<p>So my parents divorced five years ago (I'm a high school senior now), and I don't receive any of my mother's income (I'd consider her estranged). My dad made $36,000 last year, and my mom had a job for a few months by the time she filed her taxes (~20,000/year). My dad owns a business, which lost $50,000 last year (small business). We (excluding my mom) have a house that we bought six years ago when the family business was doing well. We bought it for $315,000, its value has gone down to 290,000, and my dad owes about $250,000 (I'm not sure about that- I'm just estimating). I also have two sisters, aged 20 and 12.
With the financial situation that my family is in, it would honestly be a miracle if we could afford to pay $3,000. Of course, there are loans, but I want to avoid taking $20,000 loans. As far as merit, I have a very rigorous HS schedule (the hardest one out of everyone in my class), and a high gpa (4.8); however, my sat scores are pretty crap- 620CR,640M,720W ;570USHistory,740BioM. So my scores make it look like I can only write and know biology. I'm going to try taking the ACT, but I don't know how I'll do on it. :/</p>
<p>Also, so there any way for me to not have to include my mother's financial info.? She's made it clear that she has no intention of helping me with college, and I haven't received any of her income since I was in seventh grade.</p>
<p>You don’t know how you’ll do on the ACT??? Have you tried taking a practice test? Given your family finances, I’d suggest this isn’t something to take a chance on - compare your performance on practice tests for both the ACT and SAT and take the test that works best for you!</p>
<p>You may be able to get a waiver of any requirement for your mother’s info based on her estrangement from the family. Some schools that require noncustodial parent info would probably grant one; others might not. If you stick with schools that just require FAFSA, it won’t be an issue at all . . . but those schools tend not to offer very generous need-based aid. The more generous schools are the ones that require the CSS Profile.</p>
<p>I suspect, though, that the bigger issue is going to be your father’s business. Even if it’s losing money, many schools will consider it an asset for purposes of determining your eligibility for need-based aid. This is likely to be an issue at all the Profile schools. And the difficulty is that it’s almost impossible to figure out ahead of time how they’ll assess the business. The schools’ net price calculators (NPC’s) will be almost useless for this purpose. The NPC’s just aren’t detailed enough to give an accurate read where there’s a family business.</p>
<p>I’d strongly suggest that you focus on schools that award merit aid. Best of luck!!!</p>
<p>I’m always amused when people complain about how terrible their SAT scores are. I think there’s a skewed perspective on these boards. You say your SAT scores are “crap”. The national average according to the College Board is 496/514/488. So while your scores won’t get you into an Ivy, they’re certainly high enough to qualify you for merit aid at many schools.</p>
<p>If you’re a senior now, you have limited time to take tests, so I agree with doing practice tests first to see whether the ACT is a good fit for you. You also need to explore options. Is starting at a community college then transferring a viable option? Are there any schools close by where you could commute for the first year or two to save money?</p>
<p>Look at the posts dodgersmom pointed you to. Look at the schools that offer great merit aid, and find the ones where you are in the top 10-25%. That’s your best bet for getting money.</p>
<p>Take both the ACT and SAT and practice them. Take them SOON! </p>
<p>Merit is usually based on M+CR. Yours is a 1260. I think you’ll do better on the ACT, but be sure to practice the Science Reasoning section first, so it won’t surprise you. Don’t panic, the answers are in the charts. </p>
<p>What state are you in? Some states have better aid for low income students. </p>
<p>Once you tell us which state you’re in, we can better recommend schools for you.</p>
<p>What is your major? Are you pre-med?</p>
<p>The type of schools that your stats fit don’t likely require your mom’s info. Most would be FAFSA only or CSS schools that don’t require NCP info. </p>
<p>I have no clue as to how your dad is paying that mortgage on that low income. Is he in danger of losing the house?</p>
<p>does your mom pay child support for you or your little sis?</p>
<p>I also need a college with really good financial aid. I looked at Holyoke’s net price calculator, and they had my EFC at 7,000, which is REALLY high. Like it would be a miracle if my family could afford $3,000. I’m also not very likely to get a lot of merit awards since I have pretty crap SAT scores (720 W, 620CR, 640 M; 740 BioM, 570 USHistory). I am taking the most difficult classes possible in my high school</p>
<p>Ok…looks like you are looking at schools that consider NCP income. However, your mom’s income is so low, they probably won’t expect her to pay anything. That said, your bigger problem is that your dad’s business earns enough that the NPC think he can pay more than he can. </p>
<p>Unless a school like Wes, MHC or similar offers a great aid pkg, you need to consider other schools as well. </p>
