<p>I want to go to one school and they want me at another. Since I am under 18, can they force me into a University?</p>
<p>No, but they can refuse to pay for you to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>While, as Northstarmom said, they cannot force you by the same token they may not pay for you. I would take your parent’s advice with more than a grain of salt. They know what they are talking about.</p>
<p>lol… this isn’t high school you know. </p>
<p>Try to convince them otherwise. If not, consider going to your parent’s choice or going solo.</p>
<p>hell no. If my parents tried to force me to go to a school I didn’t want to go to I’d emacipate myself.</p>
<p>Do you know why they’re forcing you to go to one school? How far are you willing to go to go to the school that you want? Do you think that it would be worth it for the rift between you and your parents?
They can’t force you to do anything, but as before mentioned, they could not help pay for it. If you really want, you can file emancipation from your parents, and file for financial aid that way. However, unless you already have multiple serious problems with your parents other than education, I would not suggest you take that route. That is quite extreme.<br>
On the other hand, talk to your parents. Maybe negotiate something, such as they’ll pay for only 1/2 as much for the university of your choice than university of their choice. File for as many scholarship/bursaries/grant as possible, work your butt off now and during the summer, and take out loans if needed. Let them know that you appreciate their advice and concern, but in the end, it’s your life. Even if it’s a mistake, it is yours to make. There will be many more mistakes later on in life, and this, in the large scale of things, isn’t going to be a big one. You could always transfer if things don’t work out.</p>
<p>nastynate – Why would one need to be emancipated? Isn’t a person an adult at 18 years of age? Emancipation if for 16 year olds who have whacko parents and cannot wait until 18 to go off on their own (legally).</p>
<p>If you want financial aid, then you would need to be independent from your parents, hence the emancipation.</p>
<p>Ahh, right. I’m not sure who would lend to an 18 yr. old with no collateral, but I suppose there are guaranteed programs. Haven’t looked at educational loans in a LOT of years.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not according to colleges’ broken model of student financing (most of them expect students to be parent-funded and calculate finaid accordingly, and it’s very difficult to get yourself recognized as independent). Not according to the government’s finaid stuff either. This is a pet peeve of mine, but it won’t change any time soon.</p>
<p>OP, if your parents are trying to force you to go to a certain school now, they are not going to stop trying to run your life once you actually get to college. Look for ways to be as financially independent from them as possible while still going to a college that you want to go to, and if you can find ways, give them some serious consideration.</p>
<p>What is your parent’s choice and what is your choice and did you get admitted to both? And please post the reasons your parents are giving you and your reasons for the other school. </p>
<p>This is a question which comes up every year. Its quite common. Usually the argument is over money. Rarely its over something like location or college major or such.</p>
<p>DunninLA, it doesn’t have to be loans, and I’m not too familiar with the loan system in the US. In Canada the student loans are administered by the government, so there’s no collateral. But in the case of OP, he can file for need based aid/scholarship and such, and he won’t get as much aid if he’s still with his parents, as his parents’ income is obviously much higher than his own.</p>
<p>There is no way any court would emancipate you for that reason. That’s a ridiculous idea. </p>
<p>It really depends on how much you’re relying on them to pay.</p>
<p>moosey, it is extremely difficult in the US to become independent for financial aid purposes unless one is at least 24 years old, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, married, parent of a dependent child. Supporting oneself financially, even if true, is generally not sufficient.</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>They can make it extremely hard for you to go anywhere but the place they want you to go by say, not agreeing to pay for anywhere else…but the choice is yours.</p>
<p>They actually could force you to go somewhere if you’re still under 18 by the time the school year starts. This is rarely a problem in practice because students are usually 18 by the time they start university or shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>AFAIK, emancipation does not, by itself, cause one to be classified as an independent student for FAFSA purposes.</p>
<p>Realistic options include:</p>
<ol>
<li>A university you can afford without financial support from your parents. This probably means your own state’s public universities. Some states, notably Minnesota and New York, have reasonable OOS tuition. Some private and OOS public universities offer good scholarships to excellent students. But even four years at an in-state public university will be expensive without any parental support or financial aid.</li>
</ol>
<p>1a. If you have to pay full price wherever you go, community college can save a lot of money.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you’re willing to serve in the military, that automatically causes you to be considered independent for FAFSA purposes. You also then have the GI Bill which helps greatly in paying for college. The military isn’t for everyone, though. One should join the military to serve and to grow as a person rather than just to pay for college.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s possible to find work which doesn’t require a college degree but which pays better than retail, fast food, etc. You can then use the money to help pay for college.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Any of the above are probably more limiting than the university choices your parents will help you with.</p>
<p>Also note that it’s unlikely that an 18-year-old with minimal credit history can borrow enough money to go to an expensive school. It’s difficult even for people with many years of positive credit history to borrow money in this economy. Realistically, you can’t count on anything but unsubsidized Stafford loans. The limits are rather low for students who are dependent for FAFSA purposes.</p>
<p>That said, what are your parents’ reasons for being unwilling to pay for the college of your choice? They may be valid. For example, maybe they correctly perceive the college you prefer to be a party school. I wouldn’t refuse to even consider their reasons except in extreme cases, e.g., they want to push you into a career you’re not interested in.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hah, yeah right. Know what my dad said? “A degree is a degree, regardless of where you get it.” Had I taken his advice, I’d be enrolling at the local community college this fall instead of Rice.</p>
<p>Assess your parents’ advice with caution. They are merely human, which means it is quite possible for them to be either A.) ignorant (like my father) or B.) selfish; as in, perhaps they are REALLY interested in keeping you closer to home because they’re having a hard time “letting go.”</p>
<p>Unlike some posters, I would have to know the entirety of the situation in order to judge your parents actions. If you are under 18, you are at their mercy to a certain extent. Once you are 18 you can do as you wish as long as YOU can pay for it. </p>
<p>I am sure they have their reasons and I would refrain from passing judgment on the situation without details.</p>
<p>You could also talk to another adult, such as a guidance counselor, to get an objective view on your parents’ viewpoints.</p>
<p>It would help if you were willing to disclose what your parents’ reasons are. Some of the people who responded are assuming your parents have valid reasons for rejecting your college of choice.</p>