Well, if they told OP it was for him/her it's understandable why it may be upsetting.

Why is your/you're so difficult? I just can't understand. It's even easier than there/their/they're!

I'm dyslexic okay I'm sorry

My parents never paid for my University education, and I didn't expect them to. I worked for it all; never received financial aid or loans, and graduated debt free. Children should not feel entitled to have mummy and daddy pay for everything.

28, you seem to be missing the point. OP had a COLLEGE FUND, for COLLEGE, but instead his parents pissed the money away on a HOBBIT HOUSE, thus leaving OP to kiss his dreams of a college education GOODBYE. (key points in all caps)

I wasn't aware one setback meant the failure of a dream, especially one as great as receiving your degree. If you have to work two jobs while taking seven classes to make it happen, then that's what you do. OP will still be able to go to University; he'll just have to work at it a bit harder.

Not everyone can have two jobs. Sometimes it's impossible. I know my job it took me a year to find and I was lucky to get it. But there are so many people without jobs and looking that it's hard to get a job much less two. The only reason I'm in school is bc of financial aid. I'm not ashamed of that. There's nothing wrong with being poor (besides the fact that you can barely afford to live). I grew up in poverty but since I'm going to school the governments getting their investment back when I start my career. So far I've gotten through two years without having to get loans, but I might still have to bc tuition just keeps going up. I may or may not be able to get a second job so I might be stuck with debt. But I'd much prefer a little bit of debt over living in poverty for the rest of my life. At least I'd be used to it though right? It sucks for OP bc he was planning on not having problems with college tuition and now he has to find some other avenue bc his parents changed their minds and decided that a hobbit house would be much cooler than a college degree.

Wow I'm sorry that was so long but it really is such an important thing to me. Sometimes a person can get themselves through college, sometimes they can't. It's not a bad thing, it just means that everyone has different opportunities.

"one setback"? dude, he just lost his whole college fund

I am in an accelerated college program. It gives us a doctorate in 7 years if we successfully pass all the requirements. They told us at every pre-college event that the parents must be supportive financially or it will be almost impossible to pay for this school. Guess what? My college costs more than $50,000 a year. How is any student supposed to pay $350,000? Work two jobs you say? We are required to do mandatory hours for no pay. Class from 9 to 5. Rigorous course work...if any of us worked 1 full time job, it would = failure. Not everyone's situation is the same. Now, if my parents were poor, I would have to pay $22,000. Much more doable and now I don't challenge your statement. If parents have money, the way the system is, they MUST pay in order for the student to go to college. However, the law doesn't force them and that makes no sense.

While I agree it doesn't make sense for the FAFSA to ask your parents income level but not whether or not they will be giving you a dime - my parents are loaded, didn't give me a dime, and I've been graduated about a year and have paid off my loans. I also have yet to find a job that requires a degree, and went to an expensive private school. Between scholarships (AKA working hard in high school), working full time (and hiding it from my dept heads, because working was a "guaranteed you can't do them both" kind of thing), and working multiple jobs after graduating - it was doable.

#99: only until the age of 24 do you have to use parents information on a FAFSA. It's not the schools who make it mandatory, its the federal government. But because of this rule, a lot of students whose parents make too much money wait until they're 24 so they'll hopefully qualify for more assistance. I used to work in Financial aid, and had to explain this many times.

It still sucks bc they set this money aside specifically for OPs college education then they decided oh nvm a hobbit house is more important. Yeah it's their money, but they told OP it was for college. So I still say FYL bc now OP has to change his plans to now be able to pay for college himself.

Honestly, I believe the law should make it so parents are responsible for paying their child's college education or make it so that college doesn't cost an entire year's salary..if a parent makes a lot of money, you get no loans and no scholarships. On top of that, colleges charge a lot more. If your parents don't make a lot, the cost decreases with loans and scholarships to make it more affordable.

104 - I believe the complete opposite. The law should make it so colleges cannot look at your parent's income. Once you are 18, you're a legal adult, with all the legal ramifications that come with that. Colleges need a complete funding overhaul, I agree (for instance, stop putting so much funding towards sports programs), but charging parents for their grown children's decisions should not be an option.

104, by your logic, students shouldn't be legally allowed to choose their own college then? If my parents paid for my school I wouldn't have expected to have a choice in where I go. And I wouldn't want my future children to have the final word if I were legally required to pay, either.

uh #59, if my mom had set aside college money for me and then decided to spend in on building a Hobbit *Hole*, I would ecstatic! Besides, has anyone heard of community colleges? In the USA, they're everywhere! Of course they still cost money but that's what grants and loans and working is for. I know a lot of schools offer scholarships based on grades, colleges near me call it the 'Merit' or 'Honor' scholarship, depending on your grades. I wish my mother would spend 'my' college money on building a Hobbit Hole. Sure losing money they thought they were gonna get sucks, but they should've been saving their own money all along no matter what. That's really just common sense.

Meanwhile back at the hobbit house, everyone was feeling gay and merry, until gay and merry got up and left.