<p>Just squeaked in.</p>
<p>I think you’re skipping a year in your count…the FAFSA instructions you’re reading are for the current academic year and will be updated on Jan 1st. Independent for this year (10/11) is birthdate before 1/1/87. Next year is 11/12 year and it’s pre-1/1/88. You won’t be independent next year, which will be based on your mom’s income for 2010, but you will be independent the following academic year (12/13).</p>
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The current FAFSA is for 2010-2011. The FAFSA for the 2011-2012 school year will not be available until January 1st and the birth date for independent will change to before Jan 1st 1988. You will be dependent for the 2011-2012 school year. The next year’s FAFSA, for the 2012-2013 school year, will be available January 1st 2012. On that the birthdate will change to Jan 1st 1989 so you should be independent for that one.</p>
<p>@trunl: While not actually living on my own, I had a similar experience in that I knew from 8th grade that I would be paying for college on my own, in addition to every other expense except living in my parents’ house (so auto insurance, a car, cell phone, etc.). My experience was pretty good though. Yes, your EFC base don the FAFSA will be way skewed but if you’re applying to smaller schools with very personal and engaged Financial Aid offices (I applied to Rhodes), you can give them a call and explain the situation. I did that and I was able to get just enough more that I was able to afford Rhodes ($43K a year). Of course being on an Air Force ROTC scholarship doesn’t hurt but my basic massage still stands: call them and explain your situation.</p>
<p>Good luck. I know it’s a rough way to go to college, but it’s definitely doable.</p>
<p>Don’t bother arguing with any of these people that say you can’t get an over ride. Some people just like saying that you ‘can’t’ do something simply because they’re one dimensonial thinkers.
I have gotten an override, and have gotten them for friends. The key knowing how to do it, knowing what to say and when. You have to create a story about yourself. You have to prove, without a doubt, that you were abused in some serious manner. You then need to support this with documentation. They will most likely ask you for letters for verfiication from professionsals. Lawyers, police, psychologists, etc. Be creative, make friends or reconnect with any old people that may be professional. Look at the speific requirements to get an over ride.
I by all means think you deserve one. You fully support yourself and your parents are absent. Although, if you tell a financial aid counselour what you posted on the forums, theyre going to deny your application. The problem with you is that you dont go far enough. You cant tell the counselour you dont get along with your mom. So what? No one cares! You have to tell them your parents abandoned and abused you. You must make it clear that you have no communication with your parents. Zero. they physical abuse you, there are completely out of your life. This point needs to be underlined and if your parents dont want to help you with college you need to abandon any ties to them for the situation at hand. Even if its not true, make it true so you can succeed in college and get on with your life. Good luck to you, if you have any questions on the process feel free to message me as I do not want to give the inside info on the process to everyone. It is possible for you to get an over ride, it takes confidence, creativity, and commitment.</p>
<p>^^^^^^</p>
<p>Wow, just wow! You are seriously advocating lying about abuse? Entitled much?</p>
<p>I’m sorry … I am not sure if I am understanding you correctly. Are you telling this student to lie? If so, OP, please do NOT follow this advice.</p>
<p>I am a financial aid officer. I can’t say strongly enough that lying is wrong on MANY, MANY levels. Don’t do it.</p>
<p>Everyone calm down. I wouldn’t lie. Plus whoever is giving that horrible advice is saying to cut off all relations to my parents just because they won’t pay for college. Uh yea, I’m gonna destroy my relationship with my parents for this.</p>
<p>Plus, if anyone’s been reading all the replies, it says I’ll be able to get an automatic zero anyways based on my mom’s low income.</p>
<p>Let’s let this thread die out everyone.</p>
<p>h7mnpxz: As someone who actually fits the description you just put forth, I find your strategy really offensive.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, parental financial info, in most cases, has to be reported and accounted for. If your parents don’t own many assets and have a low income, you’ll make it through alright. Otherwise, you’re probably going to get stuck with some hefty bills.</p>
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<p>It takes HONESTY…not creativity or anything else. If you have the situations that would warrant a dependency override you will not have to be creative in the least. You will not have to have any more confidence or commitment than a typical applicant. </p>
<p>Sadly, there are students who do meet the criteria for a dependency override. These situations are not the norm nor should they be. They are hugely extenuating circumstances and often are very sad ones as well.</p>
