<p>Move out, get a job, go to a CC for 2 years, transfer to your state flagship, get a good job, live your life successfully, and then call your mom and tell her to **** off.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes some colleges have a disaster fund. It is for students whose FAMILIES cannot pay for college…not for students whose families have the resources but will NOT pay for college. This family was a full pay at the school. To avail themselves of some kind of disaster fund, they would have to show that they had a severe financial crisis resulting in their inability to pay for college. That is not the case here.</p>
<p>Going to a CC for a while while you work is not as dire of an option as some people might think. Sure, it’d probably be pretty boring and might even make you feel like an idiot, but it’d also be pretty cheap and you’d get to work for a year or two to get some money and maybe even build up some connections before you’d finally just transfer to a real university. You might even get to transfer some credits.</p>
<p>You have no obligations to your parents at this point. They’ve basically cut you off from their lives - as well as from having a good life yourself - and you shouldn’t have to forgive them for that. I’m all for you telling them to “**** off” if you want to, since that’s basically what they’ve told you anyway.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It depends, at the college I work at, the criteria states that it is for any student who is enrolled for the semester and then their finances drastically change. As I said, it is a long-shot, but in theory if what she did was minor and her parents drastically cut her off for a reason that was not reasonable, she might be able to get it, or help from it. Obviously it depends on the institution and what she actually did, which none of us know. Did she spend 5 bucks that was meant to go towards her dorm expenses, or fail all of her classes last semester? We don’t know. </p>
<p>Again, it would be a long shot that her college has a disaster fund, and even a longer shot that she would qualify, but I am just trying to help her. A</p>
<p>Community college may not be a possibility in case OP is already doing upper-level courses. Also, many private schools (and OP is at a private) won’t take transfer credits from other universities - not easily anyway.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this will work but if you haven’t started your junior year yet you can transfer out. You should find a job somewhere to support yourself and save. For California, the application filing period starts in October (CSU’s) and/or November (UC’s). Work until you hear from all your colleges and then enroll at another university for the next fall.</p>
<p>At my school, tuition is only $6K. At the private university I applied to a few months ago, tuition was $30,000 (per year) like yours! I could not afford it, even though they gave me scholarships and loans. The overall cost was $40 a year. My parents were willing at first until I got into Cal Poly Pomona, which I feel is a steal for the kind of education they offer. My girlfriend had been waiting three years for me to transfer to her university, but I couldn’t afford it and had to enroll at another institution.</p>
<p>Going back to this school is not in your financial interest.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Finances for undergraduate students INCLUDE parent income and assets. This student’s parents have not had a change in their finances. It’s more than a longshot that this student would be able to tap into a “disaster fund”. I would venture it is impossible.</p>
<p>I do not agree with the above posters who are suggesting that these parents owe it to this student to pay for college. In some way, this student let these parents down. Whether we think this is realistic or not really doesn’t matter…it’s what seems to have happened. </p>
<p>I’m not sure why there are folks here who think that the parents OWE this student a $40K plus per year college education. </p>
<p>This student has posted here only about the intention to go back to her college. To be honest, other alternatives need to be considered. Going back and expecting the money to materialize from no where is not realistic.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Or - here’s a thought - the OP could take responsibility for her mistakes, make amends to her parents, and learn how to be a responsible adult.</p>
