<p>I am in a tricky situation and need advice. I have free tuition at a fairly respectable state school but it is not a good fit for me and I feel I would be unhappy there. I know this because I have already taken classes there for several semesters. I would also be living at home during this time and I focus and work much better in an environment that is not in my actual home. I also will be 17 (at the oldest) when I try to apply to schools so I would still be a minor. I could really use some help. I'm in a state of constant worry and dread trying to figure out what to do. My parents could pay for my education (they can afford it) but won't because they believe I should simply attend this state school and the matter ends there. It should be noted that one of my parents is a faculty member at this particular school. I'm very confused about what to do.</p>
<p>You should ask your parent about tuition exchange. Its a program where professors can get free tuition for their children at schools who have agreements with the school they are working at. You shouldn’t go someplace where you think you’d be unhappy. You have to spend the next 4 years of your life there and take it from someone who stayed at a place they didn’t like, it makes you pretty miserable after a while. The fact that you are under 18 doesn’t affect anything so don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Have you applied to other schools? Have your parents filed a FAFSA or CSS Profile, or are they preparing to? Will you have choices in April, or is the only possibility going to be the state school?</p>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of parents (including my husband) change their minds about where they’re willing to send their kids to college once April rolls around. If you’ve applied to other schools and your parents are filing FA paperwork, they may be admitting the possibility of you going to another college - to themselves, at least. We can help you more if we know what your choices are likely to be.</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, your money, your choice. Their money, their choice.</p>
<p>Sorry, Qwerty, I think I misread your OP. Are you currently a junior? I thought you were a senior when I read about you having full tuition at a state school, but now I realize you probably haven’t yet applied to colleges. If so, you have time to communicate with your parents about the possibility of going to another college. They’re going to have to see a compelling reason, so work on giving them one. 
Will the state school prepare you for your desired career, or are there better options? Will you qualify for merit aid elsewhere? And how much can you contribute to the cost of another school?</p>
<p>Sorry for misreading you originally. It’s not all that early, so I really have no excuse!</p>
<p>What are your stats? Maybe you could get free tuition at other schools if your scores are high enough.</p>
<p>You may feel that your parents can afford to let you go elsewhere, but children often don’t really know the situation. You can go to your local school for free and commute from home. </p>
<p>If you were to go to another school it would likely be at least $18k per year (tuition, fees, room, board, books, etc.). That’s a big difference!</p>
<p>If they’re not paying tuition, would they allow you to live on campus even though your home is obviously within commuting distance? That way you could have a bit more of the “college experience.” It’s a lot less than tuition.</p>
<p>Can you clarify your background/status so we can help you better? I looked up your past posts to see if I could see the state school you refer to. It’s U of Pittsburgh, which is a great school. And you say you’ve already taken the general requirements for your degree there and you are already doing full time work there, looking toward graduate school. Is this correct?</p>
<p>If so, what I see is someone who could save their parents as much as $200,000 (that buys a HOUSE in many parts!), who could graduate relatively quickly (since you’d not have to worry about transferring credits), who would get to jump into the really fun higher level courses now, and relatively soon be going to graduate school anyway.</p>
<p>I understand the fit issue but I imagine most 13-15 year olds going part-time to college (as you have done) would not feel like they really fit or belonged at their college. I think it could be an entirely different story if you could find a way to live on campus, get the full immersion experience, got involved in research and clubs, and were 17 or 18 when attending.</p>
<p>You could make up your mind to be happy with the advantages you have–head start on college + free tuition + parents providing room and board = debt free degree from good college! You won’t even need to work during college. Many students would envy this opportunity. Yes, it is a drag to live with parents during college, but try to look on the bright side. Spend a lot of time on campus and get involved with activities there so you don’t have to be home with your parents that much. </p>
<p>Are you a National Merit finalist? Do you have top SAT/ACT scores? If you really just want to get away from home, you might be able to find a full ride somewhere.</p>
<p>Perhaps you could study abroad for a year–either in another country or at another school. I don’t know if your state school is like this, but many schools let you use your financial aid when studying abroad. Even if yours didn’t, it would still be a lot cheaper than going to another school. </p>
<p>Also, I think you should apply to schools that would give you a great merit aid package–if it works out to around the same price as your state school and you’d be happier, why not?</p>
<p>I started college as a 17 year old freshman and the first year was hard – not because of the giant school but because I was 17 and most other freshmen were 18 or 19. Anyway you can take a gap year? If you call it a “gap” year before settling down to this school, perhaps your parents would be willing to let you “gap” elsewhere – like a small school. </p>
