Surely there is a student financial aid option for my son.

Yay...another chapter in the book called, "My ex-jerk is really a jerk."

Poor Dan - my older son. This kid can't catch a break to save his life. He moved back to WV to go to school. His dad clearly told him that he'd pay his tuition. He told him this because he did not want to divulge his finances to ANYONE by filling out Dan's FAFSA.

He told Dan that he would buy his books as long as he got used ones. He tols him that he would buy him a laptop for school, too, as long as he didn't want something over the top. This was all great and Dan and I were both completely happy with that.

We started the process of the FAFSA, but Dan asked us not to finish it because that would hurt his in-state tuition in WV. He kinda has the choice between the two because he split the year between his dad's house and mine.

Dan is going to a free school, BUT he is also going to another school that is not free. The free school, we just learned, is only free the first semester. (That part makes more sense to me, for anyone who read about it before.)

So now...his dad is backing out of paying his tuition, refuses to fill out the FAFSA, refuses to co-sign any student loans that Dan might be able to get and just a couple of days ago told him that he couldn't afford a computer for him. (The fun part about him telling him that he couldn't afford to help is that he told him this while sitting at the kitchen table picking out the best Brazilian Mahogany floors for the new house they are building.)

Does anyone know of another option for student financial aid? He is on a probationary period with one school because his tuition hasn't been paid. He has until mid-February to get it paid. His dad is obviously wanting to prove some kind of point at the expense of his oldest son's education. Since Dan is only 19, we are being told that he can't do a lot of it on his own.

We didn't because Dan wanted to file his own, but I have a very sneaky suspicion that his dad will.

His dad makes a LOT of money. A lot of money. The only option that I can see Dan having is loans.

As far as I understand it, he would have to list his dad's income to get in-state tuition in WV.

See, that is what we have both (hubby and me) told him - declaring independence from us and his dad. Hubby worked with a kid last year who emancipated himself from his mom. His dad is deceased. He says that he just didn't want to always be wondering or worrying over whether or not she would come through. He's going to school with loans on his own now.


I just found a website about military financial aid for students. Dan's dad is n the Navy Reserves. Maybe there's something there for him.

I think the additional stress of the fact that this kid is so extremely emo isn't making it any easier. Everything is a disaster. The world will cease to exist.

I told him last night, "If something isn't working where you are standing and if you are out of options, GO stand somewhere ELSE!" He wants to look at his situation as hopeless. He told me, "If I don't go to college now, I won't ever be able to go to college."

Um....I didn't go to college until I was 28, but that's just me. Maybe the rules have changed?

I need a drink. And yes, I am fully aware that it is only 7:18 a.m!!! Haahaa!

I am hoping you are right, Pam. It seems that everyone I know had a very difficult financial situation for one reason or another - too much money, not enough money, too young to qualify on their own, etc. - but all of them ALSO found a way. I think they have to be either married or have a child or they have to be 24 to qualify on their own unless they are emancipated.

It's like I know there is a way, but I don't know what it is. All the options that friends have given me won't work for this particular situation. Grrr.

My credit history, thanks to the jerk for running up credit cards in my name and not telling me about it until they were closed out, makes it pretty much impossible for me to co-sign for him either.

I sometimes think that life without drama isn't in the cards for me. Then again, it's all in what you make of it, right?

veinglory said:

The school with have a special staff member who deals with financial aid and scholarship. Talk to them. I have helped many students in a range of situations including non-disclosing parents, disappeared parents etc. There are options. It is also good to make admin at the school aware as early as possible. If the university admin sucks and isn't willing to help the student union can provide advocates. These people are there to help.

Click to expand...

It's a good thing I took matters into my own hands. This all started over the weekend so there wasn't a lot I could do till this morning.

I called the school. I can't even begin to describe how rude and un-knowledgbable (is that a word??) the woman I spoke with was about her job. She answered the phone, asked if I could hold and THEN left me on hold for 25 minutes. Long distance, of course. When she finally answered again, she told me two things that I knew were incorrect right off the bat, so doom on her and on to the next source.

I called Ed Financial and learned that Yes, Virginia, there is a financial aid Santa for my son and his name is Stafford Loans. Yay! A host of options, actually. So the world is saved from total destruction yet another day and life goes on. Now if I can just get him off his butt to get a job!!

I know - the FAFSA isn't optional. One of the things I learned today is that I can fill it out for him - his dad doesn't have to. I hadn't yet because first, his dad told him he'd pay the tuition and second, we didn't know what that would do to his in-state tuition status.