<p>You mention med or grad school. You don’t need to go to a “name” school to get into med or grad school.</p>
<p>Yes, but they will take the state of the business balance sheet into account if you provide it. If your assets in the business are very low or you owe a lot on them (so the net worth is low), you can provide that to the colleges who are asking and it helps. I did that last year – my assumption is always that the FA people are not all accountants, and I may need to spell out the implications of the numbers I am providing. Which I did (politely) and it helped.</p>
<p>Agree that (1) studying to raise your test scores if you can/taking the ACT if your practice tests look better, (2) looking at some FAFSA only schools, and (3) asking for waivers for the non-custodial parent info at CSS Profile schools are all valid approaches. Also, colleges do assume you are working summers and probably part time during school to pay some of your expenses (at least a few thousand a year). They may give you work study money to get a job on campus, but they do have that expectation. Also… while it is nice that you don’t want loans, people who have NO resources for college don’t usually have that luxury. It is very difficult for a student from a low income family to come out with no loans. So you want to consider going to a college with a good track record on graduating students and major in something that will allow you to pay the loans back.</p>
<p>Two issues: getting the admit and getting the aid. Plus the limited time to figure this out. Because of the need to very quickly get your bearings, I’d say, if you are serious about MHC, call and speak with fin aid. You can use the biz and NCP as a starting point for questions. (Agree, the NPC is likely off.)</p>
<p>You may need a way to document the estrangement. I like intparent’s idea that they are not all accountants. Sometimes, providing organized info both helps them understand and can provide some assurance you are not just trying to pull a fast one. Politely - and smartly- done, of course. Best wishes.</p>
<p>If the your ACT/SAT score is the only barrier for landing a nearly full ride, then allow yourself to consider taking a Gap Year after high school. This would give you more time to bring up your test scores, and to save some money of your own to put toward your first year expenses. Just don’t take any college classes at all during that year, so that you retain your status as a freshman applicant.</p>
<p>Raising ACT/SAT scores is not rocket science. This just requires practice. Go to the exam prep forum, and read through what Xiggi has written about it.</p>
<p>You can apply to the “meet full need” schools this year, and if none of them works out, take a gap year, study your tail off, retake the ACT or SAT, and then apply to the merit aid schools. Yes, it would cost you a year (during which you could work, by the way), but the financial savings (over four years of college) could be HUGE!!!</p>
<p>No community college during the gap year, though. That would ruin your standing as a first-year applicant, and you need that to qualify for most merit aid.</p>
<p>While the OP has labeled the mother as “estranged” it’s doubtful the courts will. It seems to be based on the OP not receiving any support $ (when his mother makes $20K, less than half of the OP’s dad, and the dad has the house).</p>
<p>All our colleges gave us NCP waiver although I rec’d child support, but this was a lifelong ‘estrangement’. I don’t see that in this situation it is a given that the colleges will consider that. OP you will have to declare your mother’s income when asked unless the colleges accept a NCP waiver that you file with each college. They will usually not waive income just because the parent doesn’t want to pay. For FAFSA, you only put your father’s numbers, though.</p>
<p>$7,000 per year is a very good price for Mt Holoyoke, Does that net price assume you are taking out full Stafford loans.</p>
<p>$7,000 per year is a very good price for Mt Holoyoke, Does that net price assume you are taking out full Stafford loans.</p>
<p>that is a good question. If the $7k doesn’t include loans, then the student has a fighting chance to cover those costs.</p>
<p>If the estimated aid already includes full Stafford loans, then it may be impossible for the student to come up with that money.</p>
<p>That said, the dad’s business income isn’t properly computed using the NPC, so schools may estimate a higher amount once they see his numbers. </p>
<p>I’m wondering if the student’s $36k estimate is based on what the dad “nets” after all of his business deductions and taxes? And, as I mentioned earlier, can’t see how the dad is paying a $250k mortgage on that income, while raising the OP and a younger D.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you meant “colleges,” and not “courts,” since the latter are utterly irrelevant to a college’s decision whether or not to grant an NCP waiver.</p>
<p>The OP has described her mother as not only unwilling to pay, but also estranged. We’re not privy to the details, so it’s presumptuous to assume that the OP would not qualify for an NCP waiver. She might, or she might not . . . but that determination will be up to each college based on much more detailed info than what needs to be shared in this forum.</p>