I want to go out of state, but have no support!

College Search & Selection
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<p>My name Victoria, I'm a senior in high school right now and will be graduating soon and I've decided what college I want to go to, but my parents are totally against it (they're divorced). When I say parents, I really mean my mom is completely against it, she has said that I'm not going to be able to keep my car that I pretty much payed for, I'm going to have to start paying rent in her house, buy some of the groceries, etc. etc. to show me how difficult it will be when I go out of state, just because I want to fly the coup and be on my own and happy. My dad agrees with my mom, that it may not be the financially best option, but he's not trying to force me to stay like she is. Keep in mind that they both have made it clear that they're not paying for my college at all, but if I stayed home and was a commuter, my mom would let me stay home fee free. Her argument is that she doesn't want me to go out of state and start out in mass amount of debt because she's still paying off her student loans now at 40, but the college she went to is more expensive than the one I want to go to now as it is, plus I want to be a nurse where the starting wages are very high, and I'm good with my money, I know when to be frugal and save up, and when I can spend and I will try to pay off my student loans as soon as I can, because I know I'm good with my money.</p>

<p>So, I've found a college that I really want to go to that's not a billion dollars for out of state tuition. It may not be an Ivy league college, but it's about the same type of college as the one I would go to if I stayed in state. I'm really just trying to get away from this negative and put myself in a positive situation so I can be happy. So, I've filled out the fafsa, and one question I have is: Will I get the same amount of financial aid for out of state college, as I would an in state college? Another question is: is there a way I could convince my mom that this could be a good option for me? I don't have any scholarships, so I would have to take out loans, but both of my parents have bad credit, so will that affect my eligibility for loans? I have a job and haven't spend a single penny on myself, I've saved it all, and I'm looking for a second job, and when/if I move out of state I'll look for a job to work during college. I have my grandparents support, but they have my aunt and uncle telling them that if no one claims me on taxes, I would have better interest rates on loans, but my mom has claimed me on taxes, and we all knew that was going to happen whether that was true or not, which makes her cautious about be my guarantor for the housing which is messing everything up, I would just like some major motivation, because this is making me more negative and stressed than I need to be right now. Sorry if this is all over the place and sounds frazzled, but my brain is going a mile a minute right now. I would just like some opinions on what this is, and maybe someone who is going through something similar can read this and get help from it! Thank you for reading it all, and replying. I have to go to school now; there are 650 schools and counting around me closed because of this snow storm right now, and my school is not one of them. I'll reply when I get home if I don't have to go to work after school!</p>

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<p>Have you tried the Net Price Calculator on the website of the out-of-state college that you are interested in? This result will help you estimate the need-based aid that you might receive. Does the out-of-state college offer any merit aid that you might be eligible for?
What are your in-state options? Could you still live away from home in a dorm and stay in-state?</p>

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<p>you have mutiple issues at play. it would be amazing to spread your wings and fly…yet at the same time you need to respect your parents too. fyi…money is a big issue, if you do go ahead and move on to a new chapter in your life and you get cut off by your mom, it will be a struggle. eventually, you will have to cross that bridge. will your mom be ok with you moving out when you graduate college at 21? or do you need to be 25? 30? 75? your mom has to let go a little too!(easier said then done)</p>

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<p>It will be almost impossible for you to get a private loan without a fully qualified co-signer.</p>

<p>You can borrow $5,500 in federal loans your freshman year. If you qualify for a Pell Grant, you can receive that no matter where you study. If your EFC is 0, your Pell will be $5550. That is it for guaranteed federal money. If you don’t have a well-paying job, and you have no help from your parents, the most you will get is $11,050. How much of each college would that cover?</p>

<p>Each college website has a Net Price Calculator. Put your financials in there to get an idea of what your aid might be like.</p>

<p>Your mom is correct that you do not want to run up a lot of debt. Your family members are wrong about how student loans operate. You can’t get independent status for that just by filing your taxes as independent. Taxes and financial aid have different governing rules.</p>

<p>If you live at home and your mom feeds you, doesn’t charge rent, and doesn’t charge you for utilities, that is like getting a $10,000 scholarship. Think about it. Lots of kids have to commute because of money. Mine did.</p>

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Then you need to either find a full tuition scholarship (you can look for some here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;) or stay close by.

