<p>ok.. the problem is i want to become a lawyer and i dnt have my parents here to help me.. n fincancial aide i need a parent or guardian to help.. but i have no guardian. so the best way to do what i want is become a paralegal and it cheaper.. but i spoke to alot of poeple and they said to got and become a lawyer the a paralegal.. and thats what i want to do.. but its tooooooo expensive.. what should i do? give me some ideas on what i should do..</p>
<p>Why do you need a parent to help you become a lawyer? Also, are you saying people are telling you to go to law school in order to be a paralegal? You phrasing is unclear.
You can get scholarships and loans to be for law school. A lot of people go without parental help.</p>
<p>Why do you need a parent to help you become a lawyer? Also, are you saying people are telling you to go to law school in order to be a paralegal? You phrasing is unclear.
You can get scholarships and loans to be for law school. A lot of people go without parental help.</p>
<p>I think OP is saying that law school to become a lawyer is too expensive to cover without parents, and so he/she is wondering if he should become a paralegal instead, since it is cheaper.</p>
<p>A lot of people manage law school without their parents, by taking out loans. Why not try that?</p>
<p>To be honest, I wouldn't recommend either. My mom is a paralegal, and neither she nor the lawyer she works for are ever happy. They're always stressed out and yelling at each other.</p>
<p>Plus, with the economy the way it is, clients are less willing to gamble their money away on suing others. My mom says she could be out of work soon, and she's been working there for nearly two decades, but then again she is quite the pessimist.</p>
<p>ok.. i thank you all for the reply... but i am only 20 years old.. and in the state of florida you have to have a parent sign all the paper work for u and the only way u could put yourself as an independent if u get to the age of 24 years old.. i went a school last week by where i live and they told me i needed to find another way to start school. i live on my own n i dnt want to be under my parents wing.. i want to be for myself by myself.. is there another way i could get into college without parent signatures.. if u know any places in south florida please let me knw... thak you...</p>
<p>that is tough. did you have to get a signature for undergraduate financial aid? I think the law with the magical 24 years of age cut off can be really tough on people.</p>
<p>I think what OP means that for FA purposes he is still considered a dependent student (which he is until he is 24, gets married, serves in the military, has a dependent who he pays for more than 50% support for, completes a first bachelors or becomes a ward of the court before 18).</p>
<p>The crux is Op is 20 years old, lives on his own without parental support and wonders why his parent's income and assets be taken into consideration when applying for FA?</p>
<p>Let your parents fill out their part of the FAFSA, you fill out your part. while you may not be eligible for need based FA, perhaps you may be eligible for either subsidized or unsubdized loans, which you can use to pay for college.</p>
<p>I've also heard for law school, you are still considered a dependent student if you are under 30. Is this true?</p>
<p>the thinf is my parents are not with me and im not planning on getting married or going to the military or having a child.. i just want to go to school before my lazyness kicks in.. meaning before i get old and forget... n the whole 30 year old thing i really dont know about that. im goin to look it up and find out..</p>
<p>When considering how much financial aid to award to you, most law schools will consider your parents' income until you are in your late 20's and often 30 years old, regardless of whether your parents are actually helping you pay. Despite this, many law students put themselves through school by taking out massive student loans and without any help from their parents. These loans are available to law students who have very good credit histories, so you should make certain that yours is as strong as possible. In addition, while you might receive a preferential interest rate on a private graduate student loan if you have a guarantor (often a parent), it is typically not a necessity for receiving the loans.</p>
<p>Now, if you are considering putting yourself through law school, then you do have to make yourself aware of the how likely you will be to find a job to enable you to make payments on those huge student loans. The jobs with the biggest paychecks are available mainly to students at top law schools and top students at more regional law schools, and these jobs often require a tremendous number of unpredictable hours at work and travelling for work. Yes, there are loan forgiveness programs at some of the very top law schools for students wishing to work in the public interest or at other low paying jobs, but there are very severe restrictions on those requirements (as has been outlined on this board in the last few months), spousal income is taken into account in determining repayment amounts, etc., and they are indeed available at only a handful of law schools.</p>
