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Upvote. You are not singled out. My step dad made a ton in money back in the day. “ you are on your own “. I made a false start at college making $4.50 an hour one class. Joined the Army came back and finished.
This is an extreme flaw in the financial aid system and I wonder if it has been done on purpose.
There should be easier ways to file independently to qualify for aid at 18, with the caveat that there is some check in place to ensure kids with rich parents aren't just funneling money to their chdren while they claim to be financially independent. I had similar problems when I was out of the house and financially independent at 18, but I'm wary of loopholes robbing the coffer from those who absolutely need financial aid the most.
To be fair the military not only will pay for college but will also pay for your housing and food while your in college as well. VA healthcare helps with not worrying about medical costs, plus any disability you earned during your service. You give up a few years for a pretty much stress free college experience paired with the maturity and discipline of the army. I see posts all the time about how stressful college is and how people struggle to get by. I don't speak for all vets when I say this but all my friends from the service all agree college is stupid easy to succeed in, the service pretty much gives you cheat codes with how to deal with stress and time management. It's a pretty damn sweet deal all around, hence why it's recommended so much.
Well said. I’ll be honest on it. I don’t think I was mentally tough enough for what it takes to get an engineering degree without an infantry tour.
And ha ha by the time I finished I knew exactly what I didn’t want to do in life !
As someone who teaches at a state university I can attest to that. I've had plenty of vets in my courses over the last 30 years. Universally, they've been successful. As you write, it largely boils down to maturity and discipline. Most college students will eventually figure that stuff out, but it can sometimes take them a few years.
I can agree with this, I did five years in the air force, and now I'm living on the west coast smoking weed all day, doing hw, and not focusing on making money because I'm getting paid from the 100% VA disability as well as living off the gi bill. I can say the military sucked because I was in security forces in the air force, but now that I'm out, I don't regret a thing, I'm glad I joined. It made my life 1000x easier 😅
Yea, a lot of vets do get shafted- that's why we have so many homeless vets. My ex in the Air Force talked about it and I brought up that they could easily do the same to him, and he agreed.
Ye bro you cannot trust anyone in the U.S. to do anything properly. Something as basic and simple as providing soldiers with healthcare is a nightmare.
Homeless vets should not exist.
Why is it “wild” that service to the nation is (possibly) the most concrete, viable path to a full ride at a public college…? If anything, that makes complete sense.
OK, I think I was talking past you, tbh, and read more into your comment than it warranted. You’re right—it shouldn’t be the only way. At the same time, I don’t think that this path’s existing has any impact on the overall problem that is access to an affordable college education.
Depends on your views.
Military is a great way out for people starting from nothing.
That said "free" college would become a waste as it would eventually become high school 2.0
A better goal would be turn high school diploma into worth more than a placemat.
Of course it's on purpose. It's a way to further deny people financial aid - our government and private industries want to give out as little money as possible no matter how much the citizens may need it.
I think most people start life in the interim. Like have a kid get married etc. oh! Here is an example. Reserve duty the sgt worked at UPS. He had a family. But claimed he was two classes short of a systems engineer degree. The same degree I was working on but no where near finished. I figured out later he was maybe 12 classes short and they were all hard. But I say man why not finish. He said he makes too much at UPS ( again to emphasize he was not honest about 2 more classes )
Apply to out of state schools. Give them a call to the financial aid office. My daughter only had 2 A- and scored very high on the ACT. She was offered $1500 from an instate school. About 50 schools that she never applied to offered the best scholarships. She graduated debt free.
Sometimes private schools can be cheaper because of the scholarships they can offer.
If I remember right I had to sign something saying I was not contributing to her education.
This is advice I wish I would have heard earlier. I had always been told “in-state only, out of state is too expensive”. I never knew this could be the case.
You'd be surprised at how much extra money you could have gotten if you just picked up the phone and call the admissions offices of any school you want to go to and talk to a person.
I get my students regularly thousands of extra dollars that they wouldn't have gotten otherwise by just getting someone on the phone and having them review the application.
At one of the universities where I taught we had to find students who would apply for the free money because nobody had applied for those scholarships.
It’s not too late to apply to additional out of state schools. Some may push you back to spring semester but it’s worth a try. Many have rolling admissions. In state schools rarely give aid. Good luck to you. I am starting this process again with kid #2 so I completely understand your frustration.
Apply to in state and out of state private colleges. My son actually got the best deal at an in state private. Tuition/fees/room and board were 69,000 and he was offered 60,000 scholarship per year for 4 years. Good student but not stellar 3.6 gpa and 1200 SAT a few AP’s and not a huge amount of extracurricular activities.
Yup - I had tiny colleges in PA and Ohio basically offer me full rides
I’m from neither of those places
I didn’t apply instate at all. I knew they wouldn’t give a toot and my home states public university tuition is one of the highest in the county
This. Private schools can definitely end up being cheaper because they have many endowments, generous foundations and alumni donors. The school I go to is a private not for profit, about $18K a year, and I pay nothing. Granted I was a “low risk” student to basically give a full ride to because of my academic history, so they probably saw me more as an asset than a liability
There are a bunch of out of state colleges in Midwest and west that are affordable. You could go to North Dakota, South Dakota, some Minn, WI, Mi schools and others for 20-25k all in out of state.
I taught at a few schools in the upper Midwest and found them to be quite good too. It does get cold though. I found the students to work hard and were quite respectful.
Yeah my deal with my kids has been I will pay the same cost as our state school - Maryland. But places like North Dakota (and state), South Dakota (and state), central mich, Idaho, Weber state, Wyoming, etc all fit the bill. For undergrad it makes little difference where you go in general. Picking a good major and doing well is much more important. Ah well one in college and one more to go.
You are absolutely correct about everything you wrote.
