My Mom Screwed me over, Can I still qualify for FAFSA?

Paying for College
21

Most college students’ choice of college is based on cost considerations, not academic or other (e.g. athletic) credentials. Yes, it means that your choice of college is based mainly on your parents’ (financial) circumstances and choices, not your own achievements.

Also, note that BC, BU, and NEU all require financial information from both of your (presumably divorced) parents, so you may not have had any chance of financial aid at these schools anyway if your (biological) father is not financially cooperative.

22

Have you looked at CC to 4 yr options? It might be a good option for you.

23

A daughter has a friend who was in a somewhat similar situation, although actually a bit worse. The friend went to community college for two years, did very well, and is now at one of the Universities of Massachusetts that is close enough to home to commute. I think that she also got a merit scholarship to the nearest U.Mass campus. She is solidly on track to graduate with a marketable degree and manageable debt.

This might be a path for you to consider.

24

First of all, the FAFSA is not a source of funding; it’s just a data collection tool that assembles your financial information in one place; colleges then use that information to determine your financial aid eligibility. What financial aid they will actually offer based on that information will vary from school to school.

For now, what you can do, to get a better idea where you stand, is to put your family’s new financial information into the Net Price Calculators for a few schools that interest you. Here’s one example https://www.umass.edu/umfa/sites/default/files/netprice/npcalc.htm but every college has one. You can try running NPC’s for the most generous private universities like Harvard - that’s not a realistic target of course, but it will give you an idea of how much you’d have to pay at the absolute most generous colleges. You can compare, say, Framingham State to UMass.

It may be that Massbay to UMass will be your best plan, considering that you’re not excited about the schools you can get into with your current stats. There’s little point going into debt for a school you’re not excited about, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting in community college.

If you’re particularly focused on architecture, your stats are fine for MassArt, which is public so relatively affordable for in-state students. It has a BFA program in architectural design, and cross-registration with other Fenway-area schools like Simmons and Boston Architectural College.

If you want to take a gap year, just make sure you are clear as to whether you want to preserve your status as a freshman applicant. At most universities, any college coursework after high school graduation - even a single community college class - will make you a transfer applicant, and there’s less merit aid available for transfers. If you’re going to go the community college route anyway, then there’s no harm in getting your feet wet; but if you’re going to try to leverage your sport to get into a 4-year school, you may want to protect your freshman status.

You mentioned Minnesota as a possibility. You won’t get any need-based aid at public universities there (unless your relatives there include a parent? You can’t establish residency by living with non-parent relatives), but you might try running the NPC for St. Olaf College. https://wp.stolaf.edu/financialaid/net-price-calculator/ It’s an truly excellent school that would be a high-match/low-reach for you; they have DIII track and they meet full documented need for all students. If the out-of-pocket cost you get from the NPC looks affordable, it could be one to consider - it’s the kind of school that would be impossible to get into if it were near Boston, but there’s a bit less competition to get in because not everybody wants to go to MN. (If you found it really appealing, and affordable, they strongly favor early decision applicants and have EDII.) They have strong pre-architecture advising and coursework. It may be that your family income vs. actual resources will mean that full-need-met schools like this still won’t be affordable, but it’s worth checking it out for proof of concept. You could apply this year and, if accepted, still defer enrollment and take a gap year to regroup and save up some money.

Good luck; sounds like there’s just a lot of reality hitting at once, but you will figure it out.

25

So you’re saying if I apply the year after I graduate, I would be a transfer student? My main plan was to graduate, so I would have more time to do SATs and ACTs, as well as bring up my GPA and trends. If I apply after I graduate, but do not take any CC classes, wouldn’t I still qualify as a freshmen student? I don’t think it is necessary to go to CC with my current stats. Now with a 3.8 weighted average, a 1320 SAT score, and a track captain, four year varsity athlete, and founder of a club, I think schools like BU, BC, and Northeastern are possible, but reaches. Those are schools I am most interested in, I am just concerned in how expensive they are. I thought that if I were able to raise my SAT score to above a 1400, and have a weighted GPA above a 4.0 for senior year, as well as have D1 level track times, that those schools would be more realistic, and I could qualify for more scholarships. I also should mention that I have family and connections that went to all of these schools, and other great schools in the area.(Dad went to BU and ran track there on full scholarship, still holds records. Is not financial supporting me, but I still have a relationship with him, and would likely write a rec. Aunt went to BC for masters and undergraduate. Cousin just graduate from BC as well. Grandfather is now past away, but also graduated from BC. I was also baptized at the Catholic Church on BC Campus if that would help my case in anyway. Mom attended Northeastern, but dropped out. Aunt got graduates at Harvard, probably not relevant, but her and her husband work in government, and could get me connections for internships or letters of rec possibly.)

26

BU BC and Northeastern will all require the CSS as well as the FAFSA. The CSS will include your father’s financial info too, even if he isn’t supporting you.

