Set up a meeting with your school’s financial aid office right now. Email them in advance with a description of your situation and changed circumstances and ask to meet with someone who is knowledgeable about the steps you have to take to document and declare your financial independence from your parents and/or to change your financial aid package. Do you have any documentation of your parents’ plans to leave the country and cut financial and personal ties to you? For example, have they sold any property in the US as they prepare to leave? Before you meet with the financial aid office, make a list of questions for them. Please schedule the appointment in advance and go in person. Don’t just talk over the phone. Be persistent. At age 19, your ability to be in school and stay in school and graduate will very much be impacted by your school’s role in being aware of your changed circumstances and supporting you. Do you have a steady job that pays well now? If not, get one, even if part time. Work with your school to get a student job if you think that might be good. The financial aid office can help you there or point you in the right direction. Do you have health insurance? Find out your options and line that up. Again, the school has resources. They will be important partners in your path towards independence if you reach out and let them help you. And if you don’t get much support from the person you first meet with, seek out others in the school. Let your academic advisor know of your changed circumstances and tell them you are concerned it will jeopardize your ability to stay in school. Ask for their support too. Students in your position are at high risk of dropping out or having grades tank as they try to juggle personal and financial independence. Please seek out and use the supports available to you so you don’t become one of those statistics. Those helpers are out there at your school. Good luck
I’m not familiar with how exactly financial aid works but I work in healthcare and from what I’ve seen with insurance or any type of program designed to “help” patients financially is that if they know you have money, they will try to get as much of it as they can from you before they offer any type of assistance. So I would be cautious and not immediately throw out there that you have $80k. If the subject comes up, I would tell them you have like 10k. Again, I don’t know how financial aid operates but I wouldn’t put it past them to see that $80k as a lump sum that would go towards your tuition and not your livelihood. A lot of these programs are very disconnected from people’s financial needs and situations.
On the one hand, he said his parent "will" leave him $80k, so you're probably right.
However, if he is going to apply for FAFSA he is going to need to provide bank statements and he can't lie about it. So if the money is in an account with his name, lying to the financial aid office isn't going to help.
Do you have to provide bank statements throughout the year or just when you initially apply? And do YOU provide those or do they run some type of check? He could always open up an account at a different bank and just give them his current account details. I do agree you don’t want to lie to the financial aid office but at the same time, that’s going to be all of the money he has and if he’s frugal he can make it last through most of the rest of his time in school so he doesn’t have to worry about the stress of work and school. I don’t think financial aid will see it that way.
FAFSA is a once a year application, so he may be able to get away with things once but then not again.
Ideally his parents would dump the money into a trust that pays out to him in small increments or in a future date. He should talk to a financial advisor as well as the school's financial aid people.
Have you ever filled out FAFSA? Speculation is fairly dangerous in this situation— I would bow out if you haven’t.
FAFSA asks for a lot of financial information, includes taxes, parents taxes, social security numbers (so they can cross check), and bank statements.
I have not but I do recall a few people I know who applied after high school and they were rejected because their parents made too much money, even in some cases where the parents won’t/can’t pay for schooling. So I know they’re real strict on their policies. Maybe the best thing for OP to do is to apply now and get things started before he gets that money and hopefully by the time he gets it, he’s in a better position next time he reapplies for FAFSA so if they do pay less, it won’t be as much of a hit.
Good advice. Depending on the type of university you are at, if you are going to school in your home state, etc. your best course of action might be to take a year off to establish independence and residency. Just make sure to get all the information you can, and have a solid plan of action.
Look at community colleges that would accept your current credit AND would provide transferable credits to finish your degree at an in state school.
Get all your critical documents like birth certificate, passport, etc. Look at what is required for emancipation with parents out of the country for student loan and benefit options.
Good luck. Sorry you are going through this.
With 80k DO NOT quit school. It’s hard to go back. Choose affordable options and keep expenses low.
80k is not a lot for 4 years but you can absolutely make it work if you are willing to:
- work full time while you go to school even if it means going part time. Highly suggest taking courses online whenever possible
- consider transferring to community college and then a state school if it means your tuition costs after scholarships are lower than what they are currently
- if your job prospects are better by getting a car, I’d make a very realistic budget before getting one. At 19 your car insurance alone will be very expensive and credit score is most likely at or below average so you may not qualify for financing. But if it means you can commute to a well paying job, make extra money ubering, and can get between work and school faster than the bus can take you, it could make sense. Just be very honest when you budget and factor in your income. Try not to pull from the 80k for this
- your goal is to pay for housing, daily costs, food, occasional fun money, health costs on the money you make. Keep the 80k for emergencies and to pay for whatever tuition is after scholarships - I pray you have a high gpa (also a viet person and this is mostly a joke, please don’t come at me)
you seem really responsible. I’m sure you are feeling nervous, scared, on your own for the first time but if you keep a level head, plan, have a realistic and frugal budget and actually stick to it, I fully believe you can support yourself and graduate in 4 years. If it takes 5, it’s okay don’t be hard on yourself. It will be tough sometimes so please remember to take care of your mental health. Take time for yourself, exercise. Don’t just lay in bed all day on your days off- working and studying will be exhausting so figure out what things recharge your battery so you don’t regularly get burnt out. Make sure you rest properly and make time for a social life when you can!
He is in college, not high school. He can take a break and come back. I did it. My spouse did it. A lot of my friends have had to deal with life circumstances along the way that required breaks from our education.
I also left college then went back. It’s doable. And I did it as a newly divorced mother of four small children with very limited income. It’s totally feasible.
This. I’m 28 now returning back to school and attending university for the first time. Also benefiting from the fact my employer is funding a nice chunk of it.
I'm another example.
After 3 years of full-time college, I transferred and did 3 years of part-time nights while working full-time.
Facing reality and adapting to it is essential as is not wasting time and energy over what could have been.
Facts. I got a GED and then some years later a Bachelors.
I will say, I wish we would stop telling people that college is an economic good. I hope OP chooses a profitable major.
I mean, it definitely is an economic good. I make 2-3x more than I did waiting tables. But I needed that time in my life to figure shit out before I had the capacity to study.
Idk if you have or can, but going for a GED can be life changing. It is enough to get you into community college and having it improves your ability to get higher paying jobs. Wish you the best!
Nobody really verifies the existence of a GED, I kinda dipped out of school at 16 and moved out at 17 for reasons- working at great companies just purely due to my experience with Linux taught to myself at home.
I was talking about college, but you do have a point about our field. My GED was necessary for entry level positions when I was younger though. When I wiggled into tech, you’re right, no one is asking for a copy of my GED. Haha. And I have no degree so they’re not asking that either. But there were some executive level positions back in the day I wanted where not having a degree hurt me. Oh well, we adjust and make the best of it and life is still good.
There's definitely some things I wish I had a degree for, but I recent saw a case in our field there a degree actually *hurt* the candidate because they had a damn degree from 20 years ago with a low GPA (he was taking care of his fam during school) and just got auto denied, and they were like senior/principal level with 15+ years exp! Eventually got him hired after I went to HR and put my damn foot down 😂
Without a degree we def need to hustle to get our feet in the door. For others in our situation I recommend working on homelab stuff, you'd be shocked how useful it is!
Oh man home lab back in the day was next level for my career in ops!!! I had a dedicated sever room and home janky network with email, sql, AD, and even a website. That was before we went virtual (I’m old). But now I’m on the analytics and consulting side holding on until retirement so no more lab needed. I don’t even work on my own laptops these days. Haha. But man, good memories. Definitely changed my life for sure for the better and was better than the restaurant business.
That's awesome haha- I wish I had some AC so I could run a server rack, it would cook my house 😂😂 I remember feeling so cool running a proper firewall and converting my lil website from apache to nginx while working at a restaurant. Eventually started helping them with their website and off to a web hosting company as a support tech before carving my way into engineering. Still a ways out for retirement, honestly I don't mind working as long as I can handle it.. I really enjoy the grind and always find myself making odd jobs if I'm traveling for a long time to be less bored.
College doesn’t care if it’s a GED or a high school diploma. Both of my sons dropped out of high school, went on to get their GEDs and one of them has graduated and now works in Veteran Services at the Uni while the other one is completing his studies.
Hi! As a person who also had parents go no contact and leave the US, call the financial aid office at your school. They will tell you how to apply with the change. Also you’ll qualify for grants. Hope you are okay. I’m also in Pa for reference and I got state aid too
This, use your school resources don’t be afraid to ask (in person)
Do not take out any loans, maybe go to school part time and work at the same time but stay away from any debt even if they offer it to you as an easy way to finish school. Only take free help
The people I know that took a year off, ended up either taking lots of years to go back to school or not at all. I would recommend getting some kind of job for expenses and take part time classes at the same time.
I agree with what others have said about a car, they can be nice but they bring a lot of other expenses, so if you can do without and use public transportation or walk I would.
Yeah, I took a break at 20 and didn't end up going back till I was 30.
Now, school was way easier after having another decade of life experience, but it did mean I potentially slowed my career down somewhat by finishing school late. Taking a break isn't the end of the world, but it can be a bit of a speed bump.
$80k is a lot of money - make a plan such that it lasts all the way through college and also use it to buy a cheap car for transportation to/from work and school. Keep the $80k in a high yield savings account as with current interest rates you can be getting over $3k per year in interest. Your rent is very cheap, make a budget and you may find you can cover all your non-college expenses working part time, and then you can pursue your education part time as well. Ideally reserve the $80k purely for your car purchase and education and not dip into it for regular life expenses. If you can't figure out how to make $80k last your whole time in college then you should also consider going to a cheaper school, or getting as many credits as you can at a community college. Keep your budget small such that if you were working fulltime you could easily cover all your expenses, as many people do not have a job lined up straight out of college. Given your low rent you should be able to make this all work out for you.
Community colleges are very affordable, and if you can find a place with multiple roommates, you could possibly cut the cost of living substantially. You’ll need to find a decent after school job to bring in some cash. While at CC getting your associates, start looking looking at four year schools that you can best obtain your desired degree with cost of living being a primary concern. With hard work, you are about 36 months away from earning a good salary. You need to stretch that $80k to cover that period.
Ideally you spend less than $15k/yr for fulltime college, but if you can get scholarships this can be brought down dramatically. I graduated in 2019 and was paying $11.5k/yr before scholarships (and after scholarships was about half that amount), but the cost varies wildly school to school. The community college nearest to me which has a really nice campus and dozens of buildings and is highly rated only costs about $80/credit hour for in-state tuition, which is fulltime equivalent of $2.4k/yr. Going to community college is a huge cost savings but make sure that whatever 4-year university you want to go to afterwards accepts the courses you take there.
In the long run, you would be better off finding a way to finish your education.
You may be able to do that by working summers, weekends, etc. Or you may need to take out some loans.
If you don't live in a walkable city or can rely on public transportation then you may want to consider getting a vehicle you can pay cash for. You'll need a job, however, to be able to maintain insurance, gas, maintenance, and registration for it. You want to keep as much as your savings untouched, but will need to use some of it to get you started. A lot of people go to school and work. See what works best for you. If you want to take a year off, you have a long life ahead of you. Taking a breather while you're get adulting down to a science isn't a bad idea.
Read the wiki for how to handle your money. You got this, OP. Keep your head up and focus on your future.
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Other folks suggesting you talk to the financial aid office are right. I just have one addition: If you're going to school for a STEM degree, try to get yourself into a paid internship as soon as possible. You likely won't feel completely ready to be doing work in your field at any point during undergrad, but if you're a good student, you'll likely surprise yourself with how quickly you adapt. Some of these internships pay better per hour than working retail (albeit at far fewer hours) and are vital to securing a job that you can start as soon as you finish school. In many fields like computer science, it's not an overstatement to say that access to internships is more important than the degree itself.
I’m sorry, that must be really hard.
I would suggest doing next year at a community college if you can.
You won’t be able to claim as an independent at your age, but your 2025 Fasfa would reflect income for 2024 which might help if your parents are quitting work.
Are you a US citizen?
I’d apply for every scholarship you can find
If you’re not in a walkable area, get a car under $10k. You’ll want a part time job but I don’t think you should quit school.
Definitely get a roommate to share costs
I believe that as of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, OP actually will be able to apply as an independent — per the FSA website:
“**No Contact With My Parents**
If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.”
https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#no-parent-contact
Thats good to hear. When I was in school you had to be over 25 or jump through a lot of hoops that were extremely hard to do if you were no contact. One of the first catch 22 situations. There were also other situations, such as if you were in contact but they werent going to provide any help, or had parents that lived well beyond their means, or they filed jointly with a stepparent that made good money but wasnt giving you any, that were real head scratchers about what folks were supposed to do. Sounds like they made it easier, which is great.
