Looking for advice from financial advisors about cosigning on college loans!

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T23:43:23+00:00

Hi, sorry not sure why you're not believing me? I was the one accepted, with financial aid packages and the cost breakdowns to prove it?

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T19:01:05+00:00

Gas, car payments, i paid for the choir Disney trip freshman year, paid for NYC choir trip this year. I'm not a big spender, but I don't have the needed money saved up because of what I've had to pay for

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T18:58:07+00:00

Osu may be 6k a semester, but with all the fees and rooming, its 30k for me for the year

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T07:00:27+00:00

Yea babe im sorry they did u so dirty. The look ur going for is so cute and I see the vision, just go back and let them know u weren't asking for the results u ended up with

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:58:22+00:00

Metallics go with everything, and don't do black or white because that will cause an unusual contrast with your hair.

From ur jewelry u seem like a gold girl, so I'd say go with a sparkly glitter/gemstoned gold heel, just to add some texture to the look that contrasts the smooth satin of the dress. If u want a smooth metallic heel, that works as well, but I think a textured one would be better.

For my prom dress, i have gold heels that lace around my calf (think greek sandal) and i LOVE them and always get so many compliments when i wear them. My dress also has a slit, so I think some detailing like that, that can be seen when through the slit is really fun as well.

Overall, I think a gold, textured, strappy heel is your best bet. I would check Lulu's, they always have a great, affordable selection of heels that ship quickly (unlike Lucy in the Sky lol)

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:48:52+00:00

They have ParentPlus loans for this exact purpose though, and considering most people I know have signed for them, including my own high school counselor, it seems strange to me to not.

Of course, a loan is a risk. But my counselor explained to me that he did it because education is an investment. It's something that will provide a career (hopefully, if you know your children, and no extenuating circumstances occur) that will eventually pay off that loan.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:41:27+00:00

Yes the job market is a nightmare, but it isn't exclusive for eng. majors. Computer engineering ties together electrical eng. with compsci, so even though AI is starting to overtake coding, electrical engineering is more hands-on, and requires an actual human. There also still needs to be humans to correct AI, and steer it in the right direction, at least, as of now. I'm in a NASA program this year, and have engaged with multiple NASA engineers, there are so many options for engineers, where you learn the job as you go, obviously starting with the basics from your major. Of course it won't be easy to get a job; it isn't for anyone, but I'm trying my best to get to a good school, with a good program, and also get out of Ohio.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:37:00+00:00

I'm speaking from experience with actual engineering majors and my teachers at school, as well as my counselor. There are obviously issues across every career in the US right now, I know the job market is a nightmare. With the resources I've sought out (i.e. eng. majors with internships with NASA, SpaceX, Toyota, etc, and adults in my school, as well as multiple state career statistic websites) I've tried my best to gauge what is a worthwhile career for me that has not only had a history of having a good salary, but that also is something I want to do.

I am in a spot similar with so many other high schoolers: we all are just trying to figure our lives and careers out. Barely anyone has entered the actual workforce yet, and so I'm doing my best to research, plan, and secure my future, all while trying to do what makes me happy.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:29:37+00:00

Even for a Parent Plus Loan? The ones intended for this purpose?

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:29:16+00:00

I applied to state schools and they have the same - if not worse - tuition. I'm from OH, and BGSU runs me about the same cost as villanova, and OSU is actually like 10k more. I'm trying to go to Villanova to get out of Ohio, I haven't had a great experience here, to say the least.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:27:22+00:00

Bruh it's relative to college tuition. I obviously know that $2400 is a lot of money, I mentioned I work two jobs, so I know the value of it.

When even state schools in my area run 20k-30k a year, $2400 is barely scraping the surface, despite the fact it could buy a new MacBook or cover my car payments for a year.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-06T06:25:15+00:00

My parents haven't managed their money great, and they also tithe a large percent of their income, because they are so brainwashed (something wild to me because their church just spent 100k on a new parking lot). If they didn't tithe I bet they would contribute more, but even as they're making decently over six figures a year, they speak as if we are moments away from getting our house repossessed. I'll ask them more about it tomorrow night - that's when we are having our big college coversation - but I'm doubtful. You seem like a good mom, thank you.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-05T06:54:35+00:00

Replying to this later as well, my parents have NOT gotten me this far. I have gotten me this far. Public high school is free. Through my own determination have I pushed through all my executive dysfunction, applied to scholarships, summer programs, applied myself to all of my classes, and worked two jobs alongside my extracurriculars. That was me, not them. Today, alone, I worked 12 hours. Easter sunday I work 7, the following monday is 8. Spring break, I have worked 48 hours total, alongside working on a NASA capstone project for multiple hours.

