How do I go to the college I want to go to despite my controlling mother and money issues?

I want to go to the University of Oregon. It's about 10,000 dollars more expensive than the University of Colorado (because at CU I'm in-state), and I have a feeling my mom is going to try to use that as an excuse for me to go to CU instead. I DO NOT want to go to CU, I would rather move to Oregon and work for a year than go there, as bratty as that seems. I need to get out of here. Are there any suggestions as to handling my mother, money, or any other things? I'm applying for scholarships and am trying to figure out all of the aid information and praying that when she makes her "comparative spreadsheet" the aid looks rather convincing. I'm asking for anything, anything at all. Thanks so much.

OK, if you want to go to Oregon to get away from your parents and it's for yourself then there's nothing wrong with that but if you want to go for a boy, then that is the wrongest reason there ever was one.

Now that that's out of the way, there are so many things you can do to pay for school; aid, scholarships, and loans specifically. With aid(grants and the sort) and loans all the paper work requires you to show that you're independent of your parents otherwise they need to sign paperwork. Also, the amount of money they make can adversely affect the amount you could recieve. Taking a year off and filing your own taxes, having your own place, etc so you can show you're independent of your parents will net you the most money. I work in the service industry and don't claim all of my tips because the less I make the more aid I get, but that has actually affected me with a car loan when my income was too low for a loan. All this stuff is pretty easy to fill out and I would get the ball rolling with your financial aid.-----Go to fafsa.gov to fill out your Free Application For Student Aid, that is the most important and put all schools you're interested in. Then you need to fill out the proper financial aid paperwork for the schools you plan on attending, but that can only happen after acceptance.

Now, aid goes to the most needy and loans will go to about anyone. In Florida, I receive about $2,500 in grants per semester and $5,500 in loans per semester as a junior(it's less as a freshman and sophomore), so that comes out to about $8,000 which is more than enough for tuition and books and I have plenty of money left over to live off of(housing, food, etc...) which is what it's for. Since I am an in-state student my tuition doesn't even break the $2,000 per semester mark, so I have it extremely lucky, but if my tuition was what you're talking about without all the help there would be no way and it would still be hard with the help.

If I could make a suggestion, it would be to try out the local school and see how you like it. If you do go to Oregon, gain local residency for sure(which it sounds like you're planning on doing) and find out exactly what it takes to establish independence so the amount of aid you recieve depends on your income and not your parents. If your parents decide to help, that would obviously be best, but it doesn't sound like you're going to accept their conditions and their not going to accept yours.

Whatever you do, plan, plan, plan, and be safe. The world is an extremely dangerous place for a young woman on her own. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Good Luck.

umm
theres scholarships n stuff that help so much
www.fastweb.com
helps a lot!!
omg
financial aid can help
some colleges will pay for some of ur stuff if ur that poor
dont be ashamed of it
the competitions for scholarships... have faith...... i am HORRIBLE with competitions but i won a 100 bucks on one of them on my first try.. just trust me .. if u just keep trying... many things will come to u
even if its small ... it will later pile up

u know what i mean?
good luck to you
im going through the same problem
let me know how it goes for u
n wut u decide to do

I assume you are over 18. Your mother should support you. Anyway, just follow your dream despite your mothers protests. If you don't, you'll regret it later. There are financial support programs that you can sign up for.

student loans, depending on the kind you dont have to pay them back till after graduation but it can get costly going that route. Financial aid always helps, sometimes you can talk to compaines and get grants in exchange for working for them for a period of time after graduation. go to your schools office/ school counsoler to find out about all the different scholarships that there are avalible. Good Luck,

If you're really that intent you could take out student loans and pay for college on your own. If your mom sees you doing this then she may come around and help out, if not you still get to go to the school you want anyway so it's win win.

Well, this is a tough one. I think you'll need to decide if you want to make yourself happy or make her happy. What will happen if you go to U of O? Will she refuse to help you financially or will she just be less happy with your decision?

You may also want to be prepared with some reasons why you want to go to U of O and why it's b etter than CU.

Good luck, you can become independent from mom :-)

Take out the loans in your own name. You don't need her to co-sign if you're 18.

use FAFSA to get state and federal grants, and then you can get student loans. Every University has a financial aid department that can help you with finding all the financial aid you need. They also have lists of scholarships to apply for. Another way to get your degree, is to take your basic requirements @ a cheaper university or community college before you go to the university you want the degree from. Then, it will only take 2 years @ the more expensive place before you have your degree. If your mom isn't budging because of the cost, this would be a good compromise. Also, figure out how much the dorms cost with each meal plan, and contrast it with how much apartments in the area cost plus how much you would spend in gas getting to campus and food. Sometimes, you can save a lot of money by getting an apartment with a room mate or 2, and sometimes the dorm prices are cheaper when you add in the transportation and food costs. Also, if you have an apartment, you can get a driver's license in the state you are attending school in. Next you would want to file taxes in that state, and then you would be eligible for in-state tuition.