Transfer Student, Parents make 200,000+ a year, "can't afford to send me to a uc"

Paying for College
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<p>I'm pretty pissed about this. I went to a California community college out of high-school because my parents income was legitimately in the dumps, since they both lost their jobs and divorced. 3 years later I am done with community college, 21 years old, and still live at home. My mother has a new job, makes 210,000$ + in her salary alone. My step-dad makes at least 60,000$ a year. When I talk to them about transferring to UC Davis or UC Irvine, which I want to do and could do, they tell me that they can't "afford it." I'm sitting here dumbfounded because I saw their income when I was doing my UC Applications, which btw they wanted to try to hide from me, like I wouldn't make sure my application was correct before submitting it... </p>

<p>Now I'm pissed because here I am a "dependent" who has to put 200,000$ income on my freaking Federal loan application. I know damned well that I am not going to get more than a couple thousand, if that, and I have been dying to move out of my home because my family is extremely dysfunctional, however, I feel like I am capable and that I deserve the education from the UC system. This situation is driving me insane. Both my Mom and Step-father have nothing more than "some college" and don't understand anything about the necessity of getting an education in today's job market. </p>

<p>Beyond that, I want to be a Clinical Psychologist and I know I need a Ph. D in Psychology for that to happen. I am 100% that is the correct career for myself and I want to make that happen, debt be damned. My goal is to transfer to UC Davis or Irvine for Undergrad and UCLA for grad school. Of course, If I get accepted to UCLA I would choose that over anything. </p>

<p>Anyway, I feel like something is really fucked up about this situation. My real father is unemployed I think, not sure. I wonder if I could move in with him in his apartment and claim his income on my financial aid?</p>

<p>I am really starting to dislike my Mother because of this, I feel like she is the number one thing that is holding back my future. over 250,000$ per year! "can't afford my tuition." It really pisses me off. </p>

<p>Sorry for that, need to vent a little here. Any scholarships or grants designed for my type of situation? I can't go to community college for ever, that seems to be the only option I have as long as my parents are paying for it. </p>

<p>When I mentioned the idea of transferring they replied with, "why, aren't you already going to college?" I just couldn't reply to that and walked out. </p>

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<p>If your parents lost their jobs and had to live for years w no income, then they are likely digging themselves out of a hole of debt. That your mother now has a high paying job is great, but she could just as easily be unemployed again tomorrow and probably wants to be prudent about not over extending herself financially. In your rant, I didn’t read anything about what part you are playing to contribute financially to your education costs at age 21.</p>

<p>You want to be a psychologist??? I suggest u reread your post. It comes off quite clearly that u have a deep sense of entitlement and like to blame other people for your life’s disappointments. U want to move out of your home that badly? Well nothing is stopping u from getting a job or joining the military. That is a very honorable path. </p>

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<p>I’d like to add that my FICO credit score is currently 739 and that I have a good relationship with discover. They have their new student loan program that is supposed to be as good as private loans come, and honestly seems very reasonable. </p>

<p>1% cash back for having > 3.0gpa
variable monthly interest rates (currently at 3.49%) or fixed interest of 5.99%
up to 100% of school-certified housing, tuition, books etc
choice of in-school or deferred payments</p>

<p>I know people say not to do this, but I have all my lower division coursework done and paid for. I need this type of loan if I am to pursue my dream education. I can have roughly 10-15k$ saved up by next fall, from my part time job, but there is only so much work I can do without it impacting my gpa, or extra curriculars. </p>

<p>Lastly, I’d like to add that I am not pursuing Clinical Psychology for the paycheck, it’s nothing like that at all. I really want to be at the forefront of research, I want to publish articles and work with patients. It took me 2 years to figure out a major, and I chose Psychology because of my personal struggles with anxiety based disorders, and I want to spend my time and my valuable education figuring out ways to help patients of mine in the future. </p>

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<p>Can you move in with your Dad, or move out on your own? Your Senior year financial aid will be based on which parent you live with more than 50% of the time in 2015. Junior year? You are kind of stuck unless you defer for a year or take on loans, since it is based on 2014.</p>

<p>Today’s job market seems to support $210,000+ without a college degree, from your mother’s perspective. Congratulations to her! If you have a concrete plan- either commute to college if you are close enough or ask your mom to pay a specific amount ($7K? $15K?) and walk her through the financials, it may be more real to her and be more palatable. Also, first tuition payment is still 6 months or so off. A lot can change in her attitude and comfort level.</p>