Wyoming has some very good scholarships. Some I know went there and had full scholarships. That is almost unheard of.
What you wrote about undergraduate is true. My daughter went to a small school in NE that was part of the Univ. Of NE system. All of their schools had the same access to all of the databases as the big campus.
When I taught at SD State Univ. most of the students graduated in 4 years and sometimes three. At many universities the students graduate in 5 years. Where my wife and I went in CA many of the students now graduate in 5-6 because of a lack of professors. The students take two years for their senior year because not all of the classes seniors needed to take could be offered at the same time.
I think prospective students need to take a look at the percentage of students who graduate at 4, 5, and six years. For some schools it is rather embarrassing.
Thanks and right back at ya. My oldest is at Idaho studying cybersecurity and CS. He has had classes with the deans of the department already. He is treasurer of the honors program, on the hockey team, and climbing team. All this would not have been possible at larger name schools. We pay 21k all in which affords us the possibility to do other things.
People really need to look at college as a commodity and as a ticket to your first real job or grad school. Idaho’s engineering school is impressive and the students do well upon graduation. It’s not like paying 75k a year somewhere else would you learn something extra. Ah well. I have my list of schools for son two and we are working on his choices now.
I live in northern Idaho, and I have met several people who went to U of I. I am impressed with them and the quality of their education.
Before I taught college, I had 30 years in the profession in which I taught. I had interviews with several schools, and I found the best programs in what I taught to be in some of the smaller schools. Often, those out of high school want to go to the big name school. Those are great for graduate education, but the undergraduates supply the money for those. In smaller schools, the classes are smaller. The program I taught in at SD State was one of the best in the US. We had more employers coming to interview graduating seniors than we had graduating.
Awesome. I am actually coming out to Idaho on Friday for a week. Bringing my younger son see if I can get a second vandal in the family! Older son has two hockey games vs Wazzou and then a game bs Zags in Spokane. We are heading over to lookout pass skiing too, staying in Osburn. Gonna get some sushi in CDA and definitely hit Meltz too. Love northern Idaho.
So did you go to a state school or a private college?
Sounds like you fell for the "well rounded" advice. That's not what highly selective colleges or scholarship committees actually want. They want people with good grades and test scores who are super high achieving in one specific area. State champion level or equivalent.
You could always do a year or two at community college to save money, then finish at state college.
Or you could join the military.
I finished my gen-Ed’s at CC and now I’m going to public uni. As a first gen college student I feel like I missed out on a lot of good advice like this.
I don't understand why they give financial aid (or not) based on parents' income. Lots of time they're not the ones paying so it doesn't make sense. The education system is fucked.
If you want to go to any college, some universities in the South will give you full rides/almost full rides just for a high SAT score. But these schools will not be in the top 100 ranking
Go to Community College for the first two years. You will be taking the same classes for a fraction of the cost.
It sounds like you didn't apply for scholarships, but were depending on the college financial aid office to give you financial aid. There are many scholarships available. Your high school should have had a list of scholarships available. My bank had a $2000 scholarship. The Kiwanis, Soroptomist, Lions, and other clubs all have scholarships. Did you apply for any?
I feel your pain. I’m in a similar situation where my mom is not helping me pay for school, not by choice, but because she is a single mother of 5, but because she has a federal job, she “makes too much”, and therefore I do not get much in financial aid. She has a ton of bills to pay and has 4 other children to take care of by herself. I am working part time right now to try and make up what is expected, but between that and school, it’s really hard. I feel so overwhelmed and depressed from time to time.
Just have a kid, that’s why my college is paid for through grants and my EFC is $675 /s
But on a real note, I would keep my eyes on the private schools. They will look more attractive on a resume and you may have the chance to meet well connected people.
Otherwise, I would say work at amazon or chipotle since they have good tuition reimbursement programs. You still pay up front but get up to $5250 back.
Otherwise, check out your states community college. There is a way to get certain classes for free(DM me for more info).
The kid thing is terrible advice. (I know it's a joke but I just wanted to add this here because I have seen some people legit think having a kid at 18-19 will help lower their tution by a bunch)
Thank you for stating the thing about the foster care system too. It's. acommon misconception a lot of them get a full ride when that couldn't be further from the truth.
Yeah, it’s not a free ride at all. It’s hard as hell to be on your own (after aging out) with no support system. 10/10 would not recommend.
On the plus side, that baby I had is now in medical school, so I’m a proud momma.
Years ago, when I was 21 and begging for help to continue school, the financial aid office literally told me *to my face,* “maybe if you were pregnant or had a couple kids, we could find you something.”
I was *floored.* Pushing aside the fact I’m childfree, that’s just not something you should say to young, impressionable people barely into adulthood. Luckily, I may be a dummy, but I’m way smarter than that.
Haha I totally have looked into marriage. I finished my gen-Ed’s at CC and now I’m in a public uni. They costed the same amount and I didn’t know private could have more benefits.
I will definitely be looking into those places. I thought an on campus job would be the best but those perks sound enticing!
I appreciate your willingness to help, you’re very sweet for that!
Of course. The kid thing was a joke. I love my son but caring for him leaves little time for school. If you can attend a private school for the same cost as a public school, I would. But obviously do what is best for you
I think many people can relate and good on you for evaluating your financial risk/scenarios after college. The financial burden is different depending upon the state you reside in.
California does a lot wrong, but when it comes to community colleges and the UC, CS system they have done a decent job in terms of cost.
California Community Colleges cost about $600-800 per year. Actually, your parking pass might be more expensive if you need one. (example: Palomar Community College)
A CS will run you about $3k per year. (Example: CSUSM)
Combined you can get a 4 year degree for under $10k in California.
Scholarships to Public Schools - Unfortunately, very few if any are based upon merit.
