(Parents won't help, any suggestions) what to do?

Parents Forum
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<p>If I was placed in foster care though, wouldn’t I then have to wait until I did turn 18 to be independent. Therefore i’d be living with foster care parents, or most likely a relative which could easily be my “aunts or uncles, or grandparents” which all agree with my parents on basically everything? Even then so i’d be at a home stuck for the next a little over half a year until I turn 18. I really do see though where you are coming from, as i’d be 100% sure then i’d have a home to stay with food and such and authority saying i’d then “have to get help with education”. I just don’t see me being able to go to the college or doing really anything if all i’m doing is getting basically “new legal guardians” though for a said amount of months. Unless you mean all this just so I can have others sign an drive me?</p>

<p>You’d be placed in foster care and enrolled in high school. You can tell the authorities NOT to place you with relatives because they will “back door” your parents into your life. </p>

<p>Once you’re in foster care, you are independent. Immediately. You’re a Household of One…right away.</p>

<p>It sounds like you’re distracted by the possibility that you’d have to go to high school for a short time. Don’t let that stop you. You don’t need to go to college right this minute. You need the basics first anyway. You don’t want to waste your limited Pell Grant money on pre-college level classes anyway. </p>

<p>Don’t let some silly notions prevent you from making the right decisions now. You need to contact the authorities…Child Protection, principal at the local high school, etc…to get the ball rolling.</p>

<p>You need to stress that you can’t be placed with relatives because they “agree with your parents” and will do what the parents want instead of what’s best for you. Even if you got put with relatives, a weekly visit from the social work would EXPOSE any of their antics and then you’d get moved.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the luck! Also I didn’t see the other persons opinion in that way so thank you for possibly clearing that up. I do realise that this will only get me ideas an such in my head and I myself will have to take the steps with it all set in mind. I was particularly mind blank as I first posted though, but thanks again to you too.</p>

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<p>Musicz- I do not know what state you are residing in, but as a Social Worker, I know in my state it would be extremely unlikely for a 17 1/2 year old child to be taken from a home and placed into Foster Care without significant proof that the child was in danger if he or she remained with the parent. Your state may be different, and I encourage you to use the internet to go to your state government’s website and then onto the Health and Human services (or similar title) tab to learn what the state is obligated to do for you.</p>

<p>I admire your desire to become independent and advance your education. It may be that when you turn 18, you won’t have as many legal roadblocks preventing you from achieving your goals.</p>

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<p>This info from the finaid.org website might be useful. It explains the criteria that might allow you to get a dependency override for financial aid, even if you are not able to become independent by age 18. </p>

<p>It appears that this is not common nor easy, and seems to be up to the college to decide, but your circumstances might allow you to qualify. </p>

<p><a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid;

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<p>What state are you in?</p>

<p>My sister is a Director of a private foster care agency in Calif (and has worked in LA & Riverside counties’ foster care). I’ll talk to her today to find out what may be the best route for you.</p>

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<h2>In reply to pretty much all the posts and as well entertainersmom, I say first thank you. I also would like to point out I currently live in the state of Texas. I also was not at the beginning looking to become independent as much as I was looking for any way to continue what I had planned without falling into a “hole” so to speak. The college I wish to attend is around the only person I can trust, yet they are also not of age yet and around my age. (Also in high school) If I was to attend high school ever again as I had a horrible high school experience as i’m sure many might of had, but i’m meaning family an bully wise, I would only attend their high school so I know atleast somebody. I don’t see how that would work so that information can be ignored if it changes up everything for the worse or distorts the image of what i’m trying to do in anyway. (trying to not be confusing, just stating if i’d absolutely have to go back to high school) </h2>

<h2>Back to other things</h2>

<h2>I do see why everyone believes I should contact authority, I will most likely talk to someone at the public school for help an discuss my options unless I come across some other options as well. (if there are any) I do not believe one of my options though would be; staying near the college/taking the GED there/going to high school at my place of choice/or even living remotely near any of these places at all. That’s if I chose to ask authority. As you can all probably see i’m just very sketchy about the route I take. (I do realise there are many options in life I won’t be able to choose to my liking for the best, however this being a huge decision and will affect the rest of my life i’m looking for one that has the best options towards what I have planned)</h2>

<h2>I’m more than likely to see if my legal guardian can be changed, and therefore I will have a co-signer for mostly everything I need. That is if I cannot become independent. (which wouldn’t be for said amount of months anyway)</h2>

