<p>Hello this going to be a rather unique thread.</p>
<p>Due to conflicts with my parents, they will not pay for college. If I can prove abuse or mistreatment, I will be able to apply as independent for financial aid? Furthermore, they have filled out a FAFSA but they earn over 100k a year.</p>
<p>Without financial contributions from parents, can I still go to a reasonably good school with loans?</p>
<p>My stats are as following</p>
<p>2350+ SAT
top 10% at elite private high school
800 SAT 2 Math 2
800 SAT 2 Physics
800 SAT 2 chem</p>
<p>I am concerned that I will not be able to go to a college. Any help will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I will talk with my college counselor in the fall also.</p>
<p>Your parents can pay for your “elite private high school”, but not your college? That is unique indeed! You won’t get much with your Financial Aid though, since your parent’s have to contribute if they make that much money. But you will most likely get Merit scholarships at your University. But remember to apply to a great University. Ivies can give you a full ride if your parent’s don’t contribute.</p>
<p>If they physically abuse you in a significant way, you can attempt to become a ward of the court. However, not much can be done if they just refuse to pay, unfortunately. If colleges gave more aid for those whose parents refused to pay, nearly all parents would do so, to get free educations for their children.</p>
<p>However, with your impressive statistics, you should be able to secure a good merit scholarship at a top notch university. Several full rides come to mind. Also, if you were to gain admittance into Harvard or a similar Ivy League school (a slim chance for all, but you seem to stand a shot), an income of 100k/year would still allow for need based aid. I mention Harvard by name because I know their policy well: 60k/year or less, and it’s free. 120k/year-180k/year, and it’s 10% of income. For in between, the percentage is in between. All of this is assuming “typical assets” (doesn’t count primary house or retirement funds). The rest could be made up by federal loans, for several thousand dollars a year. However, given the selectivity of such schools, your best bet would be top schools that offer MERIT aid. Public universities are also a good option for you.</p>
<p>I do not believe your situation is unique, as I recall a few similar threads, you could look them up and read comments there, too.</p>
<p>What’s your exact SAT score? Why not tell us the actual SAT score rather then “2350+”?</p>
<p>
Having read your thread on the Parent’s forum <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/968045-my-parents-so-disappointed-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/968045-my-parents-so-disappointed-me.html</a> I can assure you that no, you will not be considered independant for financial aid as you have neither been abused nor mistreated.</p>
<p>
This is so completely wrong it is hard to know where to begin. Your contribution is based on your parents’ income and assets and does not consider at all whether or not they choose to contribute.</p>
<p>^^Huh, interesting. To the OP: By chance, are they not paying because you’re planning on using your education to become “the type of person running wall street, raiding and sacking corporations for $$ at the expense of others losing their jobs”, as you put it? Also, if you were nicer to them, they may be more willing to help out.</p>
<p>^And I covered that in my post. If the EFC came out to $10k/year, that would have to be made up in loans.</p>
<p>^^ Actually I said it wrong. Ivies (MOST) can give you full rides even if your parents don’t contribute. Harvard/Yale/Other Ivies gives a full ride if your parent’s have a income lower then 60,000. Meaning you should expect no family contribution, and they fill your whole expected need.</p>
<p>^^ Yes, BillyMc, you did adress it in your post. It was just so glaring an error I felt it deserved its own post! :)</p>
<p>I think the point here is that his parents can contribute, they just won’t. Big difference. Financial aid helps with one, not the other. Though it seems that alamemon may have illuminated part of the reason for their refusal, with Jason’s other thread.</p>
<p>^ Yeah I know. I was just saying that anyway. I acknowledged that his family has 100k income.</p>
<p>Ah-hah! We have the answer. It is better to be kind.</p>
<p>The life lesson for Jason is that if he wants his parents to contribute to his college expenses he should stop working so hard being a jerk to his parents. See OP’s other thread titled “My parents are so disappointed in me”, link in #6.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pay a dime toward my kid’s college either if he were as obnoxious as the OP seems to indicate in his posts.</p>
<p>BTW, while I think the OP is real and likely has a mental disorder, his presence on the forums is basically a sport to him. He’s ■■■■■■■■ for reactions.</p>
<p>^ Agree! And if the “what goes around comes around” theory comes back to bite him even on an anonymous discussion board, imagine what it will do to him in real life…</p>
