shoot the horse. problem solved.

actually Indian colleges aren't free at all =P

I go to 'college' or University in Australia and i pay around 2500 a semester AUD x 2 semesters a year for a 4 year degree so thats about 20k for a degree in Psychology. Just out of curiosity, how much would a similar degree cost in th U.S? Also, can't OP get a student loan which he/she pays back when earining over a certain amout?

I went to Uni in England. It is 3500 a year for tuition, plus accommodation etc, it is about to rise though. You can get a government funded loan, at the rate of inflation, which you pay back once you are earning over 15k. My degree required a year in the States, I was still paying English fees as an exchange student but the kids there were paying $40k a year just for tuition. Most had scholarships and whatever but still, 40k is a lot. It depends on the college how much you pay.

Holy crap! 40k! How the hell do people afford that! I mean my masters after i complete my degree maybe 30-40k for the 2 years but sheesh....... I pity you Americans, I really do. Come study in Australia- same degree 1:10th of the cost!

In the US there is a huge range. My school charges $50,000 a year (for my 4-year psych degree), but with my scholarships it is much less. However, I go to a private school and it is also less for a public school. Also, at least in the US, you can do NOTHING with a 4-year degree in psych. You HAVE to go to grad school to get a job.

Oh, and America is super picky about degrees. You can't just get a degree in a foreign country and have it be the same degree. It has to be in America or an institution that is accredited by the respective American agency. This generally makes sense, though, because if you get a medical degree in, say, Columbia, there probably won't as stringent requirements.

This guy can find other means to pay for college himself. The Horse? All he can do is suffer. It's not like the parents had planned this. Hell, knowing your parents were going to pay for it is still a lot better than what most people get. (Which is nothing, btw.) I'm not really sure how people are seeing this as priorities being screwed up. They're not going to let their horse die/suffer just so he can go to college a few months earlier. Either way, paying for the horse is a lot better than what a lot of other parents do. (Gamble it away, go on vacations, buy a house/car for themselves...)

Even if that's the case, what a lot of people are saying still stands- get/keep a job and save as much money as you can, apply for scholarships, and take out loans to cover what you can't. Even if you can't go to college as early as planned, having parents that don't support you financially isn't something that should stop you from going to college, if that's the path you choose. If OP's parents took her money, that really sucks (and seems like it would be included somehow), but there are other people who have to cover expenses while they are in high school, and still manage to go to college. It isn't easy to pay your own way through college, but if you work hard and prioritize your spending, it can be done.