<p>Also as much as I realise this may take time, i’m quite intent on making it happen as fast as I can.</p>

<p>I’m taking in everyone’s opinion and I’m very thankful for the help and ideas so far.</p>

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<p>To mom2collegekids, I’m currently living in Texas.</p>

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<p>Thank you harvestmoon. I’m trying to be very wise with my decision here as you said. Precaution after precaution to make sure I do the right thing. I was looking forward to attending in January, however if I absolutely have no way to do so and possibly find better choices to still attend. Then i’m willing to try. I do know it won’t work here at home though, so if that means doing what I can to attend there. I’m more than thankful for all the help an ideas that everyone is posting to me. :)</p>

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<p>Don’t count on a co-signer. Many can’t qualify…or they can only qualify the first year. Or they decide that they can’t continue co-signing for later years because of their own needs (buy a car, home, etc).</p>

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<p>Ok…as an independent student for financial aid purposes, if the EFC is $0 the student would qualify for. $5600 annual Pell grant, and I believe $9000 in Direct loans in her name. </p>

<p>OP, the college that is miles away is only a good choice if you can pay to attend. Taking a bus each way at $100 a trip is not affordable.</p>

<p>You have received excellent suggestions here regarding help. I would add the following. Any chance you can move to a city where a good community college is located. Get a full time job there and rent a room in a home (far less expensive than renting an apartment). Work full time to pay your living expenses and take one or two community college courses in the evenings. I know it doesn’t sound ideal, but it would move you on your way towards getting a college degree. Community colleges typically have open enrollment, so anyone can take classes. Perhaps you can find a two year course of study that will lead to a job. Yes,it will likely take you longer than two years to get there…but it’s a possibility.</p>

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<p>That’s understandable, but despite me not really having anyone to co-sign it’d only be until I turned 18 If i’m not mistaken. On the other hand i’m not much into depending on anyone to help in that way either. Unless it was someone I could absolutely trust without a doubt.</p>

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<p>I don’t know the laws in Texas, but…</p>

<p>Her local high school would be the one to contact. *They are supposed to handle these things. *They start proceedings by contacting the DA.</p>

<p>The girl can always call the child abuse hotline… And tell them that her mom hasn’t put her in school for the last couple of years… They may open a referral to investigate neglect.** They may assume if mom or dad isn’t putting her in school there may be other signs of neglect as well.</p>

<p>In regards to putting her in foster care,* in Los Angleles… Just not putting a kid in school would not be enough to remove a child.** We would look for other signs of neglect and abuse to remove from the home. Likely, if parents aren’t sending their kids to school or home-schooling, then they’re neglectful in other ways as well.</p>

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<p>despite me not really having anyone to co-sign it’d only be until I turned 18 If i’m not mistaken</p>

<p>???
what do you mean by that? Turning 18 will not qualify you for loans, and it won’t qualify you to sign for apartment leases w/o adequate income.</p>

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<p>Hey thumper. Okay… If I qualify for that much grant and loan money then I could afford to not only go to college but live somewhere for said 2 years. It was estimated by FAFSA that i’d already qualify for around $9000 in grants alone. (not loans) </p>

<p>I was not intending to mean i’d take the bus to the college but only to possibly get there and have everything worked out in some sort of unknown manner to have housing and a job as mentioned. </p>

<p>I also was not aware of finding a house with a room to rent. Are you possibly meaning for me to rent a room in a house around the college so I then would have plentiful left over money from the job and loans to spend on the classes i’d be taking?</p>

<p>If so that does sound like a working possibility, however I’d have to look to see if there is even a place to rent a room. Also it’d have to be relatively close to the college due to me not having any form of transport to and from. Although i’m sure I could work something out with the family. I have no problem with renting a room like so.</p>

<p>The reason I do choose this community college is that it has everything i’d want to take for my future job/career, including all the basic classes I’d possibly need to take. It just appeals to me and that is also why i’m set on this community college. I do understand i’d need to keep the job even after I got out of college though to possibly move further in education to a better degree or job.</p>

<p>Thanks for that input, hopefully I didn’t take any information in the wrong sort.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids- oh no I must be looking at it from a totally different point from you. You’re completely right about that with no doubt. I’m meaning possibly when I turn 18, and if I was to still continue with plans on being in college by then. I’d be able to have far more choices with what was mentioned correct? sorry for being confusing.</p>

