<p>I agree with move in with mom, take gap year, and do volunteer work etc, and sue dad.</p>
<p>Suing Dad is only worthwhile if Dad actually has the money. For all we know he is on the brink of bankruptcy and the most she can get is CC funding after the dust settles…so many unknowns.</p>
<p>Doesnt Wellesley say they meet need? So how did they come up with aid number? btw, child support, like student loans, is not dischargeability in bankruptcy</p>
<p>The problem with the Op taking legal recourse against the dad is that the dad and stepmom are the custodial parents. So if she takes mom to court, mom makes ~40k, which is not going to make an appreciable difference in the amount of financial aid she receives because everyone’s income has already been factored in. </p>
<p>If dad and stepmom cannot come up with 25k, getting C/S from mom isn’t really going to change that. Even id OP takes dad to court the 100k income is a combination of both mom and stepmom working. Dad does not really make too much more money than mom and the courts are not going to make stepmom pay C/S to Op.</p>
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<p>The problem is the OP’s Dad cannot or will not pay the expected family contribution. All the chatter about suing for support etc. may not make a hill of beans difference, cause a larger riff with the OP and the Dad and still not solve the dream school wish.</p>
<p>I am not suggesting she take mom to court, but rather dad. IDK if Washington will require CP to pay or just NCP (but why do I think dad encouraged kid to move back in, knowing how this might play out), so I suggested kid to move back with mom and sue dad. I dont think the riff can get much worse.</p>
<p>Kayf:
I think that if the OP sues Dad, the latter is probably going to play ‘by the book’. Even if courts rule that Dad needs to contribute to support the child, what guarantee there is that amount would be sufficient to cover an expensive private college.
It is much better for the OP to do what is necessary to be in the good graces of Dad. Families go to rough patches some times, but normaly they can be really supportive. The moment the OP sues he/she is burning the bridge and there is no way back.</p>
<p>Only OP can try to figure this out. If OP sues, the court will pick an amount. Yes, it would be ideal if OP could get back into Dads good graces, but as others have pointed out, dad may be using the lie as a pretext. OP has gone from dad wont pay to dad cant pay. Maybe dad’s priority is his new family, which is why states have laws like this on teh books.</p>
<p>Wow, some amazing crapola going on here - I love the folks dumping on the OP and doing virtual psychoanalysis as to what she really intended by her errors of omission, and then giving permanent life advice based on it. </p>
<p>Here’s how I’m reading it:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>OP got accepted at Wellesley - parents should be busting their buttons with pride, notwithstanding the lying issue.</p></li>
<li><p>Mom’s a Smith grad, so the parents should have anticipated that OP might get into a decent school and should have done a little thinking ahead, rather than stranding her at the last minute. Sure, not everyone’s going to have spare money to tuck away during these tough times, but they’ve had 18 years to plan for this. Given that Dad’s handling this so poorly overall, I’m inclined to give the OP a little more credit in this situation than her father. </p></li>
<li><p>OP got accepted at Wellesley. (Did I mention this already?) Anyone who says, “Gee, I guess you’re going to have to go to a community college now” can go bleep themselves. Call Wellesley … you think they haven’t seen this before and haven’t figure out how to help kids get through school? Call relatives, or local service clubs, or whomever. But don’t give up the dream because a bunch of know-it-all strangers feel it’s necessary to give some ‘tough love’.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am not certain if mom is the Smith grad, or Stepmom is. Children of divorce in general get less help from parents than children in intact families, and are significantly less likely to attend highly selective schools.</p>
<p>My step mom actually went to Smith. My parents want me to go to Wellesley but I dont know how we’re going to come up with $25,000 a year. He told me up front he wasn’t/can’t help me with college. I think my mom is going to TRY to help… combined with my job…</p>
<p>It was step mom.</p>
<p>Emerald, that is what I thought. Dad’s response to this is still perplexing. If he wants her to go, but wont help pay? I suspect this “lie” thing was a pretext as he was not going to pay.</p>
<p>Ursa - I think you have a fanciful notion of what schools - even very well endowed schools - can or will do to get a student. I have watched a couple of similar scenarios play out at such schools and if the parents aren’t actually broke but just won’t liquidate the family mansion or sell the mid-life crisis on wheels, the kiddo is not going to be going to that school. End of story.</p>
<p>And as for your local charity plan - there are a lot of kids who’s parents really have nothing - no house, no car, no job and they can have good grades and test scores too, who do you think a local charity will put their money behind? “I’m really smart and got into my dream school but my dad won’t sell his sports car or live within his means to pay for my expensive college” is not a charity case.</p>
<p>Hi everyone, thank you so much for all your support and advice. I first want to mention that I will never take my father to court. Even though he won’t pay for my college, he has done A LOT for me to be able to get to where I am today and to do that would be a huge slap in his face. </p>
<p>I have called Wellesley and Smith, two schools I have already been accepted to, and explained my financial situation. They included the information in my file and I just need to wait for my financial aid packages to come at the end of March.</p>
<p>In the mean time, I am applying for many scholarships. I recently received $8,000 from Washington State University. I think that worst comes the worst, I will only have to pay $12,000 a year. $5,500 Stafford loan will help with that and the remaining $6,500 I will cover using outside scholarship money and money I make from my job at Starbucks. </p>
<p>What do you think of the plan? I’d rather go to a state school than community college. Like other posters said, I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am today. Making the transition to CC would be incredibly hard.</p>
<p>You might want to read through this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1293844-attending-community-college-transferring-considered-acceptable-option.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1293844-attending-community-college-transferring-considered-acceptable-option.html</a></p>
<p>Also investigate Smith And Wellsley’s policy toward outside aid. Some schools allow it to reduce EFC, most do not.</p>
<p>I’ve been reading these comments, but no matter how hurt he is, isn’t kicking his daughter out a bit extreme? How bad could the lie be? I can’t imagine my father doing that.
But anyways, did you get no merit scholarship from Wellesley? You should ask around, sometimes those things come late in the mail.</p>
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<p>for the most part, the outside scholarship would reduce the student self help (loans, workstudy). Some schools will reduce the student contribution from summer earnings. However, in order for outside scholarships to reduce the parent EFC, she would have to get scholarships that cover all of the institutional aid, then they would reduce the parent EFC. Also keep in mind that any scholarships over the cost of tuition and books are considered taxable income to the student.</p>
<p>“I don’t know how you would feel about attending a Historically black college, however with your stats, you would get virtually a free ride (tuition, room board fees & 500 in books) at Howard University (in DC). Being asian from washington state would definitely be a hook”</p>
<p>But only until there is no more money to give away, and it’s March.</p>
<p>“Scholarships are awarded until all funds have been exhausted and not all eligible applications will receive an award.”</p>
<p>Oh, yeah; Go, Bisons!</p>
<p>In the mean time, I am applying for many scholarships. I recently received $8,000 from Washington State University. I think that worst comes the worst, I will only have to pay $12,000 a year. $5,500 Stafford loan will help with that and the remaining $6,500 I will cover using outside scholarship money and money I make from my job at Starbucks. </p>
<p>=========</p>
<p>Since you have strong stats, I would write a VERY polite letter to the Director of Scholarship at WSU and say that you’d really like to attend, but affordability is an issue. Ask if it’s possible for them to increase your merit scholarship a bit. If they would bump your merit to $11k, that would cover tuition and fees. Indicate that if they do this, you will surely commit to attend. Explain that you will be paying for all of your college costs.</p>
<p>With your stats, I don’t see why WSU wouldn’t consider giving you at least a full tuition scholarship.</p>