How Many Of You Have Ever Said This?

[VM85]

I had someone say to me,"its not fair. Im not getting financial aid because I dont have kids" I agree with that too, to an extent. I dont think its fair that after 18 or even six years after becoming an "adult" you still have to file your fafsa under your parents, UNLESS you have a child.That had actually prevented me from attending college from the age of 17 until a few days ago, when i finally started school this week-because i had a child and didnt need my fathers tax information(i have absolutely no relatiosnhip with either parents, I dont know where they live or how to get in contact with them. I have paid my taxes since i was 18- and had to work full timebecause i couldnt go to college-so when i had my son right before i turned 22, i looked into a program and had to wait a little over a year for it to start. So yes, I did get the max amount of aid allowed for my school(about half) and then took the rest out in loans....but dont forget, I am also going to be spending a little more than $11,000 in daycare for the next 9 1/2 months....So yes, i do get al ittle more in financial aid, but in the long run of the financial aspect, i am paying more to go to school. Yes i know its my responsibility, i made the decision to have my son- but, i didnt make the choice to have my sons father do a houdini on us. I planned on having help. I dont have to work, thankgod, while in school.....but i will be paying those loans back for that money and on top of it, for school. So if your thought is, why do parents(especially young moms,sometimes single) get to go to school for free, or we have it made....YOUR WRONG!!!! and i hope this has changed your veiw on this subject!:heartbeat I am a proud mom always, even when it gets expensice and I have NO time for myself!

[picurn10]

I have a friend who started nursing school with me a few weeks ago, and I can just tell she's so annoyed that I qualify for a full grant, and she only got one for half, because of my son. We made the same amount last year, so she thinks it's not fair, but there is just no comparing incomes with a single person and a single mom. My daycare expenses alone are almost as much as my rent, and xh hasn't paid a dime in almost a year So it may seem "unfair" but really, when I was going to school before my son, it was a piece of cake compared to now. I don't have any idea how I'd do it without the extra help.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Life isn't "fair."

It isn't your problem that some people are so self-involved that they can't see the realities of other peoples' lives.

Frankly, I don't worry about adults nearly as much as children. And whether people "should" have children they can't afford, yada yada yada, the point is that the child is dependent, and I have no gripe with feeding and clothing a child over helping a single, able-bodied adult go to college.

Let it roll off your back. And don't discuss your financial affairs with anyone. It's none of their business.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

being an independant student is tough sometimes. I would love to have been able to get one of those parent plus loans but my parents live in another country. A classmate is getting 90% of her tuition ( private school so pricey) paid via grant bc she didn't have any income for 2 years on her taxes but she was in college and her parents were paying for her but not claiming her as a dependant. She's not a Mom btw. So there are a lot of situations where the financial aid works better or worse for.

[amjowens]

There are a lot of options out there to pay for college. I don't have children, but have my tuition paid, plus some left over for living expenses. I did choose to attend a community college, so I don't have a huge tuition bill. If I'd gone the private school route, I'd be struggling.

Personal financial issues are so personal and unique. To judge anyone based on how they make their way through school is just rude and arrogant.

I believe in putting kids first, so I think single parents should be considered a priority for financial aid. In the bigger picture, single parents having a solid career benefits EVERYONE. And personally, I admire my classmates who balance children and school-pretty heroic.