@MYOS1634 Thanks for your concern. For starters, though I’ve begged my parents countless times, my dad has always said no to me getting a job. So that’s not an option. Also, after reading all these comments, it seems that people are concerned that I will not be able to pay for Brown because I already have some sort of plane here in Florida. I looked into this plan and it says that it can be refunded or used in another state.
Most people also say that I should stay here for the financial end of the college but my parents are divorced and my mom is my only legal parent and she makes under $70k. My dad makes $210k but isn’t a legal guardian of me. After some research, it says that I do not have to include my dad and so I would qualify for a pretty big financial aid so I think I should be set in that arena.
However, what people aren’t understanding is that I have dreams to go to an ivy league school; especially brown. Unfortunately, my parents already told me that my goal should be UF and that is not at all what I want. Unlike my two other siblings who are kinda loyal, I have always been the more independant person. Because of this, when I first started thinking of college I thought to go to FSU and not UF because then I could be away and live in a dorm. However for my academic acheivements and work, I felt like I could do better than even UF. I plan to do 6 AP’s next year and get all A’s. I so far have not failed to get an A in any class in neither my freshman nor sophomore year.
The only websites that matter are the financial aid pages of each college and the College Board website. The College Board lists what each member school requires. Brown requires the CSS Profile from both parents. I think the other schools that are very generous with need based aid will also require information from both parents.
You need to go back and do your research. For places like Brown that use the CSS Profile for need based financial aid, both parents financials will be used. At the $280k level of combined income, you will not likely receive a big FA award from Brown. Depending upon other items, it is possible that you get some, but if I had to guess, it would be zero.
You have only just begun your sophomore year. While it isn’t too early to be thinking of colleges, it IS too early to be starting arguments with your parents about where you’re going to apply. Frankly, you only saw what you wanted to see when it came to financial aid research. You’re going have to do better than that, keep a more open mind, when it comes to researching colleges. You can’t go telling Brown that you worked hard and deserve to be there like you are telling us, with only one full year of high school under your belt. You can’t only see what you want to see when you match yourself to Brown. An acceptance relies on what Brown needs and wants, not what you want out of Brown.
Come back when you are a NMS winner, when you have most of junior year and some test scores and some impactful and notable EC accomplishments under your belt. I am not saying the verdict on Brown will change, but when we know for certain what you’ve got to offer (more than vague promises of getting all As in the next three years), folks here will be able to suggest options. They might not be on the level of Brown or UF, but there are opportunities at excellent colleges a little further from home where you can spread your wings and explore, and with the right credentials, would be equally as affordable as UF.
It’s a rude awakening when your desire for independence clashes with the reality of your parents’ desires and financial constraints. Your attitude isn’t going to help you, tbh. You don’t deserve to go to Brown any more than another student with good grades. The fact that you will be able to attend college at all is a privilege. You could do far worse than UF.
I suggest you avoid the “dream school” label, which most often leads to disappointment. You and tens of thousands of others dream of an Ivy League school. There are simply not enough spaces at the top schools for all the A students in the country. I have to be honest, given your spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, I can’t see your application for Brown being successful. Your posts are lacking in humility. Good grades alone will not even get you to the front door of an Ivy League school, nevermind opening that door.
There are some good suggestions here. If your parents are still set on you attending UF, you will have to find a way to make the most of it. Many people have successful and fulfilling careers by attending a college near their home and commuting. As for a job, you’re still very young, so perhaps find a job for next summer and see if your parents are okay with the idea then. Maybe they think you need to show a little more maturity.
I think you should at least apply to your dream school. See if you get in. See if you do qualify for FA or any work/study programs. Then you can make your decision. Either way, you can at least know if you even have the opportunity to go to your dream school.
Nobody is saying dont apply to Brown. Absolutely apply when the time comes. What people are saying is dont assume admittance to Brown. Thousands of students apply there (even ones with perfect grades and perfect EC’s) and are denied.
It seems OP is perhaps a bit misinformed when it comes to finances and was assuming that her mothers lower salary would somehow give her free money to some other schools which sadly it likely wont give as much as OP thinks. And yes, the money she could get from her state might transfer but she needs to be clear that it isnt always the full tuition price and still could end up with a much bigger price tag than parents can pay.
OP should continue to do well in school and do EC’s that interest them. Much can change in 2 years.
I think the misunderstanding on your part is that you are using “parent” and “guardian” interchangeably when they are in fact not the same thing. In the divorce, your mother became your sole or majority guardian, and therefore makes your medical decisions and the like, but that does not mean your dad is no longer your parent (in other words, the divorce didn’t remove him as your father on your birth certificate) and as other posters are telling you, universities will still ask for both parent’s financials, regardless of guardianship. In fact there are other students who post here asking for what to do when the school is looking for an absent parent’s financials because the college still expects it even though they haven’t seen or heard (or received financial support) from that parent in many years.
As others have posted, you will not qualify for financial aid and you are not able to take out loans to cover the cost of your Brown dream. Thus you are going to need to work this out with your parents in a way that satisfies your goals of spreading your wings and their goal of you graduating debt free, living on campus as part of the Honors College seems to be a great first compromise. Study for the PSAT and if you achieve NM, that opens up other avenues to more potential compromises, but take it one step at a time and try to come to terms with the fact that dream schools are called such for good reason.
