<p>OP -</p>
<p>Will you get full control of your finances when you turn 18? If so, how much longer do you have to wait for that? You need more information about the investments that are in your name. There may be a perfectly fine college/university out there that you can pay for without your parents’ help. Not Colorado College or U of Chicago for sure, but somewhere that gives you full independence from your parents’ influence over your decisions.</p>
<p>Oh yes, and your parents are flat-out wrong about a “top” undergrad being necessary for admission to a “top” institution. Happydad and I met when we were both grad students at a “top” university, and some of our best friends there were graduates of colleges and universities that I’ve never once seen mentioned here at CC.</p>