<p>ok... SALLYAWP... or anybody out there that knows what sally is talking about... could give me more info on how and shes talking about...</p>
<p>to paraphrase Sally (and add in some of my own ideas):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>even if your parents don't live with you or support you, law schools will ask you to tell them your parents' income when you fill out financial aid forms.</p></li>
<li><p>Most law schools will let you borrow the full cost of tuition and living expenses, so if you get in you could go to law school whether your parents help you or not. But especially since you are young and probably don't have much of a credit history, you may find that the interest rates on the loans you are offered are very high, especially without a co-signer.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are able to borrow enough money, you should be very cautious about taking on the high level of debt required to attend law school. Not everyone who graduates from law school gets a high-paying job. In fact, at lower-ranked schools, most people don't get particularly high-paying jobs. </p></li>
<li><p>Even if a school tells you they have loan-forgiveness programs for people who take low-paying jobs, be cautious. At many schools, they don't have enough money for everyone, or they limit what types of jobs you can take, or they have other restrictions.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Well said, stacy.</p>
<p>I think everyone has missed the biggest point here: he wants to go to law school, so he needs to have an undergrad degree. Once he has that degree he is an independent student and will no longer need his parents info, or anyone's for that matter.</p>
<p>And to the person asking about being under 30 for financial aid status, 24 is the cut-off regardless what schooling you pursue. Of course there are the other items which can make you independent as well (kids, married, etc).</p>
<p>So, I think the OP really has no idea what they are talking about as any FAO at a law school, or any school for that matter, is going to know the specifics of Title IV funding.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Once he has that degree he is an independent student and will no longer need his parents info, or anyone's for that matter.</p>
<p>And to the person asking about being under 30 for financial aid status, 24 is the cut-off regardless what schooling you pursue.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is completely inaccurate information with respect to law schools. Please look at the various law school websites or call the law schools you are interested in attending for additional information on their financial aid policies. I assure you that you will have to report your parental income on your financial aid forms for law school until you are in your late 20's and often 30.</p>
<p>In regards to Title IV funding parent info is not required once you pass 24 years of age. Now, if the law school wants that info to determine scholarships/grants may be a different story, but with the availibility of $20K plus/year in Stafford loans and Grad PLUS loans anyone with even marginal credit can get 100% financing.</p>
<p>On top of that, all FAO's can make exceptions with certain circumstances, such as parents are not in the picture (with a vaild reason). I have worked in the Title IV field for several years and deal with FAO's quite frequently, so my information is accurate based on federal guidelines.</p>
<p>We all agree that loans are readily available to law students to fully fund their educations. However, the costs of tuition, room and board at most law schools exceeds by a good margin the amount available to any law student through federal student loans. For private student loan programs, the student's credit history will be incredibly important in determining the availability and interest rates of loans. </p>
<p>Loans are available. No one is questioning that. Federal loans are available up to certain maximum amounts. Grants and scholarships based on financial need are based entirely on financial aid forms required by law schools that, in most cases, will require you to include your parents financial information on those forms until you are 30 years old. </p>
<p>Therefore, the original point, that it is entirely possible to go to law school without any help from your parents is still true. Many people do it every year. The crux of the problem is that taking the amount of loans necessary to attend law school may not be advisable depending on the type of jobs that will likely be available to you and the type of jobs you wish to have. Law schools will determine your financial need beyond federal student loans by considering the law student's and the law student's parents' income.</p>
<p>My law school costs 22 thousand dollars A SEMESTER. The $20,500 per year available to borrow in Stafford loans isn't going to touch that--not to mention living expenses! And even if the OP can get GradPlus loans for the rest, he might have so much debt it's impossible to pay off with the type of jobs he can get out of school.</p>
<p>Most private law schools cost more than $20K, not sure about the UCs though.</p>