<p>So my father is pretty rich but he wont pay for me to go to college. I said ok whatever, I'll just get financial aid. Little did I know financial aid is completely based off of your parents income. I filled out this "EFC calculator" form that calculates your "financial need" based on federal and institutional methodologies (FM and IM respectively). It basically gives you an estimate of what most colleges will expect you to pay each year before they will consider giving you aid. Unfortunately for me that number is around the $100,000 mark. Harvard could double it's tuition and I still wouldn't be eligible. So my question to you is: Is there any way for me to get some sort of financial aid that allows me to go to a good school ($35,000 a year average) without coming out of the gate deep in debt?</p>
<p>The possibilities I can think of are merit scholarships, attending one of the very few free colleges (like Cooper Union which is free tuition or a military academy) or working your way through a nearby college while living at home. </p>
<p>The first two options require pretty high stats. </p>
<p>Is your dad refusing to pay anything at all for college? And is there a reason?</p>
<p>He’s ****ed at me because he bought me a new car a couple months ago and I have 3 speeding tickets. He takes that to mean I am completely irresponsible and any money he spends on college would be a waste. However, knowing my dad, I can probably get him to cough up 15-20 grand if I really need it but that still leaves 10-20K for me to cover. My SAT is 1820, ACT is 30, GPA is 3.76, and I have very strong extracurriculars. Do you think I’d have a shot at a merit scholarship?</p>
<p>*** they edit p-i-s-s-e-d?</p>
<p>Hahaha and they edit w-t-f too</p>
<p>As a father, I think you answered your own question in this thread.</p>
<p>Here’s how I see it: Your dad can pay for your college. In fact, he probably wants to pay for college. He’s just waiting for you to demonstrate a maturity level that shows you’re ready to accept that very generous gift.</p>
<p>Why not take a step back and think about how you can earn this opportunity? That’s probably what he’s hoping you’ll do.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I agree…</p>
<p>Here’s what I would do in the meantime…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Go ahead with your apps…be sure to apply to some safeties and some inexpensive schools along with the rest of your list.</p></li>
<li><p>Drive carefully, do your chores without being asked, do extra chores without being asked, keep your room clean, wake up and go to bed without parental involvement, respect curfews, do your own laundry, be organized, and get great grades.</p></li>
<li><p>GET YOUR ACT together.</p></li>
<li><p>GET YOUR ACT together.</p></li>
<li><p>GET YOUR ACT together.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Your dad has EVERY right to be super angry at you. Your car insurance rates will go up, you’re a risk on the road, and you’ve acted like an impulsive, spoiled kid with his/her first car.</p>
<p>Your stats are only high enough for good merit scholarships at lowish tier schools.</p>
<p>If you follow the above, I can bet that your dad will happily pay for college.</p>
<p>Give up the car in exchange for tuition money…it’s not likely to be yours for much longer anyway! I hope you have a job and are planning to pay your own fines and insurance. That might go a long way toward showing your father that you’re mature enough to take responsibility for your own actions. You could also try to show a lot more appreciation for what he already provides for you! Parents don’t “cough up” thousands of dollars at the drop of a hat…they work hard to earn it! I hate to judge anyone based on a few sentences, but you don’t sound like you have really earned his forgiveness at this point.</p>
<p>OK I really didn’t post on here so I could be lectured on my level of maturity. I resent the notion that just because of three speeding tickets (all of which were below 10mph over the limit) I am an irresponsible, spoiled kid. I work very hard in school (haven’t gotten less than an A since my freshman year), and I run my own business in my very sparse spare time.</p>
<p>And to the guy that said I need to work on my ACT scores: last time I checked 30 was a fairly respectable score (the average at Columbia).
Also, to put a 30k college tuition payment in perspective here, 3 months ago, my father bought a $180,000 Ferrari on a whim, just to one-up our neighbor who had just purchased a new Porsche. So investing 20-30k per year in me sounds only reasonable.
