<p>My "niece" (we are not actually related but she calls me an aunt) has had a difficult childhood. Her parents are extremely dysfunctional and have had a lot of problems, many financial, which have led to my niece having problems of her own. She attended an extremely competitive performing arts school, but got involved with "the wrong kids" (mostly from an emotional side) and was pulled out and now attends public high school and is a junior. She scored very high on the PSATs (around a 217 in NY) and wants to go to college. Her parents will be unable to help her financially in any way, and will not submit tax returns or any other documentation. She currently has a job where she pays for her own food etc. If she does really well on the SATs, is there a college that will give her a full scholarship based upon the SATs? She is very talented in performing arts and is also interested in psychology. Although she is very smart, her grades in school have been all over the place due to her erratic family situation - she gets a D in an easy class and an A in an AP class. She currently lives in the NYC area and I am trying to help her look for college options where she can study performing arts/psychology and find a full scholarship or a combination of scholarships. Any ideas?</p>
<p>“Around a 217 in New York” is just about the cut-off point in NY for National Merit Semi-Finalist designation. The cut-off will be plus/minus 2 points from there. She will be notified through her high school next fall if she is a semi-finalist. If her SAT score is similarly high and she fills out the necessary paperwork, she can advance to become a National Merit Finalist. Her erratic grades could be the only “fly in the ointment” here. </p>
<p>There are a number of schools which covet National Merit Finalists and will offer her a full ride. She will eventually hear from those schools. They tend to be out West or in the middle of the country, as I recall.</p>
<p>For ideas on finding a full-ride scholarship, read the threads by momfromtexas:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>One big problem is the wastrel parents. Just about anything she applies for will require that they fill out the FAFSA. I don’t know if there is any way she can dodge that. For some ideas, you may want to look at the Financial Aid forum. There is a link on the left side of this screen.</p>
<p>The other problem is her erratic grades. She needs to make certain that her guidance counselor can present her transcript in the best light when he/she writes recommendation letters to the colleges.</p>
<p>Good luck to both of you!</p>
<p>She may have to start at community college – and may get a full ride to a cc based on her scores. After she finishes CC, she can transfer. If she gets good grades, she may be able to get excellent scholarships for transfers from cc.</p>
<p>Based on what you’ve posted, if she makes the cutoff for National Merit, her grades will prevent her from making finalist, which will keep her from getting the full scholarships that some schools offer NM finalists. I think students need an unweighted 3.5 to make finalist.</p>
<p>Either you or she should get cozy with an effective guidance counselor. This person can be a very effective advocate for your niece’s situation – especially the uncooperative stuff about not filing forms/returns, etc. While we would hope this is uncommon, it’s common enough that colleges and HS guidance offices have some experience.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you and her. You’re very thoughtful to be seeking assistance for her. Obviously you care for her and don’t want to see her future diminished due to situations beyond her control.</p>
<p>Another option would be for her to take 2 gap years and volunteer with Americorps, which would give her enough money to live on for 2 years plus she’d get about $7,000 a year to use for college (I.e. a total of about $14,000 if she does 2 years of Americorps). Based on her scores and her Americorps background, she may be able to get some good merit aid to second tier colleges that value community service.</p>
<p>She needs to start getting consistently good grades as of right now. Some colleges will overlook her erratic grades to a certain extent IF she can provide proof that she can be successful at the college level. Is she a National Merit Semi-Finalist? If so, there is a list of colleges on this site that offers scholarships to NMSF’s. If she is a talented performer, she can get admitted to some colleges based more on a great audition than her spotty GPA. She should emphasize her strengths and probably apply for a performing arts major. Hopefully, she has not burned her bridges with the performing arts teachers at her old school. No matter what happens, she will likely have to look for a college where she is at the top of their applicant pool. In other words, go ahead and apply to some great schools, but plan on having a great experience at a school that may not be in the top tier of the rankings. If her parents have financial problems, she may be offered need scholarships in addition to merit. She should be able to provide a couple of letters of recommendation from teachers at her school and perhaps one from her employer highlighting her positive attributes. She should create a resume of all of her accomplishments and should be putting together a