Paying for college on my own, parents won't help?

Paying for College
1

Hi all,

To make a long story short, here’s the gist of my situation:

  1. Me, accepted as a Fall 2017 freshman to both UT Austin and Baylor University (I’m a TX resident)

  2. I really want to go to UT. Parents want me to go to Baylor. Parents force me to accept admission at both schools so we can make a decision later.

  3. My final decision is still UT, I want to cancel admission at Baylor, and my mom and I get into a huge fight.

  4. Parents now refuse to send me to either school, and refuse to help pay for college.

So, now I might not even get to go to college, considering there’s no way I can pay for it all myself. I need help. Are there any options? I need to go to college, and UT is where I need to go.

2

I bet if you got humble, asked really nicely, and apologized, Baylor might still be an option.

Presumably their resistance to UT is based on cost, an emotional dislike of Austin, or the expected presence of someone they see as toxic.

It really doesn’t matter. You don’t “need” UT, however much you long for it. That isn’t hate, it’s Maslow. If you can’t broker some deal between your parents and your pride, you may find yourself attending a community college or joining the military for a chance at a degree.

This isn’t hate either, this is reality for most of us. Parts of being an adult are awesome; parts of it are awful.

3

Actually, OP needs to get as far away from her parents as humanly possible.

OP, did you ever report to anyone that your mother beats and threatens you while your dad stands by and does nothing? Your first order of business is to get someplace safe. Do you have any relatives you could live with?

You’re in a difficult spot financially. You need your parents to fill out the FAFSA so you can get financial aid. Even if they file it this year, there’s no guarantee they’ll do it other years. You have a ~2050 SAT and you’re in TX, right? @MYOS1634, do you have any suggestions for this student?

4

Are you under 18? Are there any traces (paper, discussion with guidance counselor) of the abuse?
Did your parents file the FAFSA for this year?
Why do you need to go to UT?
Why is Baylor so impossible?

5

THIS needs to be resolved ASAP. It is clearly against the rules to accept admission offers from two schools.

Did you pay admissions and housing deposits at both schools?

Did you accept your financial aid packages at BOTH schools?

Did you go to orientation and sign up for classes at both schools?

It is mid July. I personally think you have an issue accepting BOTH enrollment offers.

6

@austinmshauri

This is important. @anxnymous back in Feb 2016 you wrote, “She grabbed a coat hanger and began to beat me with it. She then stormed out of the room. After five minutes, she stomped back into where I was studying, began to yell profanities at me, and punched me in the head. I can’t defend or attack her because she threatened to kill me, and my dad will kick me out of the house (he’s done it before when i tried to defend myself from her physical attacks.) After punching my head, she began to violently yank my hair. I yelled at her to let go, but she refused, and nearly broke my mousetrap car I had built for my AP Physics project. She finally let go, and then grabbed a large, and quite heavy pack of Latin vocab cards (2000 cards) and threw it at me. After my dad not doing anything but stand there, she stormed out again. It kind of hurts still, and I only have access to my computer for homework. But I am seeking help.”

Did you ever seek help or report to anyone this abuse?

7

^^^
Oh my. Did you report this?

Quietly gather up your things and get them to a friends home, and then report your parents. They need to be arrested
Do you have younger sibs?

8

There is a thing called a Dependency Override, so that may help you. Good luck.

9

Based on what OP wrote s/he s not in the position to get a dependency overrride. When Op wrote about abuse in the homw, student did not report it to school, so the school would not be a neutral third party able to document what was going on in the home.

As of right now, student does not want to attend parent’s choice of college. Parent stated she will not pay for college. While paying for college is a social and moral obligation, schools will not grant a dependency override just based on parents refusal to pay.

10 
  Why would a kid in such a precarious position create such drama? There Is some nuance here for sure.
11

Update: Decided to go to Baylor after all, with a long discussion with parents. After some thinking, Baylor is not a bad school at all, and I can always transfer if I hate it. Cancelled admission and housing at UT. Problem solved. Thx for the comments everyone.

12

Will your parents support a transfer after a year?

13

As an aside, I thought a student could only commit to one college with one deposit paid. It’s not a matter of forfeighting a deposit at the other school, it’s actually against the rules to commit to more than one college, and you could lose both admissions if they found out.