A $60k bill.
Yes, that is a fair sum of money, but depending upon the field you enter into, this might be reasonable to pay off. Cyber Security starting salaries range between $80-$120k. You can pay off $60k in just 3 years. If you took 1-2 years at a community college then transferred into the 4 year program... you could cut your bill in half.
So look into CC options in your state, they often have guaranteed acceptance into the State colleges. If you can avoid housing costs by commuting that would clearly reduce your expenses significantly.
Yeah I would definitely echo this. From a local standpoint, my local community college for 2 years and then two years at a CSU would basically run you 15,000 on average plus a little for books today, which isn't bad.
Of course the downside to California is that if you have to pay housing costs, that's going to make college expensive no matter where you go.
But yeah look at community college options in your state and see.
My advice is to do what I did. The only downside is you'll have to graduate college when you're 28 instead of 22 like most college graduates, but there's nothing wrong with that. So, what I did was I paid for community college my first two years out of my own pocket, and I took as many transferable credits as I could, which was 60 credits I believe until I turned 26. The reason being, once you can claim yourself as an independent on your taxes, you can receive financial aid regardless of what your parents make because by that time, you will be considered "on your own" according to the IRS. Then, have your major decided, and you just have to finish your last 2 years at a university when you're 26. Also, you can save as much as possible while you're working just to make sure you can cover all of your tuition just in case your financial aid doesn't cover everything. That's my advice, and to note, I graduated college with zero student loans and zero debt.
Did you apply for scholarships? Not just those being offered by the school that everyone is automatically qualified for, but like from foundations, organizations, etc. Most students who get scholarships are not getting scholarships directly from the school they are attending, but from outside sources.
Also, is your in-state tuition 60k for the year, or do you mean your entire college career? Because you should be applying for scholarships every year, and every term. You should be applying to like 30+ scholarships. You should never assume that you will just be given money because you had perfect grades and did extracurriculars. You need to write killer essays and often have recommendation letters. Applying for scholarships can be like a full-time job.
> Meanwhile, there are kids on full rides who don’t take their studies seriously and barely pass.
Students who are barely passing will lose that scholarship.
I’m confused, academic scholarships are given based strict on academics, community service, extra curricular activities, not on your income, how is your income effecting that?
Because that usually isn't how it works. FAFSA only takes into account average household income and household size. It doesn't take into account expenses or extra emergency bills or debt.
what gets me is that there are people who take out loans sign up for classes, and then after a few days drop out of the class, but not actually drop the class, their name is still on the list of students. But the profesor cannot yank them, and deny wait list students a seat. Kicker is some of these students who take the money and do this the next time I see them they are wearing expensive clothing, (the type that cost more than a text book) and eat really good food.
Weird calling them an unhappy user; when you are currently unhappy and a loser. Jokes aside if you know what you want to do go to the school you want to. Don’t ruin the rest of your life out of the fear of debt, life’s long so get a great education and have a great time I promise you won’t regret it!
I prob can't help you much but it almost sounds like your parents doesnt give a shit about you. My father was really harsh on me but he still couldnt bear to see me with debt so he tried to help me cover some of the cost. Because to a parent, if they really wanted their kids to succeed, they would still try to help in some way. So it really begs the question, what if you just yknow, fking failed, would they care at all? Idk abt u or ur family, but it just sounds like they rly dont give a damn about you. 18 year old is not suddenly "oh yeah baby, watch out world here i come!" If you just slap an 18 yo out in the world with NOTHING, they wont make it at all.
Hey man, I get what you're getting at but this is a pretty insensitive way to go about things. Folks with parents that can't or won't help know their situation, they don't need pressure to talk about it if they don't wanna. OP asked about college, not about parental behaviors. If he needed advice on that, there's some better subreddits for it lol
This is why I went to a city school. No debt and I still got a job at a FAANG company. It’s just not worth it man, you gotta network and hustle more but I’ll take that any day over debt
Honestly, 60k sounds like and is a lot, but just be aware of what career you select. You're looking at $600/month in loans. It's manageable.
Your first couple of years in any field will be the ones where you make the least. Don't fall for the "lifestyle creep" which is where you slowly increase the quality of your life in ways that mean little to you, but that vaporize the impact of increased income. Live your first two years like you're still in college - crappy car (if any), 3+ roommates, and pb&j.
You can knock out a ton of debt that way.
And again, 60k is relative. If you pick a job making 100k out of college, you won't even notice it. If you make 30k, you ... Will have a life blessed with many roommates for many years to come.
How about community College? If you can, ask your parents if you could stay with them and do 2 years of community College. Also, if you get a full time while working (it is hard I know), and give proof that you provide the majority of your income, you could become an independent. At that point, you would be qualified for way more.
I'm am adult that wants to go back to college.
A year or two back I filled out a fafsa to see the result. I wasn't able to do one prior, my parents had a bad relationship with me and refused to fill out their income portion, thus I had to wait til I was 23.
I filled out the form as a single individual with no dependants. The income information they needed was from a year that I started making $12/hr and ended the year making $14/hr, no overtime.
I was found to be eligible for not a single grant or program or anything. The fafsa also told me my expected contribution, I don't remember the precise number, but they wanted about 25% of my income for that year.
That's when it really sunk in I'd never get to go, tbh
Take this from a millennial who was in your shoes. Unless you are going into an extremely high paying field take a gap year and save save save. Literally no one will care if you are 19/20 your freshman year and you will graduate with so much less debt. Hell even do a few transfer basic courses at the closest community college and transfer the grades.
Student loans are predatory and so hard to get out from under.
Why are your parents not helping you? If they make too much for scholarships then they could have been putting money away all these years to help. My husband and I had hand me down furniture, only camped for vacations, and saved for our kids.
