Medical Expenses & FAFSA - Complicated!

Paying for College
1

<p>My daughter's situation is unique and I'm trying to figure out how to proceed.</p>

<p>Both she & I have had serious medical problems (Lyme disease). For her that meant she was seriously ill and bedridden for grades 8-10. She was able to get a little high school credit through our district's Home Hospital program, but not much.</p>

<p>Thankfully, she recovered last year and we decided that, rather than try to catch up at high school, she would start taking classes at our local community college. She just completed her first year - 25 units with a GPA of 3.95. She is almost 17 and, had she not been ill, would have been a college freshman in Fall, 2012. She'll get her GED when she turns 17 1/2.</p>

<p>She is bright and hard working, with aspirations to be a pediatrician. We all feel that it would be good for her to go away to college next Fall, since she lost her social network when she became ill. So, it appears to me that applying as a transfer student at a private college is her only option for Fall 2012, since she will not have fulfilled the transfer requirements as a Junior yet, nor completed the required high school classes.</p>

<p>We've been looking a small liberal arts colleges on the west coast. Her first SAT scores just came in: Critical Thinking & Writing - both 660, Math - 620. She'll take the ACT in the fall and probably retake the SAT too.</p>

<p>Our Adjusted Gross Income for last year was 65,000. This year it will be about 20,000 higher, since I qualified for SSDI and got a two year lump sum back payment. Our medical expenses over the past three year have been astronomical and we have paid zero in Federal and State income taxes. Unfortunately, we also had to spend our home equity and the money we had put away for her college. </p>

<p>Our medical expenses will be high for the foreseeable future, due to my health problems and we have no money to help with college at this point. According to the FAFSA we will have an EFC of $10,000 or more, which we cannot pay. I have read other posts about different colleges having different policies with extenuating circumstances.</p>

<p>Should I contact each college she is looking at before she applies to find out if they would consider a full financial aid award or go ahead and apply and figure out the financial aid details later? There are about 7 to 9 possible colleges that she might be interested in.</p>

<p>She is bright and has been through so much that I would really like to help make this happen for her, but don't want to get her hopes up if the financial realities will make it impossible. She can stay at the community college for another year and transfer to a public school as a junior, but that's another year of hanging out with mom & dad in our small town and she is craving a social life.</p>

<p>Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Medical expenses are not included on the FAFSA form. These are considered a special circumstance. I would strongly suggest you contact the colleges your child is interested in and see how they deal with these special circumstances. Every school has its own procedures for doing so.</p>

<p>You also need to know that schools that do not meet full need, may not do so anyway…even WITH your medical expenses. Some schools are better endowed and have more money to give to students than others. At this point, your daughter’s SAT scores are good but they are not in the tippy top range that most of the very generous schools would consider for admittance.</p>

<p>Here is something you should do. If your daughter will be completing two full years at the community college, please…go and speak to the advisors AT the community college. Many community colleges have articulation agreements with four year schools. This means that if a student completes their CC requirements satisfactorily, they are automatically admitted to the four year school. MANY students leaving community colleges are “non-traditional” meaning that they might have a GED or no high school diploma…maybe reentering college after years out of school. If your daughter’s community college has articulation agreements with schools, you might want to check those out to see if they will fulfill her interests. I know that our community college has articulation agreements with ALL of the public universities in this state plus a few private ones. It’s worth checking!!</p>

3

<p>For the best financial aid…this is how I think you should proceed.</p>

<p>She needs to get some kind of high school diploma from somewhere, so she can apply as an “incoming frosh” even if she has some college credit…it makes a difference for aid.</p>

<p>Right now…she’s in limbo…and if schools consider her a “transfer student”, she 'll typically get much less aid. </p>

<p>So, look into some kind of online high school situation where she can be working towards her high school diploma. </p>

<p>I may not be explaining this well, so hopefully others will chime in. The “rules” (so to speak) are that a high school student can take college classes and still be considered an incoming frosh (best aid/merit). But, if she takes college classes when she’s no longer a high school student, then she’s a transfer student and gets much less aid.</p>

<p>Others…help me explain this complicated situation.</p>

4

<p>If the college courses are for high school credit and NOT college credit, it won’t matter when admissions time comes. If the community college courses are for COLLEGE credit and not high school credit, it WILL matter…and the student will be viewed as a transfer student. She also wants to be careful not to take TOO many courses as some schools will not admit her if she has taken well in excess of the two years of cc courses. This has been a stated problem here by others.</p>

<p>We know a homeschooled student who took cc courses for two years prior to his 18th birthday. They were for college credit…not to fulfill high school requirements. He was considered a transfer student.</p>

<p>Some schools with articulation agreements with community colleges DO offer financial aid to transfer students coming from the community college. This is something this family should look into.</p>

5

<p>Oh dear, feeling very discouraged! It looks like I should get on the phone with the schools we are thinking of. She will have 55-60 units, so not likely to be considered a freshman.</p>

<p>Why less aid to transfer students?</p>

<p>Any recommendations of how to boost her SAT scores on a second try?</p>

<p>Any advice is much appreciated!</p>

6

<p>No…I think Thumper may be mistaken.</p>

<p>I know MANY kids who come in with 60 CC credits as “incoming frosh”…the state of Washington does this. Those kids graduate with a high school diploma AND an AA degree…but, they are still considered “incoming frosh” for aid and merit purposes.</p>