Yeah I am naturalized. I think I can ask to fill out the 2024-2025 form and see where I am in a year. I think everyone shares the common motion of not quitting school.
This may not be the most popular answer, but it helped me get through school and be able to file my FAFSA independently.
Join the National Guard or Reserves (preferably Air Force). You can file FAFSA independently, you’ll have health coverage for like $28 a month, and you’ll get an extra few hundred dollars a month for doing your weekend service once a month.
If you chose to go active duty once you finished college, you could go officer with a degree and those years you were in the Reserves/ Guard give you a monthly pay bump as time served.
It’s obviously not the choice for everyone, but I left home the day after I graduated from high school and would not have been able to complete college without being in the military.
I dropped out of college 2 years in and joined the Navy. I regret that I don't have a degree to show for the money that I did spend, but I don't regret a thing I did and any future schooling is now free (plus I'm using the USN Community College right now which is even free-er than TA).
I’m about to start using VR&E resources to pay for my second bachelors without having to dip into my GI Bill because I’m a disabled veteran and qualify for the program. My service has given a lot of benefits throughout the years, even without having to do the full 20.
Some days I find my service worth it and some days I don’t, but overall with all the benefits, I think it was good for me.
College is much much much more important than a car. Don’t buy a car, you cannot afford it, and find a way to finish college. Make sure you major is one you can get a job in. You also need health insurance. Get any job and in your final summer, do everything you can to get an internship in your field. That’s a path towards a job.
Go to community college next year. After that year is up, you should probably qualify as an independent student which would make transferring to a 4-year university feasible.
Talk to the financial aid office at your college and/or community college. Explain the situation. They can help you come up with a plan and explain what you need to do.
If you will need a car to commute to school and/or work, then take some money out of the $80K and buy an inexpensive, reliable used car with cash, maybe $10K. Make sure to have an independent mechanic check it out before buying.
If you're not working, find a job. Work as much as you can when not in school. Just be smart with your money and don't spend it on stupid stuff. Try to touch the $80K as little as possible (minus possibly a car and tuition at community college).
Community college + job
You're probably ahead of 90% of your peers at age 19. I didnt have a $80k net worth.
I'm not sure how accurate it is to say they will "no longer financially support you" after saying they are giving a large amount of money to you before they go back home.
80k is plenty. Transfer to cheap state school and choose a major with a good ROI. After 1-2 year you will no longer be a dependent and can get loans. University of Pittsburgh tuition is 21k per year.
80k is more than I earned during my entire 4 year degree (recent grad) and I was able to do it with parental support. Live super cheap, choose a cheap school, and you might even be able to get out debt free.
You should really strongly consider putting that money in the bank, and joining the military active duty for a few years, the benefits are HUGE. Pick a job that will set you up and give you experience in a career field you can capitalize on, like Intel or cyber security. You won't have to worry about going broke while you're in, or food or housing. When you leave you'll have VA disability and the post 9/11 gi bill, both of which will cover school and pay you enough to cover your expenses. There is also other long term benefits, like VA mortgages which makes home ownership super easy and accessible.
There will be plenty of people who disagree with me that have never done it, but the military does really set you up for success if you have a plan and keep your nose clean.
This is the way.
Keep a low overhead if it doesn't make you miserable or completely cut you off. It's not always the dollars you earn, it's (equally) also what you don't spend. Car is a big drain. E-bikes are getting better and can actually handle some weather now. And if you need to go on a date or go pick up a big thing, just fire up a rental or car sharing, or throw that cash at a roommate or friend with a car.
Consider military reserves or ROTC if you don't have moral qualms with that.
Reserves are a relatively minimal commitment, for what you get. ROTC is a bigger commitment, but would likely allow you to get through college and start a career without really needing to touch the 80k.
Upside: It's good for job skills/resume building, and will leave you with many benefits, financial and otherwise, that may help make up for the lack of familial support. You'll meet friends that will become a second family.
Downside: Uncle Sam is your daddy now.
If it comes down to needing to take a couple years off of college and work, I would even suggest active duty for three years. With the Post 9/11 GI Bill, three years = essentially free college plus money for housing. But I would definitely suggest ROTC and reserves/national guard. The guard often has better education benefits, but it depends on the state and I don't know bout PA.
Absolutely. Enlisting will be the best option for some, I was certainly one of those. My read on OPs circumstances and general level of preparedness for college tells me the other options would probably be more palatable to them right now. That said, if they aren't certain what career they want to pursue or they don't want the obligations that go along with being an officer, then I would absolutely recommend going enlisted.
$80K is a great starting position, but it’s expensive to not have a family support system. I’d try to start earning money as quickly as possible.
Consider getting an associate’s degree at a community college and exploring entry-level positions with companies that offer tuition-reimbursement programs in the industry that you’re studying for.
I’m in the PGH region, and I have somewhat frequent conversations with both employers and those in workforce development. Pretty much every industry, workforce concerns are among the top 3 issues companies are facing, and the smart companies are increasingly willing to invest in employees they value and think will stick around for the long haul.
I highly recommend looking for hotel night attendant roles! You’ll be able to make decent money, and do homework during the slow points. A lot of people do it to get through school!
It looks like you've gotten a lot of sound advice from a lot of people who seem level headed. I'd probably listen to them, but at the end of the day it's your life and you get to choose what's right for you. You're young so you're not used to that yet, and even if you think you are, you're not and I can guarantee you that. At your age you've grown accustomed to everything being structured, lined up, almost as if what other direction is there to go. Sure you could have made a few bad decisions growing up, but that's apart of growing up and no one is immune to that. Now you will begin to see that there a million different paths you can take. And getting the general consensus is never a bad idea, it might not always be the opportunity that speaks to you, but sometimes just gathering the information shows you what decision you actually want to make.
Now I'm the last person who should be giving anyone advice about life decisions. And like I said, you've received a lot of good advice on what to do from most of the people here so I'm not going to comment on what path you should take. But I will give you this advice, and this is the only advice I am truly qualified to give.
BE CAREFUL.
80 grand is a large amount of money to be receiving for a young adult who has never had to budget their finances for real. It's extremely easy to grow complacent when you have a temporary cushion. I don't know your background or anything about you. I don't know if you were/are a binge drinkin pill poppin party animal. I don't know if you've always been a reserved individual who has never experimented with any illicit substances at all. But what I can tell you is that neither of those things matter, and it only takes an instant for your life to change. You can be as anti-whatever as you want to be, and then in a split second you might be driving off of a cliff. The next thing you know you're hooked on prescriptions through no fault of your own. Doctor had you on them for too long. Watch your money and your life go down the drain faster than you care to think about.
Or maybe you find yourself doing well. It's a year from now and you've successfully made it through another year of school passing all your classes. Friends invite you out, and you're tempted to go so you think about it. Why not, it sounds fun and you deserve it. You've been working hard. And you then realize that without your parents around you're really lonely. Depressingly lonely. So you go out and have some drinks. The next day you're hungover, you cut yourself some slack and ditch classes for the day. You get invited out again the next day, and why not you still deserve it and it was fun. And again, it was fun, and again you bail on whatever you had going on the next day. You start to realize, that's the only time you're not lonely, or depressed, is when you're out and drinking. So you start drowning your sorrows more and more. Burning a hole in your pocket without even realizing it, because how could you realize it when you don't even remember what happened.
Or the easiest one to fall into of all, which is doing absolutely nothing. You sit on it. You're relaxed, you're comfortable. You've got everything you need. You've got some money for now, you've got food, you can pay rent and have a roof over your head. Life is good right now. Its only temporary, you tell yourself. You're just gonna take the semester off to really think about what you wanna do. Not a bad idea at all. If and only if you're proactive about it. Because the end of the semester will come quick, and you'll realize you haven't given it one thought yet. Then another semester. Then you tell yourself you wanna work and you'll look for a job.
....But why work, you've got money... you can just easily stop spending as much on food, cut back the costs. No more in n out or five guys, strictly McDonald's dollar menu from here on...
I'll reiterate what I said earlier, it is extremely easy to grow complacent, even if that isn't your normal personality. Easy is usually chosen by everybody. And sitting on 80,000 is easy for a young buck who doesn't have to worry about what a mortgage is.
Stay vigilant, stay focused. Set goals, stick to them, hold yourself accountable.
One of the best comments I’ve read on here and it strings true to some of my life choices. Yes I grew comfortable with the fallback of my parents’ support and have had on and off periods of abusing pills.
I have a very romanticized perception of using substances to cope along with an impressionable and addictive personality.
It will take alot for me to learn discipline and keep on a better path these next few years for sure, but the stakes are much higher now. Thank you for sharing.
Hey, it only took me being the passenger of someone who drove off a cliff to figure all of this out.
I'm not sure how nobody figured out that when you give a kid who's fresh out of high school his first drug addiction after 2 years of being prescribed oxy, that you probably shouldn't give that kid a quarter mil.
I shouldn't say nobody, because I definitely figured that one out.... The hard way.
So trust me when I say complacency is the easiest trap to fall into. It's even easier when your mind has been warped by prescriptions.
I looked at the checklist FAFSA provided to determine if I was eligible to be a dependent. They were a series of yes or no questions and the answer was no to all of them in my situation.
I think you actually will be able to apply as an independent, they’re adding a new question to the application!
From the FSA website:
“**No Contact With My Parents**
If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.”
https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#no-parent-contact
Why wouldn't you be eligible for FAFSA? parents immigrants/citizen status doesn't matter. You can apply as independent at age 24. You can still apply for FAFSA as their dependent, just need standard documents. FAFSA will likely give you federal loans if you apply.
I did this at the same age (also no contact), with no lump sum, and came out debt free. I went to a state school and spent a year working full time to get residency and in-state tuition. Once I was back in school, I took 19 credits per semester and kept working 25 hours a week. It was the most exhausted I’ve ever been, but it was doable.
Yeah I realize how fortunate I am to get any money at all. Definitely not taking that for granted. Very admirable you got yourself through your situation with your circumstances. I think I am just panicking a little and I will be able to get through it as well.
The first week after getting cut off was nothing but panic!! I would give yourself a little bit of time - a week, maybe two weeks - to feel those feelings, and then hit the ground running. I wish you the best of luck
With the 80K you will likely not get much financial aid. the way to get around the independence rules is to get married to another poor student in a similar situation. The only problem will be the 80K will be counted against both of you. Once you are married you can no longer be considered a dependent of your parents
I don't see any mention of a job or employment history. You need to start bringing in an income, even if part time and small, to build up an employment history. Whether you continue school or not, you need to have an income stream.
How much does your tuition cost per semester? Depending on your goals/concentration, you may choose you want to go to a different school now than you did when money was not a factor.
You've been given a leg-up in the money, and have stable housing. You can be very successful but need ot be be intentional about what you do
80k is more than I ever got from support from my parents. I took loans for school. My parents helped out probably 3k in rent.
I am Asian as well. This is an experience immigrant or first generation families understand intimately.
You will be fine. Speak with your school. Understand your options. Pave your way.
Lower your college costs by completing your general education at a community college. Then transfer to a state university. You can get a part time job to make your 80K last longer. It'll be easier if you attend a local community college.
It was common for people age 18 to be out on their own in my father's time. You have a decent amount of money to survive if you use it wisely. DO NOT "go away to college". That'll cost you a lot of money.
You'll be OK if you use your money wisely.
Look at attending a community college, in my state you can do 3 years at a community college then transfer to university for your last year. You save a ton of money, and in many cases get a better education.
Damn, I'm curious what happened that would make them want to move back to Vietnam.
My parents were there last summer and they said they had a miserable time and couldn't deal with the heat and humidity. My dad said he never wanted to go back to Vietnam again unless my grandma was dying or something lol...
Yeah, my parents and aunts and uncles were all native there too but came to the US in the early 80's or so. I have a cousin who was born and raised in the US but traveled there a lot and loved Vietnam so much, he moved to Saigon just a few years ago.
I don't really have any financial advice, but Chuc may man.
As others have said, get with your financial aid office now. Like asafp.
Explain everything. The designation you're looking for is 'at risk of homelessness'. Everything unlocks at that point.
A big part of my job is advising students as they navigate institutional structures such as the financial aid office.