compelling essay starting now. It should emphasize how her trials and tribulations have had a POSITIVE impact on who she is today. (In other words- no whining) When she asks for references, she should give the teachers, employer, principal, preacher, etc. a copy of her resume and a short explanation of her family circumstances if the recommender is unaware of them. She will not be getting any financial aid of any sort without some sort of financial documentation, although there is a process where applicants can be declared independent under extreme circumstances. I do not know what that process is called, but contact FAFSA and see if they can help you figure it out. I know she is working, but perhaps she could fit in a class at a community college this summer to show that she is capable of doing college level work. Make sure it a class she is sufficiently interested in so she is motivated to get a high grade. One thing I know is that kids who grow up in challenging family circumstances have a choice to make when they hit adulthood: they can either remain a victim or they can choose to succeed on their own. She has learned to be responsible and independent so that will work in her favor. An education is hers if she really wants it. If she does not get a scholarship to a four year school right away, she can attend a community college while supporting herself and then transfer to a four year school later. Many high schools have a list of community organizations that provide small scholarships that the students can apply for. She may be a good candidate for those types of scholarships. They probably won’t add up to enough to pay for a four year university, but may cover the cost of attending a CC. Also, have her take a look at Fastweb, which is a website listing scholarship opportunities. Those who truly want an education will find a way to get it. She has the chance for a fresh start beginning now and hopefully she has the maturity and drive to take advantage of that chance. Take a look at the Financial Aid forum on this site for more specific information that may be helpful. Good luck to your niece.</p>
<p>Or a military option. A few years to live in an orderly environment, gain money options for college, and as a vet she would no longer have to use her parents’ tax returns for qualifying for student aid or loans.</p>
<p>I also would like to caution that just because she has amazing raw potential that she would be able to handle the pressures of college straight out of high school. Just because she would be in another city or state away from her parents doesn’t mean that her erratic grades (Ds through As) wouldn’t still follow her. I agree with the poster above - she needs to create a track record in <em>HS</em> that proves she can perform at a consistent level with fulltime HS classes first.</p>
<p>It is always sad to hear someone not have a good start in life, but if she makes good choices out of HS she can map her own future. I don’t know however, if straight to college is the right fit for her right now.</p>
<p>Annika</p>
<p>Students are sometimes advanced to NMF with less than a 3.5 UWGPA. Some of that probably depends on the essay, the principal’s recommendation, and any upward GPA trend. The OP’s niece should not assume she will not advance and should definitely be sure to fill out the application if she qualifies for NMSF.</p>
<p>“I also would like to caution that just because she has amazing raw potential that she would be able to handle the pressures of college straight out of high school. Just because she would be in another city or state away from her parents doesn’t mean that her erratic grades (Ds through As) wouldn’t still follow her. I agree with the poster above - she needs to create a track record in <em>HS</em> that proves she can perform at a consistent level with fulltime HS classes first.”</p>
<p>Very true. I know students who had erratic parents and other problems, but still got excellent grades.</p>
<p>It may be that the student will do better if she takes a gap year or two working a job or doing a volunteer program like Americorps, which also provides help with organization and other skills. Americorps also provides health care, a living stipend and $4,700 for one year of college expenses (this is the right figure. What I posted before was incorrect). She can get a total of about $9,400 to use for college if she’s in Americorps for 2 years.</p>
<p>Other options to pay for college include enlisting in the military, though that comes with obvious risks and commitments.</p>
<p>I would second the words of T26E4 and Northstarmom. Erratic grades, expulsion from a school, this is behavior that is cause for concern. Getting a trained professional like a college guidance counselor sounds like a good idea. Some kids have to trying circumstances to overcome, some of them find their way out and some of them don’t. I can tell you that having such a caring Aunt could make a big difference in this kid’s life.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of your responses. She is a National Merit Semi-Finalist and told me that recently her guidance counselor gave her a form to designate two colleges for National Merit purposes. I’m not sure where that puts her in the system.</p>
