Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Suck it up and go to community college. Live at home, work part-time, and don’t waste your time applying to schools you can’t afford. This path gives you the best shot at affording two years at an in-state university while minimizing debt. Plus, you can skip standardized tests, essays, and endless applications, freeing up time to take dual enrollment courses that could shorten your stay at community college and help you transfer faster.

Is this your dream? Probably not. But it’s likely your reality, and you should accept it. You can fantasize about a full ride to your dream school, but for most people, that’s not going to happen.

With all the CC recs I'm starting to seriously consider it but now I'm wondering about how if I took that pathway I might not be allowed to live at home. I honestly think that if I, the academic pride of the family who gets bragged about to everyone they know, ended up at CC, they'd be infuriated that they wasted time + money on my academic pursuits/ECs for nothing, or talk about how even though they came from low income backgrounds they still managed to pay their way at a 4 year college talked about frequently on this forum (and we used to live in-state for that college, which I would have a great shot of getting into with my stats + double legacy, but then we moved)

I would be really interested in hearing your parents side of this. Still. I am sorry

The idea of declaring yourself financially independent is worth considering. Do a gap year first maybe


Also FWIW most in state schools no longer give legacy preference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the eyeroll for "southern schools?"

I was just going to post this same question. Op, please explain.

I want to work in the Northeast after grad + South is way too red

I see. Your choices are of course your own, but I would encourage you to be more open minded.

Precisely OP is arrogant

Or a woman

or not white

Or someone who cares about non-white people or women. Or queer people. Or foreigners

[Anonymous]

Don't give up hope Op. Things change quickly especially with federal and state grants to universities and what will be affected.

Also, each college has their own FA formula. Dd got a lot of money for ODU, but $0 for VT. OOS schools are casting wider nets to draw in "outsiders" and are offering incentives. A lot of schools - like W&M - require a supplemental FA form which asks about (seemingly) every monetary detail about you and your parents.

Plus, you might not have an accurate measure of your parents' income and assests (and debt). They'll submit their tax forms which reveal everything to said schools your applying to.

See what happens. It might not be as bad as you think.

Fwiw, there's amusually a work-study option. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are being solution-oriented which is the best way forward, but I do want to say that I think it's crummy that your parents didn't save any college money for you.

Some people pay monthly tuition without saving specifically for it. If I was in that position I would sell my house and pay her tuition.

Without the parents help MiT, NYU are definitely out. Way too expensive. I’d stay local. Travel is expensive and you don’t want to be broke living at college.

Wouldn't this mean you would be destitute at the end of your life though?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about scholarships for medical school - even taking everything out on loans is fine given the salaries that attendings make.

You have no idea. Lots of med students come out with so much debt that it limits their choices or they have forever debt. They might be paying loans into late middle age (or later! - as a student, I once worked with a wonderful geriatrician doing *house calls* - the kind of person who you’d be so grateful was taking care of you or your loved one) who confided that in her 40s she and her family were renting and she didn’t think they’d ever buy a house bc of her med school debt). Sure that eye surgeon, orthopedic surgeon etc should have their debt paid off within a few years, but for anyone who borrowed heavily to go to school and is working in primary care (internal medicine, peds, family practice) and lots of other specialties, it is years of payback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever you do begin with the end in mind. Can you get any job shadowing or intern experiences? Any work connections from a friend of a friend? A school helps give you a network for jobs prestige won't pay your bills unless it gets you a better job.

I plan to major in pre-med, pysch, or neuro so I'm shadowing a few doctors this summer

0 work connections that are in any way related to what I want to do

Pitt give great merit and has an incredible BA/MD program. I would
ask your school counselor about this program.

Pitt no longer gives great merit, and they are losing hundreds of millions in grants. Just visited - loved it but had to take it off the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, your parents are being jerks. Doesn't mean they don't love you. Doesn't mean they are not great parents. But all of us are jerks sometimes. And that's what your parents are here. Forgive them for it down the road and don't do the same to your kids.

You will have to go the state school route and hopefully get into UVA, W&M, or Tech. You also need to suck it up and keep more of an open mind about the south and west. Forget Texas and UNC -- we are talking elite schools here -- but Ole Miss gives great merit, as does Arizona (though less than they used to). When you get in with low cost, then they might cave in and pay for the rest. Hopefully, they are bluffing about not paying anything.

If they are not bluffing, my advice would be not to go to college and to work, get independence as an adult in a couple years, and then you will qualify for financial aid...

Her parents were low income and she has siblings. They’re not jerks, they just have to be really sure their retirement is fully funded so they are not a burden in old age. You really do not know the whole story, stop making this kid feel worse than she already does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Suck it up and go to community college. Live at home, work part-time, and don’t waste your time applying to schools you can’t afford. This path gives you the best shot at affording two years at an in-state university while minimizing debt. Plus, you can skip standardized tests, essays, and endless applications, freeing up time to take dual enrollment courses that could shorten your stay at community college and help you transfer faster.

