Recent high school graduate advice?

I know this is very late in the game. I just graduated this past June and was planning on attending a top four year, for which both I and my parents would be taking out loans to cover the costs for. However, I am not comfortable being further financially (plus other ways) indebted for a significant part of the rest of my life to parents that have been emotionally and physically abusive to me, though I am grateful that they would cover a large amount of the cost (and also realize that my search for a full ride is extremely unlikely to yield anything). I very much wish I had figured this out earlier. My high 1500s SAT and 3.75 GPA, and National Merit Finalist status would have been helpful during the actual application process but now, with the National Merit deadline passed and it being July, I don’t know if there’s much I can do. I’m also not 18 yet. Should I just go on with my current four year? Any suggestions?

You could take a gap year and reapply. U of Alabama, among other schools, have some excellent scholarship $ for NMFs.

I agree with Erin’s Dad. Take a gap year, and apply to a new list that you know you can afford. Start with the thread at the top of this forum on the topic of automatic scholarships. After that run a search for threads specifically on aid for NMFs.

I am going to repeat what I have told to many others. No parents should allow their child and themselves to go into debt for an undergraduate degree beyond the maximum government sponsored student loan cap, which is around $29k. It is financial suicide. And when the parents cannot repay the loans and their social security payments are substantially reduced and they unable to sustain their retirement, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Call UA on Monday and tell them that you are a NMF and your stats.

See if you can still be accepted for the year 2018/19 and get the NMF scholarship.

If they say no, call UAH and see if you can still be accepted and if you qualify for free room and board in addition to tuition.

If they say no, call U New Mexico and ask if it’s too late for their NMF scholarship.

Otherwise, take a gap year and apply to schools that give generous merit, to start next year.

Don’t take any college classes.

The NMF scholarships are only given to NMF students who just graduated high school I believe.