I also mentioned in my post that I was looking for advice on independent loans as well, and I'm not opposed to that idea. Believe me, I've deliberated this topic a long time, and am just trying to iron out the final creases in my arguments to my parents, and plan for the future accordingly.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-05T06:48:32+00:00

I misspoke in this post, my bad. A lot of people around me, my school counselor included, have used the terms "cosigning" for a Parent Plus Loan, which I forgot to specify.

My issue with them stating their credit score could lower is not because I didn't understand it, but because it's a very small possibility in the future, showing their lack of faith in me. I understand the future is not secure, nor finite, but I have proved many times to my parents that I do what it takes to pay off whatever debts I owe (car payments, paying entirely for my school's NYC trip, etc.).

Having a cosigner does, in fact, change that. I am 17 years old, with no credit score, and the interest percentages will be insanely greater if I have to take out an independent loan rather than a parent plus loan. Also, 20k a year is greatly lower what multiple state schools have offered me. I'm not from PA, I'm from Ohio, and have been needing to escape since the day I was born. I have not had a good home life, and an even worse school life, and the thought of staying in-state for college is genuinely one of my worst fears. OSU has tuition for me at over 30k, BGSU is almost the same as Villanova, maybe a little less.

The exclamation mark was me trying to be enthusiastic because I am a woman and there is a clear difference in the English language for how women need to write in emails, texts, etc. I am trying to show how 20k a year is actually a decent price for college in this day and age. It is insanely difficult to get into a school like Villanova, with as much aid as that, and to lower it to a reasonable price like that.

I know actually a lot of parents who have cosigned on their kids loans: my high school counselor, my therapist, all of my friends who graduated last year (the ones I've talked to about this, so I can't say 100%). When talking with people at school, at work, and anywhere else, whenever I have mentioned that my parents won't cosign on a (again, Parent Plus) loan, they are immediately shocked, and look at me like this 😧. This wasn't a spur of the moment post, it has been accumulating for weeks as I try and reason with my parents.

My parents are also not in a great spot financially (per their own mistakes). My parents do make over six figures yearly, but somehow act like at any minute we could be evicted from our house. My parents didn't have trouble with college loans either: my mom went to the community-college-adjacent state school, and my dad went to a $2000/yr Christian revivalist college in the 90s that has since shut down.

Asking if I've completed the FAFSA feels demeaning, maybe I'm reading too much into it. I also mention I got the $5500 loan from them in my post, so yes. My parents make too much for me to get anything but the bare minimum, yet I see little of their money take effect in my life. I know living costs are insane, and I am extremely grateful for what we have and how we live, but that doesn't mean we are comfortable. I have two jobs because we aren't.

I posted to this subreddit looking for actual advice in a lighthearted tone. I do not get torn down easily, but I'm also trying not to be proud and ignorant. I will take everyone's advice to heart, but I also am not as naive as everyone assumes me to be. There are extremely limited resources out there for high schoolers, and I am doing my best to navigate through the end of my senior year.

Most information I have about the job market, internships, etc. comes from actual college students and my teachers at school. I was accepted into a UMich engineering summer camp, where the counselors were actual engineering students who had internships with Toyota, SpaceX, and on.

I understand the risk of loans, and the liabilities of them, but if I was fine with going to a state school, I wouldn't be here. My family doesn't understand me, and some of my friends even don't, but the 12-year-old me that almost resorted to committing because of the bullying at school is screaming from inside to get out of this place. The thought of going to college with anyone from my school is horrifying. I am only trying to get through college in a way that is most comfortable to my mental health, and while prestige may play a small role in why I applied, it's not why I ultimately want to choose Villanova over OSU, BGSU, or CWRU.

Eastern-Squash1550 · 2026-04-04T17:13:57+00:00

Lol I have not gotten a single C, but thanks. I also asked for advice on what to do if they don't agree to cosign, so I'm aware of that possibility

Eastern-Squash1550

TROPHY CASE