<p>You do need to clarify some specifics of what you don’t like where you are and what would make you happy. Keep in mind that almost no one likes what is in their own backyard (there’s an excellent college here in my town and neither of my kids even considered it a moment). If that’s the case, communicate that to your parents – that you need to see some new horizons (rather than shallow “reasons” that they can quickly dismiss). Again, you can make the case that a year elsewhere will help clarify your thinking. </p>
<p>Please don’t go the Magical Thinking route where you have visualized some perfect campus and money just rains from the clouds. It doesn’t exist. Look for some specifics (training in your chosen field, small class size, fine football team . . .whatever it is that you really feel is important) and discuss from there.</p>
<p>Hello, everyone. As for my stats, I have straight A’s in all my high school courses and only A’s and B’s in the college courses I took so far. My GPA is around 3.93 (this is the GPA I would send to colleges) and the GPA I have for the college classes I have taken so far is 3.743. My SAT scores are abysmally low at something like 1820 (I did not study at all for them and know I could do much better if I study and retake. Alas, I am a terrible standardized test taker.) I’m in the midst of possibly publishing a geometry book (hook, possibly?) and I am taking Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, and Abstract Algebra in college right now and will have taken 13 college courses (including the 3 I have listed by the end of this semester). To be honest, I don’t have many extra curricular activities because I take on average three college course a semester and don’t have extra time. No AP classes but I plan on taking the AP tests for biology and chemistry this May. I was going to go to college full-time at Pitt (accepted and everything but haven’t yet. I didn’t actually fix that in my posts for graduate school. Nonetheless, I would probably finish in three years wherever I go). I wanted to go to MIT or another college with a strong program in biology (specifically, genetics) and technology (computer science) and eventually want to go to a top graduate school. I know it is not necessary to go to a top undergraduate institution to go to a top graduate institution, but I feel I could get more of a “college experience” there and be surrounded by more like-minded people in an atmosphere I like and with more research opportunities. Research being extremely important for work in the biological sciences. In this way, I think one of these schools would be a better fit. I did try talking to my parents and they suggested transferring after a year at Pitt. My only qualms about this is that transfer rates to such institutions are really low (plus I have B’s on my record and two Withdrawal grades as it is, although none of these grades are for classes in my major). The other is that not a lot of the credits I already gained would transfer over. The other option I have is to wait another year and spend it doing high school and part-time college courses like I am now, bring my SAT score and extra curricular activities up, and then apply to a variety of places. Which do you think sounds like the better way to go?</p>
<p>I am not sure I’m convinced you are accurate in this greener grass you are imagining (at least not to justify the cost, and the lack of transferability). Why would you get more of a college experience (assuming you can live on campus at both places and not at home anymore)? And I don’t see the greater research opps. Pitt has a fantastic research culture, with really great stuff going on there, and all you have to do is visit some professors and get started.</p>
<p>My sense is Pitt is not exciting for you and you have the highschool branding/prestige bug. I can appreciate that but I’m not sure it’s a good reason for parents to spend hundreds of thousands when its not necessary and would make no difference ot your future (but its their money, not mine). Lets just say it’s a very expensive away camp you are asking to go to.</p>
<p>Are you in your 3rd year of high school? If so, you should stay one more year and get your SAT or ACT up.</p>
<p>Take the ACT, too. Some do better on that. At least by applying with better scores you’ll have more options. </p>
<p>Right now, with your scores, you’d only likely get into mid-tier schools that are no better than UPitt.</p>
<p>With better scores, you might get some merit money and be able to go away.</p>
<p>Find out from your parents how much they will pay. nothing? some?</p>
<p>Your SAT at 1800 is low for MIT, and I doubt that even with lots of studying you could raise it enough to make a school like MIT a possibility. Pitt does have excellent research opportunities, and I can understand why your parents wouldn’t be willing to pay tuition to send you to an equally or lesser ranked school.</p>
<p>Seems that, however, perhaps you could negotiate with your parents to help support your living on campus. You could take out some loans and work school year and summers to help pay for this.</p>
<p>Unless you did so extraordinarily well at Pitt that you could transfer to a much higher ranked school, I wouldn’t see that the change of scenery would make the cost worth it to your parents. If you’re planning on going to grad school in science/tech fields as long as you keep a strong gpa, you should be able to get good funding and go to a region of the country that would interest you.</p>
<p>The point is, I took my SAT at 15 and I didn’t take it very seriously at the time at all. With studying and getting a good night’s rest before the test (something I didn’t do the first time around and which I believe cost me) I think I can get my SAT in maybe a 2200 range. It is only one part of my application and with my large number of college courses plus possible publication of a book, I believe I will at least be considered at schools like MIT. I am not entirely sure I want to go to a different school, but I want to least look at my options. I didn’t do this yet and I just don’t want to regret anything later. I was also wondering for those of you that say it is a waste of money etc. for me to do this (and you may be right, that’s why I’m posting this to receive a second opinion on whether or not it would be) why do you believe that’s the case? What would be a “good” reason for anyone to attend a Ivy League school if state schools have less tuition and a good education (like Pitt does)?</p>
