<p>Hi! I'm PoseyLynn and the reason I am posting in the parents forum is because my parents won't let me go to a full tutition scholarship competition. My dream school has already given me enough guarenteed aid that will cover 2/3 of my tutition; and they invited me to go on campus for a day and write an essay and do an interview to cover all of it. I've never actually visited the campus, but we drove through it once and I loved it! They have all the majors I want and really love the surrounding city. There is a bad neighborhood a few miles away, but the crime rates for the immediate area are low.</p>
<p>The problem is, my dad recently got a bachelor's degree but no one will hire him for what he majored in and he's really bitter about it. My parents are making it impossible for me to do anything but a community college by refusing to fill out the FAFSA, not letting me go to the competition and not letting me get my license or a job. They took me out of all of my extracurriculars, and are talking about freezing their credit. </p>
<p>If I bring any of this up to them, I get accused of causing drama. I tried to get my grandma to talk to them but she hasn't mentioned anything to them. There is a college about 15 minutes away that I have been accepted to and is cheaper than my dream school, but I don't like the idea of commuting every day. I really can't picture myself happy there. It's a much larger school than I am used to. </p>
<p>Maybe your parents can’t afford to pay for room and board so they want you to attend the school you can commute to. They might not want you to get your hopes up if you won’t be able to attend anyway.</p>
<p>Can you get to the scholarship interview by some other means like public transportation?</p>
<p>If you do get the entire scholarship, will it be a merit scholarship not contingent on FAFSA or other parental financial aid forms?</p>
<p>Do you have the stats to pick up an automatic full ride merit scholarship from the sticky thread list at the top of the financial aid and scholarships section of the forums?</p>
<p>I feel like if I went to the scholarship interview via public transportation, they would call the police on me because I am not yet 18. I know I will have to take out loans and I plan on doing work-study. The scholarship will be renewable as long as I live on campus, attend all 4 years, and participate in 2 extracurriculars.</p>
<p>There is job discrimination for older people. If you are older and have no experience in a field it is hard to get a job. For young people just out of college it is a lot easier. Are you saying they don’t value a degree because of your father’s situation?</p>
<p>Do you have a guidance counselor or a teacher you trust (and potentially, that your parents trust as well?) Maybe a phone call from another adult to encourage them to let you at least attend the scholarship event might work.</p>
<p>Yes. I kind of live in a “dead” area for new jobs. They do not care about networking, or the prestige of the school I go to. My dad doesn’t have any experience in his career field and he never lived on a college campus. No one in my immediate family has gone to college immediately out of high school. My parents don’t trust anybody. I would ask my band director to help me but they hate him, and my guidance counselor is kind of flaky. (I asked her to talk to one of my friends because he was depressed and talked about wanting to die but she never did.)</p>
<p>Room and board will cost $10,000 a year, or more. You can only take a $5500 Direct Loan in your name for freshman year. How will you pay the balance? What amount WILL your parents pay annually for you to attend college?</p>
<p>In addition to room and board costs, you will also have personal expenses and books/supplies. Many students use work study for these expenses. You don’t get work study up front…you have to work and earn the money first.</p>
<p>And there is no guarantee you will even be eligible for work study OR receive a work study award.</p>
<p>I think you need to discuss this with your parents. My gut feeling is they are worried about the overall costs of you attending this “dream school”. Even WITH a full tuition scholarship, you will still have to fund in excess of $10,000 and I’m guessing that is the minimum for room/board. Even with the direct loan and $4000 from your parents, you are still a small amount short. You need to have a plan for that shortfall. It sounds like your parents are worried about the overall finances…and they are right.</p>
<p>Discuss with them the total bill.</p>
<p>And also tell them that IF you can’t get the money needed, you will walk away from this school. Do NOT try to guilt them into paying for this school.</p>
<p>Can your grandmother take you to the scholarship event? she seems to be suppotive and your parents won’t be too mad with her, probably. Then gradually discuss with your parents. Wish you best of luck.</p>
<p>To me, it sounds as though your parents can’t afford the costs not covered by the scholarship. Perhaps they just can’t carry this financial burden right now (X4years).</p>
<p>I suggest sitting down with your parents and having a serious talk about how much they can afford to contribute per year towards your college education.</p>
<p>If you win the full-ride scholarship your worries will be over. Having said that you need to do whatever it takes to get to the school for the interview. Unfortunately you have parents who don’t understand the bigger picture so you have to rely on your own instincts to do what is right for you. Go for it!</p>
<p>btw - the police won’t respond to a request to prevent a kid from going to a college interview. Do not let that stop you.</p>
<p>What school is this? ? I know that there are schools where if you are not with in commuting distance, that require you to live on campus freshman year, but I have not heard anything like this. I am curious to know what school requires you to live on campus to scholarship consideration</p>
<p>Probably not Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute but I know they have the same requirement for on-campus housing. Extracurriculars are not required but meal-plan is.</p>
<p>What are the actual chances of winning this scholarship and what happens if you don’t. Sounds like mom and dad can’t afford the students dreams and know it, thus they are pointing toward a CC.</p>
<p>Posters are right- even a full tuition grant leaves you with a host of expenses. Most of us worry about how to cover college costs, how our kids will fare and what their futures hold. If your Dad pursued his degree and now can’t connect to the sort of job he wants, I imagine the angst is pretty heavy.</p>
<p>Many of us are also somewhat leery about “dream” colleges. We don’t know what college this is, even what state, whether its educational opps make it a must-have, or even your ideas about a major. So often, we parents talk about the values of starting at a cc, doing your best, and possibly transferring later. Some states even have guaranteed transfer programs to the flagship or other schools.</p>