<p>At my kids high school…the kids who “finished” all high school math requirements, did dual enrollment for Cal II and Cal III. They didn’t need those for high school…it was purely for college. But, it was done BEFORE the high school diploma…so they kept their “incoming frosh” status.</p>

<p>The trick is that they got all those credits BEFORE being handed a high school diploma. </p>

<p>Your D should be fine as long as she gets her high school diploma…and then goes to college…without doing any CC classes “in between.”</p>

7

<p>Why less aid to transfer students?</p>

<p>A school’s ranking is influenced by its “incoming frosh” class’ stats. So, a school wants to attract the frosh with the highest stats…so the most money is thrown their way. The school doesn’t benefit from transfers…so no incentive to be generous.</p>

<p>But…since your D doesn’t have a high school diploma yet, she should be ok. Hook her up with some online high school situation and get her diploma this year. In the meantime apply to colleges this fall…as an incoming FROSH…even tho she’ll have CC credits that she got BEFORE she got her HS diploma.</p>

8

<p>She will most likely be a junior when she transfers. Small, private colleges have flexibility to help as they choose to/are able. Establish a good relationship with the admissions officer at the school(s) she likes. Explain the situation & ask for assistance in figuring out what to do. Schools that practice enrollment management may “want” her & may be willing to be creative in helping you finance the school.</p>

<p>Also make sure you add financial safeties. Some public schools have honors scholarships for transfer students, and the scholarships often include admission to an honors program. I work at a large public U that has full tuition honors scholarships available for a handful of CC transfers each year … students who have overcome the odds, like your D, are particularly attractive. She needs to tell her story, as it may be beneficial.</p>

9

<p>She will most likely be a junior when she transfers.</p>

<p>She may have “junior standing”…but if the credits were earned prior to getting a high school diploma, she will still have '“incoming frosh” status for merit and aid. </p>

<p>I can point you to kids who post on this forum and 3 of my nieces who graduated from Washington High schools who were handed HS diplomas and AA diplomas at graduation. Yes, they had “junior status” for “standing”…but for aid and merit purposes (and reporting purposes for their great stats!!!), they were “incoming frosh”. </p>

<p>They did not apply to college as “transfers”.</p>

10

<p>thumper, I’m not sure that’s universally true. I think it must depend on the school and OP you should ask the schools your D is applying to. I took classes at my CC and U of M for university credit, not high school, and I was not seen as a transfer student, even though I started my first year (right after hs) as a junior.</p>

11

<p>Okay, I’m going to look into high school diploma options for this year. She did take the California CHSPE test already to get her out of the legal requirement to attend high school.</p>

<p>I looked at the SAT section of this forum and see ways she could boost her scores - this was her first try - however, with a full load in the Fall and if she takes on on-line diploma requirements, it hard to know where her efforts will be best spent.</p>

<p>To clarify - if she got her on-line diploma somehow this year, she could be accepted as a freshman next fall AND get her college units counted as well? (or at least most of them?)</p>

12

<p>If she took the CHSPE she may be considered a HS graduate. She needs to discuss her particular situation with the admissions offices at the colleges of interest. They really are the only people who can tell her how her particular situation will be evaluated.</p>

13

<p>

</p>

<p>NOT EVERYWHERE. You need to check the specific colleges. At many places, her junior standing would make her a junior transfer student. </p>

<p>I’m with Happymom…discuss this WITH the colleges. If she enrolls with junior status, she will not be a FRESHMAN…and she may not be eligible for freshman aid.</p>

<p>I still have to wonder why you think her ONLY option is a private university. It sounds like you are from CA. The CA community colleges, I believe, have excellent articulation agreements with the Cal States and UC schools. Why wouldn’t you look into those? Check to SEE if they offer aid to students coming from the community colleges.</p>

14

<p>Thumper - the reason we are only looking a private colleges is because she will not have enough units or classes by next fall to be a junior or meet the IGETSC (?) transfer requirements. As I read it, none of the public schools will accept her as a transferring sophmore. Please correct me if I am wrong. We would all be happy with a UC campus, which she will apply to the following year, if this doesn’t work out.</p>

15

<p>If she takes 18 units each semester, she would reach 60 units, so therefore she could apply to a UC campus? If so, would they look at her SAT scores or just her GPA? Our community college has agreements with a few UC campuses, but probably not her first choices.</p>

<p>Though she may have the units, she will not have the lower division classes they recommend for her major (biology, chemistry or bio/chem). Is this a factor is admissions criteria?</p>

<p>I will look into the financial aid at those public universities as well.</p>

<p>so may thanks for all your help!</p>

16

<p>maria, i apologize if this was already mentioned to you, but definitely check out scholarships for students with lyme disease. she may be in a relatively small pool of applicants to be awarded a scholarship/s. my niece has systemic lupus and she has done this. i’m sorry that you and your daughter have had so much to deal with. God bless.</p>

17

<p>The CA community colleges work with CHSPE students all the time. The counselors at her school should be able to help her sort everything out so that she can apply to the CU and Cal State systems.</p>