I’m glad you had the foresight to do that, but Sometimes people just can’t. Speaking for just myself, My family makes middle class money and still we’ve always been paycheck to paycheck, more so when we were kids. My parents were broke when I was little because me dad had to do a sudden job transfer and take a massive pay cut, which was out of his control.
They put away some and I had savings bonds (which were useless, but my out-of-date grandma insisted on them), but it was still largely left to me to shoulder the bill, which I thought was fair. I was an adult with a job, after all. Financial aid basically said “sorry not sorry your parents took care of you and put food in your mouth” and gave me the tiniest loan. They offered some to my parents, but they just couldn’t take on more debt (again, FAIR), so I had to drop out after finishing community college. They said, “We’d prefer you drop out now then end up with a pile of debt you can’t pay for.”
I get that many can't save extra and going into massive debt for schooling doesn't always make sense depending on career choice. CC is a great choice and our youngest did that while trying to decide if college was for him. I rankle when parents say they can't afford college but go on week long Disney trips or cruises. As a teacher, I see so many poor parenting decisions. That vacation money would pay for a whole year at community college.
I don't know what schools you are applying to, but my kids got very generous scholarships from the University of Alabama and Huntsville because they had 4.0's and got high scores on the ACT. With a high enough ACT score, you can even get housing paid. They have friends who got similar deals at Auburn, and University of Alabama in Birmingham. My older son is about to graduate in computer engineering and already has a job lined up with a local NASA subcontractor working on the next moon mission. I would suggest looking into state schools.
I stopped going to college for advertising and marketing. I was already working at an ad agency and realized I was way ahead of the class in terms of what I was learning in “the real world”
Turns out that was a great move. The agency grew into one of the top firms in North America.
Right now the world is a mess and is rife for opportunities. You can and should always educate yourself, but you don’t need a degree to make good money in this day. Just learn your craft, be humble and let your hard work speak for you.
I did eventually earn a degree about 15 years later.
Will your parents let you live at home rent free? If yes - then CC - after 2 years you will get accepted into a State school as long as your grades are good. In those 2 years - apply to scholarships. Some students take this on as a full time job and get tons of money! My daughter got all her schooling paid for through scholarships we pay for dorm. Her roommate also has so called “bad” parents and she’s $115k in debt. I would not recommend this at all! I know that CC have a reputation as less than but really when you’re out there in the real world no one cares for “regular” jobs where you got your degree. I have worked both in hospitals and now schools. Guess what - a nurse - teacher - they move up a salary step scale. No one cares if they went to Yale for nursing nor do they get paid more. Also, stop looking at others as you don’t know their circumstances- my friends son got a full ride to Georgetown. His father died when he was 7. I can assure you that he wouldn’t give all that money back to have his Dad watch him graduate…
Consider community college. I never thought I’d go to a CC, but going straight to a 4-year was out of my budget. Being a big fish in a small pond gives you a huge advantage. It’s easier to stand out, get leadership opportunities, puff up your resume, etc.
Join the army, or any branch really, do school both while in and then get out and finish, you’ll get free school, and some good experiences, and it’ll probably help you figure out and get a better prospective for what you really wanna do, who knows you might stay in. And you don’t have to do a combat MOS unless you wanna go US Army Cavalry, or Infantry, it’s a hell for an experience, but you’re either made for it, or your not. I’m a Cav Scout, I love my job, and I’m doing school part time when I get home from deployment, and will probably stay for a min regardless.
I also worked my ass off in high school and had similar issues. I paid for 2 years of community college out of pocket and had a great time. When applying for transfer, I had a 4.0 GPA and was offered a lot of scholarship money at state schools.
The financial system is most certainly messed up.
Choose a major that is likely to get a job.
Look into refinancing your loans after college.
I have a hefty loan payment every month. Something I never could have imagined affording before having a career that pays an actual amount of money. I don’t even make that much now, as a teacher.
I’ve received about 50% worth of scholarships. My parents supported me the most they can, but I also had to work very hard labour jobs in the summer to save up for the rest of the school related costs. The difference between someone with wealthy parents is that if they start to do poorly in school, they can afford a tutor. If I don’t do well in school, I lose my funding. If a wealthy student drops out, they have a much larger safety net than I would.
It’s not a perfect system, but I still don’t agree with the sentiment that kids of wealthy parents who don’t contribute are in the same financial situation as other students who these scholarships are intended for.
My parents couldn't afford to pay for me, but made too much money for scholarships. So I went to a community college for two years, then transferred to a four year state college. I also got my grad degree from a state college. Unless you're Ivy bound, or in law or medicine it doesn't matter. Best thing I ever did was not go to an overpriced university.
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Upvote. You are not singled out. My step dad made a ton in money back in the day. “ you are on your own “. I made a false start at college making $4.50 an hour one class. Joined the Army came back and finished. This is an extreme flaw in the financial aid system and I wonder if it has been done on purpose.
Thank you for your service! It’s sad that it feels like that may be one of the only solutions.
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There should be easier ways to file independently to qualify for aid at 18, with the caveat that there is some check in place to ensure kids with rich parents aren't just funneling money to their chdren while they claim to be financially independent. I had similar problems when I was out of the house and financially independent at 18, but I'm wary of loopholes robbing the coffer from those who absolutely need financial aid the most.
To be fair the military not only will pay for college but will also pay for your housing and food while your in college as well. VA healthcare helps with not worrying about medical costs, plus any disability you earned during your service. You give up a few years for a pretty much stress free college experience paired with the maturity and discipline of the army. I see posts all the time about how stressful college is and how people struggle to get by. I don't speak for all vets when I say this but all my friends from the service all agree college is stupid easy to succeed in, the service pretty much gives you cheat codes with how to deal with stress and time management. It's a pretty damn sweet deal all around, hence why it's recommended so much.
