<p>So I'm currently a Junior and the topic of college comes up with most adults I speak to. However, its rarely with my single mother. Every time the subject comes up, she just says that I will be attending community college and then the University that is closest to home. Her reason is that she won't be able to afford living costs for college, so she doesn't want me leaving out of state or up state (I live in Florida). As a result, I feel as though all of those AP's and hard work that I've accumulated over the years have been for nothing, and if I get into the school of my dreams (I'm considering MIT), I'll have to turn them down because of our 'financial troubles'.</p>
<p>So how do I go about talking to her about this? Every time I do, she is always one sided, and does not consider other options.</p>
<p>Everything’s different from when your mom went to college (if she even went to college) so it’s your job to inform her about all of the financial aid, scholarship opportunities and grants. </p>
<p>Sit down with her and have a mature conversation about the colleges you want to apply to and why you’re so passionate about them and explain that your financial troubles most likely won’t hold you back. And if you don’t already, add some financial safeties to your list or ones that provide a lot of financial aid. Good luck.</p>
<p>Investigate ways of getting financial aid, scholarships, etc. Do you have a job? If not, you may want to consider getting one. If you’re a National Merit Finalist or Semifinalist, you can get a full ride/good scholarship to a lot of schools.
Some top schools offer pretty generous financial aid, so you may want to look into that. </p>
<p>Does she have any other reasons for not wanting you to go out of state or up state?</p>
<p>@katastrophic my parents were from a different country and didn’t attend college there, so I will be a first generation college student.</p>
<p>@caughtintraffic I’m sure there are other reasons such as not wanting me to leave home in general.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice!</p>