If anyone else actually has something helpful to say I am all ears.</p>
<p>30 is a great ACT score. But you were asking about how to pay for school. The average score for a school will not get you any merit money at that school. So the higher your ACT the greater the chance of getting a good merit scholarship. For instance at my daughter’s school (a state U) a 30 ACT would get a partial tuition waiver of a couple of thousand dollars. A 32 gets a full tuition waiver plus a cash amount toward other expenses. A 34 gets the full tuition plus a larger cash amount. So if you are hoping for good merit money then a higher ACT would be helpful.</p>
<p>Have you asked your Dad what you would need to do to earn back his willingness to pay for your school? He is probably pretty mad right now so finding some way of showing him you have learned something and are willing to work in some way to regain his trust sounds like the best way to go.</p>
<p>All students that file FAFSA are eligible for Stafford loans ($5500 for a freshman, $6500 for a sophomore, $7500 3rd year and up). Perhaps one approach would be for you to research Stafford loans and go to your Dad with the info and say you will take out what you can in Staffords to show that you are serious and are willing to have some skin in the game, and can he please help you with the rest.</p>
<p>Where had you hoped to go to college?</p>
<p>So investing 20-30k per year in me sounds only reasonable.</p>
<p>Apparently, your father is not yet convinced of this. Your best route is to really listen to what your father is worried about, what behavior markers he wants to see out of you, and then deliver that to him at 120% or more effort. The alternative is to have to come up with that kind of cash every year for the next 4+ years… trust me, the efforts you have to do right now to convince your father you are responsible will be far far less than what it would take for you at age 18 or so to “cough up” through your own work/business related activities the same amount of cash.</p>
<p>This isn’t a matter of reasoning/negotiating on the things you are doing right already (good grades, etc.) – it is a matter of coming up to snuff on other areas that your father obviously feels are as important or moreso in the grand scheme of things. If your father wants no more speeding tickets, then drive ALL THE TIME within the speed limit. Show some serious contrition for having screwed up. Instead of nitpicking details, show him that you see his POV - that driving over the speed limit is illegal and potentially dangerous and was not you putting forward the best you that you could be. </p>
<p>This is not the time to complain about what your dad spends money on – <em>he</em> earned it. And he has zero legal (and I would argue zero moral as well) obligation to spend money on your college education. There are plenty of wealthy Americans who believe in a tough love hard-knocks teaching approach to their offspring who then choose to not pay for college. </p>
<p>You are probably smart enough to make it in the world with or without your dad paying for college. It will be easier if your dad pays for your college – so I suggest you start jumping through the behavior hoops that get those results. It will require a lot less work on your part in the long run.</p>
<p>You are not going to be eligiblee financial aid until you are over 24, married, have a dependent, are a veteran of the Armed Forces, or some event occurs so that you are not required to report your father’s income. That’s just the way it works. You can look for colleges where you have a decent shot at getting a full ride, or close to full ride award. Momfromtexas has a great thread that goes into that strategy. Or you can stay at home, get a job and go to a local state school on a part time basis, paying as you go You can borrow enough to cover your expenses if you go that route. Perhaps if you do well that first year, paying your way, your father will be impressed enough to offer to pay for a college where you can go full time and live away from home.</p>
<p>There are many reasons why a parent may decide not to invest in an away college experience for a child. My cousin’s son lost his support to go away to college after getting into some trouble and getting an excessive case of senioritus. It isn’t just the colleges that can renege when you don’t show that you are worth the investment to the person making it. It isn’t your opinion that counts in this case. The person laying out the money gets to make that determination. It’s just too much money to throw away on someone who does not appear responsible enough to make it worthwhile.</p>
<p>Setting aside any lectures, and back to your original question…</p>
<p>As Swimcatsmom said, just by submitting a FAFSA you will be eligible for Stafford loans in the amounts she listed. These are not dependent on financial need.</p>
<p>Aside from that, you’d need to look at colleges that provide merit-based aid for students with your stats (usually you’ll have to be in the top 10% or so of their admitted students).</p>
<p>Working to earn the money yourself is another option.</p>
<p>Probably paying your own way to an expensive school, apart from the 15-20 your father might pay, would require a combination of the above.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you are speaking of Columbia University in NYC, you might want to check again. CC’s mean is ~32. A 30 is in the bottom quartile.</p>
<p>[Admission</a> Statistics | Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/stats.php]Admission”>http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/stats.php)</p>
<p>With an ACT of 30, this student would be lucky to get accepted to Columbia. Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>You came here for advice. Others have said it already but I’ll chime in as well.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Your father has earned his money. You have not. If he wants to buy an expensive car for himself, he certainly is well within his rights to do so. He does NOT owe this money to you for any reason.</p></li>
<li><p>There is NOTHING that obligates parents to pay for their kids’ college educations. I will tell you that we paid for our kids but they were grateful to the nines. And they also didn’t begrudge us things we wanted because they thought THEY should come first. A little dose of humility would be nice for this OP.</p></li>