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<p>You need to get control of yourself and realize you aren’t helping the situation by walking out of the room for a perfectly reasonable question. I wouldn’t feel like giving a dime to someone who wasn’t more respectful of my time and my money. MY MONEY. You need to be able to lay out a plan calmly and rationally and not include plans for them to pay for your grad school. You don’t need a dream education, it seems you will have to be more practical and that is fine for long term goals.</p>

<p>Did you apply for transfer next fall or is this for future planning? Just worry about undergrad at the moment. Most people pay their own way for grad school and PhD programs are usually funded if you go that route. .</p>

<p>Are you near any UCs for commuting? It won’t matter which you go to for your goal. Julliet who posts here and on the grad forum had someone in her PhD program at Columbia (psychology, public health) from SFSU. Or CSU for commuting? Can you move in with your father, then do it for FAFSA only schools and you should get more aid. </p>

<p>What will your mother contribute? Discuss, unless she is really sick of your attitude, in which case don’t ask just yet. </p>

<p>I suppose you could conceivably make 8k a year.</p>

<p>You can contribute your loan of 7,500 per year for jr and sr years. If your mother’s credit is bad or she had missed payments, it is possible for her to apply for a Plus loan and get denied, then you could take out an additional 4k of unsub federal direct student loan. If you live with your father so that he is the one filing FAFSA same deal. They are under no obligation to take the loan if approved, it is just a way for you to see if you can take more. Not a good idea to do it, but it is an option.</p>

<p>Private loans/Discover loans are not likely for someone not employed full time, they know they are not going to see that money, you are a bad pony to bet on. They will ask for a cosigner. Maybe you will get a little from then without cosigner. That will give you CSU money or commute money combined with above…</p>

<p>The larger scholarships often have a need component. But also they are for top gpa, do you have top gpa? Your college should have some resources to look for them. Transfer scholarships are tough to find. UCs also have departmental scholarships.</p>

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<p>I live in the Bay area, CA. I realize I sound like a jack ass in this post but there are other family issues at play. </p>

<p>I know that I sound entitled in this post, but for the past 5 years of my life I have been under-entitled, and frankly I have been the door mat of my family. All I want is a fair shot at UC education since the cost of tuition is roughly the same as a CSU. Now I live close enough to commute to SJSU but I really hate it in San Jose. </p>

<p>And I don’t really like SJSU in general. I applied to SJSU anyway (I have done all my applications for Fall 2015). I have applied to SJSU, SFSU, Long Beach, Fullerton, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Davis, and UCSC. UCSC, SJSU and SFSU I could commute too, but I would rather move out. My family is riddled with anxiety/personality disorders. It’s insane. (Both of my Brothers, Mom refuses to see therapist, Me, step-dad is slowly becoming aggravated about it), real dad complains about my Mom all the time… not a great place to be, I want to get away and surround myself with sane, educated peers for once. </p>

<p>I am going to sit down and talk to my Mother about what is realistically doable, idk, maybe $5,000-$7000 a year. I don’t really know how the conversation will go. We always seem to repeat the same thing over and over when I bring up this topic: “I got a job after high school, I couldn’t afford college, you’re on your own” or something to that effect. </p>

<p>I have also seriously considered moving in with my dad, both to escape the crazy household and to get more financial aid. Plus, I do love my dad and etc. etc. </p>

<p>Now, I pay for all my college aps (since the reported income is too high for waivers, even though it comes from my 10,000-15,000$ a year). </p>

<p>I am fortunate enough not to have to pay rent, I do however pay gas, car insurance (which is like 2,500$ a year), books and food. I am very thankful that my Mother does support me with my community college tuition. I am very thankful for that, however, I have already earned an Associates degree. Community College no longer has anything to offer me, I have done all my general education and I am involved in Circle K. Even if I commute to SJSU, SFSU or UCSC, all of which I would prefer not to have to do, I still have $15,000 a year to pay. Theoretically I could pay it off with my part time job, but what kind of adolescence is that? </p>

<p>Compromise my education, live somewhere I don’t want to live, go to a school I don’t really like etc. I would actually look forward to everything that Davis would have to offer me. Life on campus, the experience of the college town, research opportunity, an atmosphere I actually like, a place I want to live etc. </p>

<p>I don’t mean to sound entitled but at what point does happiness justify student loans? I regret enough about my college life as it is, I hope to not regret the entire thing. </p>

<p>my gpa is ok at 3.5, not crazy. I wrote about that in my personal statements and my struggles with Clinical Anxiety such as Panic Disorder and Social Anxiety. I have improved quite a bit and that’s what inspired me to pursue clinical psychology. Especially when I watched my therapists work, and moreover, enjoy working. </p>

<p>I’m not the type that can collect a meaningless paycheck, at all. And that’s why a school like SJSU is completely a wrong fit for me. I don’t want to work a dumb job to pay for a half-baked education, that’s ass-backwards. </p>

