So i’ve decided to go to Frostburg State which is in Maryland and I lived there for three years going on four but the beginning of senior year my dad made me move back in with my to ohio because of personal reasons & my mom barely makes any money & it’s really stressing me out because my dad makes over 120,000 while my mom makes around 17-22k. I really want to go to Frostburg and I’ll do anything to go. They gave me 14k and I currently need 24k. I apply to scholarships nonstop. I keep it to only local scholarships cause it higher my chances of winning. My grandpa is probably putting like 2-4k of his own money down. Do you think if i continue to apply scholarships I can get 15-20k from it? I’m also waiting for the college to send my scholarship reward. and btw my dad won’t help which I think is extremely unfair since he makes so much.
You won’t be able to make up the difference applying to scholarships. You may need to start at a community college and work to put money away for your last two years at a four year college.
Sorry you feel like your Dad is not contributing a fair amount. Did you not have any conversations with both of your parents before you applied? What are your stats? What makes you so enamored about Frostburg State? I don’t mean to impugn the school’s quality, but what does it offer that you can’t find elsewhere? Most importantly, have you considered the four-year cost, not just the current year? Is the money that Frostburg State gave you for merit, or was it need based? Do you have siblings in school - would you expect that aid to continue? Does it include loans?
You will not be able to make up that gap with private scholarships. And the local ones you’re applying for are only for freshman year…so even if you won a few thousand dollars, they would end after frosh year.
It’s silly to pay OOS rates for a so-so school. Do you have old friends who are going so you want to go, too?
You may think that your dad “makes so much” but you have no idea how much of that is already spoken for with mortgage, taxes, insurance, food, cars, and maybe debt from the divorce. That amount isn’t really that much in many parts of the country.
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They gave me 14k and I currently need 24k.
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I’m also waiting for the college to send my scholarship reward.
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??? Can you clarify? What are you waiting for? Sounds like the $14k is your scholarship award. What other scholarship reward would they be sending you? You don’t qualify for a Pell Grant and likely your EFC is too high for other aid. What is your EFC?
Is Frostburg State charging you OOS rates? Does your mom live there? Will they give you instate rates based on your mom?
Cost of Attendance In-state: $21,586 Out-of-state: $34,934
Looks like the $14k per year essentially covers the OOS portion so getting instate rates thru mom won’t make a difference.
it wasn’t really discussed with both parents it was mainly my own decision. I don’t talk to my dad anymore but my mom said she will try her best to support me. When I applied i had a 3.0 and an ACT score of 18. I picked Frostburg because I know people who go there and I wanted to go to a Maryland College and it’s the closet to home (around 3 hours). Also my boyfriend goes there which is a factor, and he tells me about it and I guess it peaked my interest. I was going to use a Maryland address for the next 3 years so the cost will go down & possibly file as an independent (not quite sure about this yet). The money they gave me was all need based. I am an only child. They gave me about 5k in loans so far.
Yeah I have friends there. My dad moved in with his fiance who makes around 200k and no longer pays for any of my expenses. I was living with him for about six years prior btw. I’m applying for scholarships on the frostburg website, so far my financial packet that came in the mail was need based not merit. I did qualify for a pell grant because I used my moms income, that’s why I was given so much money. I didn’t add my dad to the fafsa. They will give me OSS because my mom lives in ohio. I have to wait til next year then I can use a Maryland address.
I am currently working now
Are you living with either parent now?
When did you graduate from high school, and in which state?
Where does your father live? If he is still in Maryland, you may be able to use him to qualify for in-state residence even if your mother is the custodial parent for the FAFSA.
It looks like you might be able to qualify for in-county residency to attend Allegany College of Maryland on your own if you can demonstrate that you have provided the majority of your support for 12 months, and you move to that county at least 3 months before classes start. https://www.allegany.edu/x1294.xml This would get you closer to Frostburg, and make the first two years a lot less expensive.
There’s 3,000 universities in the united states. Just find one you can afford.
OP, you come across as a bit “entitled”, but more likely there is simply more to the story if you lived with your Dad for several years, but he now has a new fiancé and has stopped all support for you, and you don’t talk with him.
You made a mistake applying to a school expecting your Dad to contribute to your college costs, before giving him the courtesy of having a conversation with him about mutual expectations.
The sad reality is that college is really expensive and the vast majority of students are unable to afford that cost on their own. The process is very different than it was when your parents went through it, and unless all parties involved can agree on expectations, and get a common understanding of the process, it can be messy.
The good news is that it is probably not too late for you to find a college you can afford. Does your HS guidance counselor have any suggestions, or are you too enamored by Frostburg because your boyfriend is going there?
I suggest you swallow your pride and reach out to your Dad, to tell him you’re sorry you haven’t talked with him, and you just wanted him to know you’re learning more about the process, and trying to find out what your options really are at this point. You understand that you, he, and your mom likely all share a common goal of your attending college and becoming a self-sufficient member of society. But of course, you know the situation better than any of us here.
You might not be able to follow a traditional path of HS direct to 4 year college. Don’t worry about it - you can still be a success if you have to take a different path.
Best of luck to you
I understand your desire to go to the MD school, but nobody is going to gift you $100k to go there. Are you considered in state for Ohio? Your mom’s income makes you eligible for a ~$5900/year Pell Grant. By filing the FAFSA you can take the ~$5500/year federal student loan, and if you work summers you can probably earn another ~$3k. That gives you a budget of ~$14k/year. In our state, that’s enough to cover tuition and fees at the local University. Are there any schools that you could commute to from your mom’s?
This is not how it works. If it did, everyone would just do this.
From the state of Maryland’s residency requirements:
If you move back to Maryland to go to Frostburg State, you will be moving there for the primary purpose of attending an educational institution. The only way to get residency in MD is to move there and live there without attending school for at least a year, while also supporting yourself financially.
If your mom lives in Ohio, why don’t you apply to some universities in Ohio? There are lots of public universities in Ohio like University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Kent State, Wright State, etc. There are also lots of two-year branch campuses and community colleges that you could start at and then transfer to one of the bigger Ohio schools.
It’d be nice to return home and attend the same college as some of your friends, but it doesn’t seem like you can afford it - so you need to be realistic about selecting something that you can afford.
As was mentioned, the local scholarships that you’re applying for are unlikely to make up a $15-20K difference, and they are usually only for one year.