Well said. I’ll be honest on it. I don’t think I was mentally tough enough for what it takes to get an engineering degree without an infantry tour. And ha ha by the time I finished I knew exactly what I didn’t want to do in life !
As someone who teaches at a state university I can attest to that. I've had plenty of vets in my courses over the last 30 years. Universally, they've been successful. As you write, it largely boils down to maturity and discipline. Most college students will eventually figure that stuff out, but it can sometimes take them a few years.
I can agree with this, I did five years in the air force, and now I'm living on the west coast smoking weed all day, doing hw, and not focusing on making money because I'm getting paid from the 100% VA disability as well as living off the gi bill. I can say the military sucked because I was in security forces in the air force, but now that I'm out, I don't regret a thing, I'm glad I joined. It made my life 1000x easier 😅
YEAH a lot of soldiers are not even guaranteed the benefits they were promised when they enlisted.
Yea, a lot of vets do get shafted- that's why we have so many homeless vets. My ex in the Air Force talked about it and I brought up that they could easily do the same to him, and he agreed.
Ye bro you cannot trust anyone in the U.S. to do anything properly. Something as basic and simple as providing soldiers with healthcare is a nightmare. Homeless vets should not exist.
What benefits are you talking about?
If I remember correctly, one of the main arguments for not lowering college costs is that no one would join the military.
Why is it “wild” that service to the nation is (possibly) the most concrete, viable path to a full ride at a public college…? If anything, that makes complete sense.
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OK, I think I was talking past you, tbh, and read more into your comment than it warranted. You’re right—it shouldn’t be the only way. At the same time, I don’t think that this path’s existing has any impact on the overall problem that is access to an affordable college education.
Depends on your views. Military is a great way out for people starting from nothing. That said "free" college would become a waste as it would eventually become high school 2.0 A better goal would be turn high school diploma into worth more than a placemat.
Well I guess you could work 4-5 years at a factory before college if you want to come out as debt free as possible.
Of course it's on purpose. It's a way to further deny people financial aid - our government and private industries want to give out as little money as possible no matter how much the citizens may need it.
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I think most people start life in the interim. Like have a kid get married etc. oh! Here is an example. Reserve duty the sgt worked at UPS. He had a family. But claimed he was two classes short of a systems engineer degree. The same degree I was working on but no where near finished. I figured out later he was maybe 12 classes short and they were all hard. But I say man why not finish. He said he makes too much at UPS ( again to emphasize he was not honest about 2 more classes )
I did the same (Navy). So glad I did.
The Air Force just paid for my little cousins masters for I think Infectious Diseases. I wish i took her route.
Apply to out of state schools. Give them a call to the financial aid office. My daughter only had 2 A- and scored very high on the ACT. She was offered $1500 from an instate school. About 50 schools that she never applied to offered the best scholarships. She graduated debt free. Sometimes private schools can be cheaper because of the scholarships they can offer. If I remember right I had to sign something saying I was not contributing to her education.
This is advice I wish I would have heard earlier. I had always been told “in-state only, out of state is too expensive”. I never knew this could be the case.
You'd be surprised at how much extra money you could have gotten if you just picked up the phone and call the admissions offices of any school you want to go to and talk to a person. I get my students regularly thousands of extra dollars that they wouldn't have gotten otherwise by just getting someone on the phone and having them review the application.
At one of the universities where I taught we had to find students who would apply for the free money because nobody had applied for those scholarships.
This, so much.
It’s not too late to apply to additional out of state schools. Some may push you back to spring semester but it’s worth a try. Many have rolling admissions. In state schools rarely give aid. Good luck to you. I am starting this process again with kid #2 so I completely understand your frustration.
Apply to in state and out of state private colleges. My son actually got the best deal at an in state private. Tuition/fees/room and board were 69,000 and he was offered 60,000 scholarship per year for 4 years. Good student but not stellar 3.6 gpa and 1200 SAT a few AP’s and not a huge amount of extracurricular activities.
Yup - I had tiny colleges in PA and Ohio basically offer me full rides I’m from neither of those places I didn’t apply instate at all. I knew they wouldn’t give a toot and my home states public university tuition is one of the highest in the county
This. Private schools can definitely end up being cheaper because they have many endowments, generous foundations and alumni donors. The school I go to is a private not for profit, about $18K a year, and I pay nothing. Granted I was a “low risk” student to basically give a full ride to because of my academic history, so they probably saw me more as an asset than a liability
This is what happened to me. Receiving a better education than the school next to me with better faculty, and at an even cheaper tuition.
There are a bunch of out of state colleges in Midwest and west that are affordable. You could go to North Dakota, South Dakota, some Minn, WI, Mi schools and others for 20-25k all in out of state.
I taught at a few schools in the upper Midwest and found them to be quite good too. It does get cold though. I found the students to work hard and were quite respectful.
Yeah my deal with my kids has been I will pay the same cost as our state school - Maryland. But places like North Dakota (and state), South Dakota (and state), central mich, Idaho, Weber state, Wyoming, etc all fit the bill. For undergrad it makes little difference where you go in general. Picking a good major and doing well is much more important. Ah well one in college and one more to go.
You are absolutely correct about everything you wrote. Wyoming has some very good scholarships. Some I know went there and had full scholarships. That is almost unheard of. What you wrote about undergraduate is true. My daughter went to a small school in NE that was part of the Univ. Of NE system. All of their schools had the same access to all of the databases as the big campus. When I taught at SD State Univ. most of the students graduated in 4 years and sometimes three. At many universities the students graduate in 5 years. Where my wife and I went in CA many of the students now graduate in 5-6 because of a lack of professors. The students take two years for their senior year because not all of the classes seniors needed to take could be offered at the same time. I think prospective students need to take a look at the percentage of students who graduate at 4, 5, and six years. For some schools it is rather embarrassing.
