It is offensive to ask if you would get financial aid, given your parents income. Wow, just wow.
@CottonTales While this isn’t really the point of the thread, yes that is true. Growing up, I can tell you I certainly did no have these means, as a matter of fact, my family was living of food stamps for a long time. However, when my father finally got on his feet, we began living in better conditions, but that sense of desparation never left me, and i didn’t want to forget it. My first three years of high school, I worked at an Arby’s and am currently working at Steak n Shake after our Arby’s location moved too far for me to commute. The income and wages these people earn are barely suitable for living at all, and some of my colleagues are middle aged parents barely making ends meet to support their children. So, yes, your statement above is correct.
Also, hold on a second @CottonTales I am asking precisely because I do not know. I am aware of how fortunate my family is, I did not want this thread to turn into a lecture about economic privilege, but if you intend to stoop so low I suppose I’ll have to address it. My parents, as I have now said for the umpteenth time, do not know how the system works, and neither do I! I thought I came to this site in hopes of seeking answers, not to be riddiculed for not “understanding” my privilege! If you can’t help me in answering my question, keep your thoughts to yourself and do not post, it’s quite simple!
Your own words come off as offensive and condescending.
And you think I’m “offensive” ???
Please tell me what “insecurities” I have, I have very high stats kids that are currently at, or will be going to very soild schools for their majors at, or close to full rides. Since you are
you must be a shoe in for National Merit so you should check out those schools for a plan B if your parents won’t pay for your college http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
Please don’t forget to add your income from your fast food employment when running the NPC at your Ivy League schools to pay for your college expenses since your parents can’t afford to help you.
BTW care to tell us how your family went from “living off of food stamps” to making $500k a year in a few short years? Maybe you can skip the expense of college and just follow in the family business?
You came for answers, and it is no, you won’t get need based aid from any school. Look to schools that you can get merit aid.
@3scoutsmom You are correct, I am a National Merit Semifinalist, and I appreciate the link you provided, I will take a look at it. And, it is from residency. My father was a Cardiology resident making about 35k up until a few years ago. After he completed his residency and fellowship, he landed his current position. He went to medical school in another country, and the hospitals here in America gave him lots of trouble before they considered his training to be legitimate. Will factoring in my income from Steak n Shake and Arbys help or hurt me in the long run?
and @CottonTales i do not want to make this into a petty squabble, but I am merely pointing out facts. Every single post you have made on this thread has been some sneer at me not understanding what I have, and I am simply letting you know that this thread is not the place to do that. If you have a problem with me personally, please take it up with me personally, but do not invalidate the point of these threads by making the kinds of comments you are.
Your income will not be a factor at all. You are not eligible for any kind of financial aid. You will be a full pay student unless you go to a school with merit aid.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that your father came to America with no money and your family had to rely on the tax payers to provide you food stamps to live on and after that your family makes a HUGE income and you still think that colleges should just give you “need based aid” now that your father is making $500k
Why, just why???
Your income, if the $500k income of your family is correct, will not help you or hurt you because you won’t be getting need based financial aid. Normally, the income of the student ‘hurts’ or reduces need based aid IF the student earns over a certain amount or IF the student still has the money in savings. But don’t worry about it as you won’t get any need based aid.
You and your parents have to decide how you want to pay for college. You can go to a merit granting school, you can go to a less expensive public school, usually in the state you live in to get reduced tuition, you can apply for scholarships based on your talents, grades, special interests, etc. You could attend a US service academy and then serve your country. If your father chooses to support your relatives both in and out of this country, that’s his choice and you won’t have as many choices for college as you’ll have to go to one you can afford.
Most workers, especially those making over $100k, only bring home about 1/2 of what they earn. After taxes, insurance, 401k savings, and other deductions, the amount we get to spend is much smaller than what we earn. I know you are a kid and just figuring this all out, but your parents are correct, that filing the FAFSA, and probably the CSS, will be a waste of time as you’ll get no financial aid. If you want the federal loans, then you must fill out the FAFSA.
@3scoutsmom PLEASE omg enough with whole 500k stuff! Honestly I feel like you’re trolling me at this point! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me growing up? What my family had to go through to come to this country, what it was like for me learning English, what it was like living at the poverty line with two sets of grandparents and siblings?!?! My family finally got a break, after living a life full of crap, family drama, work drama, i was living in hell! I came to this website with one simple question, because I did not know the answer, I thought if there was one place that could help me, it would be this website! And then I am disgraced with the presence of people like yourself who can’t get over the fact that my father makes what he does, it’s sickening! Honestly I cannot believe you are the mother to children, I have friends in high school whose maturity runs circles around yours! I NEVER said colleges “should” give me financial aid, I was asking if it was POSSIBLE for me to get financial aid. It was a simple question, with a simple answer, but I should have expected. People like you who have some chip on their shoulder can’t get past your giant inflated ego and have to make it a point to mention the same thing over and over again. I came to this site, because I do not know. I have been given some fantastic advice, and then I get your advice, which is just complaining that I lack perspective and have no idea what I have. You have no idea what I’ve been through, no idea what I’ve seen, and no idea as to the live I’ve lived up until now, so keep your childish opinions to yourself, and post if you have something to add to this discussion. I’m sick and tired of reading your posts when all they are is garbage and don’t contribute anything at all. Good riddance.
