<p>Well, going to CC is not the worst thing that can happen…even if it’s not what anyone planned.</p>
<p>“On the other hand, my family spends on average $20k-$25k vacation per year. Hey we value our vacation time together.”</p>
<p>We go on a $3,000 per year vacation every other year. You win that one.</p>
<p>We live in NJ, and both of us have worked mostly for years (although I went to grad school too). We constantly got comments about how “bad it was that our kids were going to daycare”. Well, my mom having to go to work when my dad was laid off was much more traumatic than me working all the time my kids were growing up. Instead of being forced to leave my kids, I am able to pick my kids up from school many days because of my work hours. My mom even had to take kids in for babysitting, which when you are 10 and never had that before was earth-shattering.</p>
<p>I am surprised the family would not receive financial aid, if they make only $25,000 per year more than my family. My son is eligible for up to $30,000 per year of grants and merit aid, though it’s unclear how much is merit-based and how much is need-based. </p>
<p>Also, we <em>did</em> upheave our family, to go from a district that wasn’t serving our special needs son, to a wealthier district where his needs are met and he is doing very well. I do understand that choice is difficult. I know people who are in our town who had to take in boarders to save costs :(</p>
<p>" So there is really no way they can afford any college for her right now - except for community college. " - That is understandably a disappointment. But the dad was out of work for 4 years, and they did not loose their house. Or go hungry. In the grand scheme of things, hopefully they can realize that there are worse fates. </p>
<p>I’ve been looking into the American Honors program:
<a href=“Our 4-Year Transfer Network | American Honors”>Our 4-Year Transfer Network | American Honors;
<p>There is a county college in NJ that is part of it, and they are absolutely dying for applicants. Maybe that would be an idea for your sister. We are considering it, though not seriously yet, for my son.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ucc.edu/AmericanHonors”>http://www.ucc.edu/AmericanHonors</a></p>
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<p>Right. But I don’t see why a college should look sympathetically on a family that DIDN’T make a significant change in lifestyle after losing 90% of their income. And as I said, I totally get wanting to stay in the same neighborhood or school district. We all make choices, and this family chose to drain their college savings to live in what is likely an expensive place.</p>
<p>I think it’s a terrible financial decision to sell the house and move to apartment. Your financial aid won’t be as good.</p>
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<p>Have they looked here?</p>
<p><a href=“Links to Popular Threads on Scholarships and Lower-Cost Colleges - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html</a></p>
<p>Particularly look at the automatic full ride list for safety candidates and competitive full ride list for reach/match candidates.</p>
<p>I think it’s a big mistake to try to second-guess that family’s decisions. When the dad lost his job, they didn’t know then that he would be unemployed for 4 years. Why uproot the whole family if it’s possible he’ll find work again in a few months? And it had to be constantly like that – whenever he had an interview, they thought, maybe this will be it. And having a special-needs child makes it even harder. Can any of us really say that we would be confident that moving a special-needs child to another school that might not work as well for him/her wouldn’t be as big of a deal as being able to pay for college for our oldest? What if they’d moved and the youngest had gone downhill and had needed extra care or accommodations or something – would you still have confidently advised the family that they were doing the right thing?</p>
<p>What’s past is past; they sound like they are bravely facing the future and counting their blessings. </p>
<p>Wow. Tough crowd. I have just as much sympathy for a family with a special needs child whose income drops by 90% as I do for any other horrible situation. Geez.</p>
<p>I’m very familiar with NJ and community college system. CC is not a bad choice because of their recipical agreements. Make sure there is a national honor society at the CC. I know of students that transfer to colleges like Cornell and Brown. And don’t overlook Rutgers. In state tuition, room, board runs $23k. Less of course if you live at home.</p>
<p>dustypig, I know–I do have sympathy for the family. And I have been through job loss and the uncertainty of when the next thing will come along. I am just responding to the poster who suggested to contact the college financial aid people and explain their circumstances. I would not expect a college to view this family’s situation more sympathetically than one in which the parent(s) were low-income and had virtually no assets. They don’t have unlimited money to give away.</p>
<p>Oh, I agree. </p>
<p>RTR: So sorry for your sister and her family. Unfortunately, it was not that uncommon during the recession for folks to be out of work for many years. </p>
<p>However, your niece will not have to go to CC which in NJ is not a great option for a student with her stats, unless she wants to. She may well be eligible for a merit scholarship to Rutgers: (from their web page).</p>
<p>“Most past scholarship awardees were in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, with many in the top 5%; most had A or A- high school grade-point averages and most had combined SAT’s of at least 1950 or an ACT of 30 or higher.”</p>
<p>Or other NJ colleges like Rowan or Montclair State have good programs where she could commute if need be. The cost of books etc should be covered for her with part-time work. </p>
<p>Assuming the 4.2 GPA represents lots of As and not Bs at a school that offers a 1 point bump up for APs, she may well be in the running. Plus many smaller schools or schools in out of the way locations offer merit scholarships. I would hope the family is at least looking into these possibilities so she can make an informed choice.</p>
<p>But your point is well taken - not every family that has a high income is the same. </p>
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<p>Do colleges consider the amount of debt a family has, or only their income, when determining financial aid? We don’t carry debt, so I’ve never really thought about it. I can see credit card debt wouldn’t count because that’s a choice, but would other kinds of debt (like a 2nd mortgage) be taken into account? </p>
<p>RTR, our child had a ~3.65uw with lots of rigor (9APs) and a 2200 sat. Each of his safety schools offered merit scholarships that made attending less than a state school and his matches offered enough merit such that they were ~$10k more than a state school.</p>
<p>I think the parents need to work carefully with the student to identify safety schools that are generous with merit aid where she’ll be in the top 10% of attendees. With her stats, these will still be very fine schools. Tell the parents not to despair, it can be done!</p>
<p>^Except that they are worried about even being able to pay for books and travel.</p>
<p>The student can cover books and travel with loans and a job. That’s what people who don’t have savings do and there are lots of those people, btw.</p>
<p>Personal debt (credit card, some loans) doesn’t count. On one side, retirement assets are protected (there can be a question about the amount, but it’s supposed to be to understand your fin stability, not as a tappable asset.) On the other side, they can look at your discretionary spending patterns, can see a home as an asset, sometimes cars, etc. And amount spent on vacations is a question on the CSS profile.</p>
<p>DrG, you have any in college yet? Big Merit is good. </p>
<p>actingmt, I agree. The poster made it sound as though the student working was not an option. I’m not sure why not, or whether she has had a job already in high school and started to save to help with college costs. I cannot imagine any household losing over $200K in income that would not turn to the kids to bring in some money of their own.</p>
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One is done with college, she got NMSF scholarship and the other is at a UC with also merit aid. Reasonably ok with both costs, not complaining, just adding some personal anecdotes.</p>