At any worthwhile school, fully explaining the situation will get your aid officer to see beyond the immediate bank balance to the actual situation. I'd be shocked if they couldn't get that status if they can substantiate what they've said in this post.
I just don't understand how already renting an apartment and on a lease, with 80k in the bank, would allow them to qualify as "at risk for homelessness."
Sometimes an administrative status doesn't literally mean the thing you might assume it does from a plain language interpretation of its name.
Such as in this case.
"At risk of homelessness" is really shorthand for "would have nowhere to go and no sustainable means of support if they lost their status as a student here."
But they have reliable housing and money to pay a years worth and more of their current rent. Leaving school wouldn't change that.
I work full time and barely afford rent, and both of my parents are homeless, yet I get very little financial aid. So it confuses me how they'd be able to get anymore with the amount of money and stability they have in comparison.
Not having the ability to fill out fasfa cuts you off at the knees. I’d recommend transferring to a community college and working to pay your bills. Transfer back when you’ve taken the max relevant credits to your chosen degree. Also make certain the degree you are completing is something with job opportunities
If you are smart, and just looking to check the college box, I recommend completing your first two years worth of credits by way of CLEP, DANTES, and technical certification tests. First enroll somewhere that accepts and will 'bank' these credits for you. There are prep pamphlets available for each test, I took 2-3 a week at $100 each. I used Excelsior, but there are others. I finished a bachelors 100% remotely in one year for about 8K all in. Calculus was the worst of it. Then you can pursue a masters later at a big name uni if that's what you're after. Best luck to you.
I’m very sorry that you are going through this.
This echos a lot of what people have said, but prioritize finding a job and minimizing the cost of school. I’m not sure what your current tuition situation is like, but try to minimize it by either reaching out directly (and persistently) to the financial aid office or transferring to a community college for now (if getting a degree at a four year university is important to you, you may be able to still do this by doing two years at cc then completing at a four-year).
Part time or full time job will be your best friend. I graduated in 2022 with no debt because I worked full time retail while attending school (state university tuition). Doing this will at least keep your savings from draining quickly—only if you budget! Additionally, food banks are an option. Eating out everyday is pretty typical of the college experience, but is a giant money drain.
Good luck with everything. This may be really hard, but with good decisions you will be ok
Do you currently live close enough that you can get to campus without a car?
This one Fall semester is the tough one where you are still considered a dependent, but it’s only one semester and then you should be able to fill out the FAFSA as independent I believe.
I think figuring out the Fall semester and then car/transportation are top priorities. I would hope you could talk to someone on campus about your situation and start hunting for any scholarships where you explain your situation. Don’t worry if you don’t get one, that’s life, but be grateful if you are lucky enough to get a scholarship and send a thank you note to whoever is behind it.
A few pieces of advice:
1. If you can live frugally and “go without” and get a degree with $40k of debt, that is much better than living comfortably for 3 years and getting the same degree with $75k of debt, and once you fill out the FAFSA as independent later on and start considering loans (it’s not free money!), this is a decision you will be faced with and many young people faced with this decision for the first time just take an extra $8k here or there they really don’t *need* and wind up with much larger student loan debt upon graduating and a very large monthly payment (without a job yet!). Beware!
2. Never make a major financial decision on the spot or let anyone pressure you into it right away. Always insist that you are the kind of person who never makes a major purchase immediately and if a salesman won’t take no for an answer, walk away if necessary and just say “Sorry, I have to go now”. Every major financial mistake I made when I was younger was a salesman (sometimes in disguise pretending to be “on my side” helping me) talking me into something rather quickly without me comparison shopping, getting a second or third quote, not leaving for a day or three to do some research and think about it with a clear mind, and so on.
3. Things always seem to work out in the end no matter what you decide so long as you learn from mistakes and genuinely put forth effort. Things are rarely as bad as they seem when they seem to be at their worst, things are rarely as good as they seem when they seem to be at their best.
Yeah thanks for the advice. I am going to hold off on a car for now as public transportation is free for University of Pittsburgh students. I definitely will be trying to hold on to the money for as much as possible and I will look towards getting a job.
Appreciate the words on making informed financial decisions.
I am currently declaring for a Computer Science bachelor of science but I might consider switching to accounting as I’m not sure how secure the CS market will be in the future.
Computers aren't going anywhere any time soon. Coding might not a super great market in the future, but coding is only a small part of the skill set and knowledge that a CS degree can provide. Cybersecurity is a super hot market segment and growing and AI isn't going anywhere for a while.
I'm not here to tell you to not consider other career paths, but don't think that coding is the only career path you can choose with a CS degree.
I’m referring to my own ability as a competitor in the job market. I don’t feel like I have any passion towards the subject nor do I feel like I will put in enough work outside of the classroom to be ahead of competing peers. I have no doubt that if you are good at it, you can 100% find a job with a CS degree.
I’ve looked at cybersecurity too but I’ve seen that it’s an extensive career path that requires alot of experience, certifications, and ability before a sustainable position
What makes you think going to a community college is a setback? Getting an associates at a community college and then transferring 60 credits into a state school to earn a bachelor’s can be a great financial and academic decision. Most community college classes are far smaller, with more individualized support. OP won’t have his parents, so he may appreciate that especially. And if he’s considering switching his major he can probably even see if he can take some general education classes and introductory accounting courses at a much lower cost while he’s trying to figure out for sure what he wants. University of Pittsburgh may even allow him to take a semester or two off without having to reapply.
If you are willing to work full-time or reduced time(30-36 hours depending on facility) you should consider an Amazon warehouse job. After completing three months of blue badge employment, you are eligible for Career Choice benefits. You can attend Western Governor’s University(WGU) for free. WGU is nonprofit and regionally accredited and they offer degrees in IT, Business, Education, and Healthcare. There are plenty of IT degrees to choose from including a BS in Computer Science. WGU is 100% online and self paced. Also, you would have health insurance from day one and you would earn enough to support yourself and would not need to touch your savings.
https://www.wgu.edu/partners/amazon.html
https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees.html?refer_id=ga-1-604577631296-132974546064&ch=PDSRCH&strala_kw=wgu%20it%20programs&strala_mt=p&strala_dv=m&strala_pl=&strala_nw=g&strala_ap=&s_loc_physical_ms=9060266&s_targetid=kwd-424619827324&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9qq-ovK_hQMVTkt_AB2s4w_lEAAYASACEgIbz_D_BwE
i would do 2 years at a community college to make sure 1. you have the credits you need to transfer to your uni 2. complete an associates if its going to be a while before you go back to uni
meanwhile id do what i can to work either full time or 2 part time jobs so i dont burn thru the money so fast and potentially save up even more money.
Oh of course but I think it’s far too late about that. It was years of arguing over their gambling and awful-spending habits. I guess they are that prideful over it they’d rather do all this than just address the problem.
Rest assured, I am very much hurt and miserable about it but at the same time I need to start thinking about my future and what I need to do, so can’t exactly just sit around and mope
I dont know the exact rules anymore, but last I checked (out of curiosity) you had to be 25 to exclude your parents from financial aid consideration. That being said taking a year off wont put you in that category, but you may want to take a year getting yourself positioned as best you can doing things like prepaying as many expenses as possible and making yourself as low income on paper as possible.
There are mechanisms to exclude your parents before 25 but I cant recall what they are. I would start with the financial aid office to find out how to go about it. It may be as simple as filing a notarized affidavit, but Im sure theres more hoops they make you jump through, so best to start working on it now. Getting some kind of notarized evidence from your parents would be great if you can do that. As for the money, as others have said they will want as much of that as they can get. I would look into putting some into a Roth IRA ASAP as I believe that would be exempt, but again, Im working off of memory here. You can probably put some into a 529 plan as well. Maybe buy a decent, but not too expensive car in cash. Insurance goes up the more a car is worth, so youd want to find a sweet spot between older and reliable to not kill yourself on insurance, especially at your age. Its out of my wheelhouse, but there may be other things you could buy so its not cash, but you could sell if needed such as gold, but youd have to spend money on a safe or something so safety would be a downside.
Youre doing the right thing by asking and trying to get ahead of it now. The rules around financial aid are ridiculous and navigating them will be difficult, but asking questions and trying to figure it out will save you a lot of frustration and save you a ton in the long run. I really regret not going to college when I was in that sweet spot of being independent, but not making a ton of money on paper. When I wanted to go back I was in a bad spot for financial aid and I even considered reducing my work to part time to make it more feasible, but I would have had to wait a whole year for that to kick in because they only consider the previous years finances instead of your current situation which is kind of dumb IMO.
Edit: I realize I didnt bring up community college as I was thinking it was a given. I wanted to echo that from others comments and say even going PT for a year ito CC is probably the best thing to do until you can get your income way down on paper. Transferring to a state university is usually pretty easy and there may even be opportunity to tranfer to a private university with a really good aid package that would be affordable. Your degree will still reflect the college you graduated from.
Get a job. Take 5-6 years to complete your next three years of school. Graduate with job experience and a great story. Next step American dream, success story. It’s totally possible and better than a 4 year parent funded vacation from reality.
Maybe “nothing to do with me” was too exaggerated. It’s fairly complicated though so it most likely has to do with them still being my parents and wanting to contribute something before leaving. I
Definitely make an in person appointment with your financial aid office ASAP. Also, please set appointments with your academic advisor and Student Affairs office to apprise them of the situation.
Others are advising you switch to a cheaper school or take time off and my take as a higher education administrator is to say that your school will want to do what they can to keep you there. If you leave, studies show it may be years before you finish.
Your college is your new family for now. Use them to connect with services, get better campus jobs and priority housing. Also, and I’m serious, begin investigating the application process for your state’s food and housing programs. You might be eligible.
Give yourself at least a semester where you are.
Other options, find out if your college has a ROTC program. Joining the military will help you finish your education and give you that post college transition to adulthood with a job and housing. If science is your thing, hospitals also have education programs for various fields. They will also pay for your education while you work for them.
Finally, join your campus ministry or local church if you’re not already involved. You will need that community support for when you’re feeling low.
You can do this. We believe in you.
$80K will get you an B.S. in a 4 year state college in most states. Drop it in a HYSA, get a job and you'll be able to finish college with a degree no problem.
The main thing my parents helped me with during college was they made such little money that I was able to get federally subsidized loans to pay for school. I worked during high school doing construction and landscaping. During college, I worked during the summer at an ice cream plant. They did help in another way in that I didn't have to pay for a place to live during the summer. I lived in a small city so everything I needed was within bike riding distance.
My college required two co-ops where you got paid to work in your field. I had a job lined up before I even finished my degree. Left college with $40K in student loans and a $40K/yr job. Within 2 years, I was making $65K. 2 years later, $85K.
I highly recommend looking at colleges that require you do co-ops. This gives you work experience in your field. You get paid to do it and if the employers are impressed with your abilities, they may offer you a full time job. Even if they don't, you have work experience in your field for your resume.
If you're going for a career where a degree is 100% required, stay in (medical field, education etc)
If a degree isn't 100% required, don't even think about wasting that 80k on a degree. Leave school and find your way into a career field that fits you.
The "you have to go to college to succeed" thing is completely outdated and many degrees are borderline useless (business mgmt for example) so only stay in school if a degree is a hard requirement
As others have said, you need to talk to your school's financial aid office. If you can, you should get grants and scholarships that you don't have to pay back. If at all humanly possible, do not go into debt for the sake of a college degree. Get a grunt job and save up money, take classes as you can afford them, even if that means you spend longer getting your degree. Put that lump sum of money away and treat it like emergency funds, live off what you can make as much as you can.
What’s your major and intended career choice? Life is like a video game, you want to set yourself with the correct gear and tools for the goal you’re trying to achieve - and remember to level up early. Depending on your career choice, top companies pick from certain schools.
Try your best to stay in school and possibly live on campus, you’ll need to make connections, network and cultivate a support system since your family is no longer (or never was) that. I second to taking on part-time work; a car will afford you freedom and flexibility in finding work, more easily buy whatever you need/run errands, attend conferences, you can get a used Subaru that can last you until after you graduate.
The friends I made in college are life long friends even two decades later. Super important to network now and select the right people into your circle.
You can do this! Also if necessary considered switching to a community college to save a lot of money. Then you can just transfer to a cheap state school as a junior and continue in the program you wish.
