Anonymous
04/08/2026 08:52
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Anonymous wrote:Grad school matters way more than undergrad if you plan to go to grad school.
Some of the most successful people I know went to state schools. Consider those and get a full ride and have plenty left over to do other things.
This.
You could probably get a full scholarship to Bama, Ole Miss, LSU, KY, etc. Perhaps others.
Go be the big fish in the small pond, leverage every opportunity to shine, etc. and focus on good options for grad school scholarships.
If your parents are overextended financially, it’s doubtful they can cover full tuition plus housing expenses at your dream schools. Nonetheless, ask what they plan to cover…but don’t rely on it.
Can you commute to any schools?
Anonymous
04/08/2026 07:52
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Anonymous wrote:Where are you going to school this fall, OP? Are your parents helping with expenses after all? Curious about what you / they decided.
Just point out to folks that this is a year-old post bumped by an update request.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 07:42
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
I had an ROTC scholarship and got some aid from a state flagship in the South. I worked hard to get excellent grades and in addition to ROTC, had numerous ECs and a prestigious-looking part time job. I transferred after a year to one of the SLACs everyone on here drools about.
Two of my friends from high school went to CC, then to state flagship and on to very successful law careers. The key is being at or near the top of the class when you apply to transfer.
Cream does rise. Focus and diligence will take you further than you may now think. The resentment you feel is not abnormal at your age/in your situation. The ability to both get into and pay for a prestigious college is not as common as you may think. Don't let prestige or politics weigh too heavily in your thinking right now.
Two of my friends from high school went to CC, then to state flagship and on to very successful law careers. The key is being at or near the top of the class when you apply to transfer.
Cream does rise. Focus and diligence will take you further than you may now think. The resentment you feel is not abnormal at your age/in your situation. The ability to both get into and pay for a prestigious college is not as common as you may think. Don't let prestige or politics weigh too heavily in your thinking right now.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 07:30
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Anonymous wrote:A lot of us in other areas grew up with parents who didn’t save anything for college or weren’t willing to help pay. Many still go through this today. DH’s parents didn’t help him with one cent.
He went to community college for a bit while living at home but ultimately stopped for a while and worked full time and waited. Then a few years later, when he was independent AND had money saved from working he applied to small colleges as financially independent and got aid, and took out loans. I had loans too, even with some help from my parents and had to work full time in college to help pay.
Everyone wants those very expensive schools, my kids do too, but we are big on rate of return only because we worked so hard to put ourselves through school.
It’s hard but DH and I both say we wouldn’t change anything because it taught us the value of hard work and money early on.
Everyone works hard but nowadays no big schools no big jobs therefore no big income. Will you be part of your own kid failure? Parents should support their children education IMO. They never asked to be brought to this world so you should be responsible for supporting them till they are financially independent.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 07:22
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Go to in-state school or even better, start in CC with credits earned in high school. Time is money.
Then transfer to state school that costs $17k-$20k max.
Make yourself independent by supporting yourself and filing your own taxes. My kid makes $40+ an hour, files taxes independently, gets a refund, pays for CC, and has money left over. No tax on tips.
DC, 19, opened a Roth IRA and invests everything extra in regular investment account. Grownup life has already started. No need to waste 4 years taking out loans. It's not the school, it's the person and what they do.
I believe he can scale back from work at age 35. He is not a spender. He won't have student loans from age 18 until forever, and don't have to save for retirement from age 35 on.
So many cool ways to get a the life going. Screw expensive schooling.
Then transfer to state school that costs $17k-$20k max.
Make yourself independent by supporting yourself and filing your own taxes. My kid makes $40+ an hour, files taxes independently, gets a refund, pays for CC, and has money left over. No tax on tips.
DC, 19, opened a Roth IRA and invests everything extra in regular investment account. Grownup life has already started. No need to waste 4 years taking out loans. It's not the school, it's the person and what they do.
I believe he can scale back from work at age 35. He is not a spender. He won't have student loans from age 18 until forever, and don't have to save for retirement from age 35 on.
So many cool ways to get a the life going. Screw expensive schooling.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 06:37
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
A lot of us in other areas grew up with parents who didn’t save anything for college or weren’t willing to help pay. Many still go through this today. DH’s parents didn’t help him with one cent.
He went to community college for a bit while living at home but ultimately stopped for a while and worked full time and waited. Then a few years later, when he was independent AND had money saved from working he applied to small colleges as financially independent and got aid, and took out loans. I had loans too, even with some help from my parents and had to work full time in college to help pay.
