<p>Independence for financial aid purposes is very strictly outlined. There are certain conditions that allow it, but none have to do with having a bad relationship with your parents. They are things like being 24 or older, already having completed a bachelor’s degree, being married and supporting yourself (but not being single and supporting yourself), having kids and supporting them, being in the military, being an orphan or foster child or a legal “ward of the court”, or parents being incarcerated… those sorts of things.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No there isn’t.</p>
<p>Why not take a gap year? Many colleges allow you to keep your acceptance for the next year. That way, you can get a full time job and save money, and then go to school. Remember, you have to pay for 4 years of college, and you said you might only need 9 k, but for four years, that is 36k. If you take a gap year and work, you could make that much. You might have to get a day job and a night job though, since you would still need money to live on. Also, if you get a job every summer, there is a couple thousand dollars. Plus, if your parents see you making an effort, they might change their minds and pitch in if your short cash.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice everyone</p>
<p>one more thing: would there be any reason to go to a community college? I mean, costs of living would still be around 10k a year, same as going to a 4-year college, right? (i wouldnt have to pay tuition for either)</p>
<p>If you’re going to have to pay for room and board no matter where you go, then there’s no point going to a CC; you might as well go to UGA.</p>
<p>Work as much as you can this summer…even if you have to work 2-3 jobs to do it. </p>
<p>while you’re in school, you’ll have to work as well…get a part-time job and tutor when you can for extra cash.</p>
<p>I know that you said that your mom “controls the money,” but certainly your dad should be able to float you some money here or there without your mom even knowing about it. It may not be a lot, but $20-40 a week would at least feed you a bit. At a minimum, he could buy groceries and give them to you.</p>
<p>I would also add…if you get your grades up this semester, your mom will likely soften. Is she going to go to your graduation? </p>
<p>I really doubt that if you do well this semester and while you’re in college, that your mom will refuse to help.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“i%20wouldnt%20have%20to%20pay%20tuition%20for%20either”>quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What? Why not? It should NOT cost you $20k to just live. If you rent a room, that should be around $4 - 800 depending on where you are, plus $100 food and another $100 for a bus pass. That’s $12k/year at the most. You should be able to earn that over the summers and with small part-time jobs.</p>
<p>yeah i reposted on the last page than i only need 8-9k a year for living costs, i forgot to subtract out tuition</p>
<p>im lookiing for a summer/part time job but i dunno if i would be able to get a part-time job in a small college town…</p>
<p>obamabot - you are in a tough situation, but I still hope you wake up every morning feeling grateful for the HOPE scholarship. Without your parents helping you navigate through the process, please make sure you are up on all the deadlines for UGA (dorms, financial aid, registration fees, etc)</p>
<p>Is is possible that if you do well freshman year that maybe your parents will reconsider helping you out financially. It is a questions worth asking and even though your mom seems to be angry with you, she still loves you and might be looking for face saving way to welcome you back into her life.</p>
<p>Are you eligible for the 90% Hope or the 100% Zell Miller Scholarship? Remember the 90% one will not go up as tuition rises in future years, so you will have that added expense.</p>
<p>I think that if you buckle down and pull your grades up, your parents will see you have matured and want to invest in your education. It’s obvious you’re a bright kid. Maybe they feel you are not ready to transition to college immediately. Taking personal responsibility and showing them excellent grades should solve that. Good luck!</p>
<p>One of my S’s ran into heavy sledding in his senior year in high school. He was taking courses that were challenging and he has some focus issues. </p>
<p>You might think of the top two or three things on your “I totally hate this” list and see if you can boot them out of your life. For instance, a miserable social studies class might be so depressing a student that it pulls everything down. Trading that class in for anything happy may be the key to reviving the spring semester. 8AP’s is a recipe for exhaustion and misery. </p>
<p>Also, do a little CSI postmortem on the grades. What was slaying you? Getting material read? Getting papers done? Doing twiddly math homework sheets? Try and either steer clear of that sort of course or think through how you’re going to navigate the same this spring. </p>
<p>I hope you’ll consider trading the brutal load for something more kind and happy. There is a documentary out right now called “The Race to Nowhere” – it might be helpful to see that and think about where you fit in. </p>
<p>I loved the book/movie “Seabiscuit”. Seabiscuit was a talented horse – and he had the good fortune to fall into the hands of a veteran trainer who had seen way too many young horses be burned up and end up as dog food because they were pushed too hard, too fast. This savvy trainer made sure Seabiscuit had lots of down time so, come race day, the will to run was there. You are, what? 17? 18? That’s awful young to be pushed so hard. </p>
<p>No question you are a smart, smart kid. That SAT score didn’t fall from heaven. </p>
<p>Oddly enough, one thing that may help is to take a deep breath and write out two letters to your mom. In the first one, rant and roar about how crazy she is and how she has no idea what your life is like. Tear that one up. Then, more calmly, write out one that says that you took on too much. You wanted to be a success and make her proud. That didn’t happen. You are now struggling to figure out how to continue on and you need her to understand that you did not set out to cause her heartache. </p>
<p>That may or may not solve the financial crisis – but you will have taken a very adult step to be clear about your life and what you can and cannot do. </p>
<p>Please don’t beat yourself up. You are worthwhile whether or not you are in college this September. Let go of the fury and find some steps forward. I’d suggest:</p>
<p>1) Look into the local community college and find out what they have to offer.
