“I’ve tried to give my friends a “head’s up,” but honestly, most would rather listen to other friends who tell them what they want to hear.”
This.
I just had a conversation with a long-time friend whose son in a HS junior. She was telling me that since her son has a job (about 30 hours a week while in school and 40 in the summer), he will be able to declare himself independent for financial aid purposes. She “knows” this because a friend told her their son had done that and he got great financial aid as a result. She is so relieved because, according to her, they have no money to help pay college expenses. I tried to explain why her son would not qualify as an independent at 18, but she wouldn’t hear it. The other friend had “lived it” so I must be wrong.