<p>Nothingto is incorrect, ivies will not give you a full ride. If they really won’t pay you need to look at schools like Bama which will give high stats kids a full ride. A private college can’t be done with loans without a cosigner.</p>
<p>I would avoid those school that require an interview for their top scholarships…</p>
<p>*Actually I said it wrong. Ivies (MOST) can give you full rides even if your parents don’t contribute. Harvard/Yale/Other Ivies gives a full ride if your parent’s have a income lower then 60,000. Meaning you should expect no family contribution, and they fill your whole expected need. *</p>
<p>Huh???</p>
<p>That is still wrong. Just because parents won’t pay does not mean that ANY school will step up and pay. If schools would pay when parents say that they won’t pay, then all parents would say that they won’t pay. “Need” is determined by family income/assets, whether they will pay or NOT. That $60k rule is for families with low income, not for affluent families that won’t pay.;</p>
<p>To the OP…since your stats are so high, you might get merit scholarships at some schools - like USC or Vandy.</p>
<p>However, there is NO WAY you could borrow enough to pay for any pricey school.</p>
<p>Also…what’s going on? Why will your parents pay for a pricey high school, but not college? Is it an argument about WHERE you want to go or WHAT?</p>
<p>If you really want to go through the trouble of declaring independence through the courts from your parents, you may want to look into it. If you are indeed being abused, this is a serious matter and you need to report it to child services. Also let your school, pastor know. You may need to get an attorney to make this break. Child abuse is a terrible thing, and no child should have to tolerate it. I wish you luck and courage to go through this ordeal if you are indeed being abused.</p>
<p>However, as the other posters have indicated, there are many kids out there that feel that they are being abused when it’s business as usual at home. Yeah, maybe your parents are a pain, nag, have unreasonable requirements, rules and expectations. You aren’t going to get very far in your independence declaration if that is the case. To declare independence is not an easy thing and it is not something given easily. There has to be resounding reason to do this. Abuse is indeed a valid reason, but it has to go through a due process, and it is not an easy one.</p>
<p>If your parents are paying for that expensive private school, it can also be an issue. Not saying that parents who pay for these things are not abusive, but it is a sign that they are interested in your education. They are already putting their money where their mouths are. </p>
<p>Unwillingness to pay for college even if the parents can afford is not grounds enough to get an independence ruling. Neither is unreasonable conditions. These situations happen too often with kids. Your parents look as though they would be perfectly willing to pay for college. It’s normal to have conflicts about this, and though I think it is not right, the college card is sometimes used a lot in high school. I know that my son truly nearly lost our financial support for college when he pulled a bunch of shenanigans senior year that indicated that he really was not ready to go away to college. It is the parent’s right to decide if and when to pay for college.</p>
<p>If you really want to do things the way you please for college, look for some full ride schools. Momfromtexas has a great thread. In your case you can even throw in some reach schools and awards, because your stats are high enough. If you get an award like those, you won’t need their support and it will save you the trouble of declaring independence. Again, unless there is true abuse here, and yes, the child services, police and courts do get involved in such cases, it very doubtful that you can be considered independent for college aid.</p>
<p>If I can prove abuse or mistreatment, I will be able to apply as independent for financial aid?</p>
<p>Mistreatment? To what extent? Different states have different thresholds for such things. </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting that any child stay in an abusive and unhealthy situation, but tread carefully here. You could be opening a Pandora’s Box that will never close, and if the situation isn’t as bad as you portray then your situation could get a lot worse. </p>
<p>So, if this is simply a case of “battling wills,” then you may need stop and regroup. Your life could totally change for the worse. You wouldn’t be returning to your current high school (it’s doubtful that your parents would continue paying for your high school while fighting abuse charges)l. You could be placed in foster care. </p>
<p>I’m not uncaring. It’s just that my sister is a director of a foster care agency and some kids do exaggerate out of anger and the result to the family can be devastating - financially, job-wise, legally, etc.</p>
<p>However, if there is real abuse, then do what you need to do.</p>