<p>She was not expelled from the Performing Arts school. Her parents elected to remove her mid-year because she got involved with kids who were a really bad influence. She had run away for a few days under the influence of these older kids and her parents stepped up to remove her in order to get her to return home. She does have teachers who would recommend her from both her current and former school. She had terms where she did really well, and then others that were a disaster at the performing arts school.</p>
<p>Apparently there has been some changes in the FAFSA laws <a href=“http://poorerthanyou.com/2009/04/13/how-to-file-the-fafsa-without-your-parents-information/[/url]”>http://poorerthanyou.com/2009/04/13/how-to-file-the-fafsa-without-your-parents-information/</a> so it looks like she may have some minimal options. Her parents will absolutely provide no information for financial aide. </p>
<p>I wish she was fully self-motivated, but she almost has the worst of all situations. She has no hope. She has this thought in the back of her head that her parents ARE there for her, but in reality, they NEVER follow through with anything or really do anything for her. It’s hard to watch, but there’s nothing I can do, especially because I live far away.</p>
<p>Could she get a full scholarship based upon an audition? She claims that her guidance counselor is too busy to even talk to her and refuses to set up an appointment. I just don’t want to see her without any options. She’s taking the SAT for the first time June 6th, so that will give additional information.</p>
<p>Filling out FAFSA is a lot of paperwork. Is there any chance the parents would give you some legal status to do it for them? A lot of it is based on their filed tax returns, and they may have their reasons for not wanting to share that with you. If all it is is they are lazy/disorganized, perhaps you can take over the chore for them.</p>
<p>I would be contacting FAFSA to find out how other families cope with this. Yours can’t be the first. What a shame, though.</p>
<p>She can’t know yet if she’s a National Merit Semi-finalist because that’s not determined until late summer. What she would know now is that she’s in the top 50,000 of high school juniors on the PSAT. That’s who’s asked to let 2 colleges know of their being in this category.</p>
<p>If she becomes a semifinalist, she’ll learn about this from her school early during her senior year, and she’ll be asked to fill out more paperwork – essay, and some other things-- plus to submit a transcript, I believe, plus SAT scores. These will determine whether she becomes a finalist, something she’ll learn in Jan. or Feb.</p>
<p>“She was not expelled from the Performing Arts school. Her parents elected to remove her mid-year because she got involved with kids who were a really bad influence. She had run away for a few days under the influence of these older kids and her parents stepped up to remove her in order to get her to return home. She does have teachers who would recommend her from both her current and former school. She had terms where she did really well, and then others that were a disaster at the performing arts school.”</p>
<p>The above adds to my reasons for suggesting that she would be a good candidate for a gap year or two working a job or doing a program like Americorps. She doesn’t yet seem to be mature and responsible enough to be able to rise to the challenge of handling college.</p>
<p>If her parents are in a situation where they are making almost no money, the FAFSA may not be so difficult to fill out. Perhaps your neice can fill it out and just have her parents sign it. Other posters are correct in saying this child is not the first to be in this situation. If she has access to a computer, she can do a lot of research on line. She may want to look at community colleges or the CUNY or SUNY system because many options are out there. I was at a community college graduation last week where the top grad won a Coca-Cola scholarship. Tell her she should pursue college.</p>
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<p>Military should not be used as finishing school for self-improvement. You should at least be actively comfortable with fighting the range of wars in which you are more or less likely to participate.</p>
<p>College of the Ozarks is a good option here. It prefers students with financial need, doesn’t seem overly hard to get into, no tuition (though you will have to work part time for the school the entire 4 years).</p>
<p>Berea College in KY</p>
<p>Warren Wilson College</p>
<p>'Her parents will be unable to help her financially in any way, and will not submit tax returns or any other documentation."</p>
<p>Her parents’ refusal to provide tax returns more than likely will prevent her from being able to get any need-based aid from any college including ones like Berea and Warren Wilson. </p>
<p>Her erratic grades that include Ds probably will keep her from getting merit aid from any 4-year colleges except very lower tier ones, and that merit aid won’t likely be enough to pay the full costs of her going to those colleges. Her grades also would prevent her acceptance to many colleges even if she is named a National Merit semifinalist. </p>
<p>She may, however, be able to get full tuition merit aid to a community college. If her grades are excellent and she takes the right coursework, after she gets her AA, she may be able to transfer to an in-state public and get good merit aid.</p>