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<p>Musicz, your numbers don’t sound right. The maximum grant you can get in Federal aid is $5.600 per year. Any further grant would have to come from the college. I suppose that is possible, but community colleges don’t usually give them. In addition to the grant you are eligible for a loan.</p>

<p>As for your original questions and goal with this thread, no one here can force your parents to drive you and to help you get an apartment. So people here are trying to look at the bigger picture and see what alternatives you have. </p>

<p>Also, you will need your parents to fill out the financial papers until you are 24. That is why it makes sense to look into becoming declared independent before you are 18. So then you could just rely on your own tax returns for FAFSA. Once you are 18, this window of opportunity may be gone and you would need to petition for the dependency override mentioned above. </p>

<p>It makes a lot of sense to talk to the proper authorities about what can be done for someone in your situation. Find out your options. Keep your mind open to possibly attending this year of high school, because it may help prepare you better for college.</p>

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<p>(Brownparent)Ah my numbers could easily be wrong with no doubt there, however I do have an email i’ll grab an paste. It was only the estimate of the amount i’d be having to pay (if my parents helped pay) and it was half of what it was mentioned it’d cost to go. As I’ve said I was told to go to the college to receive further info by the government/FAFSA on my grants and aid.</p>

<p>Now thank you for the information on having them fill out for me until i’m 24. (as that will not work at all) Sorry if anyone else mentioned something similar to that and I passed over it.</p>

<p>I see people are definitely trying to see the alternatives here for me and that’s absolutely wonderful. Very thankful.</p>

<p>I will definitely keep an open mind about things as I will also look for the best option that comes my way. As for my next move on contacting the right authority, would as someone mentioned before starting at the towns public high school counseling office be an alright decision? I could then mention many things to them as I have on here to everyone and figure out some more options.
Also I do know going to more than just the counselor at the school would be a place I can discuss options as well. I’m still definitely processing everyone’s opinion though as there are many more routes I now know about that I did before.</p>

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<h2>The Email information I received on FAFSA</h2>

<p>Eligibility Information</p>

<p>Estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC)= 09552</p>

<p>The EFC is a measure of how much you can contribute to the cost of your education. Schools use your EFC to determine your federal student aid eligibility.</p>

<p>The EFC is not how much aid you will receive or how much you have to pay for college.</p>

<p>Based on the eligibility criteria you may be eligible for the following:</p>

<p>Direct Stafford Loan Estimate - $5,500.00</p>

<h2>You may also be eligible to receive other federal, state, or institutional grants, scholarships, and/or work-study.</h2>

<h2>You may be eligible for other aid. Your school will use your EFC to determine your financial aid eligibility for other federal grants, loans, and work‑study, and possible funding from your state and school.</h2>

<h2>The first one is from an email and the second is directly from the FAFSA website. </h2>

<h2>Also this is when I caught my parents on the “one in a million chance day” and somewhat had them help with filling it out. (I actually just had their permission to put in the information, as I still had at least some belief they’d help me)</h2>

<p>Hopefully that helps :)</p>

<p>–edit: I do remember as filling out the FAFSA it mentioned calculating the off-campus living. So I believe that it’s also known somewhere within the possibly grants an loans that it’d be going towards it as well.</p>

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<p>Well this is not good news. Do you understand that $9,552 is the amount your family is expected to contribute this year to your college costs and living expenses? It does not say that you were awarded any grant, that you are only eligible for a loan. It seems your parents make too much money for you to get a Pell Grant. Can you tell us the approx income?</p>

<p>The way it works is that you are supposed to pay for college with the EFC of 9,552 plus a loan of 5,500 which equals 15,052. Any difference between that and the COA (which is the Cost of Attendance equaling tuition, fees, books, room & board, transportation and personal expenses) is called a gap. Students cover the gap through savings or Parent Plus Loans or working. You can find the Cost of Attendance on the college website. The living expenses listed there are an estimate of the average for the area. If you can get cheaper, your actual COA will be that much less.</p>

<p>The FAFSA is just filed once each year. So the one day was all that mattered for the filing for 2013-2014 school year. You will need to file again next year, with your parents information, for the 2014-15 year.</p>

<p>By the way, my parents live near a college and rent a furnished room out to a student each year and it is a cheap way to live and have all the bills covered. You can find rooms for rent through college housing services or on craigslist.</p>

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<p>Oh I made an oversight explaining the Pell Grant amount which increases as you go, but don’t focus on that right now.</p>