<p>Basically here's my problem in a nutshell:</p>
<p>My mum refuses to believe that it's possible for me to attend any out-of-state college. She has calculated our need before, and disagrees with the amount. She claims that she is expected to pay 35k a year. She is pretty old (will be 58, close to 59 my freshman year of college) and says she does not want to spend a large amount of money on college because she hopes to retire at 65. She also refuses for me to take out loans, largely because of her own experiences. Additionally, I have a scholarship that will pay for 100% of in-state colleges due to my dad's financial problems. I am not sure if colleges will consider his problems because they are divorced and I don't live with him, and I'm not even sure if he has custody over me (his salary is extremely low, probably at about 10k tops a year). My mum's is at around 90k, so she doesn't think that colleges will offer a lot of aid beyond the need. </p>
<p>I'm really interested in UChicago and want to visit next month. However, my mum doesn't see the point of me going and is being rather difficult in my plans of attending. </p>
<p>Basically, my question is, how can I convince her that UChicago can be affordable? I've already told her about it being full-need/need-blind.</p>
<p>show her some of chicago’s literature on the subject</p>
<p>I would remind her that visiting a college and applying to a college does not mean you are going to attend tomorrow. I would offer to cover the cost of the application fee and travel there (that way you can tell her that this is something you’re doing on your own dime, without any investment on her part) and see what the financial aid fairy brings.</p>
<p>If your mother makes 90k per year, I believe you will be given loans. You need to speak with her and convince her that this is typical of most if not all college students. You cannot erase her own experiences, but you can work to prove that yours will not be so negative. We cannot escape our parent’s grasp as quickly as we might like, but, if you are Chicago material, I trust you can persuade her to adopt your position.</p>
<p>On the other hand, that in-state scholarship you mentioned sounds tempting. There’s no place like Chicago, but personal finances should never be left unconsidered. I don’t know what state you’re from, but I’m sure there’s at least one college that you could “settle” for in exchange for a free ride, isn’t there?</p>
<p>This is an intensely personal decision. I hate to pull a Sartre, but your life is in your own hands, not your mother’s, and certainly not mine. I hope you enjoy your life at college, wherever you end up.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone! I’m continuing to try and convince her and I’m sure she’ll crack eventually… at least for visiting. Hopefully she’ll be able to understand the value of the education UChicago would give me.</p>
<p>I live in Indiana, and as I’m a science-y person, if I were to use the in-state scholarship, I would go to Purdue. It would provide a good education, but definitely not on the level of UChicago. I feel like I’ve worked so hard in high school and that I don’t want to let it go to waste and go to a school that may not be very challenging (not that it would be a vacation either!). Also, I literally live right next to Purdue and I know that while the science is right, the demographics, choices for humanities courses (basically a joke in my opinion), and the city are all things that are not the perfect match for me. UChicago is practically a perfect fit… luckily, I’ll be able to convey this to my mum. :)</p>