@ucbalumnus Thank you for the link!
My mom doesn’t have an income as of now, obviously she’ll probably get a job but it’ll be low wage, being a felon and all. Will colleges see that she’s non-custodial and factor that into my FA?
If the college requires non-custodial parent information for financial aid, yes. Note that getting cooperation from the non-custodial parent on financial aid forms (usually CSS Noncustodial Profile) is often the sticking point, since divorced parents may be uncooperative to spite each other.
If the college only requires the custodial parent information (e.g. colleges that need only the FAFSA or say that they do not need the non-custodial parent information), then her cooperation or finances will not affect your financial aid.
@ucbalumnus My mom wouldn’t be uncooperative in any way, I guess, but that just sounds like a pain lol
The income shouldn’t be a problem I guess because it’s not like she makes a lot? I don’t really know.
I would not do college tours until Junior year. Now attend college fairs if they are near by.
Go to some colleges of interest websites and have your parents run the Net Price Calculators to see what you can afford.
It’s never too early to start thinking about college! Anyway, I like the Hamilton and Middlebury suggestions, though even if they were to come through with all the financial aid you would need, there will still be travel costs - just somethig to keep in mind. With Middlebury, you would have “outdoorsy” right there at your feet, and probably a bit more selection as far as fields of study and available courses go. At Hamilton, you’d have to travel a little bit if you were wanting to get to the mountains, but the campus itself is lovely and contains its own arboretum/hiking trail. I believe there is also an outing club that I’m sure provides lots of fun adventure trips. And you’d get some good doses of snow in the winter too. “The Hill” is just beautiful in the snow. Nearest ski slope is about an hour to an hour and 1/2 away. Hamilton does not seem to have a geography department - seems like geography falls under “Environmental Studies” (You would have to check out the course catalogs to get a sense of the offerings.) But my impression has always been that it has a rich anthropology department - and it’s probably intimate enough that you would be able to direct your own course of study and perhaps even research.
Good luck in your search and in the rest of your high school career!
Non-custodial parent info isn’t waived just on the basis of relative non-involvement, but it definitely is if the parent is incarcerated. If she isn’t and is just unemployed or low-income, then you just need to be proactive and allow lots of time to secure her cooperation with submitting the required info. Doesn’t sound like her income disqualifying you for aid is going to be a problem unless things change significantly.
I think the main point of the people who are saying it’s too early is that it’s too early to get your heart set on anything. That part is true - your interests could shift over the next few years, and the most important years of your academic record are still ahead of you. But IMHO it is great that you want to learn about what’s out there. As long as it’s in a spirit of educating yourself and keeping an open mind, it will position you to be much better prepared than most for the application process. It will give you time to familiarize yourself with more than just the best-known options that are ridiculously competitive, in part, because they’re the only “good” schools that so many people bother to learn about. Take your time and do the legwork to find those places that will give you the environment and programs you’re looking for AND keep you out of debt to the greatest extent possible, and you will be in great shape when it comes time to apply! I would suggest focusing on financial safeties at this stage, so that you know there are places you can get into, afford, and be happy to attend. The reach schools are easy to identify and will take care of themselves when the time comes.
Thank you all so much!
Weird twist of events. I went home to ask my dad about like custodial income and stuff and it turns out my mom still has “legal custody” of me. Obviously for our home life that doesn’t mean anything but for financial aid idk if this changes things- it makes her the custodial parent legally, even if I live with him