Financial aid help asap????

Paying for College
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<p>*He said he wrote on the common app that his parents were separated. It is very likely that the GC will refer to the student’s home situation on the school evaluation (where they probably will state that he lives with both his parents). *</p>

<p>???</p>

<p>What?</p>

<p>If the parents temporarily separated and reconciled, why would the school necessarily even know? And why would the school even report a temp sep on a child’s counselor report? That would be rather outrageous if you ask me.</p>

<p>It is very conceivable that a family could separate, a student could submit a Common App, the family could reconcile and the school wouldn’t know diddly doo doo about any of the family strife. Teens don’t always tell their schools immediately when their parents separate. As a matter of fact, many kids don’t say anything to their school until they absolutely have to about that issue.</p>

<p>Unless this student is applying to some elite schools, I really doubt all this is going to go on. The app will get processed on the merits of the kid’s stats. And, his FA will get processed based on the correct info he puts on his FA paperwork. Any questions will just get answered with …my parents are together.</p>

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<p>You would be suprisedat the number of things that get reported to the school counselor. It has been my experience that parents contact me when there are difficulties in the home because they want us to be aware if student should start acting out, is getting distracted or experiencing difficulties.</p>

<p>If there is a situation in the home, the school is contacted if a parent is not suppose to have contact with a student. IN NYC we are mandated to ilog all interventions and contacts we have had with a parent regarding their child.</p>

<p>I just sat at a meeting with the mom of a student this morning to talk about an issue with her child. Student had previously disclosed that she and mom were having difficulties and she was staying with her father. Mom even said at the meeting that we should have not called her but the father. We explained to mom that when a situation happens in school we legally obligated to contact the parent of record. In this case it is the mom. Mom called the dad who also attended the meeting.</p>

<p>I write hundreds of evaluations every year and I do not write an evaluation for any student that does not fill out a brag sheet and I do not have a one on one meeting with (in which we do clarify the student’s situation in the even that we have to write 3rd party letters requesting waivers). In every single recommendation that I write, I talk about the student’s home situation; whether he is part of an intact family, single family household, foster care, etc. It does not matter if they are going to Elite U or State U, evey student gets a detailed letter as it is the protocol at our hs. I know a large number of other schools that follow the same protocol.</p>

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<p>“Her legal name is her married name if she took on her husband’s name regardless of whether or she is with her husband. THe only way she can go “back to her maiden name” if she request a name change at the time of a divorce, or she legally goes through the process of having her name changed (if she remains married).” </p>

<p>Is this the same in all states? When I married, there was nowhere to write what name I was ‘taking’ and my children’s birth certificates actually only ask for the mother’s maiden name. So, back when I married, I went by my husband’s surname for about 6 months-- and eventually switched to a hyphenated version of both surnames. No legal name change required. When I divorced, I returned to my maiden name but lots of my utilities kept that hyphenated name but, certainly, <em>nothing</em> is under just the married name that I used the first 6 months of marriage. (Well, except for Christmas cards of relatives who insist on calling me by my ex-husband’s surname.)</p>

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<p>Yeah, I don’t think a legal process is required most places to use a different name. It certainly hasn’t been in the states where I’ve lived. The only legal requirement is that you are not using a different name for fraudulent purposes.</p>

<p>Some could argue that the student in question here did have a fraudulent purpose, but since the issue is someone else’s name and not his own, it doesn’t really fit the criterion.</p>

<p>While a stupid, stupid move on the part of the student, I think there are only two options at this point: 1) Call the schools and ask to change those fields (mother’s name and marital status) on his Common App, and then tell the truth on the FA apps, and 2) leave it as is and be truthful on the financial aid apps.</p>

<p>Which is better? I don’t know. Chalking this up to the student’s bankrupt ethics and incredible naivete about how financial aid works, the best option may be #2, with fingers crossed.</p>

<p>Word of advice for the student: People, institutions and the government do not blithely go around handing out money without a LOT of verification. It is ridiculously simple-minded to think he could do something as easy as filling in two answers wrong on an application and suddenly financial aid is going to fall from the sky. Dumb and dumber.</p>

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<p>And remember too…EVERYTHING these days is computerized…and in some sort of data base. Honesty will create consistency.</p>

<p>Mom2, I’m flummoxed as to why you think this student should just press on with this false information on his application. He was dishonest…put false information on the ap.</p>

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<p>I think Mom2 is just saying if he’s honest from here forward it may not end badly for the student. I think that may be true, but there is no good option for the student at this point. Just a couple of bad ones to choose between… but he created this situation himself. I’d wish him luck, but I don’t think he deserves it.</p>

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<p>Sybbie…just because some parents contact a school when there’s been a separation, that doesn’t mean that all parents do. Some parents probably don’t because they hope that the separation is temporary and they don’t want a bunch of gossip going around a school.</p>

