<p>I don't know what to do. I'm a fairly expensive college out of state and I now have no phone (parents stopped paying for it) (luckily they didn't take my laptop back) and 300 dollars to my name. I really do not know what to do. They already took out loans for this year so I think I can stay next semester but I don't know what I can do come fall. I can't pay for this on my own and my parents aren't willing to help me. If it wasn't for my grandmother, I would be homeless. She said she'd help me (take out loans and what not with FAFSA) but everyone is saying she's not allowed to because she's not my legal guardian. I guess my question is, am I going to have to drop out of school because I don't see any way I can continue to go here?</p>
<p>I hate to ask the obvious but what happened to cause this issue with your parents? If there is some way to mend fences, this might be the time to do so. </p>
<p>Other options would be to take time off, work full time, save money, and finish your college education when you can afford to pay for it yourself.</p>
<p>What happened?</p>
<p>BTW…your grandma can’t take out Parent Plus loans, but she can take out private loans and she can co-sign Sallie Mae loans.</p>
<p>however, taking out huge loans is not the answer. Can you transfer to a school by your grandma and commute to a school there?</p>
<p>They disagree with something about my life that I can’t really change. I don’t really care to get into it beyond that. But I guess I may have to just quit school. Or another option that has been given to me is to possibly join the military which I guess is the best idea for now.</p>
<p>Try to find an inexpensive college close to your grandmother’s home.
Don’t join the military, unless that is something that you found attractive earlier.
Consider community college and try to find a job in the summer to help make ends meet.
Help your grandmother out with chores, so that she can benefit from your presence.
With time your parents may come around.</p>
<p>If you need to leave school, look into taking a leave of absence while you try to work things out with your parents.</p>
<p>A very wise therapist advises that no one should make a major life decision in the middle of a crisis. Deal with the crisis first. This may mean reaching out to campus mental health/student support. Also go to financial aid and figure out your status for next semester (for instance, your parents may have signed loan papers for next semester but are there bills to be paid on top of the loans? </p>
<p>Concentrate on figuring out 1) the rest of this semester and 2) the winter break and 3) spring semester. Don’t go talk to a military recruiter until you have those 3 pieces figured out in your brain. </p>
<p>Deal with finishing this semester with the best grades possible. That will be the best launching place for whatever next step happens. Ice skaters do this all the time – they will touch the wall or bench before they go skate. This is “parking problems” – and they go skate to the best of their abilities. Then they finish the routine, come off the ice and touch the bench again to “pick up” life’s problems. </p>
<p>Finish this semester strong. No matter what, that is a good plan. </p>
<p>Your options are going to be partly shaped by how far you are in your college career. It’s one thing to get grandmother’s help to finish one more year – but it is a different picture if you have three years to go. </p>
<p>You do also need to be honest and mature about grandmother’s offer. Right now the economy is in the toilet. It may be years before hiring is strong again. If you are an engineering or math major, then you may not be too worried about gaining employment when you graduate. But it is a hugely different picture if you are getting liberal arts training – you may be looking at a number of years of scrambling after graduation. </p>
<p>Right now you need more information. You need to talk to the financial aid office and understand what they can and cannot do for you. You need to know what recent graduates in your major are doing, job wise. Then you can start deciding if you need to change to a cheaper college or change majors. </p>
<p>For heavens sake, don’t freak out about the phone. When I was in college one of the men’s dorm had one land line for 300 guys. I’m not kidding! You called the hall and whoever answered would go pound on the door of the guy you wanted. You can survive without a phone. That is the least of your worries. </p>
<p>Gather information. Finish the semester strong. Then start with the hard choices. Please be wary about putting grandmother’s life on the line because you “want” a degree from an expensive place. Insist on knowing her finances and what loans will do to her life before you go that route (and anyone can give you money. They don’t have to be your guardian). Good luck.</p>
<p>thank you guys for all the advice, I’m trying my best to figure this stuff all out.</p>
<p>No one should be taking out student loans anyway.</p>
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<p>Zanger, certainly no one should be taking out excessive PRIVATE loans to pay for college.</p>
<p>BUT I don’t agree with your comment. Our kids took out the Stafford loans…those are STUDENT loans (in the name of the student only). It was their part in paying for their college expenses.</p>
<p>In the case of the OP, she is a student at an out of state university. The maximum stafford loans as a dependent student will not pay her costs.</p>
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<p>We’re not all lucky enough to be able to afford/have parents that can afford a school.</p>
<p>Based on his other 13 posts, zander seems to have a very one-sided view on student loan debt. Did you take on too much debt or know someone who did? If so, please realize this is NOT the norm…most people take on a reasonable amount of educational debt, and manage to pay it off within 10 years without having collections after them to do so. Irresponsible people take on too much debt, often combining it with credit card debt and car loans, and often blame “the system” when they have problems. That doesn’t mean that no one should borrow money to get an education that will enable them to earn a decent living.</p>
<p>Listen to Olymom. One step at a time. Strong semester = good grades which can only help the situation. Figure out winter break (grandmothers? anyone you/she knows might need some help then? Babysitting, giftwrapping, whatever), check on spring semester, figure out spring break (grandmothers?). When all that is in place, start the plan for next year. Go talk the the actual financial aid department. Apply for scholarships. Apply for part time/short term jobs if you can.</p>
<p>Give your parents some time. They might change their minds. I wouldn’t necessarily count on it, but it might happen. Any siblings you can talk with to gauge the emotional temperature? If it’s going to send everyone into a tailspin, don’t do it, but if it would help give it a try.</p>
<p>You can do this. One step at a time.</p>