<p>I’m not quite following the time frame you are considering. It sounds like you are admitted now to Pitt and finished with HS this term (since you’ll have 13 Pitt courses by the end of this term, right?). So you would be applying to other schools next year? I assume thsi given its January 20th, you need to study and retake the SAT, and apparently get your book published. So aren’t you going to Pitt regardless and so you can decide after you start attending fulltime if you want to stay or transfer? You haven’t yet told us if you can live on campus or not. </p>
<p>Seems you will or should go to Pitt, take the SAT and see if you can do better; finish your book and find an agent and see if you can get it published (none of this would happen quickly) and take it from there, no? </p>
<p>If you already know you are going to graduate school in the sciences, you are at a school that has a great reputation and you can do research there, I really don’t see the point of a ‘prestige’ school for just undergrad.</p>
<p>I did make that sound like a bit of a jumble. Okay, currently I am at Pitt part-time and could finish high school this year (I do it through cyber school) and go full-time this coming fall. Otherwise, I could do one more year of high school, stay at Pitt part-time, get my SAT’s and EC’s together and apply as an incoming freshman to many schools (including Pitt). I do not live on campus. I am not really after prestige. I also am considering possibly going to Carnegie Mellon (it’s campus is literally right next to Pitt’s) or other schools that have a strong biology and computer science program. I want to get as much knowledge as I can and meet friends I’ll have for a long time after I’m finished that share my interests and that I can really connect with. After looking at various schools, I thought MIT had a really strong program in biology and computer science that really thought you how to think and become a problem solver. These skills would help at the graduate level. Pitt has research opportunities but at MIT and other Ivy League places undergraduates can UROP and work with influential professors in their field who can write letters of recommendation for graduate school that can really help one get into a top graduate program since it is competitive. It also has the policy that it only writes P as a grade of you pass a class the first year and if you fail the class does not appear on your record so freshman can adjust. Plus, I also love it’s quirky atmosphere and how almost everyone there is passionate about what they’re doing (there are some people like that here too, but not so many). Starbright, I am just wondering, what do you think would actually be a “good” reason for anyone to attend a Ivy League school if state schools have less tuition and a good education available? By the way, in terms of finances I am not sure where I would actually stand in terms of receiving financial aid. Do you have to report how much your family has in savings on the FAFSA? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification. I really can’t come up with a good reason for you specifically- given what you’ve said- to justify the extra cost is all. If they were comparable cost, or if your parents were uber-rich it wouldn’t matter (but since they are faculty I’ll go out in a limb here and guess they aren’t uber-rich). Of course if they don’t mind, who am I to judge? It’s not my bill. </p>
<p>I am absolutely certain that if you do research at Pitt, or a host of other places that are research-oriented, and those faculty write you letters of rec., great grad school is there for you (just as it would be at the Ivies). I know, I do research at a place like Pitt (and used to be at an Ivy). I place my students all the time at great schools for graduate work. Likewise, I went to a tippy-top graduate school from a state school: my classmates were from every where, from State U @ leftside campus to Harvard. You could not tell us apart in grad school (nor could you tell by our subsequent research careers).</p>
<p>Lots of reknowned, famous, influential researchers in their respective fields are at places like Pitt. It’s only in the land of HS students, fueled by USNWR, that certain schools take on this terrible (often useless) halo effect. In the research world, it very much depends on the field and some of the most influential scholars and hottest labs are not at the top 10. Get outside USNWR and CC, look at university rankings worldwide (which are largely based on research productivity and fame in the academic world…you’ll be surprised by the rankings). Drives me batty how everyone is clamoring for a set of schools just because of this general brand imagery. Don’t get me wrong, great schools, but FOR YOU, the cost differential is gigantic and the difference to your future is minimal. I just can’t think of a justification (and I would if I knew one). If you can make the cost small (as some have mentioned, merit scholarships), that might be the way to make it make sense. </p>
<p>i think you are working backwards-- you want the brand name and want to make up reasons for it, rather than the other way around. You mention your parent is a faculty member. Assuming they do research for a living, clearly they are probably doing the same calculus that I am doing.</p>
<p>I see what your saying and it does make sense. The only other question I have is… in terms of FAFSA what do my parents need to fill out? In particular do they need to fill out how much are had in savings? My family receives money from my one parent’s university salary (which isn’t too much) but we have a lot of money in savings. If not required to write how much we have in savings, I think I could get substantial financial aid.</p>