Whether you are a transfer will be up to each school. BC, for example, considers you a transfer if you have taken 9 credits after hs graduation. "A transfer applicant is any student who has completed minimally nine credits prior to the admission deadline for the semester they wish to apply. " Other schools have different requirements.

BC and BU do not have a lot of merit scholarships. Most aid is need based aid, based on the CSS.

If you aren’t ready to go to school in fall 2020, do more research. Research whether there is a legacy ‘bump’ for admissions, and what is a legacy (often aunts and cousins don’t count).

27

Even if Aunts and Cousins don’t count, wouldn’t a letter of recommendation from somebody that graduated from the school help regardless? A big part of why my cousin got into BC was because of legacy. I believe he had a GPA in the 3.0-3.4 range and and SAT score around 1100-1200, only difference is he payed close to full tuition, although he is very successful now, working a job making close to 100k in Boston. He worked extremely hard in college, which is what I’m willing and intending on doing.

28

I think I should mention that my Grandfather was born in Ireland, meaning that I can qualify for Irish citizenship. I will have to research that more, but if I could go to school in Ireland I would be very willing to do that.

29

I cannot find any schools that say a student with a High School diploma qualifies as a transfer. Most schools only qualify students as transfer if they have taken college level courses. Northeastern only considers students transfers if they take a semester worth of college courses. This leads me to believe that my best option is still to graduate, then apply in the fall next year, but not take CC classes. As for financial aid, I am going to discuss with my guidance counselor in the coming days. I also have hope that I could achieve a D1 level scholarship in track & field, as that is a genetic factor I have in my favor, and I am a late bloomer, so I still have a lot of muscle development in the coming years.

30

If you take a gap year without taking any classes, you will not be considered a transfer student.

BU, BC and NE are not only reaches…they are very, very expensive. What can your parents contribute to your education? I would not count on any merit money to these schools.

You are not the first person to have to consider costs in your college decision. This is a reality for most. Your best bet right now is to commute to one of the state schools you mentioned, or to spend your gap year working on your test scores and attempt to get some merit money…but don’t expect it to come from a school such as Northeastern. You are going to have to go much further down in selectivity and attend a school that you may not have heard of before. Nothing wrong with that…but you will have to adjust your way of thinking about college.

Lastly, your mom didn’t screw you. She took care of you for 18 years and deserves to be happy. Even if she didn’t remarry…you don’t have the stats to get accepted to schools that meet full need, and many/some would require the info from your dad.

Good luck.

31

My thought is that a junior college with a track program would be a solid and affordable route. My suggestion is not based on your academic stats, but on the combination of stats + financial constraints (extremely important in college considerations).

First, while you have good stats, they’re not in the merit scholarship range that would make 4 year university affordable. From the tone of your posts, it sounds like you’re going to get little or no help with paying for college, and merit aid is needed not just desired.

Second, while a gap year might give you opportunity to take more SAT/ACT tests for a higher score, you’re going to be applying with the same academic record and GPA that you end high school with. Mathematically, it is highly improbable that, by the end of your senior year, your unweighted GPA is going to be significantly improved, and colleges aren’t going to be disproportionately impressed by your ability to get a high score on an insular test(s) that tests your ability to take that test. A gap year should be about doing something meaningful, and impactful. And/or, about saving money to pay for college. There are options where junior colleges have dorms, and sports team, and where you might get a full ride. So, you could work, and pocket money for when you transfer.

Third, if you really want to run track in college, a gap year is not advisable. If D1 schools have not recruited you by now, it is highly improbable (not impossible, but they’ll have made their commitments by the time track season rolls around) that you’re going to get senior year offers/commitments, let alone post-high school interest. And, it’s likely that you’ll be too old for AAU track once you’ve graduated high school, so where would you compete to demonstrate that you’ve reached D1 capability? Schools aren’t going to take your word for it.

Going to a junior college might very well turn out to be free for you, with your stats, and would allow you more time to develop, while remaining recruitable, IF you reach D1 times/marks. It would also give you the opportunity to perform at a higher level academically. You said that you’re willing to work hard(er) in college, and that’s important. Results matter. Not what you’re willing to do, but what you actually demonstrate.

Finally, I’d like to echo the sentiment that everyone else has. Financial aid was never going to be a magic bullet for funding college for you, so your mother getting married didn’t take something away from you that you had a right to expect. And, your future is in your hands, not your mother’s. As someone above already mentioned, college selection (and I’ll take it a step further and include post-high school direction, period) is, more often than not, about what you can afford. You’ve got viable options. They may not meet your desires for today, but as a young adult, you have to realize that we don’t always get what we want, when we want it. Still, you can have a future that results in a college degree.

32

THIS. And random LORs from alums won’t help unless maybe, if (a) they know you personally very well and can speak to your unique gifts and talents and how that makes what you bring to the community a special fit for the college AND (b) they are VERY generous donors to the school.

33

Franklin Pierce is small, yes, but you also have the potential for merit aid there. They also do a great job supporting students with any kinds of issues that might interfere with learning (your anxiety, for example). But yes, it’s small and in a rather isolated place.