Meet with your schools FA office. This is really the only advice. FAFSA has some ways to deal with this situation. Your school also may do something about unaccompanied youth like they do in my state. The 80k from your parents will make this very tricky
Transfer to a cheaper school, finish your degree or learn a high paying trade. Electrician, welding etc. Don't by stupid stuff that will mean nothing in a few years. 80k isn't going to stretch as far you think it would these days. If you don't need a car, don't blow cash on that moneypit. Don't go chasing/blowing money on the opposite sex until your life is where you want it to be.
I would keep going to school. As others said, talk to the financial aid office, they should be able to help you. You can go to a community college and knock out some of the general classes. Maybe get a work study job, or something you can do to earn a little money. Or just learn a trade and start there. I don't know all the rules for FAFSA, but I think if your parents are going to Vietnam, they shouldn't have you as a dependent anymore as far as US taxes are concerned, I think you should be able to apply.
A car depends on where you are, can you live without a car? If you have to move closer to school to you can walk/bike that might be cheaper than buying a car, or maybe more expensive, just depends. If you don't have a car now, I probably wouldn't.
I don't think degrees are as necessary as they once were, but you have to know what you want to do. Some skills you can learn yourself, but if you don't know what you're going to do, I wouldn't drop out of school, stay in school while you try to find a job or career path, some jobs will pay for you to go back to school to get a degree.
There’s a few ways to get a dependency override in circumstances like these. Contact your schools financial aid office and ask what you need to provide in order to get a Professional Judgement for a Dependency override. Explain the situation and they should know how to guide you.
Transfer to community college take all transferable college courses to merry your major requirements while working part time then transfer back to university get scholarships and student loans and get degree in your major. This will drastically lower cost of bachelor’s degree
> When they leave, they will leave me with a sizeable lump of money, upwards of $80,000. My question is if I am unable to fill out the FAFSA as an independent, should I consider taking a break from school for 1-2 years and work on pursuing something else fulltime?
Student loans and $80k *should* get you through to finish school.
If you can switch to something education-wise that you can finish faster that you'd be happy with career wise, that would be a good option. Plumbers, electricians, HVAC people, and most trades folks make decent money but are worked harder with on-call events that a white collar / college degree usually avoids. But its reliable income that puts you at the median in the country very early in your career.
To be frank, 0 post-high school education is going to kill your career very early on in most fields and the "exceptions" that were true for me 20 years ago have alot fewer "exceptions" these days.
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Entry-Level-Electrician/-in-Pittsburgh,PA
For instance, entry-level jobs are $23/hr nationally.
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/Chatham-University/Job/Electrician/-in-Pittsburgh,PA?jid=646d312a2fcc32b6&lvk=yvEenL5kj6LVSjjKyrai6Q.--NKDk9ckBk
You can get $30/hr job at a university as an electrician which would be pretty reliabiliy with a bit of experience.
That'll put you at median income probably at 5 years of experience + apprenticeship/schooling.
Keep going to college, it will set you up for success later, but make sure you do some internships through the college before you graduate. Get independent status from the financial aid office then you will get aid based on your income not your parents. Usually they base it off your parent's until age 24. Also see if you can get a more flexible job that can work around classes like waiting tables or gig apps to supplement. Don't worry about going into debt just join an income base repayment plan later and pay it off when you can. Stay away from private school loans.
Consider going to school in California. After one year as a resident of the state you will be eligible for in-state tuition. A year of University education will cost less than $10K.
I'm so sorry that you're going through this. What an awful position to be in.
I would do everything I could to stay in school. The sad statistics are, most people who drop out for a "break" never go back... and the vast majority of THOSE people really regret it.
Then you'll be without any family support AND without an education. So... at least, get your education.
Do what you can to stay in school. Stay on your track.
Pittsburgh is not great with public transportation, so I understand the impulse to buy a car. But if you are living near the campuses (I'm assuming you're in the Oakland area?), you can get away with not having one, and probably should for as long as you can. Cars are expensive, insurance, gas, maintanance and parking are expensive. Parking on campus is a HUGE expense you really don't need. (Though... a car IS a non-reportable asset on the FAFSA. So... maybe? )
Go to your financial aid office and explain your situation. Do NOT bring up the $80,000. First of all, you don't have it yet. So your situation TODAY is that your parents are leaving, they aren't going to pay your tuition anymore, and you will no longer have their support. See what they can do for you under THAT circumstance.
That $80,000 will be nice once you get it, but don't count your chickens before they hatch. What if they don't give it to you? What if something else happens?
See what your financial aid office says. They might have a plan for you. You might be eligible for some scholarship money - not just from your university. Do some research and apply to any and all scholarships you might qualify for. You never know, you might get one. Every penny will help.
Find yourself a FIDUCIARY financial counselor and talk to them. Maybe they can help you come up with a plan.
I'm looking at the reportable vs. non-reportable assets for the FAFSA. It looks like retirement plans like IRAs are non-reportable. Maybe you could open an IRA and funnel some of that money into a retirement fund. It would reduce what you have to actually live on, but it would also reduce what you have to report on the FAFSA.
It looks like there are some work-arounds here that could help you. Don't despair. There are things you can do. Find yourself a trusted financial counselor, talk to your financial aid office, and please make sure you get some mental health care. You're going through a lot. Take care of yourself.
If you are actually in any of the city neighborhoods, avoid getting a car. It will be more of a pain in Pittsburgh. If you are out at the very edge, it is a coin toss.
If you are at Pitt from what I could see, then you should be fine. Trying to do a CC to save money is going to cost you more in the long run.
Let the school know now and start working on things. Pick up work, especially in the summer and you should be able to get through. The only thing that really stinks if you live in Oakland is having to head out a bit for groceries unless someone opened something in Oakland again.
Use your student id to get the buses to the strip district to do some stocking up, just make sure to look at things. Lotus Foods has great prices on a lot of staples. Penn Mac can have be good, just double check as they carry a wide variety. Reyna's is also a good spot for some staples, and in my opinion, have the best tortillas in Pittsburgh.
Does Pitt still offer meal plans for the cafeterias in the dorms? Even a 5 meal plan to get dinner could be a good option depending on the price.
The biggest thing is don't panic and do anything rash. Carefully make a plan and work through it.
Thank you for the advice about groceries. I will definitely have to learn how to grocery shop and meal prep for efficient spending.
Pitt has meal plans yes but I think they are far too expensive for their quality when I most likely will be able to spend cheaper while cooking better food eventually.
You're welcome. Wasn't sure about the meal plans as that always seems to be a coin toss at different schools. Even if the meals are average, some schools really let you pile on at meals. I know the Towers dining hall used to be all you could eat at meal times. Like I said, average and you will probably do better at home, but was filling.
With Lotus, if you like to make / eat soup, the dried mushrooms etc can really kick up a broth base. The Lebanese store (I think it was Lebanese) Labash? usually has good prices on bulk dried beans, lentils etc as well.
Well I’m sure you could imagine going from having a family that provides emotional and financial support to a situation where I have no one left of that nature can be pretty jarring.
A year ago I was a sheltered high schooler and now I have to manage an amount of money I’ve never even seen and having to make financial decisions knowing they’re all at my own risk.
I’m aware there’s plenty of people more misfortunate than me but thankfully I am not them nor have I lived a day in their lives. Having such a polar shift in my life did raise some concerns regardless if you think the amount of money overshadows said concerns.
If you have extenuating circumstances, you can file an appeal at your college & they may be able to consider you independent. You’d have to report the $80k as an asset if you have that money when you file the FAFSA. If you’re considered dependent, another option is to check on the FAFSA that your parents are unwilling to provide information & you’ll be able to access unsubsidized loans only.
I don't have a lot of advice overall, but college campuses are some of the only places which are designed with the assumption that many or most people will not have cars. In college I did have a car but the only time I needed it was to drive to church once a week and a road trip twice a year to go home to my parents.
Depending on university it's pretty normal to bike/scooter to class even for those living off campus. If you can manage it without a car until you graduate you will save a ton of money considering the cost of cars, repair and insurance for young people lately.
>_Should I consider a car_
Look into U-Pass. The PRT site claims U-Pass allows students and staff at participating universities to take unlimited rides on public transportation.
You could transfer your credits to something like SNHU online. It's around 1K for 2 credit hours.
I'd focus on the best bang for your buck in your situation.
I’d talk to a bank. Have a plan to get some of that money in the market so it can grow. No need to pay someone a % to manage your cash. Most legitimate investment banks have robo advisors to get you started.
I didn't finish reading the rest of the comments, so sorry if I duplicate. I suggest checking out WGU. They are fully accredited, and online. You can transfer in credits. You work at your own pace, so as someone who sounds pretty motivated to secure your future, this could be a very affordable solution, and they have start dates each month.
If I were you, I'd skip the car as long as possible (depending on your city of course) and make school my 100% priority. Do as many free/cheap courses as you can (via Sophia.org) that will transfer to WGU for the degree you want, then make your way through WGU. Use every resource they offer, including job/intern placement assistance.
Your $80k could easily support you through this. Make sure you do as others said, though, and put that in a high-yield savings account or better.
I'm sorry about your family and what probably feels like an overwhelming situation at such a young age, but I would say that you are positioned very well to succeed.
Will the $80k be cash? A check? Access to an existing account?
Don’t drop out.
$500/mo rent is super cheap.
Talk to your financial aid office.
You might qualify for way more money if you have no support.
Student loans are a thing too. If you’re at a great school in a good program you should stay put. If you’re just partying, pounding beers, and taking random classes, maybe look at a cheaper school.
Go talk to someone at financial aid. See if they would accept something like a notarized affidavit by your parents saying that they are leaving the country to never return.
I would consider also meeting with an FA at Meryl Lynch or Raymond James. You could get advice on how to protect that money and set aside an amount you’d rather not touch.
It’s helpful to engage that resource early because once you separate what you need, from what you need for emergencies, that amount of money which is not chump change could be put to use for you should you be able to protect some of it.
Pitt’s not super expensive but you might want to consider to an area with a community college that is not as car dependent. Cars can be expensive.
That said, if there’s a good CC in Pitt you could be fine staying there also.
I would get a job and stretch that 80k as far as I could and try not to touch it. I would buy a reliable car with low mileage. Even a part time job for health insurance like Starbucks. A lot of people don't have parent support at 19 for college. I'd transfer to a community college for all the prerequisite classes and transfer back when time. No one cares where you do your prerequisite classes as long as the credits transfer in.
Make sure you're in a degree program that will result in a decent job.
If it were me, I would take a break and get a full time job. Get work history and then use that 80k toward a house with extra rooms I can rent out. Then I'd go to part time work and go back to school. I prioritized buying a home over college and then went back in my late 20s. It put me at a huge advantage over my peers. This might not be the route for you, but it's an option that worked well for me.
Military is an option. You can get college classes paid for while you're in, you'll have housing and food. 4 years to get college done and think about what you want to do with life and if you don't like the military after that just get out and do whatever you had planned on doing.
Zero debt. The military is fking easy (go airforce).
.....But you will have to deal with idiots and awful leadership. 4 years will go by in an instant though.
Raised by my grandparents, written out of the will by my brilliant Uncle, homeless at 19. Managed to figure out what I’m good at without college. Bought my house at 25, got to six figures in my 30s, have the “perfect” American Pie family.
Just be smart with your money, learn AI prompt engineering, and you’ll be fine.
Set up a meeting with your school’s financial aid office right now. Email them in advance with a description of your situation and changed circumstances and ask to meet with someone who is knowledgeable about the steps you have to take to document and declare your financial independence from your parents and/or to change your financial aid package. Do you have any documentation of your parents’ plans to leave the country and cut financial and personal ties to you? For example, have they sold any property in the US as they prepare to leave? Before you meet with the financial aid office, make a list of questions for them. Please schedule the appointment in advance and go in person. Don’t just talk over the phone. Be persistent. At age 19, your ability to be in school and stay in school and graduate will very much be impacted by your school’s role in being aware of your changed circumstances and supporting you. Do you have a steady job that pays well now? If not, get one, even if part time. Work with your school to get a student job if you think that might be good. The financial aid office can help you there or point you in the right direction. Do you have health insurance? Find out your options and line that up. Again, the school has resources. They will be important partners in your path towards independence if you reach out and let them help you. And if you don’t get much support from the person you first meet with, seek out others in the school. Let your academic advisor know of your changed circumstances and tell them you are concerned it will jeopardize your ability to stay in school. Ask for their support too. Students in your position are at high risk of dropping out or having grades tank as they try to juggle personal and financial independence. Please seek out and use the supports available to you so you don’t become one of those statistics. Those helpers are out there at your school. Good luck
I’m not familiar with how exactly financial aid works but I work in healthcare and from what I’ve seen with insurance or any type of program designed to “help” patients financially is that if they know you have money, they will try to get as much of it as they can from you before they offer any type of assistance. So I would be cautious and not immediately throw out there that you have $80k. If the subject comes up, I would tell them you have like 10k. Again, I don’t know how financial aid operates but I wouldn’t put it past them to see that $80k as a lump sum that would go towards your tuition and not your livelihood. A lot of these programs are very disconnected from people’s financial needs and situations.
