<p>Once again thank you for all your feedback and sharing your thoughts. The reason my daughter transferred to Rutgers is so she would be able to help our family as my wife is now terminal. It was important to my daughter to be close to home during these most difficult times. </p>
<p>It was a very difficult decision for our family and very complicated when our daughter transferred to Rutgers. We are hopeful that our daughter, like our son, will secure private scholarships to help offset the cost of her education. She is an excellent student and has applied to several competitive scholarships and continues to look for new scholarship opportunities and merit-based aid.</p>
<p>I will look into the PELL grant that was mentioned since my son had qualified for this grant last year. We are looking at commuting options for my daughter yet that seems unlikely in the near term due to distance, not having a car and lack of public transportation routes in our area. For her to attend the CC for one semester this Spring may result in her taking five years to complete her bachelor’s degree since it would be very disruptive to her studies. I have asked my daughter to meet with the Dean at Rutgers to discuss course selection at the CC in the event we don’t secure any type of financial aid in the near future.</p>
<p>Having come from working class roots, we know the value of a college education. I see how my wife continues to fight the battle to live to see our children graduate from college so I’m doing everything I can to see our children succeed. The financial aid staff at Rutgers has been very helpful yet they are swamped with thousands of financial aid applications with too few staff. Therefore, I reached out to the College Confidential community in order to learn from all of you since experience is an excellent teacher. I thank you for all the information you have shared. It has been very helpful.</p>
<p>It sounds like it is important for your daughter to be nearer to home at this time. Sometimes these decisions need to be made this way.</p>
<p>I would also meet with a financial aid person at Rutgers. Perhaps if you explain the family situation, there will be some way they can help you. It’s worth asking.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that your family is in this situation, but it sounds like you are all being a tremendous support to each other.</p>
<p>One other thought…did your daughter withdraw from BU? I’m wondering if, given the circumstances, she might be granted a year leave of absence. Perhaps being close to home, and not going to school could be an option if this one is still open for her.</p>
<p>^
Thumper is right. I think it may be a good idea to request a leave of absence from BU. </p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear that your wife is terminal. I’m thinking that your D is going to have a hard time paying attention to her studies anyway…so a leave of absence may be best in the long run.</p>
<p>Not sure if your child can commute to Rutgers and has access to a car but here is another idea - Rutgers will have Job/Internships Fair Sept.11-12 where she can try to line up an internship for the Spring semester. Rutgers has coop agreements with local companies where she can intern for college credits plus pay. For example, she can intern 32hrs/week for 6 months earning $15/h + 6 credits and take 2 classes at night for 7 credits. This will make Spring semester somewhat affordable although the overall college experience will be miserable. Paid internship can continue through the Summer when she can take couple more evening classes.
This scenario is more feasible for Juniors and Seniors but you never know. HR recruiters are human too - maybe she can talk to them. Companies actually like this arrangement as after initial training they will have a competent worker at half price.</p>
<p>Thank you for the information on the Job Fair. I have sent the information to my daughter just in case she missed the announcement on campus.</p>
<p>I did explore the possibility of my daughter taking a leave of absence from BU. The staff member at BU was very supportive, knowing that our family was facing challenging times ahead. Since our daughter enrolled as a full-time student at Rutgers, not a “guest”, she was ineligible to take a leave of absence from BU. We did not know that there was an option, such as “guest” versus full-time admitted student at RU, that determined eligibility for a leave of absence from BU. Had we known then what we know now my daughter would have taken courses as a “guest” as our family copes with the current medical challenges. </p>
<p>This College Confidential community that helps students and parents work through this complex financial aid system and many other areas of higher education is fantastic! Thank you all for helping my family. We really value and appreciate your support and kindness. I hope by sharing our journey that others can learn for our experiences and benefit from the information.</p>