<p>Recently, my family has gone through some changes that affect my moms ability to pay.
1) my mom is getting divorced from my stepdad. he promised to pay my tuition and now he's gone. if your wondering, my biological father has a court document saying that he will never pay for me.
2) my brother is going to college and his FA is limited.
3) the man that we lease our house from is forcing my mom to buy the house, which adds further financial stress.
If you have any suggestions to help me pay or advice that would be great. I am applying for fa and scholarships at all the schools I'm applying to. Also, should I notify my schools of these changes? Thank you!</p>
<p>Your mother should notify the schools about the significant changes, particularly the loss of your stepfather's income.
Your mother should also notify your brother's college of the changes.
Your biological father is obligated to pay child support, although not the cost of boarding school. Your mother needs to modify the existing child support order to reflect the change in her financial circumstances.
Buying a house is her choice, though...no financial aid officer or family law judge will view that as a mandatory expense.</p>
<p>If you included your step-dad's info on the aid forms, yes, notify the schools immediately so that they can consider you for the aid you now need.</p>
<p>This must be a difficult time for your mother, and for you. The best thing to do is to notify your schools immediately. There may not be much they can do, as it's March 4th, and they've probably already decided which students they'll accept, and divvied up the financial aid. You might be fine, as they might have accepted you with full aid. You never know.</p>
<p>About your house. How can the house's owner force your mother to buy the house? I think that it would be best to consult a lawyer, and maybe move. If it's only you and your mother at this point, a condo would make more sense. With the current real estate troubles, renting may be a much better option for a single woman and child. If your stepfather has left, you may not need as much space.</p>
<p>As Periwinkle said, this must be hard. Good luck to your family.</p>
<p>AS for what I would do, call them and explain them the situation (advertise yourself as needing it) and just hope that god Almighty is with you.</p>