<p>However, I appreciate the feedback. Thank you. I guess this is a crazy way to introduce myself to a fourm, lol. Sorry about that. Stressful time of the year, ha!</p>

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<p>BrownParent:</p>

<p>Thanks for the input firstly, second, I never expected my parents to help pay with grad school. I don’t think that would be a fair thing to do. </p>

<p>ItsJustSchool:</p>

<p>I’m actually going to be transferring as a Junior in terms of academic standing. </p>

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<p>Look most students are in your shoes because the parents don’t have the money or expect the student to pay or they will pay some but not for dorming. Nothing different for you. You go where you can or you don’t go. You really have a crummy attitude about your alternatives that isn’t justified or based in any reality but your own mindset.</p>

<p>Make a spreadsheet with all the costs you will incur to see what it will add up to get the COA from the colleges. Part of the UC COA is insurance, so if you remain covered under your mother, then that is a cost that you won’t incur.</p>

<p>Tuition and Fees* $13,896
Health Insurance $1,869
Books and Supplies $1,560
Room and Board ** $14,218
Personal Expenses $1,522
Transportation $620
Total/… $33,685</p>

<p>So your insurance might be eliminated. You can shave some off for used books or book rental. Research costs of room rental off campus rather than dorm and R&B can be cut way down. You can cut personal expenses. Your transportation will be more if you are maintaining a car. Maybe your costs will be 25k.</p>

<p>7.500 loan</p>

<h1>6,000 savings</h1>

<p>13,000</p>

<h1>7,000 summer job and 10 hrs a week in school</h1>

<p>20,000</p>

<p>then you mom pays 5k maybe. She will be saving some from you not being there, right?</p>

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<p>Discuss the situation with your mom…and see if she can help you at all…even if it’s purchasing your books. </p>

<p>You are not the first person to face a financial issue with completing college. You can get a job, and save some of your own money to pay for college. If you are able to live with your parent at no cost, this could be done. Is there a four year public university within commuting distance of your house? Could you live at home, work part time, and take classes part time? </p>

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<p>See his post, he seems to have options but they are not good enough for him, doesn’t see that it is more about what he does than where he goes. </p>

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<p>OP…you have options that are affordable if you commute from your home. Do that.</p>

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<p>I have two comments:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>For FAFSA, isn’t it the parent with whom you lived with more in the 12 months prior to the date the FAFSA is filed (not calendar year)? So if @sobstory93 moves in with sob dad soon, and files the FAFSA 6 months plus 1 day later, he could get aid based on sobdad instead of sobmom/sobstepdad.</p></li>
<li><p>What job pays $200k+ without a college degree? Maybe the tax return had some 401k/pension/IRA distributions which sobmom took early due to the unemployed period, and sobmom’s earned income is not really $200k.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>You aren’t going to get a dime from aid, except student loans. </p>

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<p>You need to face facts. You would ONLY be at SJSU for two years…it will go by in a snap. You do NOT want to borrow $60k for a UC even if you could find a crazy lender. </p>

<p>It doesn’t matter that you have a good credit score…you do NOT have the income to qualify.</p>

<p>I don’t think that you have any idea how hard it is to pay back big loans. Newish psychologists usually do NOT make enough money to pay back big loans.</p>

<p>My sister is a LCSW (a clinical therapist). She only borrowed for grad school (USC), and it took her forever to painfully pay back all those loans. Ugh. If she had also borrowed for undergrad, she would likely have been miserable. </p>

<p>Suck it up and commute to SJSU for two years…excel and apply to the grad schools that will accept you. and you may need loans for THAT.</p>

<p>Look at it this way…if you commute from home, then THAT will be like your mom is paying for your room and board…a savings of about $10k+ per year! </p>

<p>you can’t use your dad’s info unless you wait a year to go to school and move in with him now. You have to live with him the year before you file FAFSA. </p>

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<p>Given the issues you see with your mother’s household, why don’t you do this, regardless of college or financial aid?</p>

<p>Regarding college, the realistic choices appear to be commute to a low cost one near where one of your parents lives, if the parent is willing to support you by letting you live there at no charge, or wait until you are 24 years old, married, or a military veteran.</p>

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<p>^
UCB…doing so would mean sitting out a year of school…and moving now. (maybe mom will magically find the money if you tell her that you’re moving in with dad? lol)</p>

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<p>It’s your parents money, and they can spend it as they choose. You are an adult now. I am sorry that they do not want to help you go away for college. A lot of parents do feel that it is a waste of money to send their children away to school when there are perfectly good options within a commuting distance and the parents have a good home and all the trimmings they can provide. Can’t dictate how others choose to spend their money.</p>