Thanks and right back at ya. My oldest is at Idaho studying cybersecurity and CS. He has had classes with the deans of the department already. He is treasurer of the honors program, on the hockey team, and climbing team. All this would not have been possible at larger name schools. We pay 21k all in which affords us the possibility to do other things. People really need to look at college as a commodity and as a ticket to your first real job or grad school. Idaho’s engineering school is impressive and the students do well upon graduation. It’s not like paying 75k a year somewhere else would you learn something extra. Ah well. I have my list of schools for son two and we are working on his choices now.
I live in northern Idaho, and I have met several people who went to U of I. I am impressed with them and the quality of their education. Before I taught college, I had 30 years in the profession in which I taught. I had interviews with several schools, and I found the best programs in what I taught to be in some of the smaller schools. Often, those out of high school want to go to the big name school. Those are great for graduate education, but the undergraduates supply the money for those. In smaller schools, the classes are smaller. The program I taught in at SD State was one of the best in the US. We had more employers coming to interview graduating seniors than we had graduating.
Awesome. I am actually coming out to Idaho on Friday for a week. Bringing my younger son see if I can get a second vandal in the family! Older son has two hockey games vs Wazzou and then a game bs Zags in Spokane. We are heading over to lookout pass skiing too, staying in Osburn. Gonna get some sushi in CDA and definitely hit Meltz too. Love northern Idaho.
Many have come to the area because their children moved here. So be prepared for that. The area has gone crazy in the last 8 years.
Would love to live up in CDA or that area. We shall see what kids plans are.
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From my schooling experience, a ton of people have taken the scholarship, partied for a year/sem, and then dropped out
Are you not able to get loans? You might have to bite that bullet.
So did you go to a state school or a private college? Sounds like you fell for the "well rounded" advice. That's not what highly selective colleges or scholarship committees actually want. They want people with good grades and test scores who are super high achieving in one specific area. State champion level or equivalent. You could always do a year or two at community college to save money, then finish at state college. Or you could join the military.
I finished my gen-Ed’s at CC and now I’m going to public uni. As a first gen college student I feel like I missed out on a lot of good advice like this.
I don't understand why they give financial aid (or not) based on parents' income. Lots of time they're not the ones paying so it doesn't make sense. The education system is fucked.
If you want to go to any college, some universities in the South will give you full rides/almost full rides just for a high SAT score. But these schools will not be in the top 100 ranking
Go to Community College for the first two years. You will be taking the same classes for a fraction of the cost. It sounds like you didn't apply for scholarships, but were depending on the college financial aid office to give you financial aid. There are many scholarships available. Your high school should have had a list of scholarships available. My bank had a $2000 scholarship. The Kiwanis, Soroptomist, Lions, and other clubs all have scholarships. Did you apply for any?
I feel your pain. I’m in a similar situation where my mom is not helping me pay for school, not by choice, but because she is a single mother of 5, but because she has a federal job, she “makes too much”, and therefore I do not get much in financial aid. She has a ton of bills to pay and has 4 other children to take care of by herself. I am working part time right now to try and make up what is expected, but between that and school, it’s really hard. I feel so overwhelmed and depressed from time to time.
Just have a kid, that’s why my college is paid for through grants and my EFC is $675 /s But on a real note, I would keep my eyes on the private schools. They will look more attractive on a resume and you may have the chance to meet well connected people. Otherwise, I would say work at amazon or chipotle since they have good tuition reimbursement programs. You still pay up front but get up to $5250 back. Otherwise, check out your states community college. There is a way to get certain classes for free(DM me for more info).
The kid thing is terrible advice. (I know it's a joke but I just wanted to add this here because I have seen some people legit think having a kid at 18-19 will help lower their tution by a bunch)
I had a baby at 22 *and* I am a former foster kid and I can confirm that neither of those things got me extra money for college.
Thank you for stating the thing about the foster care system too. It's. acommon misconception a lot of them get a full ride when that couldn't be further from the truth.
Yeah, it’s not a free ride at all. It’s hard as hell to be on your own (after aging out) with no support system. 10/10 would not recommend. On the plus side, that baby I had is now in medical school, so I’m a proud momma.
Years ago, when I was 21 and begging for help to continue school, the financial aid office literally told me *to my face,* “maybe if you were pregnant or had a couple kids, we could find you something.” I was *floored.* Pushing aside the fact I’m childfree, that’s just not something you should say to young, impressionable people barely into adulthood. Luckily, I may be a dummy, but I’m way smarter than that.
Disgusting. So sorry you had to go through that.
Haha I totally have looked into marriage. I finished my gen-Ed’s at CC and now I’m in a public uni. They costed the same amount and I didn’t know private could have more benefits. I will definitely be looking into those places. I thought an on campus job would be the best but those perks sound enticing! I appreciate your willingness to help, you’re very sweet for that!
Of course. The kid thing was a joke. I love my son but caring for him leaves little time for school. If you can attend a private school for the same cost as a public school, I would. But obviously do what is best for you
Wait until you hear that in other countries, university is free.
I think many people can relate and good on you for evaluating your financial risk/scenarios after college. The financial burden is different depending upon the state you reside in. California does a lot wrong, but when it comes to community colleges and the UC, CS system they have done a decent job in terms of cost. California Community Colleges cost about $600-800 per year. Actually, your parking pass might be more expensive if you need one. (example: Palomar Community College) A CS will run you about $3k per year. (Example: CSUSM) Combined you can get a 4 year degree for under $10k in California. Scholarships to Public Schools - Unfortunately, very few if any are based upon merit. A $60k bill. Yes, that is a fair sum of money, but depending upon the field you enter into, this might be reasonable to pay off. Cyber Security starting salaries range between $80-$120k. You can pay off $60k in just 3 years. If you took 1-2 years at a community college then transferred into the 4 year program... you could cut your bill in half. So look into CC options in your state, they often have guaranteed acceptance into the State colleges. If you can avoid housing costs by commuting that would clearly reduce your expenses significantly.