@ucbalumnus They do expect me to live right in their home the whole time. I have tried to mention me living on campus in UF but as soon as I brought it up, my dad already said no. This is probably my biggest push factor from going to UF.
I really don’t know what they expect me to do if I don’t get accepted into UF. They are so focused on getting me into UF that they haven’t considered the possibility that I may get rejected.
@vrmeenrajan oh please. If you think you will have the stats to get accepted to Brown, you will get accepted to UF.
Right now, you are what…16 years old? And a 10th grader? Perhaps you need to spend the next couple of years showing your parents just how responsible you really are.
Not sure what you think is so special about Brown and the Ivies. Sure, they are great schools…but so are many other colleges.
You need to open your mind to many options.
I’m going to lay it out straight. Your parents are divorced. Your father is remarried. There are TWO households being supported by their incomes, not just one. Your siblings are doing fine at FL publics.
I guess you don’t realize what a gift your parents are giving you by offering you a debt free college education.
Here are your options.
Go to UF.
Move out of your parent home. Get a full time job and become self supporting. Maybe you will be able to take college classes part time (what a waste since you could go full time with Bright Futures, and FL prepaid).
Get a job and work until you are over 24 and will be independent for financial aid purposes....although I’m not sure about Brown and the Profile @lookingforward ??
Most of all…be realistic. You won’t be able to fund Brown on your own as an 18 year old HS grad. The school will expect financials from parents and any spouses they have.
Maybe your parents will change their minds about living on campus if you show them a level of maturity.
Your issues with your parents are much deeper than college choice. Maybe it is a cultural thing. Maybe your parents see your behavior as being very immature and irresponsible.
There are many more small battles you need to conquer before trying to win the war of where to go to college.
I would highly recommend you dont purposefully try to be rejected from UF.
Adding…you have younger siblings who also will be going to college someday. Your parents are being responsible financially in terms of college costs.
I would urge you to look at the cup as half full instead of half empty. What good things does UF have to offer? There are plenty…you need to find them.
What sorts of majors are you maybe interested in (lots can cage between 10th grade and when you need to declare a college major).
And unless I’m reading this wrong…you have two homes to live at in Gainesville, right?
You said it was your Dad that wouldn’t let you get a job (post #20) and here you say he won’t let you live on campus. But if your mother is the guardian, SHE makes those decisions, not your father. You’ll be 18 and he will have no say in whether or not you live on campus. You (with help from your mother) would have to pay for it, though.
Honestly, you shouldn’t be starting or fighting those battles right now. You have a long road ahead of you before you even begin to apply to schools, and those months and years of fighting will only damage and weaken your relationships with people you NEED. If anything, wait until spring and then push Mom into allowing you to get a summer job. Pick your battles. Baby steps.
I hear a lot of ME, ME, ME. vs. them
Until you save a minimum of $240,000 for your college education, you can’t “hope” that miraculous financial aid will appear and support your prestige dreams.
Mom’s income won’t qualify you for significant financial aid. Adding Dad’s income will definitely keep you out of the running.
Scholarships, um, no. There are over 45k valedictorians, in the US, with great ECs who may target merit aid. Your chances are not good. If you make it as a finalist on National Merit, you have to be the best of the best to get funding. My son was a National Merit winner. There are caveats to the funds which may not be that great.
Since you don’t want to consider what your parents have proposed, what @Thumper1 has suggested are viable choices.
I agree that if you try to get rejected by UF, Brown will also reject you. Learn how to do your research. Get back to your studies and put this on the backburner until your junior grades evolve.
You say that your parents are divorced… do they still live together (with you)? Or do you live with just one of them? And do your mother and father have different opinions on whether you should be allowed to live elsewhere when going to college (UF or otherwise)?
The OP and parents may be well down the road of escalating the “rebellious teenager versus authoritarian parents” dynamic that is unlikely to be good for any of them.
The even bigger issue (as if costs aren’t bad enough:)
“Also for my academic performance I do above average than the people that get into brown.” If you can state this and believe it, I’m certain you have no idea what it takes to get into a “most competitive” holistic college. Nor how incredibly, stupidly, ridiculous the competition is for an admit.
You really think it’s just about how you’re doing in your one high school? Miles to go, so much yet to learn. For all we know, as a soph, you have yet to even touch the more rigorous courses, develop the right EC’s, the right thinking, take any std tests, and more.
As for all your confusion, across two threads, about Mom’s income vs adding in Dad’s and stepmom’s…you are confusing the Fafsa and CSS Profile. Just go look up what’s what and who uses what. Do this legwork. Become properly informed. It is a very easy google search.
As for UF, be mature. Be reasonable. Be as smart as you seem to feel you are. UF presents a significantly lower cost and a very strong educational opportunity. Look for it, rather than stomp your foot.
You’ve got what we call a “first world problem.” Plenty would like to be in your position, even kids from tidy, middle class plus families.