jcpenny

Thank you guys for the posts.

I refuse to press charges to the police. The tarnish to my surname is vast and far outweighs what I am trying to accomplish. I would rather take on stafford student loan at the 6.5% rate for the remaining 3 years (Our EFC is $20,000, Financial Aid $36,000). My main goal for doing so is to:

1. Avoid going back home during the summers, vacations, and contact with home.
2. Avoid further abuse and fear.

These can ONLY be accomplished if I am no longer a financial dependent of my parents. Therefore I must get a Financial Dependency Review from Princeton. I have read the FAFSA stuff on dependency and the discretion to do so is completely at the Financial Aid Office:

http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/clc...yOverrides.pdf

I do not believe the police need to be involved. I think a lawyer to facilliate the process is the best. I have a signed note by my father and audio recordings of both of them admitting to beating me numerous times and abandonment (left me on the side of a damn highway and drove off) BEFORE AND AFTER 18. I refuse to involve the cops. I refuse to press charges. I will submit all the signed notes, audio recordings, and an ACTUAL VIDEO of dad belting me to the financial aid office.

I finished freshmen year with a 3.96 GPA and entered Princeton as one of few academic likely letter recipients. Failure to grant me dependency will mean I will have to transfer to a school with merit based scholarships. I am also a national merit scholarship recipient so I am sure many state schools will give me full rides. The loss to both parties will be tremendous.

sybbie719

Then basically you are saying that your family situation is not irreparable, which is also a factor in getting a dependency override.


As a person who writes a lot of third party letters and is a mandated reporter, it is highly unlikely that this information will be enough to get you a dependency override. As you have no 3rd party corroboration.

Is there a continuing pattern of abuse or was this a one time thing? How often has abuse occurred over what period of time

FA office is not going to accept recordings and notes from your father. If it were that easy, every parent would be writing notes, making recordings and video tapes.

As I previously stated, if the information happened while you were in school, if you had reported the situation to the school, you would have been in a much better position.

Are you currently living with your parents? If no, when did you leave their home?

jcpenny

Currently living with parents.

I do believe i talked to a counselor about this once or twice so I may be able to obtain documentation from him.

I can probably go to a psychologist and obtain his professional analysis. No previous contact with psychologist.

sybbie719

Then this is not going to get you an override, because if you are still living in their house, there is no fear of abuse on your part and you do not believe that you are in imminent danger.


If you spoke with the counselor what happened? Were you referred to an agency? If your counselor did not follow the protocol, as a mandated reporter, s/he is at risk of losing their job.

If you spoke with the counselor as a minor, did s/he document the situation, report it to the administration and the proper authorities (as mandated reporters, there is no way to get around this).

For example in NYS, an Occurrence Report must be filed and ACS must be contacted immediately for any student under 18, and it must be documented in ATS and student referred to an agency, whether it is the door, Convenant house. city or state agency.

If the student is over 18, an occurrence report still has to be filed, administration informed and documented in ATS.

Counselor will not only write the letter but also attach all of the documentation.

kela10

Maybe I am totally misunderstanding but it looks to me like you have said:

"My main goal for doing so is to:

1. Avoid going back home during the summers, vacations, and contact with home."

You do not need a dependancy override to not go home for summers & breaks. Since you are over 18 just get a job and support yourself- you don't have to go back to your parents house.

jcpenny

I will get in touch with my counselor as soon as possible. I am considering running away, explaining why I am here. I am doing my due diligence to make sure I can run away successfully and not become a thug.

What about dependency override on the grounds of physical abandonment/running away/homeless?

sybbie719

Is your counselor really going to jeopardize his her her license by stating that you came to him or her about abuse in your home and they did not report it up the chain?

Not if it did not happen before you turned 18. At 18, you would not be considered a runaway as you are perfectly free to leave your parent's home.

As far as physical abandonment is concerned, it would have had to happen while you are still a minor, meaning that your parents abandoned your home and you do not know where they are (again, as a minor, this would have to be corroborated by the school). It is a moot point, because you live with your parents.

I agree with kela10, that there is nothing forcing you to go home during breaks, summer. Find a job or a paid summer position on campus, where you can be self sufficient.

momofthreeboys

Listen to what people are saying. For a dependency override you will need documentation from third parties who know about the abuse. What are you doing living at home? It's summer, do you have a job? Are you capable of living on your own? At your age, it's not really "running away from home" it's more leaving the family nest. You want your college to fund more of your education so you aren't dependent on your parents and you are saying you don't want to be dependent on your parents because they are abusing you. Well allegations of abuse is grounds for legal actions yet you don't want to do that. I think you should talk this through with a counselor or someone who can advise you, someone who can evaluate what type of harm you are really in and can perhaps give you some adult advice about how you can move on with your life separate from your parents. Only YOU can decide where this particular college fits into that equation. It won't be an easy path so you need to decide what the most important issues are.

Yes but this also means your life will be different...not the same...so there may come a point where you have to make choices.

Finally you say in your original post that they refuse to pay for college? Apparently they did for your freshman year as you say you got a good GPA freshman year.

What happened between last summer and this summer that changed the family situation? These are the types of questions that you need to be able to document and share.

sybbie719

Princeton's policy regarding financial aid is as follows:

Even on the very off, chance you should be granted a Federal dependency override, you will be considered a dependent for for institutional aid at Princeton and they will not give you increased financial aid to make up for your parent's portion of the package.

If you and your parents are not getting along and as a result, you feel that you need to transfer some place where you can get a full ride, please be advised that "full rides" are extremely rare, if available at all for transfer students.

the loss to both parties, will not be tremendous because Princeton is not at a loss for bright achieving students, and they will not feel your loss do to the plain and simple fact that they do not accept transfer students and with a single digit admit rate, there are plenty of candidates who would love to take your place. You would not be the first nor will you be the last student to leave Princeton because of money.

momofthreeboys

^^that's good that you posted that Sybbie, it might help the OP sift through what the real priorities need to be.

thumper1

You are CHOOSING to run away, and be homeless. That will not get you a dependency override. You are currently living in your parents' home and it doesn't sound like that has ever been different. Choosing to be "homeless" by running away is NOT physical abandonment.

momofthreeboys

Plus if this student is a rising sophomore chances are that the age is 18....not really "running away" many kids break from their parents at 18 and head out on their own.

jcpenny

I am still considered a financial dependent on parents.

Thank you guys for help. I will get legal counsel to see what my options are and whether an Assault charge will change anything.

emeraldkity4

Documentation from medical professionals regarding your injuries should help your case.

absweetmarie

Again, the abuse is one matter. The dependency is another. It would be hard for you to demonstrate that you are not a dependent of your parents if you are living with them. I do think getting some legal advice would be wise. I can't see how a signed statement from your father or any other of the "evidence" you speak of (I put it in quotation marks because it may not be evidence in a legal sense) would be useful to establish that you are independent.