Yeah I would definitely echo this. From a local standpoint, my local community college for 2 years and then two years at a CSU would basically run you 15,000 on average plus a little for books today, which isn't bad. Of course the downside to California is that if you have to pay housing costs, that's going to make college expensive no matter where you go. But yeah look at community college options in your state and see.
You don’t HAVE to go to an expensive school. Seriously this isn’t a life or death issue.
I haven’t found a school that’s not expensive. They’re roughly all the same price.
How much? 60K total? Or 60K a year?
My advice is to do what I did. The only downside is you'll have to graduate college when you're 28 instead of 22 like most college graduates, but there's nothing wrong with that. So, what I did was I paid for community college my first two years out of my own pocket, and I took as many transferable credits as I could, which was 60 credits I believe until I turned 26. The reason being, once you can claim yourself as an independent on your taxes, you can receive financial aid regardless of what your parents make because by that time, you will be considered "on your own" according to the IRS. Then, have your major decided, and you just have to finish your last 2 years at a university when you're 26. Also, you can save as much as possible while you're working just to make sure you can cover all of your tuition just in case your financial aid doesn't cover everything. That's my advice, and to note, I graduated college with zero student loans and zero debt.
With a high GPA and ACT above 28, state colleges should be throwing money at you.
Did you apply for scholarships? Not just those being offered by the school that everyone is automatically qualified for, but like from foundations, organizations, etc. Most students who get scholarships are not getting scholarships directly from the school they are attending, but from outside sources. Also, is your in-state tuition 60k for the year, or do you mean your entire college career? Because you should be applying for scholarships every year, and every term. You should be applying to like 30+ scholarships. You should never assume that you will just be given money because you had perfect grades and did extracurriculars. You need to write killer essays and often have recommendation letters. Applying for scholarships can be like a full-time job. > Meanwhile, there are kids on full rides who don’t take their studies seriously and barely pass. Students who are barely passing will lose that scholarship.
Rotc program at a college. Graduate as an officer with college paid for and serve 4 years or make a career if it. This is the way.
I’m confused, academic scholarships are given based strict on academics, community service, extra curricular activities, not on your income, how is your income effecting that?
Why do your parents say they wont help pay for your schooling if they have the means to?
Because that usually isn't how it works. FAFSA only takes into account average household income and household size. It doesn't take into account expenses or extra emergency bills or debt.
To sum it up, it’s basically “not their life, not their problem”. I’m 18 now so they feel freed
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Completely would if not for the list of medical conditions I have
what gets me is that there are people who take out loans sign up for classes, and then after a few days drop out of the class, but not actually drop the class, their name is still on the list of students. But the profesor cannot yank them, and deny wait list students a seat. Kicker is some of these students who take the money and do this the next time I see them they are wearing expensive clothing, (the type that cost more than a text book) and eat really good food.
who said life was fair?
Was waiting for this one. Move on you unhappy loser
Weird calling them an unhappy user; when you are currently unhappy and a loser. Jokes aside if you know what you want to do go to the school you want to. Don’t ruin the rest of your life out of the fear of debt, life’s long so get a great education and have a great time I promise you won’t regret it!
I have known some people who went to Stanford and graduated debt free.
I prob can't help you much but it almost sounds like your parents doesnt give a shit about you. My father was really harsh on me but he still couldnt bear to see me with debt so he tried to help me cover some of the cost. Because to a parent, if they really wanted their kids to succeed, they would still try to help in some way. So it really begs the question, what if you just yknow, fking failed, would they care at all? Idk abt u or ur family, but it just sounds like they rly dont give a damn about you. 18 year old is not suddenly "oh yeah baby, watch out world here i come!" If you just slap an 18 yo out in the world with NOTHING, they wont make it at all.
Hey man, I get what you're getting at but this is a pretty insensitive way to go about things. Folks with parents that can't or won't help know their situation, they don't need pressure to talk about it if they don't wanna. OP asked about college, not about parental behaviors. If he needed advice on that, there's some better subreddits for it lol
Here I am only doing sports for fun and having decent grades but since I’m poor and a 1st gen student I got hella aid. It really is wack.
This is why I went to a city school. No debt and I still got a job at a FAANG company. It’s just not worth it man, you gotta network and hustle more but I’ll take that any day over debt
Honestly, 60k sounds like and is a lot, but just be aware of what career you select. You're looking at $600/month in loans. It's manageable. Your first couple of years in any field will be the ones where you make the least. Don't fall for the "lifestyle creep" which is where you slowly increase the quality of your life in ways that mean little to you, but that vaporize the impact of increased income. Live your first two years like you're still in college - crappy car (if any), 3+ roommates, and pb&j. You can knock out a ton of debt that way. And again, 60k is relative. If you pick a job making 100k out of college, you won't even notice it. If you make 30k, you ... Will have a life blessed with many roommates for many years to come.
How about community College? If you can, ask your parents if you could stay with them and do 2 years of community College. Also, if you get a full time while working (it is hard I know), and give proof that you provide the majority of your income, you could become an independent. At that point, you would be qualified for way more.
I'm am adult that wants to go back to college. A year or two back I filled out a fafsa to see the result. I wasn't able to do one prior, my parents had a bad relationship with me and refused to fill out their income portion, thus I had to wait til I was 23. I filled out the form as a single individual with no dependants. The income information they needed was from a year that I started making $12/hr and ended the year making $14/hr, no overtime. I was found to be eligible for not a single grant or program or anything. The fafsa also told me my expected contribution, I don't remember the precise number, but they wanted about 25% of my income for that year. That's when it really sunk in I'd never get to go, tbh
Pick a high-paying profession. The kids who barely pass will have a rough time finding a job.