<p>I don’t think this student is in the situation of being cut off from their lives. She’s still living there, for example, and it’s not like she is supporting them, as another poster on this thread is with family. THere are some students whose income and contributions are needed/wanted by family, and there comes a point when a student becomes of age and has to decide whether it is more beneficial to strike out on ones own. Whether the student wants to continue the responsibility of providing for the family. Some adults, parents, people are just not able to pull it together, and when they are your family, there comes points in ones life where once can do better on ones own, and be in better shape to help out in true crises in the future, or just continue life as it is. It really depends on the individual situation, and it is something a person has to decide on his own.</p>
<p>That isn’t the case here. It’s a matter of the OP having run astray of family rules, when parents are paying the way, and they feel there should be some punishment for this. I can tell you that one of my kids came very close to getting his college support cut a few times, and would have, had the semester not been paid already. Sometimes, as a parent, you’ve just had enough. Sometimes, parents are unreasonable too, but it’s their money and there is no obligation to support someone who is now a legal adult.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to go back to your parents and ask for forgiveness and a compromise for this upcoming year since it is so late in the game and tuition is due so soon. What I would ask is if they would consider giving you a formal loan for your expenses. Write up a specific promissary note with specific terms, interest rates, repayment schedule, etc. Just as you would get at a bank. Tell them you love them and you know you messed up, and want to take responsibilty for your own actions, but since it is so late in the game and since they value their financial privacy, this way they won’t have to divulge their financial information on a FAFSA.</p>
<p>Today on CC: Rich kid complains that parents won’t pay for his tuition and asks other rich kids for advice. More details at 11. </p>
<p>In all seriousness, get a freaking loan like a normal person. See if your parents will cosign if not ask a relative. If you still can’t find a cosigner, go to community and save some money. This process might sound mind blowing now but basically every person who doesn’t come from money does this. To be honest, this isn’t the right place to ask for advice anyways. I’ve seen people here call themselves poor with a household income of $60k-$80k. </p>
<p>Welcome to the real world, please check-in at a the McDonald’s POS (hit special functions followed by “Time Punch.” Times may vary based on ISP.)</p>
<p>Don’t just head back to school and hope it will all work out. If you can’t make the tuition payments along the way, you can get into far worse shape than you are now. You may ruin your credit rating, making it impossible to borrow $ later and the government may also garnish your wages if you don’t pay your student loans.</p>
<p>I think you’ll probably need to take a year off. Find out if the college allows employees to attend courses at a discounted tuition rate and, if so, how long you have to work at the college to be eligible. If you are eligible immediately, think about taking ONE course while working.</p>
<p>My kid had a friend whose parents would not pay for college. She got a job as a nanny for a year. As a nanny, she did not have to pay rent or pay for food. Being a nanny can be a surprisingly well paid job, if you are willing to live in a major city and/or one of its suburbs. It’s a tough job.You’ll need references–if you haven’t done any babysitting and don’t have younger siblings, start now! My kid’s friend worked 5 days a week. She also worked just about every weekend at events for the EC she had done in high school. Everyone knew the situation, so everyone threw as much work her way as possible. </p>
<p>At the end of the year, she had enough money to pay tuition, but not room and board, at a top college. She explained the situation to the college. Believe it or not, there was a single mom who was a prof at the school who wanted a live-in nanny for an older child. Prof had to do some travel, for conferences and such, and also had some late nights. She hired my kid’s friend to live in. College agreed to allow this in the circumstances, even though frosh normally could not live off campus. She also worked on weekends she wasn’t needed, again in the EC she had done in high school. </p>
<p>She borrowed some $ too–no FAFSA in her case either. Five years after she finished high school she graduated from college with honors and was accepted into a top law school.</p>
<p>BTW, she didn’t make any major mistakes. Her parents just weren’t willing to pay for college.</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. Some of these people are being completely unreasonable, and the parents on this thread are immediately siding with OP’s parents… figures.
