This discussion was created from comments split from: CSS Non_Custodial Profile Late - Can I Still Get Money?.
finaid is ruthless… honestly i feel like i won’t get any good aid from the colleges i applied to. i would be suprised if i did.
@cercit20 There is a strategy to getting good financial aid.
@gearmom yes I know that now. Earlier you start the better… Still it kinda sucks that even if you don’t turn in one supporting document by the date they dont consider you at all. For example my dad isnt in my life whatsoever and I didn’t turn in my non custodial parent profile on time for one of my schools. Therefore nothing.
Are you eligible for a non-custodial parent waiver?
Did you apply to any colleges that don’t require the non-custodial parent Profile?
Did you apply to any colleges that only required the FAFSA?
When did you start submitting your financial aid forms.
You could gap year and work and save and restart in October if you have to.
@thumper1 yes I’m eligible but can’t submit it til tmrw (late…) Because my printer is broken and I need to go to the library. This is specifically only for BU and WUSTL.
I applied to 10 colleges altogether. Half of them I feel like my aid prospects are good as I turned in everything on time the rest I really don’t know because either I missed the priority deadline or I turned in a supporting document late. I started the process in February and finished most of everything by mar. 15th (except non custodial parent profile). Submitted css profile and fafsa in on time for BU.
as I already got into my backup where the cost of attending is cheap (instate) and can be covered entirely by loans even if I didn’t receive any aid I am considering my dreams of going out of state a reach…
@gearmom thanks for the advice. I’m going to keep it in mind. This might make sense as I can regroup and would have a better shot at aid.
I don’t know why you guys who need money are applying to schools like NYU, BU and the University of California schools who are awful with aid.
@gearmom well they are reached & there isnt harm in applying. Id rather apply and get rejected from my dream school than never apply and wonder what if
Life is really unfair. Many of us have/had irresponsible parents and we paid the price for it. We lost financial aid, we paid late fees, etc., because a parent didn’t come through on time. It’s unfair, but there isn’t anything we can do about it.
Think about whether you want to go through this every year, begging your NCP to get you documents or information. It is tiring and stressful. There are times when I just took the easier way and went to the cheaper school, didn’t go away for spring break and just worked to earn the money that was promised to me but which I knew I’d have to beg for.
I don’t know about BU and WUSTL, but they may not be sympathetic to late documents all the time.
The financial aid forms were available on October 1. If you do take a gap year…start your financial aid applications a LOT sooner than you did this year.
That way…you won’t be running up against missed deadlines.
Get the forms submitted ASAP…and see.
It sounds like you have an affordable option.
@cercit20 As long as you don’t expect financial aid and are fine being full pay, then those are good reaches.
@thumper1 yea. When it came down to it I started my apps too late and my mom was really bad at helping me with my fafsa. Its kinda infuriating but theres always grad school if I end up going to my back up. Honestly, id even take out the loans if I got into one of my first choices… And hope I got better aid next year.
@gearmom do you know if loans are capped? Hypothetically, could I take out 40-50k in loans to cover everything? Then reapply for better aid next year?
@cercit20 YOU as a kid can only take out $5500 Stafford as a freshman, $6500 Sophomore, $7500 Junior Senior. Your parents would have to take out the unwise Parent Plus Loans. If they are denied PPL then you can take a little more out. @thumper1 What is that amount? Certainly no where in the vicinity of 40-50k a year. The total amount you can take for all four years guaranteed is 28k Stafford.
You need your aid package all set at the start. @cercit20 What are your stats?
@gearmom wow… Yeah I hate it but I am probably going to my instate last choice college. Not that it is a bad school but realistically for all of the colleges I applied to (app turned in on time or not) I dont feel optimistic about receiving aid… My mom wouldn’t take out a loan either she has her own loans
@cercit20 Many kids are in the same boat. Get through it and move up the food chain for grad school. It’s the last school you attend that matters most.
@thumper1
20 y/o female, Asian/pacific islanders, community college transfer For computer engineering
Credits: 108 semester based 155+ quartee based when I transfer. I took all of the prereqs and than some. All As maybe an A- or B+ in prereqs.
College GPA: 3.8+ (3.83-3.85 when I transfer)
Essay: strong.
LOR: 1 didnt read but it was from my math professor who thinks highly of me
SAT/ACT: didnt take
HS: bad. But this was due to an illness I explained. Either way I started taking college level classes at 17 where I moved across the country on my own
2nd gen college student with immigrant father
ECs: I have some hackathon experience (won caltechs and bu), freelance web dev exp and a porfolio., am active in several clubs on campus, math tutor for over a year at my college math center, over 300hrs volunteer experience at local homeless shelter (every saturday for over a year) and more volunteer experience pre college.
@gearmom thanks thats really motivating actually.
Also I am in a few organizations