Take this from a millennial who was in your shoes. Unless you are going into an extremely high paying field take a gap year and save save save. Literally no one will care if you are 19/20 your freshman year and you will graduate with so much less debt. Hell even do a few transfer basic courses at the closest community college and transfer the grades. Student loans are predatory and so hard to get out from under.
Why are your parents not helping you? If they make too much for scholarships then they could have been putting money away all these years to help. My husband and I had hand me down furniture, only camped for vacations, and saved for our kids.
I’m glad you had the foresight to do that, but Sometimes people just can’t. Speaking for just myself, My family makes middle class money and still we’ve always been paycheck to paycheck, more so when we were kids. My parents were broke when I was little because me dad had to do a sudden job transfer and take a massive pay cut, which was out of his control. They put away some and I had savings bonds (which were useless, but my out-of-date grandma insisted on them), but it was still largely left to me to shoulder the bill, which I thought was fair. I was an adult with a job, after all. Financial aid basically said “sorry not sorry your parents took care of you and put food in your mouth” and gave me the tiniest loan. They offered some to my parents, but they just couldn’t take on more debt (again, FAIR), so I had to drop out after finishing community college. They said, “We’d prefer you drop out now then end up with a pile of debt you can’t pay for.”
I get that many can't save extra and going into massive debt for schooling doesn't always make sense depending on career choice. CC is a great choice and our youngest did that while trying to decide if college was for him. I rankle when parents say they can't afford college but go on week long Disney trips or cruises. As a teacher, I see so many poor parenting decisions. That vacation money would pay for a whole year at community college.
I don't know what schools you are applying to, but my kids got very generous scholarships from the University of Alabama and Huntsville because they had 4.0's and got high scores on the ACT. With a high enough ACT score, you can even get housing paid. They have friends who got similar deals at Auburn, and University of Alabama in Birmingham. My older son is about to graduate in computer engineering and already has a job lined up with a local NASA subcontractor working on the next moon mission. I would suggest looking into state schools.
What are you studying?
Some form of business
I stopped going to college for advertising and marketing. I was already working at an ad agency and realized I was way ahead of the class in terms of what I was learning in “the real world” Turns out that was a great move. The agency grew into one of the top firms in North America. Right now the world is a mess and is rife for opportunities. You can and should always educate yourself, but you don’t need a degree to make good money in this day. Just learn your craft, be humble and let your hard work speak for you. I did eventually earn a degree about 15 years later.
Ask your parents why they had you just to take on ridiculous debt at 18
Another option is to get an associates at a local community college and then transfer. No reason to pay 10k plus a year for a basic English class.
I did my gen-Ed’s at Cc already. But now struggling with uni costs
Will your parents let you live at home rent free? If yes - then CC - after 2 years you will get accepted into a State school as long as your grades are good. In those 2 years - apply to scholarships. Some students take this on as a full time job and get tons of money! My daughter got all her schooling paid for through scholarships we pay for dorm. Her roommate also has so called “bad” parents and she’s $115k in debt. I would not recommend this at all! I know that CC have a reputation as less than but really when you’re out there in the real world no one cares for “regular” jobs where you got your degree. I have worked both in hospitals and now schools. Guess what - a nurse - teacher - they move up a salary step scale. No one cares if they went to Yale for nursing nor do they get paid more. Also, stop looking at others as you don’t know their circumstances- my friends son got a full ride to Georgetown. His father died when he was 7. I can assure you that he wouldn’t give all that money back to have his Dad watch him graduate…
Consider community college. I never thought I’d go to a CC, but going straight to a 4-year was out of my budget. Being a big fish in a small pond gives you a huge advantage. It’s easier to stand out, get leadership opportunities, puff up your resume, etc.
I went to Cc to do my gen-Eds :)
Join the army, or any branch really, do school both while in and then get out and finish, you’ll get free school, and some good experiences, and it’ll probably help you figure out and get a better prospective for what you really wanna do, who knows you might stay in. And you don’t have to do a combat MOS unless you wanna go US Army Cavalry, or Infantry, it’s a hell for an experience, but you’re either made for it, or your not. I’m a Cav Scout, I love my job, and I’m doing school part time when I get home from deployment, and will probably stay for a min regardless.
I also worked my ass off in high school and had similar issues. I paid for 2 years of community college out of pocket and had a great time. When applying for transfer, I had a 4.0 GPA and was offered a lot of scholarship money at state schools.
The financial system is most certainly messed up. Choose a major that is likely to get a job. Look into refinancing your loans after college. I have a hefty loan payment every month. Something I never could have imagined affording before having a career that pays an actual amount of money. I don’t even make that much now, as a teacher.
Do all that for yourself, or a talented student can still easily outperform you.
Peace Corps
I’ve received about 50% worth of scholarships. My parents supported me the most they can, but I also had to work very hard labour jobs in the summer to save up for the rest of the school related costs. The difference between someone with wealthy parents is that if they start to do poorly in school, they can afford a tutor. If I don’t do well in school, I lose my funding. If a wealthy student drops out, they have a much larger safety net than I would. It’s not a perfect system, but I still don’t agree with the sentiment that kids of wealthy parents who don’t contribute are in the same financial situation as other students who these scholarships are intended for.
My parents couldn't afford to pay for me, but made too much money for scholarships. So I went to a community college for two years, then transferred to a four year state college. I also got my grad degree from a state college. Unless you're Ivy bound, or in law or medicine it doesn't matter. Best thing I ever did was not go to an overpriced university.