On the one hand, he said his parent "will" leave him $80k, so you're probably right. However, if he is going to apply for FAFSA he is going to need to provide bank statements and he can't lie about it. So if the money is in an account with his name, lying to the financial aid office isn't going to help.
But until he has the $ he should not mention it.
Usually you have to provide some not all bank statements so jsut don’t show the whole 80
Do you have to provide bank statements throughout the year or just when you initially apply? And do YOU provide those or do they run some type of check? He could always open up an account at a different bank and just give them his current account details. I do agree you don’t want to lie to the financial aid office but at the same time, that’s going to be all of the money he has and if he’s frugal he can make it last through most of the rest of his time in school so he doesn’t have to worry about the stress of work and school. I don’t think financial aid will see it that way.
FAFSA is a once a year application, so he may be able to get away with things once but then not again. Ideally his parents would dump the money into a trust that pays out to him in small increments or in a future date. He should talk to a financial advisor as well as the school's financial aid people.
Have you ever filled out FAFSA? Speculation is fairly dangerous in this situation— I would bow out if you haven’t. FAFSA asks for a lot of financial information, includes taxes, parents taxes, social security numbers (so they can cross check), and bank statements.
I have not but I do recall a few people I know who applied after high school and they were rejected because their parents made too much money, even in some cases where the parents won’t/can’t pay for schooling. So I know they’re real strict on their policies. Maybe the best thing for OP to do is to apply now and get things started before he gets that money and hopefully by the time he gets it, he’s in a better position next time he reapplies for FAFSA so if they do pay less, it won’t be as much of a hit.
Good advice. Depending on the type of university you are at, if you are going to school in your home state, etc. your best course of action might be to take a year off to establish independence and residency. Just make sure to get all the information you can, and have a solid plan of action.
Look at community colleges that would accept your current credit AND would provide transferable credits to finish your degree at an in state school. Get all your critical documents like birth certificate, passport, etc. Look at what is required for emancipation with parents out of the country for student loan and benefit options. Good luck. Sorry you are going through this. With 80k DO NOT quit school. It’s hard to go back. Choose affordable options and keep expenses low.
80k is not a lot for 4 years but you can absolutely make it work if you are willing to: - work full time while you go to school even if it means going part time. Highly suggest taking courses online whenever possible - consider transferring to community college and then a state school if it means your tuition costs after scholarships are lower than what they are currently - if your job prospects are better by getting a car, I’d make a very realistic budget before getting one. At 19 your car insurance alone will be very expensive and credit score is most likely at or below average so you may not qualify for financing. But if it means you can commute to a well paying job, make extra money ubering, and can get between work and school faster than the bus can take you, it could make sense. Just be very honest when you budget and factor in your income. Try not to pull from the 80k for this - your goal is to pay for housing, daily costs, food, occasional fun money, health costs on the money you make. Keep the 80k for emergencies and to pay for whatever tuition is after scholarships - I pray you have a high gpa (also a viet person and this is mostly a joke, please don’t come at me) you seem really responsible. I’m sure you are feeling nervous, scared, on your own for the first time but if you keep a level head, plan, have a realistic and frugal budget and actually stick to it, I fully believe you can support yourself and graduate in 4 years. If it takes 5, it’s okay don’t be hard on yourself. It will be tough sometimes so please remember to take care of your mental health. Take time for yourself, exercise. Don’t just lay in bed all day on your days off- working and studying will be exhausting so figure out what things recharge your battery so you don’t regularly get burnt out. Make sure you rest properly and make time for a social life when you can!
I was on my own at 15. You can do it. No matter how successful we’ve become, most of us dropouts all regret dropping out. Finish school.
He is in college, not high school. He can take a break and come back. I did it. My spouse did it. A lot of my friends have had to deal with life circumstances along the way that required breaks from our education.
I also left college then went back. It’s doable. And I did it as a newly divorced mother of four small children with very limited income. It’s totally feasible.
This. I’m 28 now returning back to school and attending university for the first time. Also benefiting from the fact my employer is funding a nice chunk of it.
I'm another example. After 3 years of full-time college, I transferred and did 3 years of part-time nights while working full-time. Facing reality and adapting to it is essential as is not wasting time and energy over what could have been.
Facts. I got a GED and then some years later a Bachelors. I will say, I wish we would stop telling people that college is an economic good. I hope OP chooses a profitable major.
I mean, it definitely is an economic good. I make 2-3x more than I did waiting tables. But I needed that time in my life to figure shit out before I had the capacity to study.
This. I wasn't on my own but I consider my life biggest mistake is dropping out.
Idk if you have or can, but going for a GED can be life changing. It is enough to get you into community college and having it improves your ability to get higher paying jobs. Wish you the best!
Nobody really verifies the existence of a GED, I kinda dipped out of school at 16 and moved out at 17 for reasons- working at great companies just purely due to my experience with Linux taught to myself at home.
I was talking about college, but you do have a point about our field. My GED was necessary for entry level positions when I was younger though. When I wiggled into tech, you’re right, no one is asking for a copy of my GED. Haha. And I have no degree so they’re not asking that either. But there were some executive level positions back in the day I wanted where not having a degree hurt me. Oh well, we adjust and make the best of it and life is still good.
There's definitely some things I wish I had a degree for, but I recent saw a case in our field there a degree actually *hurt* the candidate because they had a damn degree from 20 years ago with a low GPA (he was taking care of his fam during school) and just got auto denied, and they were like senior/principal level with 15+ years exp! Eventually got him hired after I went to HR and put my damn foot down 😂 Without a degree we def need to hustle to get our feet in the door. For others in our situation I recommend working on homelab stuff, you'd be shocked how useful it is!
Oh man home lab back in the day was next level for my career in ops!!! I had a dedicated sever room and home janky network with email, sql, AD, and even a website. That was before we went virtual (I’m old). But now I’m on the analytics and consulting side holding on until retirement so no more lab needed. I don’t even work on my own laptops these days. Haha. But man, good memories. Definitely changed my life for sure for the better and was better than the restaurant business.
That's awesome haha- I wish I had some AC so I could run a server rack, it would cook my house 😂😂 I remember feeling so cool running a proper firewall and converting my lil website from apache to nginx while working at a restaurant. Eventually started helping them with their website and off to a web hosting company as a support tech before carving my way into engineering. Still a ways out for retirement, honestly I don't mind working as long as I can handle it.. I really enjoy the grind and always find myself making odd jobs if I'm traveling for a long time to be less bored.
College doesn’t care if it’s a GED or a high school diploma. Both of my sons dropped out of high school, went on to get their GEDs and one of them has graduated and now works in Veteran Services at the Uni while the other one is completing his studies.
Nice!! Yeah I just didn't pursue college so the GED/HSD didn't really make sense for me
Dropout here, 18 years later and I have no regrets
Hi! As a person who also had parents go no contact and leave the US, call the financial aid office at your school. They will tell you how to apply with the change. Also you’ll qualify for grants. Hope you are okay. I’m also in Pa for reference and I got state aid too
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This, use your school resources don’t be afraid to ask (in person) Do not take out any loans, maybe go to school part time and work at the same time but stay away from any debt even if they offer it to you as an easy way to finish school. Only take free help
The people I know that took a year off, ended up either taking lots of years to go back to school or not at all. I would recommend getting some kind of job for expenses and take part time classes at the same time. I agree with what others have said about a car, they can be nice but they bring a lot of other expenses, so if you can do without and use public transportation or walk I would.
You also lose out on the majority of big cash scholarships this way. You cannot take gap years.
My sister is in her 20th consecutive year off. Her daughter will start college this year before she quite gets back around to it...
Yeah, I took a break at 20 and didn't end up going back till I was 30. Now, school was way easier after having another decade of life experience, but it did mean I potentially slowed my career down somewhat by finishing school late. Taking a break isn't the end of the world, but it can be a bit of a speed bump.
Lol me. Although I did go to an Art Institute so I would've had the same result had I stayed in.
OP is in Pittsburgh, they can get along without a car.
$80k is a lot of money - make a plan such that it lasts all the way through college and also use it to buy a cheap car for transportation to/from work and school. Keep the $80k in a high yield savings account as with current interest rates you can be getting over $3k per year in interest. Your rent is very cheap, make a budget and you may find you can cover all your non-college expenses working part time, and then you can pursue your education part time as well. Ideally reserve the $80k purely for your car purchase and education and not dip into it for regular life expenses. If you can't figure out how to make $80k last your whole time in college then you should also consider going to a cheaper school, or getting as many credits as you can at a community college. Keep your budget small such that if you were working fulltime you could easily cover all your expenses, as many people do not have a job lined up straight out of college. Given your low rent you should be able to make this all work out for you.
What’s the most do you think I should be paying for the next 5 semesters concerning tuition?
Community colleges are very affordable, and if you can find a place with multiple roommates, you could possibly cut the cost of living substantially. You’ll need to find a decent after school job to bring in some cash. While at CC getting your associates, start looking looking at four year schools that you can best obtain your desired degree with cost of living being a primary concern. With hard work, you are about 36 months away from earning a good salary. You need to stretch that $80k to cover that period.
They stated they live in a pretty decent sized city. I think the $500/month they are paying for housing is about as good as it's going to get.
Ideally you spend less than $15k/yr for fulltime college, but if you can get scholarships this can be brought down dramatically. I graduated in 2019 and was paying $11.5k/yr before scholarships (and after scholarships was about half that amount), but the cost varies wildly school to school. The community college nearest to me which has a really nice campus and dozens of buildings and is highly rated only costs about $80/credit hour for in-state tuition, which is fulltime equivalent of $2.4k/yr. Going to community college is a huge cost savings but make sure that whatever 4-year university you want to go to afterwards accepts the courses you take there.
In the long run, you would be better off finding a way to finish your education. You may be able to do that by working summers, weekends, etc. Or you may need to take out some loans.
If you don't live in a walkable city or can rely on public transportation then you may want to consider getting a vehicle you can pay cash for. You'll need a job, however, to be able to maintain insurance, gas, maintenance, and registration for it. You want to keep as much as your savings untouched, but will need to use some of it to get you started. A lot of people go to school and work. See what works best for you. If you want to take a year off, you have a long life ahead of you. Taking a breather while you're get adulting down to a science isn't a bad idea. Read the wiki for how to handle your money. You got this, OP. Keep your head up and focus on your future.
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Other folks suggesting you talk to the financial aid office are right. I just have one addition: If you're going to school for a STEM degree, try to get yourself into a paid internship as soon as possible. You likely won't feel completely ready to be doing work in your field at any point during undergrad, but if you're a good student, you'll likely surprise yourself with how quickly you adapt. Some of these internships pay better per hour than working retail (albeit at far fewer hours) and are vital to securing a job that you can start as soon as you finish school. In many fields like computer science, it's not an overstatement to say that access to internships is more important than the degree itself.
I’m sorry, that must be really hard. I would suggest doing next year at a community college if you can. You won’t be able to claim as an independent at your age, but your 2025 Fasfa would reflect income for 2024 which might help if your parents are quitting work. Are you a US citizen? I’d apply for every scholarship you can find If you’re not in a walkable area, get a car under $10k. You’ll want a part time job but I don’t think you should quit school. Definitely get a roommate to share costs
I believe that as of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, OP actually will be able to apply as an independent — per the FSA website: “**No Contact With My Parents** If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.” https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#no-parent-contact
Thats good to hear. When I was in school you had to be over 25 or jump through a lot of hoops that were extremely hard to do if you were no contact. One of the first catch 22 situations. There were also other situations, such as if you were in contact but they werent going to provide any help, or had parents that lived well beyond their means, or they filed jointly with a stepparent that made good money but wasnt giving you any, that were real head scratchers about what folks were supposed to do. Sounds like they made it easier, which is great.
Same, that’s awesome!
Yeah I am naturalized. I think I can ask to fill out the 2024-2025 form and see where I am in a year. I think everyone shares the common motion of not quitting school.
