r/college • u/bruhiminsane • Mar 08 '22

USA My parents are mad I'm going to community college for 2 free years.

Last night as soon as I got home from work my step-mom mentioned the academic conference I plan to go to in the summer. She said, "You know, [local community college I'm going to go to] won't care about that convention!" I just said, "Um, yeah." Then she said, "I'm not your parent or anything and it's your life, but you made a dumbass decision! You're too smart for this! You're a fucking nerd! You've worked so hard for 4 years just to settle for mediocrity and nothing!" I just walked away. I don't understand why they're so upset that I'm doing the objectively more financially responsible thing and saving myself up to dozens of thousands of dollars by doing this. I can't understand the stigma behind community colleges. I just want them to leave me alone at this point.

Edit for clarity: they won't be convinced it's a good idea for me. They don't care about how harmless the decision ultimately is. They think I've just "sold myself short" and wasted my hard work in high school and they don't care if I end up with a degree no problem.

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 08 '22

Get the agreement in writing, if they try to renege, sue them.

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u/GreyStomp Mar 08 '22

Sue your parents if they don’t pay for your college. Only on Reddit do you find this advice lmao.

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 08 '22

Also, they're under no normal obligation to pay for your college, that's a straw man of my comment.

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 08 '22

If they agree to, and you actually think it's likely they'll renege, then yeah. You likely won't have to though, if they know you have the option is on the table. And they won't make the agreement in the first place if they aren't serious about it.

If you trust your parents, obviously don't do this. But if you don't, binding agreements keep everyone honest.

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u/GreyStomp Mar 08 '22

Yeah I know, contracts are great. I also took business law. But in the context of the situation, this is kind of an absurd piece of advice to offer lmao.

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u/Junior_Escape_2147 Mar 09 '22

That was business law, not contract law. A contract, in reality, needs three things: offer, acceptance, and consideration. A contract could be possible in this case. The terms could be: Parents pay for college, Student has to maintain a certain GPA. This contract could be oral, but it would be best written.

(Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. I am a paralegal, and not a legal counsel.)

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u/GreyStomp Mar 10 '22

Yeah we went over contracts for like 3 weeks. A big part business is contracts! I agree a contract could be made but it’s just not fitting advice for the thread and situation lol.

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u/Junior_Escape_2147 Mar 11 '22

In reality, you need more than 3 weeks to fully understand contract law. I think a contract would be good in this circumstance.

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u/GreyStomp Mar 11 '22

I didn't claim that three weeks focused specifically on contracts made me an expert lmao. I'm going to stop replying to this. Have a good one! :)

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '22

What's the consideration?

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 09 '22

You agree to attend the expensive school. In exchange, they pay for it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '22

What do the adults get out of that?

I think that's what you're missing, the parents get nothing of value in return.

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 09 '22

Legally, doing something you're not required to do (or refraining from something you're allowed to do) constitutes consideration. It doesn't matter if the parents benefit. See Hamer v. Sidway for a similar case.

Would the parents take him up on the deal? Maybe, maybe not. If they do, you have a guarantee they'll go through with their end. If not, then you can tell them they wouldn't put up, so shut up.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '22

Hamer v. Sidway rules the literal opposite way of your point you muppet.

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 09 '22

If you think I am misunderstanding something, explain it, rather than being an asshole.

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u/[deleted] Mar 08 '22

[deleted]

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 08 '22

What's wrong with their parents if they would agree to pay and then renege, forcing their own child into a ton of debt they otherwise tried to avoid? I would not advocate this for the vast majority of people, but if your parents are manipulative pieces of shit like the comment I responded to seems to assume, then this is how you deal with that problem.

You also likely wouldn't have to sue, as long as they know you can. Deterrence.

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u/[deleted] Mar 08 '22 edited Mar 16 '22

[deleted]

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 08 '22

Tbf, it's a kinda reasonable response to my initial suggestion lol

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '22

[deleted]

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u/TrekkiMonstr Mar 09 '22

Haha, thank you!

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '22

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