Financial Aid Question -- procedure, results, scope, etc

[CLEP101]

For all you who suggested military:

Oh heavens no a thousand times no to the military option.

Thank you thank you to those who join, I and others rely so much on your protection BUT I am a paranoid libertarian and I would likely be forced to do about 100 things I would disagree with. Besides I could not survive without my fiance for any amount of time (weeks, months, years, hell no!).

Even the guard gets dragged out against what should be legal protests, and I'm in general against interfering in other countries (and not for their benefit either!). I'm not someone who says Bush is a war criminal or anything, it's just my point of view. I think this all was all a mistake (not a criminal action).

So that's why military is out of the question

Ricky,
It's ok to be scared, or a paranoid libertarian. The military take libertarians also. You don't have to agree with what is going on to join. I don't agree with a lot of things, but I do what I do to make sure my family is taken care of. And I'm knocking out my education while I'm at it. In August, I'll be transferring $50,000 to my wife of my GI Bill/College fund that I'm not going to use since my education is free. I'm a computer guy for the Army, I'm not out there fighting. There is a job for everyone. If you don't want to be in the firefight, get a job like Chaplain's Assistant. You can help do God's work helping out the Chaplains, or be a practical nurse and work at hospitals. You always have the option to choose your job in the Army. If you don't get what you're looking for, then don't join.

[Epiphany]

I don't know much about FAFSA. But I do know there was an act to take care (or at least mitigate) this kind of situation. It was called the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008). I believe it became/becomes effective in the fall of 2009. My understanding is this change will allow you to apply for an unsubsidized Stafford loan, without parental information. I suggest trying to find out as much as you can about that act... perhaps it's still too new for your school to have heard of it.

Good luck.

Edit:
I was going to leave you to research this all on your own. But it's your lucky day.... I'm procrastinating studying for my very last CLEP test. So rather then study any more poets names for Humanities, I looked it up the HEOA and found this..... (from page 32 http://www.ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attac...910AVG.pdf)

Students without parent support
Although students whose parents refuse support are not eligible
for a dependency override, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of
2008 (HEOA) granted that such students may receive unsubsidized
Stafford loans only. For a student to be eligible for this provision (the
text of which is in the “Professional judgment” margin note in Chapter
5), you must get documentation (1) that his parents refuse to provide
information for his FAFSA and (2) that they do not and will not provide
any financial support to him. Include the date support ended. If
the parents refuse to sign and date a statement to this effect, you must
get documentation from a third party (the student himself is not sufficient),
such as a teacher, counselor, cleric, or court.

[rickyjo]

This is a good bit of information. Thanks a lot!

[frankiebleyes]

Interesting thought here. At eighteen we can vote, join the military, get married, and yet for the education system we aren't legal (to get loans for education until we are 23???) All of my children were out on their own before age 23 except my youngest who is ill. I was married at 19 and never saw any help from my parents long before that. I just don't get this concept????? Anyone here who can education this old fool!!!!!

[rickyjo]

I understand the idea they are subscribing to that parents are more likely to help until a certain age (which is higher than 18), but 18 either needs to be the age of majority or not. You cannot have it both ways!

You cannot ascribe full legal responsibility to an age group without giving equal rights! That includes drinking and renting a car.

You cannot charge taxes without giving the right to vote (that's right, all those underage fast food workers have earned the right to vote by paying taxes! And if they shouldn't vote they shouldn't pay taxes!). I was working at 15 and was not allowed to vote and it upset me very much.

The point being that we as a country cannot make up our mind about what age makes one an adult and we need to!

For a country that is based on freedom we have a lot of hesitance to award rights for the sake of consistency and principle. We go for the common good at the expense of the fundamentals.

[perrik]

Don't overthink this one too much! Traditionally a student starts college between ages 17 and 19; based on a normal 4-year completion, the student would be 21-23 years old at graduation. Thus the assumption that you're dependent on your parents' financial support until around age 23.

[malcs]

Ricky,
It's ok to be scared, or a paranoid libertarian. The military take libertarians also. You don't have to agree with what is going on to join. I don't agree with a lot of things, but I do what I do to make sure my family is taken care of. And I'm knocking out my education while I'm at it. In August, I'll be transferring $50,000 to my wife of my GI Bill/College fund that I'm not going to use since my education is free. I'm a computer guy for the Army, I'm not out there fighting. There is a job for everyone. If you don't want to be in the firefight, get a job like Chaplain's Assistant. You can help do God's work helping out the Chaplains, or be a practical nurse and work at hospitals. You always have the option to choose your job in the Army. If you don't get what you're looking for, then don't join.

I second clep101 on this!

The military has all of the jobs that a typical community requires. My daughter is a musician, and that is her job in the Army Reserve, despite her Airborne training, etc. Most people can't imagine how important it is to have an army musician playing at a funeral, or an army band playing (rock and roll) for a deployed unit.

Being in the reserves paid for half of her state college expenses for her degree in Music Ed, so with a little help from dad she has no student loans. She graduated school with six years of professional experience from the Army since she enrolled before the end of high school. No loans, six years experience, Sgt. rank, kinda helps getting that first job, ya think? She just signed up for another six years, and is trying out for a full time deployed unit.