OP, if your relationship is destroyed with your folks, you could considering moving out, yes, and also getting that full time job. The 1yr absence seems to be the most reasonable solution, but after that, you still won’t qualify as independent and therefore you won’t receive financial aid from FASFA. So, tell your parents (after you pack up and move out of course), that if they don’t want to provide tuition money for you, that you’re going to legally emancipate yourself from them in order to receive financial aid. All the parents on this thread want you to act “like an adult”. Well, adults aren’t dependent on their parents. Leave those unsupportive jokes, your parents clearly don’t need you, so show them you don’t need them.</p>
<p>^hahahahaha!</p>
<p>Ridiculous, indeed.</p>
<p>dcath, Why would an adult need a legal emancipation from another adult? There is no such thing. Really.</p>
<p>I’m going to be honest. I am not siding with the parents although the fact that the student herself admits she did something big gives me pause. The issue isn’t whether I side with one or the other. The issue is that the more practical thing to do is see if there’s a way to work it out with mom and dad because, trust me, a year’s break (if the parents agree to pay for college after a year of sitting it out) will be a smaller price to pay than several years of the student trying to get through school working, with loans and juggling classes.</p>
<p>Whoa, there. Many of us are not siding with the parents but are simply stating the facts. Parents do not have to pay college tuition or support adult kids . (unless they are court ordered as some are in divorce situations). That is a fact. No one HAS to complete FAFSA, no one has to give any help for college or even give an 18 year old a place to live. We don’t have the parents’ side of the story, and we don’t know exactly what happened. All we know is that the parents have said, that they have had it and are not going to contribute to the OP’s college costs as they were before. It’s their right. There is nothing we or the OP or anyone can do about this even if they are being completely unreasonable about this.</p>
<p>It’s also a fact that students do things that parents don’t like, and there are lines that if crossed can lead to this sort of thing. SOme thing most all of us will agree requires a “time out”. Some things most of us will think this is too extreme of a consequence. For a lot of things, we will be mixed in opinions. </p>
<p>There have been many posts like this on the Parent’s Forum, where it has been the parents who are upset at their students action and are contemplating lowering this sort of boom. Most of us, most of the time, certainly myself, tend to say that cutting the kid off unless the deeds were truly dastardly, is not the answer though certainly within the right and power of the parents to do. But in this case, the given is that the parents have had it, and are taking the stance, and it is the student who has to deal with this decision.</p>
<p>It is possible that the parents will relent at the 11th hour. If not, the OP needs to be in position to make some decision. My opinion is that the OP has the choice fo getting a job and putting self in a position to be self reliant which means going to work without a college degree and getting such degree as s/he can afford it over time which is the way MOST people get their college degrees in this country, or the OP stays home and toes the line in hopes that parents cough up the money so s/he can go back to school and is careful to do as told to keep the parental support throughout college. Those are the choices as I see them.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: Because I am not a parent, my view is probably partially skewed and idealistic. I am merely trying to imagine myself in her situation and trying to figure out the plan of action I would take.</p>
<p>As I see it, Jennifer did not ask for advice on what she should do with her life, where she should go to school, and how to reconcile her situation with her parents. She seemed to be asking if anyone had an idea for how she could stay in her OOS college, support herself without her parents, all without taking a gap year or being forced to change schools or continue to try to solve the issues with her parents. For this reason, although of course trying to compromise with her parents is a great idea, and finding tuition money, funding for housing and food, and finding a job all in the next month may seem highly improbable of ever working out, I am trying to develop the plan of action I would take if I was going to continue at my current school without fiscal support from my parents.</p>
<p>First, I would, once again, contact the school. See if you can call the financial aid department directly, and make an outline of exactly what you are going to say. Often the way in which an inquiry is made makes the difference between administrators writing you off as another desperate student, and them understanding the horrible and unusual situation you are in. Stress the willingness you have to pay tuition as soon as you can create the necessary funds. Also, tell them how much you want to continue going there; it sounds like you are very committed to the school, and really want to finish your education there, so tell them this! Lastly, I know that some schools, such as Yale, offer an advantageous work-study program, and will set any student in need of school funding up with an on-campus job that will help pay tuition, so please inquire about this.</p>
