Find out from your GC whether you’re Top 10%. It’s really important since the NYS full tuition scholarship depends on it. By the way it also works for CC but the best scholarships are usually for freshmen.
Rooting for you.
the NY Posse only covers NYC not upstate
OP states that his parents make more than $125k. This means he is not eligible for PELL, SEOG, TAP or excelsior. Filling out the FAFSA will get him the $5500 loan. Even if OP gets the stream scholarship, he will still need to cover fees, room. Board, books, etc.
He will not be eligible for a dependency override because parents refuse tp pay/fill out forms.
If you are close to Jefferson. CC, you should also toss an application at Oswego, where you may be eligible for some scholarship money. Do you atend any of the schools where you would be eligible for scholarship aid fromJefferson CC?
Whatare your parent’s income and assets ? NY state has the Excelsior which can get you free tuition at a SUNY If you qualify. Family income is the driver here. Parents do need to fill out the FAFSA and give them info.
With free tuition, the Direct loan, part time and summer work, just might make it for living expenses.
Do try for full ride and full Tuition meri. Hopefully your school counselor and this forum can assist you with info in that area. There are some inexpensive schools out there that could be options.
But the way it i usually goes is: If your parents refuse to fill out the FAFSA, or are deemed able to pay but won’t, then part time college as you work is the way to go. That’s how most folks get through college, believe it or not. Full merit is tough to get.
Please keep us apprised as you go through this. I’m trying to get a cousin’s son enough money to go away to school. His family can’t/won’t pay the EFC. Not a good home environment to commute and go to school full time. Grades and test scores good but not so exceptional to get full merit to go away to school. You are not alone in your situation.
As I understand OP post, it isn’t just a matter of parents unwilling to fund college, they are unwilling to continue to provide shelter/food as well unless he seeks immediate employment and pays them. OP faces a significant risk of homelessness, as temporary solutions staying with friends are ad hoc and unstable.
OP said family income exceeds the excelsior threshold
If you’re willing to get an online degree, you could get a job at Walmart and take advantage of their $1 a day college benefits after 90 days of employment. There are several Computer Science degree options. If you work full-time, you would hopefully be able to afford to rent a room in a shared apartment.
good luck today!
You seem like a person who is willing to work hard and make sacrifices to not only get a job, but also to get educated.
Here are some other realistic options, based on this helpful website, which isn’t just about loans:
https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/9-ways-to-attend-college-for-free/
How about becoming an apprentice and learning a trade? Plumbers and electricians are always going to have jobs, and they earn good money. You can learn the skills needed to work as a plumber for a few years, for example, and save enough money to pay for transferring into a four year college. You could still attend community college classes too, while working.
Or regroup for the next application cycle and apply to one of the work colleges. Berea College is well regarded.
https://workcolleges.org/member-colleges
Apply to one of the service academies for next year. The apps are a lot of work, and you will need very good recommendations. Start doing some research now. But a degree from a service academy will set you up for life, and even though you are committed to serving time in the military after, my understanding is that you are more likely to be doing behind the scenes jobs.
Unless you start community college in the Fall, you are looking at a way to live for another year. Who knows what the job market will be like for the rest of the year. Be open to considering any kind of work, even if it’s just doing deliveries. If you do start CC, remember that the best scholarships are given to entering freshmen. Once you start any kind of college, you are no longer a freshman, but a transfer student.
Berea College has a family income limit and requires parent cooperation/info. for forms. “Estimating your financial eligibility to attend Berea College will help you understand if Berea is right for you. We’ve developed this simple online form to help your family estimate your likelihood of meeting Berea College’s financial eligibility requirements.” https://www.berea.edu/admissions/quick-estimator/
UPDATE:
So things went both good and I guess “bad” today.
I met with my guidance counselor at the school, as my school is open to give away breakfasts and lunches to students. I sat down with her in her office. My counselor had invited my parents to come in as well, and they didn’t show up. They never gave a reason, just didn’t come in. She and I called them and they both did not answer. So we start getting down to business.
I explain everything I’ve described in here about the situation. Under NO circumstance will my either of parents provide information for any FAFSA or financial aid. They are basically telling me, like they always have, I’m on my own.
My counselor explained to me unfortunately that despite being accepted to several four year schools, attendance is likely not to happen due to a lack of finances available to me. She explained in theory that I could find full time work for the summer, but that even then it would still not be enough to cover the cost of room and board, as most places around here to Syracuse don’t pay 17-18 year olds much below minimum wage. Although she did tell me I was not in the top 10% of my class, I still was in a position to where I could get into several competitive colleges.
We called financial aid for UAlbany and Potsdam anyway to see our options. They both said that if I were an independent student and went based on my income alone, I could qualify for loans and maybe a few scholarships as my grades and extracurriculars made me look like an even better candidate.
However, since my parents claim me as a dependent on their taxes, the colleges HAVE to have the parents tax information in order to process me for any financial aid, even if it’s work study so that’s out. Even if I qualified for Excelsior, which I don’t, I wouldn’t be able to apply this spring because you need to fill out the FAFSA to get it.
Those offices told me that I was either going to have to take a loan out through a private entity, like a bank and find a cosigner with good credit or pay out of pocket.
So 4 year college, RIGHT NOW, is out.
