Never Lived On My Own (Atlanta, Macon: student loans, private schools, university)

[kendrasamone]

I am a twentysomething who is looking to relocate to Georgia I have family in Kennesaw, Macon, Stone Mountain, and Marietta. I need to go back to school to complete my undergraduate degree. I already have an Associates from a community college here, last year I applied to Spelman and Clark Atlanta and was accepted to both however I ran into a financial road-block, I am from upstate New York so of course the aid for me to go out of state was limited, not to mention the fact that I worked full time for 2 years at Verizon Wireless as a customer service rep and I am under 25 and no children( thats a big deal up here) needless to say my mothers income is still being considered when i apply for any financial aid because i am still considered a dependent student so Spelman told me that i only qualified for parent plus loan so that meant that my mom had to be repaying as i attend. My mother cannot afford to pay for anything outside her set budget, I am prepared to make sacrifies but i dont know what to do now so that i can go to school in Georgia and not burden my mom because not only is it less than an option I want the independence for my own personal satisfaction. In addition I think God has something better for me there



Open to any suggestions. Please help

[plessthanpointohfive]

Can't you be declared independent from your mom?

[PKCorey]

If I'm not mistaken, not until you are 24 or have children (go figure). That's what I remembered I saw on my last FA application.

If you are dependent (not self-supporting according to federal criteria), your parents' assets and income as well as your own are considered when determining your financial need. If you are independent, your need is evaluated solely on your own and your spouse’s income and assets.
If you check “YES” to any item in “Step Three” on the 2007-08 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you are considered “independent” for financial aid purposes:

• born before January 1, 1984;
• enrolled in a masters or doctorate program (beyond a bachelor's degree) in 2007-08;
• legally married at the time the student signs the application;
• has children for whom the student provides more than 50% support;
• has legal dependents other than a spouse or children who receive more than half their support from the student;
• is an orphan or a ward of the court (or has been a ward of the court until reaching the age of 18);
• is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training ; or
• is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard).

If you cannot answer “YES” to any item, you are considered dependent on your parent(s) and must include parental financial information on your financial forms. If you think you have extenuating circumstances that would exempt you from including parental information, contact a financial aid adviser at SFA.

[kendrasamone]

yea im only 22 soon to be 23 with none of those other options that u listed pkcorey, I think my situation is extenuating but will it "dazzle" an adviser at sfa.

[bayarea-girl]

When you are in school you are not required to make repayments on student loans. Once you are out of school payments do start. You can make a case to your Dean of Admissions to be declared Independent. I had to do this when I was going to school. It does take some effort on your part but it can be done. Going to school in GA they will still request your parents information. But you can always say that your mother was refusing to provide you with financial information.

[Atlantasfinest]

You might want to consider attending Georgia State University because it's much cheaper (In-State School/Public = Less $$$ than Private schools such as Emory, Spelman and Clark Atlanta). You could come down here this summer and work get your Georgia ID and get situated and get enrolled as an in-state college student for the Spring Semester/Quarters at Georgia State University.

[dvcgal]

It might pay off to set yourself up in Georgia for year and hold a job down for a year and then go back to school as an in-state resident. I know that means that you will have to put it off, but that is what I have done and the savings are unbelievable. If you have family in the area you may be able to declare state residency ealier. You may even want to look into a job that is willing to pay for some of your college. I know that CarMax and Wal-Mart both offer tuition reimbursement for certain courses or they will pay for you to take certain courses. This is just another way to go and graduate with a degree of some sort. Good luck! I hope everything works out for you!!!

[kendrasamone]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I am considering moving to Atlanta this summer so that I can do those things that you mentioned. I have not put the other schools like Georgia State University out of reach either, I still have that as my plan B.

[Big L]

Your best bet would be to move down here, work for a year, and then enroll at either Georgia State, Clayton State, or Kennesaw State as an in-state student. You may still end up having to put your parent's info due to age, but you should get enough aid to cover your tuition.

As an HBCU graduate, I have nothing against Spelman or Clark Atlanta. However, I will say that their class scheduling and tuition rates may not be conducive for someone who is working full-time and is either non-traditional or approaching non-traditional status. The local State schools here are essentially commuter schools that tend to work better for someone who works full-time during the day. Your choice of major may make a difference in when you can take classes as well since certain majors may have classes that are only offered during the day.

If worse comes to worse, there are several schools here that have degree-completion programs if you don't find what you are looking for at Georgia State, Spelman, or Clark Atlanta.

[kendrasamone]

I am considering doing just that. I do need to work and attend school at the same time so I will apply to Georgia State instead