<li><p>Three tickets? In this household, the car would have been taken away after the second one (everyone makes one mistake, but the second one…sorry). Perhaps you would like to purchase your own car and pay for your own insurance if you don’t already do so. You DO need to behave more responsibly.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes you can work hard and pay your way through college. Get a job starting right now and start saving. It may take you a long while to complete your degree but it can be done. Start at a community college (if you sell the car, you will be able to pay the costs for at LEAST one year). Live at home for free.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Your ACT is not “average” for Columbia. </p>
<p>*OK I really didn’t post on here so I could be lectured on my level of maturity. I resent the notion that just because of three speeding tickets (all of which were below 10mph over the limit) I am an irresponsible, spoiled kid. I work very hard in school (haven’t gotten less than an A since my freshman year), and I run my own business in my very sparse spare time.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>You provided the details…your dad won’t pay for college…He’s mad at you for getting 3 speeding tix within a VERY short time. I’m telling you how to get back in your dad’s good graces because any other plan isn’t likely going to get your college costs paid for unless you commute to a local state school (which I don’t think you want.)</p>
<p>You provided the details that tell the story…your dad doesn’t think that you’re mature enough for the college experience. He probably doesn’t think that you’ll behave responsibly at a “go away from home” college. </p>
<p>Your dad knows you … we don’t. He came to his conclusion based on knowing you. </p>
<p>You may not want a lecture, but if you expect to get what you want (college paid for) then you have 2 choices…</p>
<p>1) Doing it your way…which won’t work since you can’t get the money on your own for college. Your stats are not high enough for big merit at most schools. At my kids’ flagship, you’d get a 2/3 tuition scholarship. But, you’d still have to come up with about $18k per year…which you can’t do by yourself. There are some lowish ranked schools that might give you big merit, but I don’t think you’re interested in those schools. As mentioned above, your stats need to be very high for a school**…typically to get HUGE merit (which is what you would need), your stats would need to be within the top 5% or LESS for a school. ** For an ACT 30 to be in the top 5% or less for a school, you’d have to go to a lowish tier school.</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>2) Doing it the way that parents know will likely work - which is getting your act together which will impress your dad and soften his stance on paying for college. :)</p>
<p>Your dad isn’t an idiot. he knows that when a person gets 3 tickets within a short time that they weren’t really just driving 10 miles over the speed limit. He knows that’s just what the cop wrote down to keep you from getting a “reckless driving” ticket which is MUCH more severe.</p>
<p>NO ONE who drives in a responsible manner gets 3 tickets within a couple of months. NOBODY. </p>
<p>You could make a thread on this forum and ask how many tickets people have gotten in their ENTIRE lives and you’ll get most people posting that they’ve only gotten 1 or 2 tickets. I haven’t gotten a ticket in over 26 years. I’ve only gotten one ticket in my whole life. </p>
<p>So, you’re not going to get very far trying to suggest that you’ve been a careful driver who just somehow is unlucky and got 3 speeding tickets in a very short time. ** The fact that you weren’t “extra careful” after getting your first ticket is what is irritating your dad. **</p>
<p>If you want to go away to school - to a college that you want to go to - then you need to make things right with your dad. </p>
<p>Now…good luck! :)</p>
<p>Your stats are high enough to get a generous scholarship at a lowish ranked school or a partial scholarship at a school about the level of your state flagship. You could do that and work your way through for the rest… or you could figure out what it takes to get your dad’s good graces. There are a lot of suggestions on this board for that. I know you don’t like adults lecturing you but you need to consider the ramifications of what would happen if you ever hit and injured/killed someone while speeding. That is probably what concerns your dad-- and, frankly, the fact that you are defending your speeding instead of acknowledging that you shouldn’t do it.</p>
<p>Ok lets forget about my driving record for a second. The merit scholarship sounds like a good idea. Chances are that I can convince my dad to contribute around 15-20k tops. Do you think that the merit scholarship would cover the rest at some of my prospective colleges?</p>
<p>NYU
UCLA
U.T. Austin
Columbia
Cornell
USC
UVA
Virginia Tech
U.C. Berkeley
University of Florida
Florida State
University of Miami
Arizona State
Georgetown </p>
<p>I realize that some of these are a reach-no need to re-state the obvious</p>
<p>You have state schools in California, Texas, Virginia and Arizona. Are you instate for any? </p>
<p>Off the top of my head, you’re not competitive for merit at NYU. Columbia and Cornell don’t give merit. I doubt Georgetown gives merit. </p>
<p>USC and Miami do give merit-based scholarships. Did you submit a scholarship application to USC? It looks like they needed one by Dec 1. I don’t think your ACT is quite competitive for it because it talks about top 1%-2% scores. </p>
<p>[USC</a> Financial Aid - Grants & Scholarships - Undergraduate - Freshmen Only Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/grants_scholarships/undergraduates/meritbasedfo.html]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/grants_scholarships/undergraduates/meritbasedfo.html)</p>
<p>It looks like Miami wants ACTs of 31. </p>
<p>[New</a> Freshmen / First Year Students | Enrollment Management | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/index.php/ug/scholarships/freshmen/]New”>http://www.miami.edu/index.php/ug/scholarships/freshmen/)</p>
<p>Here are some links for Va Tech:
<a href=“http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/[/url]”>http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/</a>
<a href=“https://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/scholarship_search.php[/url]”>https://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/scholarships/scholarship_search.php</a></p>
<p>You may want to try some instate options-- especially those that aren’t flagships.</p>