Everyone wants those very expensive schools, my kids do too, but we are big on rate of return only because we worked so hard to put ourselves through school.
It’s hard but DH and I both say we wouldn’t change anything because it taught us the value of hard work and money early on.
He went to community college for a bit while living at home but ultimately stopped for a while and worked full time and waited. Then a few years later, when he was independent AND had money saved from working he applied to small colleges as financially independent and got aid, and took out loans. I had loans too, even with some help from my parents and had to work full time in college to help pay.
Everyone wants those very expensive schools, my kids do too, but we are big on rate of return only because we worked so hard to put ourselves through school.
It’s hard but DH and I both say we wouldn’t change anything because it taught us the value of hard work and money early on.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 06:14
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
300k and no savings? What do your parents do with their income besides paying bills?
Anonymous
04/08/2026 01:46
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Anonymous wrote:Work your butt off to get high test scores - like 35-36 on ACT or 1550-1600 on SAT. Work like mad to get 5s on your APs. Have decent ECs that show leadership. You can shoot your shot for Harvard/MIT, and they will likely not force full-pay due to endowments, but it is unlikely any other Ivy Leagues would do the same. So, then, look at in-state options (UMD is a great school - don't listen to the haters - and of course, UVA/W&M if you are from Virginia. In-state tuition you can swing with a bit of help from the parents and some loans. Then, look at OOS flagships. some of the non-top tier - like UVM, Utah, AZ, offer Honors colleges and large scholarships that bring the COA down to in-state prices and below. Utah allows for residency Sophomore year, so that brings down the cost even further. Don't get hung up on the prestige factor - if you really are as great as your stats may indicate, then you will go far with the opportunities provided at a state school. Most of all, don't despair. You will turn out great. [I, too, had parents that refused to pay for college and I paid for college at a regional LAC with merit scholarships and loans. I have a good life and am able to pay for my children's higher education - you'll get there, too.]
+1
Also, if you truly have MIT level stats, you might want to try Boston University’s merit scholarships as well. They offer awards ranging from full tuition to partial scholarships.
On top of that, I believe BU students can take courses at MIT through cross-registration agreements if you’re interested.
Anonymous
04/08/2026 01:00
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Where are you going to school this fall, OP? Are your parents helping with expenses after all? Curious about what you / they decided.
Anonymous
04/09/2025 08:22
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
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
Let’s play a game:
_E_ _ ERS CAN’T B_ C_OOSER_
Exactly - why not go beg to those oh so open minded, left leaning tolerant New England schools for money to educate you? They won't give you anything - that's why.
PP, no need to get nasty. And after all, why are those southern schools willing to give $$ to attract competitive students?
Re ROTC -- recent posts make good points. But also make sure you understand and are okay with your payback -- ie service commitment. It's your time you're paying back not dollars but obviously that's worth something too, and while you're likely to be able to choose your specialty etc you don't necessarily have much choice in where you're assigned while you serve.
Anonymous
04/07/2025 14:32
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
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
Let’s play a game:
_E_ _ ERS CAN’T B_ C_OOSER_
Exactly - why not go beg to those oh so open minded, left leaning tolerant New England schools for money to educate you? They won't give you anything - that's why.
Anonymous
04/07/2025 14:03
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
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
Let’s play a game:
_E_ _ ERS CAN’T B_ C_OOSER_
Yeah, OP, this makes you sound like you feel entitled to free college and not just any one..
Anonymous
04/07/2025 12:55
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
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
Let’s play a game:
_E_ _ ERS CAN’T B_ C_OOSER_
Anonymous
04/07/2025 11:26
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Most people in your parents bracket without rich parents encourage in-state for their kids because unless you have huge savings, it is a stupid decision to spend hundreds of thousands when you could spend much less. We are doing that as well and are going to pay 100% in-state and help dcs with money as well so they don't have to worry about working/daily expenses. If your parents are doing that for you, then get grateful, because you will never know what struggling feels like. Staying in-state and having financial peace of mind is 100% worth it.
Anonymous
04/07/2025 10:30
Subject: Parents have $0 saved for college, won't qualify for financial aid
Grad school matters way more than undergrad if you plan to go to grad school.
Some of the most successful people I know went to state schools. Consider those and get a full ride and have plenty left over to do other things.
Some of the most successful people I know went to state schools. Consider those and get a full ride and have plenty left over to do other things.