Is this your dream? Probably not. But it’s likely your reality, and you should accept it. You can fantasize about a full ride to your dream school, but for most people, that’s not going to happen.

With all the CC recs I'm starting to seriously consider it but now I'm wondering about how if I took that pathway I might not be allowed to live at home. I honestly think that if I, the academic pride of the family who gets bragged about to everyone they know, ended up at CC, they'd be infuriated that they wasted time + money on my academic pursuits/ECs for nothing, or talk about how even though they came from low income backgrounds they still managed to pay their way at a 4 year college talked about frequently on this forum (and we used to live in-state for that college, which I would have a great shot of getting into with my stats + double legacy, but then we moved)

OP, have you had a realistic conversation about all of this with your parents? I would put everything together to show them, due to their HHI and home value, what it would cost YOU to pay for any of your in state schools. Show them then what it would cost if you went to CC, then transferred into in state school. Ask them how the possibly could think it's a good idea for you to take out loans (show them the interest as well) and start life saddled with this debt. Show them how it is different now than when they went to school.

They sound unreasonable. But hopefully they are just clueless. And I think more parents don't save for their kids college than do. But you're getting a skewed vision based on being on an educated, liberal, NE college forum where posters prioritize kids education over pretty much anything else.

I've had this conversation multiple times, and they repeatedly say they have nothing saved and will not be supporting my college education in any way. They say I'm going to be completely reliant on whatever scholarships I can get or be forced to take out loans. and I really don't think they understand that getting into UMD in-state 30-40 years ago is vastly different than trying to get into UVA or W&M in-state now.

Do they know how much college costs these days? My DH did not want to pay for college; similar backstory to your parents. We ended up taking $ from refinancing house and kid went to a Jesuit school for a little over the cost of in-state. (Did not get into state flagship).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to be covering the costs by yourself, I highly recommend doing the two-year community college and transferring to William and Mary after. My niece did this in a different state, and it saved her a ton of money.

I will also add, though, the costs of in-state VA schools vary GREATLY. One of my DC goes to the University of Mary Washington, and her costs with scholarship (they are generous) are around $25k a year. William and Mary in-state is $45K a year.

If you are looking for schools with merit aid, my DC had the best luck with Xavier University in Cincinnati. Good luck to you!

Another fine Jesuit school. OP, look into the McNulty Scholars program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look into VCU’s guaranteed undergraduate to medical school option. Ask your school’s counselor if there are scholarships for undergraduate as well as med school.

https://honors.vcu.edu/admissions/guaranteed-admission/medicine/details/

+1 This is a great program, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the Catholic schools - My son, with average stats but a sport, was offered lots and lots of financial aid.

OP's family is too rich for financial aid.

Catholic / Jesuit schools give generous merit aid, and as a pre med female she may qualify as a McNulty scholar at one of the participating colleges. I know of St. Joe’s excellent program, but there are others too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are being solution-oriented which is the best way forward, but I do want to say that I think it's crummy that your parents didn't save any college money for you.

They may have been paying their own loans back.
People on DCUM have their heads in the sand about the world

+ 2 million. These attitudes remind me of why the Dems lost the election. And I’m a Dem, ex Pell Grant kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You rolled your eyes, but there is nothing wrong with a free ride to Alabama. Lots of out of state kids and a very nice place to spend four years.

I have a million complaints about the state of Alabama and I lived there for a while, so I’m very familiar with its issues. However, we are very likely about to experience a major recession and you do not want to start your young adult life with a ton of debt over an undergrad degree. ESPECIALLY since you are pre-med. And on that note, Alabama does a great job at preparing kids for med school.

Why would Univ of Alabama give her a free ride? Especially with a high income household not contributing anything?

google u alabama academic scholarships

[Anonymous]

what are your stats.

what is your ethnicity. doesn't matter, but it may give a frame of reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, your parents are being jerks. Doesn't mean they don't love you. Doesn't mean they are not great parents. But all of us are jerks sometimes. And that's what your parents are here. Forgive them for it down the road and don't do the same to your kids.

You will have to go the state school route and hopefully get into UVA, W&M, or Tech. You also need to suck it up and keep more of an open mind about the south and west. Forget Texas and UNC -- we are talking elite schools here -- but Ole Miss gives great merit, as does Arizona (though less than they used to). When you get in with low cost, then they might cave in and pay for the rest. Hopefully, they are bluffing about not paying anything.

If they are not bluffing, my advice would be not to go to college and to work, get independence as an adult in a couple years, and then you will qualify for financial aid...

Her parents were low income and she has siblings. They’re not jerks, they just have to be really sure their retirement is fully funded so they are not a burden in old age. You really do not know the whole story, stop making this kid feel worse than she already does.

Wait. This does not seem to be true as OP stated: "However, they combined make $300k and our house is worth well over $1 million, "