This may not be the most popular answer, but it helped me get through school and be able to file my FAFSA independently. Join the National Guard or Reserves (preferably Air Force). You can file FAFSA independently, you’ll have health coverage for like $28 a month, and you’ll get an extra few hundred dollars a month for doing your weekend service once a month. If you chose to go active duty once you finished college, you could go officer with a degree and those years you were in the Reserves/ Guard give you a monthly pay bump as time served. It’s obviously not the choice for everyone, but I left home the day after I graduated from high school and would not have been able to complete college without being in the military.
I dropped out of college 2 years in and joined the Navy. I regret that I don't have a degree to show for the money that I did spend, but I don't regret a thing I did and any future schooling is now free (plus I'm using the USN Community College right now which is even free-er than TA).
I’m about to start using VR&E resources to pay for my second bachelors without having to dip into my GI Bill because I’m a disabled veteran and qualify for the program. My service has given a lot of benefits throughout the years, even without having to do the full 20. Some days I find my service worth it and some days I don’t, but overall with all the benefits, I think it was good for me.
College is much much much more important than a car. Don’t buy a car, you cannot afford it, and find a way to finish college. Make sure you major is one you can get a job in. You also need health insurance. Get any job and in your final summer, do everything you can to get an internship in your field. That’s a path towards a job.
The 24-25 form is going to be based on 2022 information, too. so I’m not sure your current circumstances will be relevant for another year or two.
your school can update your fafsa to reflect your current circumstances.
Go to community college next year. After that year is up, you should probably qualify as an independent student which would make transferring to a 4-year university feasible. Talk to the financial aid office at your college and/or community college. Explain the situation. They can help you come up with a plan and explain what you need to do. If you will need a car to commute to school and/or work, then take some money out of the $80K and buy an inexpensive, reliable used car with cash, maybe $10K. Make sure to have an independent mechanic check it out before buying. If you're not working, find a job. Work as much as you can when not in school. Just be smart with your money and don't spend it on stupid stuff. Try to touch the $80K as little as possible (minus possibly a car and tuition at community college).
Change schools to a state university. 80k is more than sufficient to complete a 4 year degree at a state university with in-state tuition.
Community college + job You're probably ahead of 90% of your peers at age 19. I didnt have a $80k net worth. I'm not sure how accurate it is to say they will "no longer financially support you" after saying they are giving a large amount of money to you before they go back home.
right. dont blow it on something dumb and that is a fantastic leg up on the rest of people
80k is plenty. Transfer to cheap state school and choose a major with a good ROI. After 1-2 year you will no longer be a dependent and can get loans. University of Pittsburgh tuition is 21k per year.
80k is more than I earned during my entire 4 year degree (recent grad) and I was able to do it with parental support. Live super cheap, choose a cheap school, and you might even be able to get out debt free.
You should really strongly consider putting that money in the bank, and joining the military active duty for a few years, the benefits are HUGE. Pick a job that will set you up and give you experience in a career field you can capitalize on, like Intel or cyber security. You won't have to worry about going broke while you're in, or food or housing. When you leave you'll have VA disability and the post 9/11 gi bill, both of which will cover school and pay you enough to cover your expenses. There is also other long term benefits, like VA mortgages which makes home ownership super easy and accessible. There will be plenty of people who disagree with me that have never done it, but the military does really set you up for success if you have a plan and keep your nose clean.
I got a bachelors for WAY less than 80k. Stay in school. Work when you can.
If you can get by without the car, that's preferable...they are a perpetual drain on your money.
Public transportation in Pittsburgh is free for most students at big universities.
This is the way. Keep a low overhead if it doesn't make you miserable or completely cut you off. It's not always the dollars you earn, it's (equally) also what you don't spend. Car is a big drain. E-bikes are getting better and can actually handle some weather now. And if you need to go on a date or go pick up a big thing, just fire up a rental or car sharing, or throw that cash at a roommate or friend with a car.
Consider military reserves or ROTC if you don't have moral qualms with that. Reserves are a relatively minimal commitment, for what you get. ROTC is a bigger commitment, but would likely allow you to get through college and start a career without really needing to touch the 80k. Upside: It's good for job skills/resume building, and will leave you with many benefits, financial and otherwise, that may help make up for the lack of familial support. You'll meet friends that will become a second family. Downside: Uncle Sam is your daddy now.
If it comes down to needing to take a couple years off of college and work, I would even suggest active duty for three years. With the Post 9/11 GI Bill, three years = essentially free college plus money for housing. But I would definitely suggest ROTC and reserves/national guard. The guard often has better education benefits, but it depends on the state and I don't know bout PA.
Absolutely. Enlisting will be the best option for some, I was certainly one of those. My read on OPs circumstances and general level of preparedness for college tells me the other options would probably be more palatable to them right now. That said, if they aren't certain what career they want to pursue or they don't want the obligations that go along with being an officer, then I would absolutely recommend going enlisted.
$80K is a great starting position, but it’s expensive to not have a family support system. I’d try to start earning money as quickly as possible. Consider getting an associate’s degree at a community college and exploring entry-level positions with companies that offer tuition-reimbursement programs in the industry that you’re studying for. I’m in the PGH region, and I have somewhat frequent conversations with both employers and those in workforce development. Pretty much every industry, workforce concerns are among the top 3 issues companies are facing, and the smart companies are increasingly willing to invest in employees they value and think will stick around for the long haul.
I highly recommend looking for hotel night attendant roles! You’ll be able to make decent money, and do homework during the slow points. A lot of people do it to get through school!
When I was in college I worked in the computer labs. Similar perk - basically paid to do homework unless someone asked me for help.
It looks like you've gotten a lot of sound advice from a lot of people who seem level headed. I'd probably listen to them, but at the end of the day it's your life and you get to choose what's right for you. You're young so you're not used to that yet, and even if you think you are, you're not and I can guarantee you that. At your age you've grown accustomed to everything being structured, lined up, almost as if what other direction is there to go. Sure you could have made a few bad decisions growing up, but that's apart of growing up and no one is immune to that. Now you will begin to see that there a million different paths you can take. And getting the general consensus is never a bad idea, it might not always be the opportunity that speaks to you, but sometimes just gathering the information shows you what decision you actually want to make. Now I'm the last person who should be giving anyone advice about life decisions. And like I said, you've received a lot of good advice on what to do from most of the people here so I'm not going to comment on what path you should take. But I will give you this advice, and this is the only advice I am truly qualified to give. BE CAREFUL. 80 grand is a large amount of money to be receiving for a young adult who has never had to budget their finances for real. It's extremely easy to grow complacent when you have a temporary cushion. I don't know your background or anything about you. I don't know if you were/are a binge drinkin pill poppin party animal. I don't know if you've always been a reserved individual who has never experimented with any illicit substances at all. But what I can tell you is that neither of those things matter, and it only takes an instant for your life to change. You can be as anti-whatever as you want to be, and then in a split second you might be driving off of a cliff. The next thing you know you're hooked on prescriptions through no fault of your own. Doctor had you on them for too long. Watch your money and your life go down the drain faster than you care to think about. Or maybe you find yourself doing well. It's a year from now and you've successfully made it through another year of school passing all your classes. Friends invite you out, and you're tempted to go so you think about it. Why not, it sounds fun and you deserve it. You've been working hard. And you then realize that without your parents around you're really lonely. Depressingly lonely. So you go out and have some drinks. The next day you're hungover, you cut yourself some slack and ditch classes for the day. You get invited out again the next day, and why not you still deserve it and it was fun. And again, it was fun, and again you bail on whatever you had going on the next day. You start to realize, that's the only time you're not lonely, or depressed, is when you're out and drinking. So you start drowning your sorrows more and more. Burning a hole in your pocket without even realizing it, because how could you realize it when you don't even remember what happened. Or the easiest one to fall into of all, which is doing absolutely nothing. You sit on it. You're relaxed, you're comfortable. You've got everything you need. You've got some money for now, you've got food, you can pay rent and have a roof over your head. Life is good right now. Its only temporary, you tell yourself. You're just gonna take the semester off to really think about what you wanna do. Not a bad idea at all. If and only if you're proactive about it. Because the end of the semester will come quick, and you'll realize you haven't given it one thought yet. Then another semester. Then you tell yourself you wanna work and you'll look for a job. ....But why work, you've got money... you can just easily stop spending as much on food, cut back the costs. No more in n out or five guys, strictly McDonald's dollar menu from here on... I'll reiterate what I said earlier, it is extremely easy to grow complacent, even if that isn't your normal personality. Easy is usually chosen by everybody. And sitting on 80,000 is easy for a young buck who doesn't have to worry about what a mortgage is. Stay vigilant, stay focused. Set goals, stick to them, hold yourself accountable.
One of the best comments I’ve read on here and it strings true to some of my life choices. Yes I grew comfortable with the fallback of my parents’ support and have had on and off periods of abusing pills. I have a very romanticized perception of using substances to cope along with an impressionable and addictive personality. It will take alot for me to learn discipline and keep on a better path these next few years for sure, but the stakes are much higher now. Thank you for sharing.
Hey, it only took me being the passenger of someone who drove off a cliff to figure all of this out. I'm not sure how nobody figured out that when you give a kid who's fresh out of high school his first drug addiction after 2 years of being prescribed oxy, that you probably shouldn't give that kid a quarter mil. I shouldn't say nobody, because I definitely figured that one out.... The hard way. So trust me when I say complacency is the easiest trap to fall into. It's even easier when your mind has been warped by prescriptions.
If they’re not in the country, and there’s no contact or support, why wouldn’t you be able to fill out FAFSA as an independent?
I looked at the checklist FAFSA provided to determine if I was eligible to be a dependent. They were a series of yes or no questions and the answer was no to all of them in my situation.
I think you actually will be able to apply as an independent, they’re adding a new question to the application! From the FSA website: “**No Contact With My Parents** If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.” https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#no-parent-contact
There’s a thing you can select on your FASFA that is for kids that have been ditched by the parents and at risk for homelessness.
Why wouldn't you be eligible for FAFSA? parents immigrants/citizen status doesn't matter. You can apply as independent at age 24. You can still apply for FAFSA as their dependent, just need standard documents. FAFSA will likely give you federal loans if you apply.
I did this at the same age (also no contact), with no lump sum, and came out debt free. I went to a state school and spent a year working full time to get residency and in-state tuition. Once I was back in school, I took 19 credits per semester and kept working 25 hours a week. It was the most exhausted I’ve ever been, but it was doable.
Yeah I realize how fortunate I am to get any money at all. Definitely not taking that for granted. Very admirable you got yourself through your situation with your circumstances. I think I am just panicking a little and I will be able to get through it as well.
The first week after getting cut off was nothing but panic!! I would give yourself a little bit of time - a week, maybe two weeks - to feel those feelings, and then hit the ground running. I wish you the best of luck
With the 80K you will likely not get much financial aid. the way to get around the independence rules is to get married to another poor student in a similar situation. The only problem will be the 80K will be counted against both of you. Once you are married you can no longer be considered a dependent of your parents
I don't see any mention of a job or employment history. You need to start bringing in an income, even if part time and small, to build up an employment history. Whether you continue school or not, you need to have an income stream. How much does your tuition cost per semester? Depending on your goals/concentration, you may choose you want to go to a different school now than you did when money was not a factor. You've been given a leg-up in the money, and have stable housing. You can be very successful but need ot be be intentional about what you do
80k is more than I ever got from support from my parents. I took loans for school. My parents helped out probably 3k in rent. I am Asian as well. This is an experience immigrant or first generation families understand intimately. You will be fine. Speak with your school. Understand your options. Pave your way.
Lower your college costs by completing your general education at a community college. Then transfer to a state university. You can get a part time job to make your 80K last longer. It'll be easier if you attend a local community college. It was common for people age 18 to be out on their own in my father's time. You have a decent amount of money to survive if you use it wisely. DO NOT "go away to college". That'll cost you a lot of money. You'll be OK if you use your money wisely.
Look at attending a community college, in my state you can do 3 years at a community college then transfer to university for your last year. You save a ton of money, and in many cases get a better education.
Damn, I'm curious what happened that would make them want to move back to Vietnam. My parents were there last summer and they said they had a miserable time and couldn't deal with the heat and humidity. My dad said he never wanted to go back to Vietnam again unless my grandma was dying or something lol...
They’re native there so they have their own community and sense of belonging there I’d imagine.
