<p>I'm just a junior yet I can already tell some problems that will happen in my senior year concerning financial aid and paying for college.
Basically, my stepmom earns six figures a year while my dad currently earns a pitiful amount of money(hopefully this will change as he graduates from community college and gets a better job).
Because of this, I expect very little financial aid from FAFSA and colleges.</p>
<p>I turn to scholarships then. The problem is, I see a lot of scholarships that prioritize applicants with "financial need." How am I gonna deal with this? Obviously, in their eyes, I don't have a lot of financial need because of my stepmom's earnings. But then I don't expect and I don't think that my stepmom will help pay for college. Now I got this "financial need" problem with certain scholarships that I KNOW I have a chance of winning.</p>
<p>I know I'm just a junior but time will fly by so fast that I just want to know if anyone has any advice or if anyone has encountered this sort of problem. Hopefully my dad really gets a higher-paying job or else I'm screwed. I really don't want to rely mainly on loans and end up with a lot of debt..</p>
<p>The best scholarships, which are for all FOUR years are from the colleges themselves. MOST do NOT look at need. They just mostly look at stats (test scores and GPA).</p>
<p>What are your test scores and GPA? what is your major?</p>
<p>You also need to ask your dad how much he/wife can contribute each year towards college.</p>
<p>I just started reading this book. Apparently, your HS 2nd semester junior/1st semester senior year is used as your “base year” for FAFSA. My kid is just a sophomore, so I’m trying to get up to speed quickly on how to set up our financial house. Perhaps you pass this book to dad & stepmom: Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2014 Edition (College Admissions Guides) Paperback - by Princeton Review (Author) , Kalman Chany (Author)</p>
<p>The higher the grades and test scores you get the more options you will have for schools that give merit aid that is not based on need. There are plenty of them. Also look at the costs of public colleges you can get into. Sit down with your father and ask what your budget will be for college. Don’t make assumptions about who is willing to pay or not, just ask. What about your mother? Is she willing/able to contribute?</p>
<p>Also it is not typical for someone to be able to go from no job to a high paying job just from a community college degree. Even if he gets a nice paying job, parents usually have to use saving to help pay current college costs. Is there no college savings for you? Ask your parents.</p>
<p>Hah. No. My dad just came to the US in 2008 and I just came here in 2011. And my dad actually has had a college degree, but in another country. I’m not really close with my stepmom but I did hear her say that she’s saving up for college FOR HER KID because she knows its expensive.
I just took the SAT so I don’t know my scores yet. Also, my GPA, if I get all A’s this semester, will go above 4.0. I think that’s weak compared to other students here…</p>
<p>It is your UW gpa that is more relevant. And your class rank somewhat relevant. Read the pinned threads on the top about automatic merit full tuition and full rides. Full rides are rare. Full tuition means you still have to pay room, board and expenses. Maybe you can afford an instate college or one in commuting distance or community college. Talk to your dad about it and ask for help planning.</p>
<p>Yes, your stepmom’s assets and income count for family income, and if she won’t pay, and yes, that is a usual situation, see it all of the time, commensurate to what the formulas say your family should, then your options are going to be limited. </p>
<p>You need to look at local options and you need to look for merit possibilities. You also need to sit down with your dad and spell out the situation, and ask him to discuss what options might be available to you for college, given your family situation. It would really be helpful to get some idea what your family, including step mon will be willing to contribute to your education each year, so that you can come up with a reasonable list.</p>
<p>My friend’s daughter makes a very good salary, and married a man who does not earn that much. He has a child from a former marriage. When it came to college, she did not want to pay a dime, but then it came down to him commuting to a local state school, and living at home with them being what was affordable if she did not ante up. So she pays room and board, he goes to a state school, boarding there. No $60K tab paid for him, but with work, loans that the kid takes out, and Dad pays the low state tuition, stepmom does pay towards this cost of college, though not all that happily. </p>
<p>There are birth parents who don’t want to pay the premiums either, so the “step” part might be irrelevant. Same friend has many relatives whose kids do not qualify for enough aid for them to be able to go away to school or go to private school, but the parents won’t pay regardless of what the FAFSA/PROFILE formulas say they should be paying, so their kids commute locally to a public school just as they did K-12.</p>
<p>I live with both of them and my stepmom pays for everything from rent, food, etc.</p>
<p>Also I forgot to add; my real mom doesn’t live in the US and doesn’t earn a lot of money either so I don’t think she can help…
But thanks for all of your input. I will definitely take all of your advice.</p>
<p>Your dad AND stepmom’s incomes will both need to be put on the FAFSA. It is a FAMILY contribution…and your step mom is a member of the family. As noted upstream, she contributes to the finances of your family. It does NOT matter whether she intends to helpyounpay for college…or not. Fact is…she is still a financial contributor to your family.</p>