How much are your current school fees? It is hard to imagine an MD parent not being able to wrap his head around the system of higher ed, but it isn't unknown, if this was a serious thread I might wonder if you were not just expected to get married already.
As it is, I am thinking, cool story, bro.
as i said, my father received his MD abroad, hence the reason my family struggled so much.
So how much are your school fees currently? Your dad is paying for the GC services of a private. This hasn’t come up and you are a senior?
You need to get together with your family and decide, together, what your budget for college is. If your parents are paying for private high school right now, next year this amount of money will he available for your college costs. All the money you’ve saved from your job is also in. That’s your basic budget.
Then, your family needs to decide, if you get into a top 20 college/lac, if they can shift some money currently used for relatives to your own costs - in effect, if they can prioritize your college studies and cut down on what they use for your grandparents and your relatives abroad.
In all cases, hurry because most merit deadlines are Dec. 1st.
As a nmsf you have lots of choices for merit but the universities won’t be well-known ( no ivy, no nescac).
Filling out fafsa means you’ll have access to a 5.5k federal loan,which you could take on in order to free up that amount for your relatives abroad.
Your family has undergone a change in circumstances: your dad worked hard, did well, is now reaping the benefit of that hard work and is doing what he believes is honorable by helping family members. Got that. It’s wonderful, truly. Good on him.
But here’s the thing: universities don’t care.
Unis don’t hand out need-based aid money based on whether your parents are great people. They don’t hand it out based on whether you are, either. They don’t hand it out based on whether dad worked hard (though if you had stayed at your fast food job, you might have been eligible for a corporate scholarship through them)… They don’t base it on five year old numbers, or even three-year-old ones. They base it completely on specific numbers entered into a specific and tightly drawn formula. According to the formula, your numbers say that the money is there, and the people in financial aid don’t much care whether Mum and Dad are using it for something else. And if you have an issue with it…well, gosh. They have other people who will happily take your spot.
And believe me when I say the financial aid office will tell you this.
That’s just reality. It’s not meant to be mean. And it’s not the fault of anyone who’s posting in this thread, or the fault of FAFSA, or of Uncle Zubair for needing foot surgery and a new roof. It is what it is, and like every family, yours will have to decide where to apportion finite resources. That’s part of being a grown-up, and it’s one of the first lessons college freshmen get to see close up and personal.
Let’s break this down
[quote]
@3scoutsmom PLEASE omg enough with whole 500k stuff!
[quote]
You are the one stated your family income and it’s well, well, well above what any school will give need based aid to. Several other posters told you this and yet you persisted with your ‘special circumstances’ of having to support other family members. You’ve been told in several other posts that colleges won’t consider your family’s choice to support other family member over you in their consideration for need based aid.
Frankly, colleges don’t care about your hard luck story especially since it turned out to be a ‘rags to riches’ story. Many, many students have similar stories that did not end with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that your family experienced. Might be good for an admission essay but won’t help with need based aid at an Ivy.
I’m not sure where this is coming from. My father was an Anesthesiologist, my mother worked to put him through med school and I put myself through college with no need based aid or help from my parents and they were never on welfare like your parents. My kids are not seeking ways to get need based aid they do not qualify for as you are.
Perhaps if your parents were more concerned with your future education and took the time to educate themselves on college costs you wouldn’t find yourself your current situation? If your father is a physician and has lived in this country for several years he should be smart enough to know what a college education will cost. I do feel badly that your parents have not concerned themselves with your future education, especially parents that have the educational level of your parents, it must be painful to find out that your education is not your parents’ financial priority. Do you have dual citizenship, perhaps you could go to school in your parents’ country of origin and have lower tuition?
This just shows your own immaturity, didn’t you just thank me for giving you the link to schools that offers large merit scholarships to for National Merit? How can I offer information to help you and at the same time my posts are “garbage and don’t contribute anything at all” ?
I have to wonder if you have the critical thinking skills that will be required at the college level. Please remember that merit scholarships generally have a GPA restriction and if you can’t keep up their stated college level GPA you will lose the merit scholarship.
Thread has outlived its usefulness