To keep a very long story short, my dad makes a lot of money (>$300k), and my mom doesn’t. My relationship with my mom is terrible and today she convinced(?) my dad that he should no longer pay for college because of my poor grades. (2.9 major gpa/overall)
I go to an ivy that charges tuition based off of family income. So if I were to take out loans for the next 3 semesters I would probably have $70k-$90k in debt. I could probably graduate a semester or two early.
I do not know if they will cosign any loans. I believe I have some sort of credit score because my name is on a credit card they help refill every month.
Agreed. Talk to your dad. What does he want you to do? Presumably tuition was paid for this term and you can stay until break, but after that you’ll have to withdraw. Does he expect you to go home and work? Switch to a cheaper school? What did he expect should happen next?
Don’t restart whatever fight led him to cut you off. Be curious and respectful, and ask for guidance in making your future plans.
Worst case is you go back to school at age 24 when parent income is no longer considered for financial aid.
Yup, talk to your dad. (and kiss up if there is something you’ve done lately besides grade issues that has pissed him off). You really can’t pay for this yourself. Colleges look at parent income, and will until you are 24. Tell him your options are to drop out, or ask him to please continue to fund your education.
I’d like to suggest that you commit to better grades, but first I’d like to know your major. If you are a STEM major, unfortunately, lower GPAs are often the norm. In any case, for your own sake, come up with a plan for better grades. Use your college writing center, get tutoring, don’t overload on classes. Get the textbooks ahead of time and study over summer and winter break for the upcoming semester. Attend all classes, and review the material for the lecture ahead of time if you can so you are getting a refresher and more in-depth info from the lecture, not just seeing it for the first time. Commit to going to the library nightly to study – if you hang around your apartment or dorm, you might not get to it.
They may have more of a financial obligation than they think - depending on which school, they may be contracted for the rest of the academic year for some costs.
In terms of your GPA: what about the factors that you can directly control? are you attending / participating in class; doing assignments with care and on time; using resources such as tutoring centers; getting enough sleep to do good quality work? If not, is it realistic to think that you will change?
You’ve got to negotiate a deal with dad. Maybe agree to earning a certain GPA and if you don’t, you have to pay him back the tuition money. Otherwise I think you should take out the loans (if you can get them) and finish. The debt stinks but your chances without that degree are worse.
Agree with many posters above.
Are you trying your hardest? If not, what will you do differently?
If yes, tell your parents you are working hard and trying your best, but your school is hard. In the final analysis, a degree from an Ivy is what people will be impressed by- they won’t ask your GPA (unless you are planning on a very competitive graduate school, in which case it will matter). If you are doing well enough to graduate, your parents can know all is okay. (How well do you think George W did at Yale???)
@collegemom3717 this is absolutely NOT true. The student will receive a bill from the Ivy school…and frankly, the school doesn’t care who pays the bill. The bill for,the spring semester will likely need to be paid by someone n December. The parents don’t sign a contract saying THEY will pay. No one does that. The school sends a bill.
This student needs to talk to his or her parents now. If the parents really won’t pay the spring semester bill, or co-sign the 35,000 Loan she will need…then perhaps she will need to request a leave of absence to resolve the financial issues.
The student needs to ASAP discuss options with parents.
They pay IF her fall semester grades are above say 3.2 or something.
They will co-sign a loan for her to the tune of $30,000 plus.
She takes a leave of absence for the Spring term to work, save money so she can return in the fall. This might nit work because she will need a pretty decently paying job to pay that fall bill by the time it comes due.
Student transfers to a low cost public university in the spring semester. Maybe parents will pay that a,pint. Sure it will mean an extra semester, or year of study to get a bachelors, but it’s an option that should be discussed.
Now to the OP…I’m guessing this is NOT a surprise. Your parents are paying $65,000 a year plus for your college education. Your grades don’t meet their bar. Did they discuss this with you at all…because we did with our kids! They attended expensive private universities, and we were very clear that if their GPA fell under 3.0, the would be coming here to attend a less costly college.
Did this decision not to pay for college come out of the blue, perhaps as the result of a heated argument with mom, or were you aware they had some minimal expectation/requirement for your performance in order to continue funding your education? If they truly will not pay next semester, it’s not likely they will co-sign a loan. Talk to dad and work this out.
Typically the GPA requirement by parents is 3.0, sometimes 2.8 in some stem fields.
Did you know about the GPA requirement from your parents? What was it? For how long?
What did you do to meet it (IE., did you prioritize class above all else?)
Do you have a scholarship, are you full pay?
What is the reason for the 2.9? A 2.9 is very bad as Ivy’s are known for grade inflation. You parents feel that you are wasting your expensive opportunity.
Can you do a study abroad for a semester at less cost that will earn you some credits toward your degree, or are you without any savings of your own?
Do you have any sympathetic relatives (maybe paternal grandparents) you are close to that would gift you money for the upcoming holidays to help you cover a gap?
I don’t think there is anything wrong with sharing goals and details with close family members. Simply sharing what you are working on isn’t divisive. Sometimes they will have ideas to help - maybe free airline tickets through points, etc. My parents have friends around the world, so picking a country with a family friend that can recommend a program, or provide transportation or housing could also make study abroad more doable.
My parents routinely gift my kids cash at Christmas. If my kids found themselves in a bind there wouldn’t be any qualms about telling a grandparent over lunch they are working on a plan to study abroad for the upcoming Spring Semester. What the total is, how much they have saved toward it, how it moves them toward graduation.
People can’t offer to help if they have no idea what needs may be.
Slightly away from main point, but don’t count on study abroad to help with GPA. Some schools give you the credit but not the grade. Some carry the grade over, but grading is tougher there than here. Suggest fixing the problem here. Sounds like OP needs a conversation with parents that includes explanation of grades and a plan to do what they expect.