edit please! divorced parents, letter to finance office

clkremer
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:11:09 +0000

Hey,

I could really use some help editing the following letter.
Basically, my parents are divorced. My dad makes a lot of money, my mom makes next to none. I really need the financial aid offices to focus on my mom’s information because my dad will be providing absolutely no money to me for my college costs.
So I wrote this letter just to explain my financial circumstances a bit.

Dear ___ Office of Financial Aid,

I am writing regarding my financial aid application for the 2010-2011 Academic Year. _____ College is my number one choice. Unfortunately, (even with in state tuition – for w & m and uva), based on the documents I submitted, I don’t believe I will be rewarded enough financial aid to make attending ____ a feasible option.

I am under the impression that my father’s high income will significantly reduce my chances of getting a sufficient aid package. My parents divorced in November of 2005 and my mother won custody of me, my younger brother, and my older brother. The divorce was only finalized after months of meetings concerning child support and alimony between my parents, their lawyers, various mediators, and eventually, a judge.

My father and I have always had a very contentious relationship. Our relationship worsened considerably when he moved to Korea immediately following the divorce. He returned to the U.S. in June of 2008 and remarried in September of the same year. Our weak relationship has always made him incredibly unwilling to help me financially, but the recent purchases of a car for himself, a car for his wife, and a new home has made the situation even direr. In addition to this, my father is under no legal obligation to help support me. To be quite frank, I have never been a priority in my father’s life. Another thing to be aware of is that my father only recently began earning his current income. Before retiring from the military in 2005, the most my father ever made annually was $44k, which is not a substantially high income for a family of five

The bottom line is that I will not be receiving a single penny from my father while I attend college; I will be supporting myself using the limited amount of money my mother can afford to give me.

I recognize that ____ University has a limited amount of aid that it can give to its students, but I would also like to make sure that ____ University understands my financial circumstances. My father’s financial situation is completely independent of mine. The only money that I will ever receive from my father is the mandated child support, which will stop as soon as I graduate from high school this June. This amount is already reflected in my mother’s financial documents, and as such, it is imperative that only my mother’s financial situation is reviewed when deciding upon an aid package for me.

Please take this letter into consideration when reviewing my financial aid application. I have worked incredibly hard these past four years to earn acceptance at a top notch institution and it would be devastating to have to pass up on a premier college experience due to financial issues. Thank you for your time.


Many thanks,
my name.