How do I convince my parents to let me dorm at college?

You are a financially DEPENDENT adult.

The point was that it doesn’t make a logical sense.

Except money. They can just pay you and leave you to live carefree… or not. It’s their decision while you are financially dependent.

You would be able to study in group setting and participate club activities, provided that they are constructive, as late as you want and come home to sleep.

And how not commuting can resolve the overlapping meetings that are scheduled for the same time? This type of grammar errors are about logic and even a none native speaker like I can point out.

If you are already ON campus for a club meeting…you will BE there if the meetings overlap…or the times are close. That isn’t a compelling reason to dorm there. As a parent. I would not even think twice about this.

If your parents are willing to pay all,the costs for college…tuition room board fees, etc. then really…apply to colleges where there are a LOT of students who reside there.

And if you really get two jobs…and enroll in classes full time as well…you aren’t going to have time to be in a bunch of different clubs.

At this point…you want to reside at a college where the VAST majority of students are commuters…and there is one dorm…presumably to attract some students who live further away than 20 minutes

Realistically…you will be saving everyone, including yourself, money by living at home. Work and save your money for your last two years…when you will likely live away from home.

ETA

Have you heard from these schools yet? If not,…just wait. If you get accepted to these…you will have to live in the dorms,…right?

And this

An 860 total SAT score is not likely to help you with admission to these schools.

Go to Brandywine…and get outstanding grades. Don’t burden yourself with a job…you need time to study and get the best possible grades you can get. That will position you better for when you complete your community college coursework and apply to four year schools.

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@thumper1 I doubt I actually will be able to handle two jobs,but it was something that I have thought about. No,I have not heard from any of those schools yet,but I really think that I will get into all three.

“Your parents are not paying for your college for you to have a better social life.”

Yes and no. Some parent believe social life is a part of the college experience. They want the kid out of the house as much as the kid wants to be out of the house.

Pitt and Temple with a 860 total SAT score?

Please let us know if you get accepted.

And if you do…will your parents let you live ON campus? Clearly…you cant commute from both Pitt and Temple!

@yourmomma,

I feel that there must be a cheaper way to achieve those goals than paying college tuition.

And this you wrote in October…

  1. what changed? In October, you hoped to go to Brandywine...and commute.
  2. Are you Pell Grant eligible? If so....expecting your parents to contribute to college room and board costs...even with you contributing some...is really not a sound financial decision. In my opinion.

How much can your parents pay? You have 2 brothers and at least some of your college years will overlap. Can your parents afford to pay $30k/year so all of you can dorm?

Have either of your brothers started college yet? If they’re commuting, I don’t think your parents will let you dorm.

@thumper1 I do live close enough that I could commute to Temple,but not Pitt.

@thumper1 Idk what about it made me change my mind. I do not know for sure that I will be getting the pell grant,but that is just what my father keeps saying,so idk about that either.

@austinmshauri How do you know that I have two brothers? I unfortunately do not know a specific amount off of the top of my head, that they could pay. My one brother plans on going to community college and my other goes to Saint Joseph’s University,but will be starting to commute next year,so I would be the only one not commuting.

How have you not completed fafsa? Pell means your parents do not have money to splash on dorms, do you understand what Pell eligible looks like, $$ wise?
You have had years of high school, no job, no responsibilities, in which to prove yourself as a fabulous student. What makes you think that you will be a different student in your community college with a job that pays for accommodation (let’s say 20 hrs a week at a job for a person of your age who has never had an actual job?). Be respectful of your whole family because if Pell eligibility is up for grabs, you are in need of a huge reality check.

You talked about your brothers in post #11 (“I would want to move away for all four years,so I do not have to worry about feuding with my two brothers”)

It sounds like your parents don’t have the money to pay for residential college. You need to ask them how much they can afford. If they don’t have the money, nothing you say will change the situation.

Your primary job while you’re in college will be attending classes and getting good grades. You won’t have time to work two jobs, and none of the reasons you’re giving for wanting to dorm (having an active social life, joining lots of clubs, avoiding fighting with your brothers) are reasons for your parents to shell out $120k over the next 4 years for dorms. There’s no reason you can’t be active on campus as a commuter. And it’s up to you and your brothers to figure out how to get along. Attending residential college is a privilege. If you can’t get along at home, why should your parents reward that behavior by sending all of you away to school?

An issue here is that the advantages of residential life are true at a residential college. I gave you the name for a few of them, where you’d have a shot if you apply test optional.
These advantages aren’t true for Brandywine.
(You can’t get into Pitt because of your SAT score and Temple is dubious unless you applied test optional. I know it feels to you that your score is excellent but anything below 1000 indicates a student who is not college ready and that’s what most colleges will think. Some colleges allow you to apply without a SAT score, on the merit of your high school record alone, so you have a shot there.)

Complete FAFSA ASAP to see what you’re eligible for.
Complete the application for state grants, too.

From post # 26: " First off, do not even go there,I will do what I want to do"

OK, I’m out. That wasn’t directed at me, but it was rude. If you don’t want advice, please don’t ask for it. But don’t insult an adult who is trying to help you.

I like Andrew! He is trying to find a way to make this work instead of whining about what he parents won’t give him

Sadly I have no magic solution for you. But I do wish you luck !

Well that is VERY easy to find out. If your FAFSA EFC is below $5000, you will get a portion of the Pell Grant. So…check your SAR.

But the MAX Pell is only $5900 and if your family is Pell eligible, it’s not likely they have a lot of extra income to pay for discretionary college costs…and dorming at a commuter college 20minites from your home is not an essential expense.

@Andrew2018 There is definitely an appeal to living on campus. I & kids have had to work very hard to give them that opportunity.

My oldest went to a PSU commuter campus. And though they didn’t have dorms at that time, there were nearby apartment houses. Still I was not going to pay for them just so she didn’t have to commute.

That being said, she hated PSU, she didn’t really connect w/ any of the students as most of them left after class to go to jobs. Most young adults who have to work, don’t have the time for campus life in any depth.

However, I know the campus worked very hard at trying to give the students the college experience. At least that is what it was on paper. I don’t know how successful it was, either with the school using it as a recruitment tool only, or students not being able to participate due to employment, or just lack of interest.

Have you looked at any of the PASSHE schools? With Pell grants, working, state grants, & choosing cheapest dorms, you could probably manage to dorm on one of the campuses, if the college experience is the most important thing to you.

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College is what you make out of it. You can be very independent, involved, and happy and commute the first two years (or four, realistically). Or you can be not independent at all your first year or two living on campus and not involved at all.

If you want the “college experience” chances are you’ll make friends and be able to party, drink, and do all of that fun stuff at their dorms. You’re really not missing much. There are still ways to get involved.

If you’re going to be taking out 9,000+ worth of loans per year for dorming, don’t. it’s not worth it. I have friends whose tuition is completely paid for but they racked up loans for housing when they really didn’t need to.

I’d re-evaluate why exactly you want to stay on campus. You can become an independent adult with your own life going to school 20 minutes from home and commuting.

(I switched from on campus living to commuting and I found that I actually attended classes more as a commuter. I often skipped classes a lot while living on campus and my grades suffered because of that. Commuting isn’t a bad thing).