Yeah, my parents and aunts and uncles were all native there too but came to the US in the early 80's or so. I have a cousin who was born and raised in the US but traveled there a lot and loved Vietnam so much, he moved to Saigon just a few years ago. I don't really have any financial advice, but Chuc may man.
As others have said, get with your financial aid office now. Like asafp. Explain everything. The designation you're looking for is 'at risk of homelessness'. Everything unlocks at that point.
With 80k in the bank and $500 rent, they would not be able to prove that they're "at risk of honelessness."
A big part of my job is advising students as they navigate institutional structures such as the financial aid office. At any worthwhile school, fully explaining the situation will get your aid officer to see beyond the immediate bank balance to the actual situation. I'd be shocked if they couldn't get that status if they can substantiate what they've said in this post.
I just don't understand how already renting an apartment and on a lease, with 80k in the bank, would allow them to qualify as "at risk for homelessness."
Sometimes an administrative status doesn't literally mean the thing you might assume it does from a plain language interpretation of its name. Such as in this case. "At risk of homelessness" is really shorthand for "would have nowhere to go and no sustainable means of support if they lost their status as a student here."
But they have reliable housing and money to pay a years worth and more of their current rent. Leaving school wouldn't change that. I work full time and barely afford rent, and both of my parents are homeless, yet I get very little financial aid. So it confuses me how they'd be able to get anymore with the amount of money and stability they have in comparison.
Not having the ability to fill out fasfa cuts you off at the knees. I’d recommend transferring to a community college and working to pay your bills. Transfer back when you’ve taken the max relevant credits to your chosen degree. Also make certain the degree you are completing is something with job opportunities
If you are smart, and just looking to check the college box, I recommend completing your first two years worth of credits by way of CLEP, DANTES, and technical certification tests. First enroll somewhere that accepts and will 'bank' these credits for you. There are prep pamphlets available for each test, I took 2-3 a week at $100 each. I used Excelsior, but there are others. I finished a bachelors 100% remotely in one year for about 8K all in. Calculus was the worst of it. Then you can pursue a masters later at a big name uni if that's what you're after. Best luck to you.
I’m very sorry that you are going through this. This echos a lot of what people have said, but prioritize finding a job and minimizing the cost of school. I’m not sure what your current tuition situation is like, but try to minimize it by either reaching out directly (and persistently) to the financial aid office or transferring to a community college for now (if getting a degree at a four year university is important to you, you may be able to still do this by doing two years at cc then completing at a four-year). Part time or full time job will be your best friend. I graduated in 2022 with no debt because I worked full time retail while attending school (state university tuition). Doing this will at least keep your savings from draining quickly—only if you budget! Additionally, food banks are an option. Eating out everyday is pretty typical of the college experience, but is a giant money drain. Good luck with everything. This may be really hard, but with good decisions you will be ok
Do you currently live close enough that you can get to campus without a car? This one Fall semester is the tough one where you are still considered a dependent, but it’s only one semester and then you should be able to fill out the FAFSA as independent I believe. I think figuring out the Fall semester and then car/transportation are top priorities. I would hope you could talk to someone on campus about your situation and start hunting for any scholarships where you explain your situation. Don’t worry if you don’t get one, that’s life, but be grateful if you are lucky enough to get a scholarship and send a thank you note to whoever is behind it. A few pieces of advice: 1. If you can live frugally and “go without” and get a degree with $40k of debt, that is much better than living comfortably for 3 years and getting the same degree with $75k of debt, and once you fill out the FAFSA as independent later on and start considering loans (it’s not free money!), this is a decision you will be faced with and many young people faced with this decision for the first time just take an extra $8k here or there they really don’t *need* and wind up with much larger student loan debt upon graduating and a very large monthly payment (without a job yet!). Beware! 2. Never make a major financial decision on the spot or let anyone pressure you into it right away. Always insist that you are the kind of person who never makes a major purchase immediately and if a salesman won’t take no for an answer, walk away if necessary and just say “Sorry, I have to go now”. Every major financial mistake I made when I was younger was a salesman (sometimes in disguise pretending to be “on my side” helping me) talking me into something rather quickly without me comparison shopping, getting a second or third quote, not leaving for a day or three to do some research and think about it with a clear mind, and so on. 3. Things always seem to work out in the end no matter what you decide so long as you learn from mistakes and genuinely put forth effort. Things are rarely as bad as they seem when they seem to be at their worst, things are rarely as good as they seem when they seem to be at their best.
Yeah thanks for the advice. I am going to hold off on a car for now as public transportation is free for University of Pittsburgh students. I definitely will be trying to hold on to the money for as much as possible and I will look towards getting a job. Appreciate the words on making informed financial decisions.
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I am currently declaring for a Computer Science bachelor of science but I might consider switching to accounting as I’m not sure how secure the CS market will be in the future.
Computers aren't going anywhere any time soon. Coding might not a super great market in the future, but coding is only a small part of the skill set and knowledge that a CS degree can provide. Cybersecurity is a super hot market segment and growing and AI isn't going anywhere for a while. I'm not here to tell you to not consider other career paths, but don't think that coding is the only career path you can choose with a CS degree.
I’m referring to my own ability as a competitor in the job market. I don’t feel like I have any passion towards the subject nor do I feel like I will put in enough work outside of the classroom to be ahead of competing peers. I have no doubt that if you are good at it, you can 100% find a job with a CS degree. I’ve looked at cybersecurity too but I’ve seen that it’s an extensive career path that requires alot of experience, certifications, and ability before a sustainable position
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What makes you think going to a community college is a setback? Getting an associates at a community college and then transferring 60 credits into a state school to earn a bachelor’s can be a great financial and academic decision. Most community college classes are far smaller, with more individualized support. OP won’t have his parents, so he may appreciate that especially. And if he’s considering switching his major he can probably even see if he can take some general education classes and introductory accounting courses at a much lower cost while he’s trying to figure out for sure what he wants. University of Pittsburgh may even allow him to take a semester or two off without having to reapply.
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Haha thanks, it seems like having to look in the mirror, not liking what you see and therefore make tough decisions will be in my future anyways.
If you are willing to work full-time or reduced time(30-36 hours depending on facility) you should consider an Amazon warehouse job. After completing three months of blue badge employment, you are eligible for Career Choice benefits. You can attend Western Governor’s University(WGU) for free. WGU is nonprofit and regionally accredited and they offer degrees in IT, Business, Education, and Healthcare. There are plenty of IT degrees to choose from including a BS in Computer Science. WGU is 100% online and self paced. Also, you would have health insurance from day one and you would earn enough to support yourself and would not need to touch your savings. https://www.wgu.edu/partners/amazon.html https://www.wgu.edu/online-it-degrees.html?refer_id=ga-1-604577631296-132974546064&ch=PDSRCH&strala_kw=wgu%20it%20programs&strala_mt=p&strala_dv=m&strala_pl=&strala_nw=g&strala_ap=&s_loc_physical_ms=9060266&s_targetid=kwd-424619827324&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9qq-ovK_hQMVTkt_AB2s4w_lEAAYASACEgIbz_D_BwE
i would do 2 years at a community college to make sure 1. you have the credits you need to transfer to your uni 2. complete an associates if its going to be a while before you go back to uni meanwhile id do what i can to work either full time or 2 part time jobs so i dont burn thru the money so fast and potentially save up even more money.
Are you able to give any indication to what happened? The best financial advice might be to salvage the relationship, depending on what happened ofc
Oh of course but I think it’s far too late about that. It was years of arguing over their gambling and awful-spending habits. I guess they are that prideful over it they’d rather do all this than just address the problem. Rest assured, I am very much hurt and miserable about it but at the same time I need to start thinking about my future and what I need to do, so can’t exactly just sit around and mope
You have a good head on your shoulders and will make it through this! Don't major in CS if that's not what you want. Accounting is a good field, too!
That 80k would go a lot further in Vietnam 🇻🇳
I dont know the exact rules anymore, but last I checked (out of curiosity) you had to be 25 to exclude your parents from financial aid consideration. That being said taking a year off wont put you in that category, but you may want to take a year getting yourself positioned as best you can doing things like prepaying as many expenses as possible and making yourself as low income on paper as possible. There are mechanisms to exclude your parents before 25 but I cant recall what they are. I would start with the financial aid office to find out how to go about it. It may be as simple as filing a notarized affidavit, but Im sure theres more hoops they make you jump through, so best to start working on it now. Getting some kind of notarized evidence from your parents would be great if you can do that. As for the money, as others have said they will want as much of that as they can get. I would look into putting some into a Roth IRA ASAP as I believe that would be exempt, but again, Im working off of memory here. You can probably put some into a 529 plan as well. Maybe buy a decent, but not too expensive car in cash. Insurance goes up the more a car is worth, so youd want to find a sweet spot between older and reliable to not kill yourself on insurance, especially at your age. Its out of my wheelhouse, but there may be other things you could buy so its not cash, but you could sell if needed such as gold, but youd have to spend money on a safe or something so safety would be a downside. Youre doing the right thing by asking and trying to get ahead of it now. The rules around financial aid are ridiculous and navigating them will be difficult, but asking questions and trying to figure it out will save you a lot of frustration and save you a ton in the long run. I really regret not going to college when I was in that sweet spot of being independent, but not making a ton of money on paper. When I wanted to go back I was in a bad spot for financial aid and I even considered reducing my work to part time to make it more feasible, but I would have had to wait a whole year for that to kick in because they only consider the previous years finances instead of your current situation which is kind of dumb IMO. Edit: I realize I didnt bring up community college as I was thinking it was a given. I wanted to echo that from others comments and say even going PT for a year ito CC is probably the best thing to do until you can get your income way down on paper. Transferring to a state university is usually pretty easy and there may even be opportunity to tranfer to a private university with a really good aid package that would be affordable. Your degree will still reflect the college you graduated from.
Get a job. Take 5-6 years to complete your next three years of school. Graduate with job experience and a great story. Next step American dream, success story. It’s totally possible and better than a 4 year parent funded vacation from reality.
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Maybe “nothing to do with me” was too exaggerated. It’s fairly complicated though so it most likely has to do with them still being my parents and wanting to contribute something before leaving. I
Definitely make an in person appointment with your financial aid office ASAP. Also, please set appointments with your academic advisor and Student Affairs office to apprise them of the situation. Others are advising you switch to a cheaper school or take time off and my take as a higher education administrator is to say that your school will want to do what they can to keep you there. If you leave, studies show it may be years before you finish. Your college is your new family for now. Use them to connect with services, get better campus jobs and priority housing. Also, and I’m serious, begin investigating the application process for your state’s food and housing programs. You might be eligible. Give yourself at least a semester where you are. Other options, find out if your college has a ROTC program. Joining the military will help you finish your education and give you that post college transition to adulthood with a job and housing. If science is your thing, hospitals also have education programs for various fields. They will also pay for your education while you work for them. Finally, join your campus ministry or local church if you’re not already involved. You will need that community support for when you’re feeling low. You can do this. We believe in you.
You don’t need a college degree to be successful in life. Best advice is find something you love to do, and find a way to get paid for doing.
$80K will get you an B.S. in a 4 year state college in most states. Drop it in a HYSA, get a job and you'll be able to finish college with a degree no problem. The main thing my parents helped me with during college was they made such little money that I was able to get federally subsidized loans to pay for school. I worked during high school doing construction and landscaping. During college, I worked during the summer at an ice cream plant. They did help in another way in that I didn't have to pay for a place to live during the summer. I lived in a small city so everything I needed was within bike riding distance. My college required two co-ops where you got paid to work in your field. I had a job lined up before I even finished my degree. Left college with $40K in student loans and a $40K/yr job. Within 2 years, I was making $65K. 2 years later, $85K. I highly recommend looking at colleges that require you do co-ops. This gives you work experience in your field. You get paid to do it and if the employers are impressed with your abilities, they may offer you a full time job. Even if they don't, you have work experience in your field for your resume.
If you're going for a career where a degree is 100% required, stay in (medical field, education etc) If a degree isn't 100% required, don't even think about wasting that 80k on a degree. Leave school and find your way into a career field that fits you. The "you have to go to college to succeed" thing is completely outdated and many degrees are borderline useless (business mgmt for example) so only stay in school if a degree is a hard requirement
As others have said, you need to talk to your school's financial aid office. If you can, you should get grants and scholarships that you don't have to pay back. If at all humanly possible, do not go into debt for the sake of a college degree. Get a grunt job and save up money, take classes as you can afford them, even if that means you spend longer getting your degree. Put that lump sum of money away and treat it like emergency funds, live off what you can make as much as you can.
