write a quick letter how you are essentially an orphan. Because of that status, you should be considered an independent student for the FAFSA and should get a lot of aid. </p>
<p>All of us here can just make suggestions. Maybe you can ask your guardian to go to bat for you. Financial aid is meant exactly for kids in your situation and I really hope you get some success with this.</p>
<p>“I have submitted the court documentation for legal guardianship to all schools, but a couple of schools (private) have asked for “official” letters by people who know my circumstances. I don’t know anyone “official” who knows my circumstances.”</p>
<p>Do they define official? To me the only ones I can think of that a student would have would be a Guidance Counselor, Principal or a clergy member. Are any of those familiar with your situation? If not, you could make them aware.</p>
<p>I think pretty much when a school is offering their own institutional aid, they can set whatever criteria they want. Though there is no legal obligation for your guardian to pay for your schooling, a college could expect it in giving you aid. May not be fair but that’s the way it is.</p>
<p>“I think SUNYs are fine but, to be honest, I didn’t have to work this hard to get into one. I’m feeling a little foolish at the moment.”</p>
<p>That’s shortsighted to say you only worked hard to get into a better school. Your hard work honed your skills to do better at any college you go to plus you learned something. What you get out of any college is going to be strongly related to the skills and effort you put into the work there. I would think SUNYs have honors programs you could try to get in.</p>
<p>Hang in there! My nephew is in exactly the same situation as you are (I’m his legal guardian). He’s applied to a mix of public and private schools. One of the private schools asked for my 1099’s and income tax returns. Another school asked for an official letter about his circumstances which I was able to provide by contacting social services. The great news is that he already has an offer from a private school for a complete full ride with no loans (package worth over $55,000 per year). So…it can be done! Don’t give up hope! I agree 100% with Military Mom…you’re precisely the kind of kid that financial aid was designed to help. Good luck to you and be sure to let us know what happens!</p>
<p>Thanks all. My guardian did write a letter to one school yesterday that asked for the “official” document, but when I checked today it said “received but incomplete.” She offered to send the original custody papers and to send a letter from a family friend who spoke to my dad after he got sick (about the guardianship). She did not receive a reply.</p>
<p>Another of my schools has my finaid status as incomplete pending submission of biological mother’s tax return. I have sent them a letter stating that I have no idea where she is and, to my knowledge, she has never worked, but apparently that’s not good enough. </p>
<p>I have not discussed any of this with my school and my guardian she explained that in the letter (everything has been difficult enough). There was no lawyer for the guardianship since my dad did “stand-by guardianship” in NY and it was just converted when he passed. </p>
<p>I feel as if there is something I’m not doing or that no matter what documentation I send (for every school there have been 3 or 4 steps already), that it’s not good enough.</p>
<p>If you can get your guidance counselor to call, maybe he/she could get firm answers. I’d try that if you can, or a principal or asst principal (GC is best probably).</p>
<p>Also, be sure to call, not just email/check online. I know it’s hard to reach people, but sometimes if you get a ‘real person’ and tell them your situation, they will help you eliminate roadblocks.</p>
<p>I am sure this is very stressful, hang in there. I told the story about my D’s friend just to let you know it’s not just you! It will take persistence (far beyond what should be required), but my D’s friend wound up getting a fabulous financial aid package in the end–but not at all schools. However, she’s very happy where she is studying now.</p>
<p>You’ve gone through so much. Wishing you the very best.</p>
<p>I think I’d have a caring adult (guardian, school counselor) place a call to the fin aid office of the school that you like the best and ask to speak to the director of the office. Your advocate could (politely but firmly) let the director know that you are 17 and truly on your own and seem to be running into some disbelief problems. Then the advocate could ask the director to assign a particular person to your file. This is a humane thing to ask and for them to do. </p>
<p>I think what you are running into is some doors being . . not shut but sorta rusty in opening. They are that way because there are lots of families in tough financial situations and some of them will try to “game” the system with tales of woe. The fin aid office is more accustomed to lobbing those queries back (as they should do. They are there to manage money carefully – not to be an ATM machine for anyone with a dramatic tale). That said, you really are in a different category than the vast majority of students. Getting that message across is vital – good for you for sticking with it. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, please don’t be a snob if your life path takes you to SUNY or less known path. There are gems everywhere – outstanding professors, amazing courses, and friends worthy of a lifetime of devotion. Don’t let “bumper sticker” pride blind you to this. The important thing here is to get (and pay for) an education – and to set yourself up for the rest of your life with skills and knowledge sets in an arena you value. </p>
<p>Please do consider having an advocate to get some personalized attention as you move forward. Hope that will help.</p>
<p>a friend in a similar situation also needed an “official” person to verify his situation. He used his minister. Another option could be teacher, doctor, lawyer, minister, politician, or even a neighbor or friends parent. They wanted someone at arms length who knew the situation, but was independent of the situation.</p>
<p>Thanks all. I will see where my responses go this week and then call at the end of the week. I’m just very nervous.</p>
<p>I’m not being a snob about SUNYs (or not trying to be). But had I known it was this difficult, I would have set my sights lower and enjoyed more time with my dad in his last year. One thing that kept me focused on school during his illness (which upended my entire life) was getting into a really good school so that I would have choices for my life. Also a lot of teachers thought a smaller school, with more attention, would be better than a large school because I don’t have family support. I was struggling with Chemistry at the time and went for tutoring every day instead of coming right home to see my dad. And there are other things like that. So my regret would be that I lost time with him for a goal that I can’t meet. I’m not trying to whine or be a snob. I’m just reconsidering all the time I spend focused on school work. I’m not a “natural” student. I work very hard to get good grades. I don’t have the social life or ECs that many of my friends do and I don’t have the family support they have. Not to justify myself but honestly, I’m exhausted by this process and trying to get through school and just feeling the pressure. Sorry if it sounds like snobbery or whining.</p>
<p>You definitely don’t sound whiney or snobby, just understandably frustrated.
My advice, for what it is worth, is don’t second-guess your decisions as far as working hard academically when your father was sick. As a parent, it is what I would want my child to do in that situation, I’m sure your dad was very proud of you.</p>
<p>You, unlike many of your peers, have had to work hard academically while going through an extremely tough time. That takes a lot of energy. You should be proud of yourself. </p>
<p>Let us know how things work out with the colleges. Do be persistent with the ones that are being difficult, I think it might pay off. And I know wherever you wind up going to college, your hard work and study skills will help you achieve success.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. My top choices are actually completing my process whereas some of the other schools are just starting to ask for documentation. So I have no idea how this will play out, but at least two of them are taking what I’ve sent them this week and changing the status to complete. One of the schools (a women’s college) apologized for asking intrusive questions about a painful situation and made some suggestions as to how I could resolve the questions so that was good.</p>
<p>I’m trying to let it all go. Most of my schools don’t post financial aid until Apr 1 (and many I have not been accepted to) so other than provide docs to the schools just now asking for it, I can’t do much more.</p>
<p>I know there is probably not a correlation but I’ve also been hoping that the schools that have gone back and forth with me several times means I’m being accepted. Some schools have not said anything to me about the independent status and others have emailed me over and over again. I’m also hoping that it means I will be getting aid. I do know that some of my schools don’t follow up on aid issues until they accept you but for those that send the packages with the acceptances, I’m hoping though I keep telling myself that it doesn’t mean a thing.</p>
<p>Please know that it probably gave your father tremendous comfort to see how focused you were. It reassured him that, even when he wasn’t on this earth, you would go to college and reach for dreams.</p>