<p>Second, you would need to find accomodations in your school’s city. Call up all your college friends who live off campus, and ask them if they would let you room with them temporarily. Close friends who have apartments off campus may be willing to let you share their space for a reasonable rent price, and, if they understand your situation, may let you hold off on paying Month 1’s rent until the end of the month, giving you time to hopefully aquire a paycheck first. If you are forced to pay up front, use the contents of your savings account, as paying for rent and food are equally as important as paying tuition. </p>
<p>Third, you need to find ways to make money. Assuming you are over 18, there are a myriad of possible sources of emergency income. Start with earning quick cash by gathering all your possesions from your parents’ house, and trying to figure out which unessential items can be sold on ebay or amazon or pawned for cash. Seriously, selling an ipod for 150-200$ can be a way of earning money on a very short notice. Sell all your old books, which can be worth a considerable amount added together, and post ads on facebook advertising your name-brand clothing articles that can be sold. If you have any jewelry or antique items, sell them too. Sell any bedroom furniture you do not need for your new accomodations; this can be worth a considerable amount as well. If you are truly willing to do whatever it takes to continue studying at this school, you will collect your excess clothes and everything else, and try to earn money from it.</p>
<p>Fourth, you need to find a real job. Yes, you may not have the career qualifications to earn you an extremely high-paying job with benefits, but do your research and find the highest paying job you can in the city your school is in. Again, tell the managers at potential places of work your situation, and make sure they understand your willingness to do whatever it takes to stay in school. Providing you are over 18, once you have some type of job, you will probably be able to take out some kind of bank loan, even if it is for less that 5,000 dollars. Talk to bank advisees at a bank near your college, and see if there is anything you can possibly do to borrow money. If they know you have a stable source of income, even if it is serving as a store-clerk in the local Gap, you are 100% more likely to acquire a loan. </p>
<p>Next, you need to move out. Providing your parents really will not forgive you, and are practically pushing you out the door, moving out at this point is probably the best idea, as I see it. Although the break will be difficult, remember that if you do manage to pull off becoming independent and staying in school earning a degree, your parents will most likely admire your determination and come around eventually. Jennifer, I hope that this information can help you succeed, and I admire your determination to finish school and earn a degree. I believe that success is possible in your situation if and only if you persevere, put together an emergency stash of money for unexpected challenges along the way, and provided you are not phased by those who will undoubtedly tell you no along the way. </p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck, and hope that your determination and headstrongness help you achieve your goals.</p>
<p>What makes me uncomfortable is the agitation that things have to be fixed right this minute. </p>
<p>Sure, there may be some courses that are only offered in the fall. OP may have to stay home, keep her halo polished and work like crazy to get back to her beloved campus in January – but, even then, she may be looking at another year of college – which is not the end of the universe. If she’s a sophomore, there are going to be plenty of important courses that are required for graduation that are not in the fall only category. </p>
<p>You might look in the closet or jewelry box and see if there is great stuff to ebay – if OP can come up with 10K to cover the fall quarter, then perhaps parents would reward a strong term with further support. </p>
<p>The best patch, for the moment, may be to ask parents to go to counseling together. I suspect there is a long history of blessings and second chances and the parents have reached their limit. Swearing up and down that “this time is different” is not going to help. But listening carefully and planning to do some serious penance might get one back to campus in January. That might be a workable path.</p>
<p>parents sound like they’re not flexible. screw that route unless you think that there is SOME chance for change.</p>
<p>is there ANY family member or family friend that would take you in for the year if you support food etc and maybe pay like a cheap rent? moving out and then paying rent somewhere as you live alone right out of high school sounds ABSURD and is also a waste. try transferring in-state which will lover costs considerably. you need to be strategic about this. if you get a job and can take classes at a community college nearby then make sure that you can get those credits to transfer (that way ultimately you can graduate in 3 yrs or 3.5yrs instead of 4 – if you end up paying your own way every semester is going to count). but first and foremost find some sort of mentor, guide, family friend, friend’s parent, etc. who can start to offer you advice on all of this because you need step-by-step guidance not interspersed suggestions from an online forum (which is helpful but can only be so helpful after the first step).</p>
<p>Your best bet is to try to reason with them. If you have no luck, then your either stuck with a big loan or you are stuck taking a gap year as was mentioned before.</p>
<p>Be thankful that they paid for part. My parents gave me a semester’s worth of room and board. the rest is up to me me me, and it sucks, but it is what it is. It is unfortunate that your parents dropped this on you so last minute though.</p>