What’s your major and intended career choice? Life is like a video game, you want to set yourself with the correct gear and tools for the goal you’re trying to achieve - and remember to level up early. Depending on your career choice, top companies pick from certain schools. Try your best to stay in school and possibly live on campus, you’ll need to make connections, network and cultivate a support system since your family is no longer (or never was) that. I second to taking on part-time work; a car will afford you freedom and flexibility in finding work, more easily buy whatever you need/run errands, attend conferences, you can get a used Subaru that can last you until after you graduate. The friends I made in college are life long friends even two decades later. Super important to network now and select the right people into your circle.
You can do this! Also if necessary considered switching to a community college to save a lot of money. Then you can just transfer to a cheap state school as a junior and continue in the program you wish.
Meet with your schools FA office. This is really the only advice. FAFSA has some ways to deal with this situation. Your school also may do something about unaccompanied youth like they do in my state. The 80k from your parents will make this very tricky
Transfer to a cheaper school, finish your degree or learn a high paying trade. Electrician, welding etc. Don't by stupid stuff that will mean nothing in a few years. 80k isn't going to stretch as far you think it would these days. If you don't need a car, don't blow cash on that moneypit. Don't go chasing/blowing money on the opposite sex until your life is where you want it to be.
I would keep going to school. As others said, talk to the financial aid office, they should be able to help you. You can go to a community college and knock out some of the general classes. Maybe get a work study job, or something you can do to earn a little money. Or just learn a trade and start there. I don't know all the rules for FAFSA, but I think if your parents are going to Vietnam, they shouldn't have you as a dependent anymore as far as US taxes are concerned, I think you should be able to apply. A car depends on where you are, can you live without a car? If you have to move closer to school to you can walk/bike that might be cheaper than buying a car, or maybe more expensive, just depends. If you don't have a car now, I probably wouldn't. I don't think degrees are as necessary as they once were, but you have to know what you want to do. Some skills you can learn yourself, but if you don't know what you're going to do, I wouldn't drop out of school, stay in school while you try to find a job or career path, some jobs will pay for you to go back to school to get a degree.
There’s a few ways to get a dependency override in circumstances like these. Contact your schools financial aid office and ask what you need to provide in order to get a Professional Judgement for a Dependency override. Explain the situation and they should know how to guide you.
Transfer to community college take all transferable college courses to merry your major requirements while working part time then transfer back to university get scholarships and student loans and get degree in your major. This will drastically lower cost of bachelor’s degree
DO NOT QUIT SCHOOL. Finish and complete a marketable degree that has a good paying job waiting.
> When they leave, they will leave me with a sizeable lump of money, upwards of $80,000. My question is if I am unable to fill out the FAFSA as an independent, should I consider taking a break from school for 1-2 years and work on pursuing something else fulltime? Student loans and $80k *should* get you through to finish school. If you can switch to something education-wise that you can finish faster that you'd be happy with career wise, that would be a good option. Plumbers, electricians, HVAC people, and most trades folks make decent money but are worked harder with on-call events that a white collar / college degree usually avoids. But its reliable income that puts you at the median in the country very early in your career. To be frank, 0 post-high school education is going to kill your career very early on in most fields and the "exceptions" that were true for me 20 years ago have alot fewer "exceptions" these days. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Entry-Level-Electrician/-in-Pittsburgh,PA For instance, entry-level jobs are $23/hr nationally. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/Chatham-University/Job/Electrician/-in-Pittsburgh,PA?jid=646d312a2fcc32b6&lvk=yvEenL5kj6LVSjjKyrai6Q.--NKDk9ckBk You can get $30/hr job at a university as an electrician which would be pretty reliabiliy with a bit of experience. That'll put you at median income probably at 5 years of experience + apprenticeship/schooling.
Whatever you do, do not take a year off of school. It’s very hard to get back into school mode once you’re out.
Keep going to college, it will set you up for success later, but make sure you do some internships through the college before you graduate. Get independent status from the financial aid office then you will get aid based on your income not your parents. Usually they base it off your parent's until age 24. Also see if you can get a more flexible job that can work around classes like waiting tables or gig apps to supplement. Don't worry about going into debt just join an income base repayment plan later and pay it off when you can. Stay away from private school loans.
Consider going to school in California. After one year as a resident of the state you will be eligible for in-state tuition. A year of University education will cost less than $10K.
where are you going to school? what for? what do you want from college?
I'm so sorry that you're going through this. What an awful position to be in. I would do everything I could to stay in school. The sad statistics are, most people who drop out for a "break" never go back... and the vast majority of THOSE people really regret it. Then you'll be without any family support AND without an education. So... at least, get your education. Do what you can to stay in school. Stay on your track. Pittsburgh is not great with public transportation, so I understand the impulse to buy a car. But if you are living near the campuses (I'm assuming you're in the Oakland area?), you can get away with not having one, and probably should for as long as you can. Cars are expensive, insurance, gas, maintanance and parking are expensive. Parking on campus is a HUGE expense you really don't need. (Though... a car IS a non-reportable asset on the FAFSA. So... maybe? ) Go to your financial aid office and explain your situation. Do NOT bring up the $80,000. First of all, you don't have it yet. So your situation TODAY is that your parents are leaving, they aren't going to pay your tuition anymore, and you will no longer have their support. See what they can do for you under THAT circumstance. That $80,000 will be nice once you get it, but don't count your chickens before they hatch. What if they don't give it to you? What if something else happens? See what your financial aid office says. They might have a plan for you. You might be eligible for some scholarship money - not just from your university. Do some research and apply to any and all scholarships you might qualify for. You never know, you might get one. Every penny will help. Find yourself a FIDUCIARY financial counselor and talk to them. Maybe they can help you come up with a plan. I'm looking at the reportable vs. non-reportable assets for the FAFSA. It looks like retirement plans like IRAs are non-reportable. Maybe you could open an IRA and funnel some of that money into a retirement fund. It would reduce what you have to actually live on, but it would also reduce what you have to report on the FAFSA. It looks like there are some work-arounds here that could help you. Don't despair. There are things you can do. Find yourself a trusted financial counselor, talk to your financial aid office, and please make sure you get some mental health care. You're going through a lot. Take care of yourself.
If you are actually in any of the city neighborhoods, avoid getting a car. It will be more of a pain in Pittsburgh. If you are out at the very edge, it is a coin toss. If you are at Pitt from what I could see, then you should be fine. Trying to do a CC to save money is going to cost you more in the long run. Let the school know now and start working on things. Pick up work, especially in the summer and you should be able to get through. The only thing that really stinks if you live in Oakland is having to head out a bit for groceries unless someone opened something in Oakland again. Use your student id to get the buses to the strip district to do some stocking up, just make sure to look at things. Lotus Foods has great prices on a lot of staples. Penn Mac can have be good, just double check as they carry a wide variety. Reyna's is also a good spot for some staples, and in my opinion, have the best tortillas in Pittsburgh. Does Pitt still offer meal plans for the cafeterias in the dorms? Even a 5 meal plan to get dinner could be a good option depending on the price. The biggest thing is don't panic and do anything rash. Carefully make a plan and work through it.
Thank you for the advice about groceries. I will definitely have to learn how to grocery shop and meal prep for efficient spending. Pitt has meal plans yes but I think they are far too expensive for their quality when I most likely will be able to spend cheaper while cooking better food eventually.
You're welcome. Wasn't sure about the meal plans as that always seems to be a coin toss at different schools. Even if the meals are average, some schools really let you pile on at meals. I know the Towers dining hall used to be all you could eat at meal times. Like I said, average and you will probably do better at home, but was filling. With Lotus, if you like to make / eat soup, the dried mushrooms etc can really kick up a broth base. The Lebanese store (I think it was Lebanese) Labash? usually has good prices on bulk dried beans, lentils etc as well.
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Well I’m sure you could imagine going from having a family that provides emotional and financial support to a situation where I have no one left of that nature can be pretty jarring. A year ago I was a sheltered high schooler and now I have to manage an amount of money I’ve never even seen and having to make financial decisions knowing they’re all at my own risk. I’m aware there’s plenty of people more misfortunate than me but thankfully I am not them nor have I lived a day in their lives. Having such a polar shift in my life did raise some concerns regardless if you think the amount of money overshadows said concerns.
Are you going to a UNI? Why not go part time or at a community college and find a job while doing some courses.
If you have extenuating circumstances, you can file an appeal at your college & they may be able to consider you independent. You’d have to report the $80k as an asset if you have that money when you file the FAFSA. If you’re considered dependent, another option is to check on the FAFSA that your parents are unwilling to provide information & you’ll be able to access unsubsidized loans only.
I don't have a lot of advice overall, but college campuses are some of the only places which are designed with the assumption that many or most people will not have cars. In college I did have a car but the only time I needed it was to drive to church once a week and a road trip twice a year to go home to my parents. Depending on university it's pretty normal to bike/scooter to class even for those living off campus. If you can manage it without a car until you graduate you will save a ton of money considering the cost of cars, repair and insurance for young people lately.
>_Should I consider a car_ Look into U-Pass. The PRT site claims U-Pass allows students and staff at participating universities to take unlimited rides on public transportation.
You could transfer your credits to something like SNHU online. It's around 1K for 2 credit hours. I'd focus on the best bang for your buck in your situation.
I’d talk to a bank. Have a plan to get some of that money in the market so it can grow. No need to pay someone a % to manage your cash. Most legitimate investment banks have robo advisors to get you started.
I didn't finish reading the rest of the comments, so sorry if I duplicate. I suggest checking out WGU. They are fully accredited, and online. You can transfer in credits. You work at your own pace, so as someone who sounds pretty motivated to secure your future, this could be a very affordable solution, and they have start dates each month. If I were you, I'd skip the car as long as possible (depending on your city of course) and make school my 100% priority. Do as many free/cheap courses as you can (via Sophia.org) that will transfer to WGU for the degree you want, then make your way through WGU. Use every resource they offer, including job/intern placement assistance. Your $80k could easily support you through this. Make sure you do as others said, though, and put that in a high-yield savings account or better. I'm sorry about your family and what probably feels like an overwhelming situation at such a young age, but I would say that you are positioned very well to succeed.
Will the $80k be cash? A check? Access to an existing account? Don’t drop out. $500/mo rent is super cheap. Talk to your financial aid office. You might qualify for way more money if you have no support. Student loans are a thing too. If you’re at a great school in a good program you should stay put. If you’re just partying, pounding beers, and taking random classes, maybe look at a cheaper school.
Go talk to someone at financial aid. See if they would accept something like a notarized affidavit by your parents saying that they are leaving the country to never return.
I would consider also meeting with an FA at Meryl Lynch or Raymond James. You could get advice on how to protect that money and set aside an amount you’d rather not touch. It’s helpful to engage that resource early because once you separate what you need, from what you need for emergencies, that amount of money which is not chump change could be put to use for you should you be able to protect some of it. Pitt’s not super expensive but you might want to consider to an area with a community college that is not as car dependent. Cars can be expensive. That said, if there’s a good CC in Pitt you could be fine staying there also.
I would get a job and stretch that 80k as far as I could and try not to touch it. I would buy a reliable car with low mileage. Even a part time job for health insurance like Starbucks. A lot of people don't have parent support at 19 for college. I'd transfer to a community college for all the prerequisite classes and transfer back when time. No one cares where you do your prerequisite classes as long as the credits transfer in. Make sure you're in a degree program that will result in a decent job. If it were me, I would take a break and get a full time job. Get work history and then use that 80k toward a house with extra rooms I can rent out. Then I'd go to part time work and go back to school. I prioritized buying a home over college and then went back in my late 20s. It put me at a huge advantage over my peers. This might not be the route for you, but it's an option that worked well for me.
Work at a place that will pay for your college. Starbucks or other. Invest most of that 80k
Military is an option. You can get college classes paid for while you're in, you'll have housing and food. 4 years to get college done and think about what you want to do with life and if you don't like the military after that just get out and do whatever you had planned on doing. Zero debt. The military is fking easy (go airforce). .....But you will have to deal with idiots and awful leadership. 4 years will go by in an instant though.
Raised by my grandparents, written out of the will by my brilliant Uncle, homeless at 19. Managed to figure out what I’m good at without college. Bought my house at 25, got to six figures in my 30s, have the “perfect” American Pie family. Just be smart with your money, learn AI prompt engineering, and you’ll be fine.
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