<p>You do have the option of moving in with your dad and getting a low EFC that might make one of the UCs affordable. You also can commute to SJSU and then going to grad school away. Save the loans for grad school. The interest on your ug loans will continue to rack up even when you are a full time student with private loans, if you can even get them.</p>

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<p>Okay, those of us who live in California with a $200ishk income know what its like to pay our monthly mortgage and TAXES that pay for your schools. It’s not what you’re making it out to be. If your parents live in the San Jose area, I can’t even imagine what their mortgage and fees are on a monthly basis-yes, even for a shack! So, quit biting the hand that “literally” feeds you. As parents it’s expensive on our end, too! </p>

<p>We pay for our dd’s tuition and apartment at Davis and we also pay ½ of our son’s tuition at his school (he fortunately, received merit scholarships based on grades), but we also saved money and our kids have helped us by being on strict budgets and working. We get by “financially” by couponing, budgeting, driving used cars, fixing things that keep breaking in our aging home, and being strict with our spending. (We recently paid off our eldest’s college loans from her college in NY.)</p>

<p>In Davis, our daughter lives in an apartment with 7 girls! SEVEN! to keep rent costs down. She also works one job and has an internship (non-paid), and works summers to help pay her tuition.
Our son works bussing tables during breaks and summers-7 days a week, to help pay his tuition. I can’t tell you how many cuts he has on his hands from broken glassware and helping in the kitchen.</p>

<p>If you want to go to those schools, you are going to have to continue to make some sacrifices. </p>

<p>Plus:
“Lastly, I’d like to add that I am not pursuing Clinical Psychology for the paycheck, it’s nothing like that at all. I really want to be at the forefront of research, I want to publish articles and work with patients. It took me 2 years to figure out a major, and I chose Psychology because of my personal struggles with anxiety based disorders, and I want to spend my time and my valuable education figuring out ways to help patients of mine in the future.”</p>

<p>Have you even studied your job outlook? Where would you find these fantastic opportunities to repay your loans? You’ll have to pursue this major for a very limited paycheck.</p>

<p>In my job, I work as part of an assessment team at a large community facility. We get hundreds of applications, a DAY, from Ph.D’s and LCSW’s, looking for employment. (We have professors from 3 local universities who also train and supervise clinical psychologists at our site). The students are hopeful that they will eventually be employed by our facility. Because we’re so large, we are able to get “free” help from volunteer Ph.D’s, so we don’t employ our trainees too often and we don’t pay very much. Maybe it is because we are in southern California that we tend to draw more applicants. The last time we employed someone was about 5 years ago, and it had to be on a part-time basis-two days a week. She’s a “junior” psych and helps with paperwork.</p>

<p>Think about how you can help yourself. It will be hard no matter what you do.</p>

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<p>OP, the advice you’ve gotten is very good and from some of the most experienced posters.</p>

<p>If you have any UC transfer specific quesions, try here: <a href=“UC Transfers - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>“Theoretically I could pay it off with my part time job, but what kind of adolescence is that?” </p>

<p>For starters, 21 is no longer adolescence. It’s an age where many still rely on some support and guidance from their parents but that doesn’t equate you to a 16-year-old. You should not be thinking that having to pay for college at 21 is compromising your adolescence. 21 is when you work your tail off.</p>

<p>“Even if I commute to SJSU, SFSU or UCSC, all of which I would prefer not to have to do, I still have $15,000 a year to pay.”</p>

<p>Your figures are all off. What makes you think that commuting to SJSU is 15K a year? Tuition and fees are in the 7K range for that school. All the CSU tuitions+fee are about half of the UC tuition (some a little more than half, some a little less.) If you want to “go away” to school, there are plenty in very affordable CSU areas that you can more handle with a direct loan, roommates and a job. Perhaps mom would be willing to continue giving you the amount she’s been spending on community college. Going away to a UC is about 10K+ more than a CSU experience. That’s 20K of debt on top of what you’d already need to take for a CSU. Honestly, I think you need to let go the idea of a UC. They are way out of reach for you financially.</p>

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<p><<<
A lot of parents do feel that it is a waste of money to send their children away to school when there are perfectly good options within a commuting distance and the parents have a good home and all the trimmings they can provide. </p>

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<p>This is very true. You’re in Calif and SJSU is absolutely FINE for a psych degree. No need to spend $30k+ for a UC…and your mom likely realizes that.</p>

<p>Yes, she may NOW have a great income, but after a divorce and some lean years, this may be the time when she is “catching up” with retirement accounts, etc. </p>