<p>Either way, I don’t think a college is going to really demand that the high school know this info. I really doubt a school is going to reject a student just because he put “separated” on his app and his school says that his parents are together.</p>

<p>There is a child who posted yesterday that he put “hispanic” on his apps, but his school put White on the paperwork to his colleges. The colleges may inquire, but in the end, they’re going to chalk it up to an error on the school’s part (because the kid is hispanic, but the school did NOT know that.)</p>

<p>Again…this whole thing would be a HUGE deal if he put separated on his FA forms. If he puts married on his FA forms, the colleges are just going to assume a very temporary separation. </p>

<p>Putting separated on his school app gives him NO ADVANTAGE, so while it was a stupid mistake, in the end, it’s no real harm. </p>

<p>It doesn’t matter if it gets put into the computer as parents separated. People change their marital statuses all the time. People can be married one week, separated another week, divorced 2 months later, remarried the next day, etc. </p>

<p>* I think there are only two options at this point: 1) Call the schools and ask to change those fields (mother’s name and marital status) on his Common App, and then tell the truth on the FA apps, and 2) leave it as is and be truthful on the financial aid apps.</p>

<p>Which is better? I don’t know. Chalking this up to the student’s bankrupt ethics and incredible naivete about how financial aid works, the best option may be #2, with fingers crossed.*</p>

<p>I agree.</p>

<p>I think Mom2 is just saying if he’s honest from here forward it may not end badly for the student.</p>

<p>Exactly…and in the big scheme of things…as long as he puts married on his FA paperwork, he doesn’t deserve the “death penalty” and denied a college education.</p>

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<p>m2k,</p>

<p>I see that you are only reading what you want to read and you are not considering my whole statement. where I wrote that I have a one on-one meeting to clarify the student’s information and status. And since the evaluation is sent after the application has been submitted, it would be safe to say that it would be mention in the evaluation a change in the student’s home life.</p>

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<p>Sounds like you do not understand that conversations with the GC and Social Workers are considered confidential unless the information disclosed is a threat to the person or a threat to others. There would be no reason for gossip if the information is disclosed to the GC or Social worker.</p>

<p>What is your government name? What is the name that you use for work. What is the name that you use for tax purposes? Have you filed a FAFSA using a different name other than the name on your W-2/taxes/ or associated with your SSN?</p>

<p>If I file my taxes, receive my annual ss statement work and under the same Mary Smith and try to get a FAFSA pin using Mary Smith Jones, I will not get a PIN because PIN will state that it cannot find my name, Mary Smith Jones associated with the SSn that I have given.</p>

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<p>mom2…I’m going to ask again…why are you encouraging this kid to NOT straighten this out? You are actually encouraging him to “hope” that no one connects the dots rather than set the record straight as to what is true. I can’t imagine encouraging a child to perpetuate a dishonest behavior, but you seem to be doing that here. Why?</p>

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<p>So my friend should just leave the apps he has sent alone and be truthful on the FASFA and there shouldnt be a big problem?</p>

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<p>I don’t think anyone is saying there won’t be a big problem. There may or may not be, but you only have two options. In both cases, you’ll have to be honest on the FAFSA, but in one case you can call the colleges and ask them to correct the information on the initial application, or you can not call the colleges and hope the inconsistency won’t come back to hurt you.</p>

<p>Two choices. You choose.</p>

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<p>Apologies- I haven’t read the whole thread. But, it is never a good thing to lie on your application-- whether it be on the admissions side or the FA side. Bad plan.</p>

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<p>Sure, it’s confidential, but that doesn’t stop people from being uncomfortable with having that sort of conversation. I wouldn’t want to talk about this situation with anyone if I didn’t want anyone to hear about it. Even if it’s confidential, what’s the point unless I’m seeking help from the guidance counselor or the social worker? It doesn’t sound as if these people were, and I don’t think that everyone tells their child’s high school counselor about their marital problems. </p>

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<p>Personally, I think he should correct the mistake. It was stupid for him to lie about your parents being legally separated AND have two different last names (is it common for people who separated but not divorced to get right away?) and it would not have gotten him more financial aid anyway since the actual financial aid forms are scrutinized for this type of thing much more thoroughly.</p>

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<p>Not sure that gc’s or social workers who work in a school system and might not be licensed by the state are afforded or bound by confidentiality. That typically refers to communication between a treating mental health professional in the context of a doctor-patient relationship.</p>

<p>If a gc writing a recommendation is aware that a student is lying on their application, I would hope that gc (a) addresses it immediately and directly with the student and perhaps indicate that (b) this will be necessary in order for the school to send out its materials with confiramtion that they know it to be true and accurate.</p>