So the only advantage this school has is it is out of state…

If it’s a public college, no you would not. A private college doesn’t care from a price viewpoint what state you are from.

This is just not true. They are probably thinking about whether you would have more options being an independent student. You would not be independent for education loans until you are 24, have a dependent (child or spouse) you support, or veteran of the military. And as happymom stated, you are only eligible for a $5.5K loan as a student.</p>

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<p>Just because you don’t mind getting yourself in large amounts of debt doesn’t mean you should. Realize that in college you may realize nursing isn’t for you and switch to a major whose job prospects pay considerably less (many in college do) making your loans significantly harder to pay off. Or you might find yourself in tens of thousands of dollars in debt with no college degree. This does happen.</p>

<p>For the record, I think i’m one of the younger regulars on this forum (i’m 23) and I understand your situation well. I was in it a few years ago. I decided to leave against my father’s wishes, and left again later, also against his wishes. Realize that just because you live at home doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time there. In my senior year when I commuted, I basically used my home to shower, eat breakfast, and sleep. The rest of the time I spent on campus, or out with friends.</p>

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<p>@happymomof1, that would cover the whole tuition, and my EFC is 0, the 5500 would cover more than 3/4 of the tuition, and the 11050 would cover it completely!</p>

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<p>You have more options for paying for college than you may think. One option you may not have considered is the military. You said you wanted to be a nurse. I’m not an expert here, but each branch of the military needs health care workers. There are programs where you enlist and are guaranteed the job they will place you in, or you get released from the service. Even if you are not trained as a nurse specifically but work in a health-care field that will give you exposure to medicine, something that colleges take into account when they choose who to enroll in their RN programs. There are also programs where they will pay for you to go to college but these come with longer committments to service after you finish college.</p>

<p>While in the service you’ll be able to save for your future schooling, take advantage of veterans benefits when you are out, and get some top-notch training for free. This is something you should not decide to do on a whim; spend some time looking into it and understanding the committment you make to the service (probably 3-5 years). On the other hand it gets you out and on your own immediately with a chance to travel and see the world on someone else’s dime. I know a few people that served in enlisted positions and then went on to college; one is now a very successful attorney, another an engineering manager. Both have often said they gained a lot of maturity while in the service, plus enjoyed the chance to live overseas.</p>

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<p>toriismiles -</p>

<p>Tuition is only part of the expense. You also have lots of random fees that everyone has to pay (student government, facilities, gym, athletics, you-name-it) and at some universities this adds up to more than the tuition. On top of that there are course-related fees that only some students pay. You can just about bet that each and every one of your Nursing classes will have a lab fee or a supply fee or something. If you take your car, it’s likely you will need to pay to park on campus even if you live off campus and only drive there some of the time.</p>

<p>Check the websites for the estimated Cost of Attendance, and carefully examine what that university is factoring into the COA. I bet that course-related fees aren’t even included because they vary so much by major. The parking fee might not be included because many students won’t need permits, etc. Call the department and find out what the course-related fees run to each semester for your program, and check the university bookstore website for the price of books and materials that you will need.</p>

<p>You also have to think about your living, travel, and personal expenses. Lots of websites don’t have very good figures for this.</p>

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<p>@happymomof1, that would cover the whole tuition, and my EFC is 0, the 5500 would cover more than 3/4 of the tuition, and the 11050 would cover it completely!</p>

<p>What OOS school only costs about $11k to attend?</p>

<p>Tuition is only part of the expense. You also have lots of random fees that everyone has to pay (student government, facilities, gym, athletics, you-name-it) and at some universities this adds up to more than the tuition. On top of that there are course-related fees that only some students pay. You can just about bet that each and every one of your Nursing classes will have a lab fee or a supply fee or something</p>