2) Think about the things you love (dogs, cupcakes, board games, VW’s, turtles, the color blue . . . whatever!). Think about how you can get a job that has one of those elements in it – because you will shine at cleaning the turtle tank at PetSmart if you love turtles – and that is going to be a better path to a happy life than Burgerville.
3) Recognize that your schedule is killing you. Talk to the counselor at school and switch out to at least a couple classes that give you a chance to breath (weightlifting might be a great way to deal with some stress). </p>
<p>Hang in there. I am rooting for you.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks a lot for the post olymom. I’m considering trying to patch up relations with my family but it’ll probably have to wait for a little while longer until things settle down.</p>
<p>Where are you staying right now? Are you getting any financial support from your parents now?</p>
<p>It sounds like he’s only having issues with his mom. It sounds like he and his dad are fine, but mom controls the money. Mom is angry that his grades fell this year.</p>
<p>Go to your Guidance Counselor, first you should qualify for Food Stamps NOW Second you can adjust your FASFA if your parents are no longer supporting you. I have a high School senior living in my house in the same situation, he is getting a $5500 pell next yr.</p>
<p>You’re welcome – I just hate it when normal, nice kids beat themselves into the dirt because they fall short of the 4.0/Harvard/Olympics path that really only exists for .001% of the population. </p>
<p>So much of life is about goodness of fit. Give a gorgeous Irish Setter to a 90 year old arthritic grandma or a frantically busy young mom with twins and that fabulous dog will shortly be destroying the sofa, the baseboards and the back door with suppressed energy. Give that same pooch to a serious jogger and all is well with the world. It’s not the dog – it is the fit between its nature and its life that determines whether the hound has a happy life or is destined to death row at the animal shelter. People are much the same.</p>
<p>Well if you don’t want to be lectured then you should not go to college at all - it is 4 years plus of being lectured to. :)</p>
<p>What are your goals in life?</p>
<p>What is your major going to be? - General Studies is not a major and Liberal Arts will get you a job making only slightly higher than those not going to college at all.</p>
<p>There are plenty of people that go to college part time and work part time. Perhaps is you show initiative in that - and make good grades you parent will come around.</p>
<p>There are two sides to every story - most teenagers think their parents are too demanding stubborn foolish etc… </p>
<p>You work hard in High School to get into a good college - you work hard in college to do well in life. If you are not ready for that then get a job and wait until you are.</p>
<p>If they really kicked you out you can go for legal emancipation. Your parents have to sign something to the effect that there are irreconcilable differences and they refuse to consider you a dependent- courts will henceforth regard you as such. My guidance counselor and I were heavily considering this (im not going to disclose my personal situation, but I ultimately opted against it), but I can’t remember the specifics of the process. I do know that, on your part, you have to be living elsewhere and have a job. It’s a serious route- consider it carefully before choosing it because it’s permanent (ie, don’t do it if this is all due to some petty argument). Colleges will reevaluate your aid package, though.</p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC App</p>
<p>^^^^^
</p>
<p>No they won’t. That’s not how financial aid works.</p>
<p>^ Yes they will. It’s a severe change in your finances and thus you can appeal (need-based, not merit).</p>