My counselor is pretty upset by this point, as she mentioned that she doesn’t get why my parents won’t budge. We then call Jefferson Community College and get transferred to an admissions counselor.
My guidance counselor does the majority of talking this time. She explains my background, what I’ve done in school and my current state and reasons for not being able to attend college. She then sent a quick copy of my transcript to the advisor via email. The Jefferson College advisor then tells me that based on my grades and resume, I’d be a great candidate for the freshman scholarship offered through the local community foundation. The scholarship does not require a FAFSA to be filled out. There are also several other scholarships being offered like this one and all of them have deadlines in May. The advisor also told me that in the event I don’t receive a scholarship, Jefferson offers payment plans in 4 to 5 week increments on tuition, so I could pay as I go along the semester. She asked what I wanted to study and I said computer science.
She immediately lit up, she explained that Jefferson had “articulation agreements” with several 4 year colleges, basically if I keep above a 3.0 at Jefferson and receive my associates, I am automatically accepted into the 4 year program at any SUNY University with junior status. So I filled out an application to Jefferson with the advisor and my guidance counselor and I was immediately accepted, as the college does “instant admission” in some cases, this being one case. I also started filling out a bunch of scholarship forms for the ones the advisor had mentioned, as well as a few offered through my school.
Also, the apple store at the mall in Syracuse is hiring and they are paying up to 14 an hour, I think with my computer science aspirations, I’d be a good fit, So I applied there!
As for housing, I mentioned this to my counselor. She told me I could look into finding student off campus housing, and that it’s generally cheaper if I room with someone, She first told me, try to find somewhere to stay that you don’t have to pay rent if you can, such as a friend or family member. My best friend said his offer still stands and his parents said they wouldn’t charge me any rent as long as I was saving money for school and not just nodding off all day, so I will take him up on that and then go from there once August comes and he leaves. There’s also options for off campus housing and rooming with other people to save on rent near the college, so I could do that. Some people are asking for 300 a month with everything included.
I think if I budget all my money right and cut back on a few things, I could make this work and be able to rent a place and pay for tuition. I also plan on working and saving as much money as I can to maybe build up my own credit and be able to pay for my tuition for a university down the line.
But right now, the main point is that going to college is going to happen for me, and I will indeed be able to attend Jefferson and transfer to a four year college and get my B.S. in Computer Science as long as I keep working hard!!
Now the fun part, telling my parents. My counselor did leave a message on both my parents phones, I know they’re both home, so let’s see what I’m walking into!!
Still, I can’t wait to start college this fall!!!
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Wishing you the very best in your life! I’ll be praying for you and many others like you for a bright future!!!
Your counselor has restored some of my fading faith in humanity.
Good luck with your parents.
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According to the OP’s posts, his/her parents (a) earn more than the Excelsior threshold, (b) will not cooperate filling in the FAFSA, and (c) will not support him/her living at home to go to college after high school graduation.
Did your GC have any advice re: the issue of dependency? How can your parents continue to claim you as a dependent if they kick you out of the house and don’t pay anything to support you at all? Are you on their health insurance?
Does anyone have any knowledge of any remedy OP may have in this regard? How does emancipation work once someone is already 18? Seems to me that if OP is on his own, figuring out how to legally make that official would benefit him in terms of FAFSA, etc.
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Adults can’t be emancipated from their parents, that is only a concept when the kid is a minor. Once they turn 18 the emancipation window is closed.
OP can try to apply to schools as an independent student, but it’s difficult to gain that status…if that doesn’t work OP can’t be an independent student until the age of 24.
Right now the CC path is the best one, and OP has a terrific guidance counselor. OP could speak with the GC in the future about gaining independence from the parents, ultimately OP would need an attorney.
What is an attorney going to do for OP. NYS does not emancipate minors. His parents have no legal obligation to fill out the FAFSA or supply their information. Independence for Federal Aid is 24. Independence for NYS aid is 35
OP cannot get a dependency override because parents refuse to pay or provide information.
Great update, OP. Thanks for sharing.
I am happy to provide you with feedback on scholarship essays. You can pm me. I think you are going to be ok. Best of luck to you.
Well good luck. Maybe if you show your parents what the outlook for CS degree is down the road? Maybe they will understand it better. Someone has to do this type of work.
Question is if you stayed at home and payed rent that you can afford is it a place that you can study and be successful? If so then you need to put on your best negotiation hat on. Tell your parents you need 6 - 12 months no rent but you will help around the house. Tell them you just need to build up some savings. Ask them why they don’t trust /believe in you? Put it on them. Get them to answer that question. It’s important. Going to the military or finding a full time job with benefits is not an answer. It’s a cop out. Tell them with this degree you will have a full time job that pays 6 figures and great benefits. This is not your dream. This is a profession. Explain to him that most of what he does like banking, etc couldn’t be done if “someone” didn’t have this degree. Show him the worth of it.
If they see your going to school and not laying around would that make a difference?
Also check out the ymca for housing. Around me it’s inexpensive but along wait list. If something around you makes sense have a meeting with them. They have lots of connections for other types of aid to possibly help you and will know other charities to help also.
I would talk with free legal aid. Maybe there is something we don’t know about to become independent. Maybe if your parents stop claiming you now that will help. I really don’t know.
Is there any other adult that can help you now? Sounds like your GC is a great person.