<p>SO apparently my immigrant parents didn't know about the selective service thing. </p>
<p>I turned 18 in september and will be attending college in fall of 2009. But i'm told that without registering i can't get any federal student loans (someone please confirm this).</p>
<p>the problem is that i just sent the registration today December 30, and am wondering if i can still apply for fafsa and be elligible. Please, answer someone, i'm a nervous wreck about stuff like this.</p>
<p>Yes, you have to register (if you're a male) in order to get any federal aid. And, yes, having registered today you can file a FAFSA. In fact, there's an option on the FAFSA itself to register automatically when you file the FAFSA. My son did it that way. But, any way you do it is fine. You can stop worrying now. ;)</p>
<p>A small point, but why was it your parent's responsibilty to know about this? You are 18 -take responsibility for your own actions. You should have known about this. </p>
<p>Like the previous poster said, no harm done. But blaming your parents in not right.</p>
<p>^^ouch -- kinda harsh. My third-generation California son didn't know about it until he applied either. (It's not like high schools teach the topic in civics class.)</p>
<p>It was not that the OP did know know (although it is well known) it was that he automatically blamed his parents. Kids need to take responsibility for their own actions. The "blame someone else" culture in the US has got to end.</p>
<p>My son didn't know either until I told him. In fact, I didn't know about it until his friend --a year older-- applied. His friend's mom found out first.</p>
<p>It is well-known... once you know it. ;)</p>
<p>Before that, less so.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that ANY 18 year old male doesn't know he is supposed to register with selective service. It is the law. The gotcha in this case is you get no financial aid unless you do. I, for one, am glad there is some incentive to make people fulfill their civic duties.</p>
<p>I don't think most high school kids give much thought to selective service. And even though I am of a generation that did have a draft, I never knew there was any relationship between registering and federal student aid until my son's friend was applying to colleges a year ahead of him. No big deal. We all find things out as we need to know them.</p>
<p>In fact, the only kids around here that actually seem to register are the ones applying for college. The kids who go straight to work don't do it.</p>
<p>Well, I just asked a similar question to this.</p>
<p>And I don't get how people excpect us high school students to know about this. I had NEVER heard about the Selective Service. No one mentions it at school; all we hear is "make sure to fill out FAFSA!"</p>
<p>I think our secretary of state may have sent info about selective service and voter registration when D turned 18 (yes, I know she didn't need the ss reminder!).</p>
<p>I seem to remember my son getting something in the mail when he turned 18. Or maybe when he registered to vote. It's a while ago though. I know we did not learn it from FAFSA because we did not have him apply for FAFSA first time round as we did not think we would qualify at that point in time - things sure change in a few years.</p>
<p>I'm not blaming my parents for not informing me about something they forgot about. I'm just disappointed that they and my brother, who is in college, didn't even mention it. My uncle told me about it just recently.</p>
<p>And like Jay123 said, i have never heard of this sss thing until just recently. Isn't this important information? Shouldn't the schools and government make sure people know about it? Especially since there are penalties for ignoring it.</p>
<p>Y'all didn't know about SS until right now? We learned about it with Vietnam and the whole draft card situation.</p>
<p>But yea, not filling it out is illegal.</p>
<p>
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I think our secretary of state may have sent info about selective service and voter registration when D turned 18 (yes, I know she didn't need the ss reminder!).
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</p>
<p>
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i have never heard of this sss thing until just recently. Isn't this important information? Shouldn't the schools and government make sure people know about it?
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<p>Not in our blue state. Our official district policy is NOT to inform students.</p>
<p>
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I find it hard to believe that ANY 18 year old male doesn't know he is supposed to register with selective service. It is the law.
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</p>
<p>There are gazillion laws -- how many of them do YOU know, ED?</p>
<p>You can either fill out the Fafsa and there is a question that basically says "do you want us to get you registered" -- or you can register at a local post office. </p>
<p>So what if the student is 17? That happened to us a few years ago. I wanted the kid to be eligible for federal aid, so we checked "yes, please register" --and a few days later we get a response (email, I think) that said "applicant is not yet 18. Please register when you are 18"</p>
<p>One mom I knew was terrified that having her son register would mean that the kid would be hauled off to Iraq -- so they chose to skip the Fafsa and pay full freight at the college. The student was irked at his mom because it was him, not her, who would be in violation of the law by not registering. He quietly slipped into the post office once he was 18 and took care of registering. </p>
<p>This stuff is head swirling. Right in the middle of heart pounding money questions is this whole selective service stuff (including "why aren't women asked to register? Aren't they just as capable of serving???"). Very unnerving!</p>
<p>Bayou, I do know there is no "gazillion". </p>
<p>It is interesting that CA does not require schools to inform students: From the California Education Code - "A school district should, but is not required to, make every reasonable effort to inform pupils enrolled with the district who are subject to the federal Military Selective Service Act". However, that is doing students a disservice since there is still a legal requirement to register. Fortunately, there are many public service announcements on radio and TV to help advertise the requirement.</p>
<p>And I knew about it despite being well over the age it applies to and having only daughters in the age group at this time (DS has 10+ years more).</p>