My parents make a decent amount of money so I don't qualify for any free money or help for college. However, they aren't actually using this money to help me. On my FAFSA it looks like I'm well off, but this is definitely not the case.
Because of this, I can't figure out how to pay for college myself. Even if I take out the maximum number of loans in my name for school it still won't be enough.
My parents are not cooperative at all, so I need to figure out a way to pay for it myself. They are inconsistent, untrustworthy, and honestly really bad people. I want to be out of their control and on my own as soon as I can. Can you give me any advice on getting additional financial aid for college?
The first thing I would do is talk to your college's financial aid administrator and tell him or her about your situation and concerns. You may be able to get independent student status from the college so that your parents' financial situation doesn't affect your ability to receive financial aid. I'm not sure what your home environment is like, but I imagine it could potentially be an abusive situation. If this is the case, you should solicit letters from people who know about your situation and present them as evidence to your college that you shouldn't be considered as your parents' dependent.
If you haven't already done this, I'd also recommend explaining your situation to any other adults (relatives or not) who care about you. You never know if someone might be willing to provide additional financial support or offer advice based on their own experiences. Also, look for any scholarships you can find that you qualify for and will help substantially with the cost of tuition.
If you can't fix the situation through the financial aid office or by any other means, you may have to defer your admission for a year or two or go for a lower-cost option like community college. Community college is actually a good option for students in bad financial situations; you can even go for a couple years and save up money to transfer to a four-year college. Another option is to to take a gap year before starting college so you can get a job and focus on bringing in your own source of income for a while. You'll be able to get out on your own earlier if you take that route, and you could save up enough money to pay for a few less expensive college classes independently.
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