@twoinanddone how easy will it be for this student to be an athletic recruit after a gap year (and not a deferred enrollment)

34

Well obviously my cousins and Aunts know me very well. As for donations, well I don’t think my cousin or aunt could really contribute anything of value to BC or Harvard…

35

My financial situation may be better than I thought. And my plan is to reach out to D1 coaches myself if I put up D1 level times, to inform them that I intend on taking a gap year. If my times this year are impressive enough to compete at a competitive D1 school, then that is proof right there.

36

If I could get into BU or Northeastern, I would have to deal with debt, but not as much as I initially expected. It may be worth it in the long run, but I think a school like UMass Amherst would be better because I would save so much more money. With my stats UMass Amherst isn’t a far reach for me, although I likely wouldn’t be able to compete D1 there, which really isn’t a deal breaker for me. Ultimately I just want a degree, and later on I could maybe get a masters at a private school in Boston.

37

Are your mother and stepdad willing to cosign PLUS loans for you? If they can’t/won’t pay ~$20k/year (or more) out-of-pocket, I wouldn’t assume that they’ll borrow it for you (and then your brother when the time comes). Why would they go from $0 contribution to taking on ~$160k of debt?

38

@bostonkid617 Regarding Irish citizenship, you are referring to obtaining your birthright citizenship. My husband’s family obtained this several years ago (via Italy) and it took a total of 7 years (5 for the first person in the line, 7 for each family member to receive their citizenship papers). I cannot speak to the specific process for Ireland, but I suspect, like the Italian process, you would need to prove the ascendancy (birth/death certificates from your grandfather and child of his who is your parent). That likely means proving where your grandfather was born in Ireland, and that he is your grandfather. Do you have those documents handy? Once you do, then you will need to deal with the process within the Irish government. Sometimes the consulate in the US will suffice, sometimes you would need to deal with the government offices in the country you are seeking citizenship for. Point being this is a very lengthy process. Countries don’t hand out citizenship papers without a very good reason.

Yes, both Italy and I believe still Ireland are seeking to grow their population because they lost about half of it through periods of intense hardship (late 1800’s to early 1900’s), but you can’t just show up and declare yourself a citizen because a relative was born there and immigrated to the US.

All that being said, being an Irish (or other EU country) dual citizen has its advantages at SOME European colleges. My older children (Italian dual citizens) looked into this a bit. The college admissions process is very different in Ireland, but there are several excellent colleges. Trinity College in Dublin is the most elite college thee, and you’d have to look it up, but the tuition is significantly lower than most private colleges in the US. Being a nonresident you would not qualify for ‘in state’ tuition, which most Americans would call dirt cheap. You would not qualify for any aid. As a financial move, this is not an option for you. Far better financial options in the US, via junior college or a CC.

Through reading all of these posts, it seems to me that you have been assuming all through high school that paying for college was not going to be a problem for you; you expected, because of your single parent household, that government aid would pay for the whole thing. You were wrong (even if your mother did not remarry), and now that is hitting you. So you are trying to find other ways to not have to pay for college. You are not the first to have this problem. A stronger academic record would have perhaps solved this for you, but you didn’t achieve that, and even a fabulous SAT is not going to fix your relatively low GPA.

You have been given a lot of excellent advice, and I am afraid you will need to give up on the notion of huge amounts of aid from schools like BC, BU, or NU. You don’t have what they are looking for, minus your going to junior college and really rocking your track season and winning a D1 scholarship. My son’s close friend won a D1 scholarship to one of those schools for track; but he also represented his home country in the last summer Olympics, so he was pretty good. Even he sweated getting a full scholarship. That’s a tough but doable road if you think you have not reached your full potential yet. You’ve got a year to spend every day working on that, and best of luck if you choose that route.

39

Most D1 scholarships for track are small, unless you’re one of the very best runners in the country (or world). DS was told he could run for UT-Austin. All they could offer him was “books” - about $1,500 a year. The coach explained that they have a very limited amount of scholarship funds for runners. It’s certainly not enough to make a difference in which school you can afford to attend.

40

To build upon what mainelonghorn said, full rides in track and field are rare…even full tuition awards are uncommon.

TNF is an NCAA equivalency sport, meaning most athletes receive a partial scholarship (a team’s total scholarships are divided among all or a portion of team individuals).

DI and DII teams can give out 12.6 full scholarships (and some TNF teams are not fully funded…meaning a school further limits the number of scholarships the coaches can give out).

With an average TNF team size in the mid 30’s, most individuals are receiving a scholarship that is a small proportion of total COA. Those getting relatively higher scholarships are state/national/world class athletes and/or athletes who are competitive in more than one event.

If you want to be recruited you should be contacting coaches now, and filling out each school’s online recruiting questionnaire.

Regarding debt…undergrads can take out $27K in total over their 4 years…anything above that will be on your parents (which as many have noted up thread, is generally not recommended).

Lastly, a number of posters have asked whether your bio dad is in the picture…please advise on this as that is important information to know.