<p>What about Room and Board as well???</p>

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<p>I have to agree with the two moms here. There are a lot of hidden and attached costs to housing, and schools are really expensive if they’re public and OOS. Not trying to discourage you here, but let’s just look at some numbers and ideas. </p>

<p>A dorm room costs around 10k a year in my school along with the 11k tuition, so that’s 21k for a year at an in-state school for me. In all sincerity, no tiny room and shower is worth 10k, so a lot of that money goes to paying electricity bills, paying staff, and maintaining the buildings. </p>

<p>At an OOS school, housing may or may not be even more expensive, and tuition normally always is unless you’re in DC. Also, if you need to stay over a Thanksgiving or winter break, you have to pay extra money to help pay the limited staff during that time. Also, though they give you meal plans and possibly declining points for on - campus restaurants, you’re probably going to have to donate a good amount of money for food and such. (I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve made midnight McDonald’s runs because the cafe closes too early.) </p>

<p>So while going away in itself is expensive, there’s a lot to consider, especially if you’re going OOS. To be honest, living away is cool and all, but I find myself wandering back home often. (live decently close enough to do so) how will you be prepared to go home? If it’s far, you may have to book a flight, and that’s enough money in itself. </p>

<p>For now, I’d apply to both your OOS schools and in-state schools and apply for as many scholarships as you can. You usually need to make a decision by May or so, so hopefully you still have some time to figure everything out! </p>

<p>Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>If your parents are turned down for a PLUS loan because of terrible credit, you can borrow more under the unsubsidized Stafford loan program.</p>

<p>quote:
If a dependent student’s parents are denied a PLUS loan, or the college financial aid administrator determines that the parents are likely to be denied a PLUS loan, the student becomes eligible for increased unsubsidized Stafford Loan limits, the same limits as are available to independent students.
[FinAid</a> | Loans | Parent Loans](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Parent Loans - Finaid)</p>

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<p>If your EFC is 0, that means you don’t have to pay anything whatsoever. The school is free, but the plane tickets might not be. Your parents should let you go because they don’t have to go.
Me on the other hand, I’m going to a school that costs about 60,000 a year. I don’t qualify for aid because my parents make too much; however, they are paying 100,000 a year total for my brothers as well. They go to Georgetown and Johns Hopkins so those schools are more expensive. I’m leaving CA to go to Columbia in NY. That is like 65000 a year and my parents said they’d pay half, so I’m stuck with loans. I don’t care though because it’s my dream school. Based on your EFC your not paying anything and if you are then it’ll be very very minimal. Don’t worry. You won’t have loans like your mom, but your parents do need to support you financially for personal expenses like food if you get tired to campus food but not too much.</p>

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<p>^ I don’t know if it automatically makes you not have to pay anything. I think that just helps with gov’t grants, loans, and the universities’ grants. At least that was the case with some of my friends. (one had to still pay something for a better school) But usually, it does help you not have to worry!</p>

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<p>If your EFC is 0, that means you don’t have to pay anything whatsoever</p>

<p>That is not true and that’s dangerous to even suggest that because the student might actually believe that and go forward with that inaccurate info.</p>

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<p>What schools are you talking about?</p>

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<p>Actually it is especially for a school that costs 11000 like the asker is going to. I have generations of college students in my family. I kind of know what I’m talking about.</p>

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<p>But we don’t know for sure if it only costs 11k. That seems rather low, (or just a tuition price) and we have yet to confirm it.</p>

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<p>And also, most of us have college students in our families as well. That’s why we’re all here - to help other college students. </p>

<p>No one is here to attack anyone. We just want to help the OP and each other.</p>

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<p>*Actually it is especially for a school that costs 11000 like the asker is going to. I have generations of college students in my family. I kind of know what I’m talking about.
*</p>

<p>No, you kinda don’t.</p>

<p>I highly doubt that this OOS school has a COA that is $11k. that would mean very low OOS tuition, very low dorm, very low meal plan, low cost for books, and low cost for misc costs (fees, etc).</p>