<p>To the OP…good luck to you on your college hunt. Thank goodness you are not willing to cast your parents aside simply to gain independent status for financial aid purposes. That would be VERY sad indeed.</p>
<p>BUCK UP! You need to do what a little over 33% of students do and pay for your own education. I have done it, and i am sure that you can too. It sucks that your parents will not help you out, but mine did not either and i chose to not join the military because i do not like killing people, and i chose to not join the peace corp because the third world smells.</p>
<p>There are many ways to pay for school, the one i used is called getting a job. Some people choose to go into jobs like bartending, waiting tables, or delivering pizza’s where they can defraud the IRS and not pay taxes on all of their income, this is up to you. I chose to start a car stereo and window tinting business and now can afford to go to any school in the nation, but the trade off is that now i am a non traditional student.</p>
<p>Start a company on the side - a funny website or whatever… This can help pay the bills… </p>
<p>first step is to get a EIN number (which is free) and then buy a $10 book on website development…</p>
<p>You think I’m kidding? I’m not. Sit back and think about it for 60 seconds. You can do it!</p>
<p>College “dependency” has nothing to do with the “reality on the ground”. Look at the FAFSA web site. If you are technically dependent, you are a dependent even if you live alone, pay your own taxes, etc. Exemptions exists, (FAFSA has a full list) but they are only given if your parents are in jail, you cannot track down your parents, you have been abused by your parents, or your relationship with your parents has totally broken down (you are in legal dispute with them, disinheritance, domestic dispute, etc).</p>
<p>College fin aid administrators CAN take other factors into account, but I am sad to say this is unlikely. They are running a business, you know… Also, FAFSA issued the list of conditions I quoted specifically because fin aid officers were being “lenient”.</p>
<p>Actually, FAFSA doesn’t issue the conditions. The Department of Education issues all regulations as a result of Congressional rule-making. There is no list of things that merit a dependency override, but there IS a list of reasons for which a dependency override CANNOT be granted (first & foremost: parents refuse to pay). Aid administrators are able to exercise professional judgment to grant a dependency override, but the reasons must not conflict with the “no d/o” regulations, and documentation must be retained that supports the decision.</p>
<p>Trunl- I read the first couple of posts but got tired of reading so forgive me if someone already posted something similar. It’s rare to find people who have had a dependency override so I thought I would share my experience.</p>
<p>I got a dependency override one year at a community college. I was stupid/too proud to apply for it many other years. Now, I am at a point where I make decent money so I can afford to pay for a cc myself. Anyway, you really must have extenuating circumstances. More than just not getting along with your parent(s). It took several visits with the fin aid counselor to get everything in order. I had to submit lots of documentation. Luckily my parents sent a letter to a friends house (since they didn’t know where I lived) clearly stating that they are not going to provide me any support. I had to get a letter from other people who were aware of the situation. For example, the lady I was renting a room from wrote a letter for me stating that, as far as she knew, I had no contact/support from my parents. I had to show two years of tax returns, plus bills and bank statements. I had to draft a budget of my monthly expenses and write a letter explaining my circumstances. I also had some problems in high school which were documented. Thank goodness my lovely high school counselor was willing to write up a letter summarizing what happened and her knowledge of my situation at home. I was asked to get police reports which are kind of difficult to obtain but luckily the counselor was understanding about that. </p>
<p>In short, I had to provide a butt load of information to prove beyond a doubt, my relationship with my parents was/is absolutely broken. In speaking with the counselor, she made it clear that supporting yourself is not enough for an override. Just because a student works full time doesn’t mean that his/her parents aren’t buying them food, clothing, or giving them financial support in some other way. It doesn’t mean that his/her parents won’t jump in to help if their car breaks down, or provide support if they get evicted or laid off. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to disprove the existence of this type of relationship. While, I doubt many students would choose to work full time and try to go to school, it does happen. It also happens that people lie and try to cheat the system. I don’t blame them for wanting to weed these people out. Anyway, good luck with your education. I wish you the best. :)</p>
<p>thread is 3 years old. closing</p>