DukeHopeful wrote:But the bottom line, according to the federal government (via FAFSA) is that we are not required to release our parents' financial info. Now if a specific school asks the question, that's a different story, but in general, I would say w/o a doubt that parental info is unnecessary on the FAFSA. That's the way the gov't runs its own ship. Until I'm specifically required to, I'm not discussing anything but my own financial situation since I'm the only one contributing to law school. And to all of those that say that those with with parents who are better off financially are in a position to be better positioned if they default on their loans, that's BS. Sure, some parents might step in, but I would suspect that most parents, like mine, feel that once you have a college education, you are qualified to make your own decisions (such as taking out loans for LS) and you are old enough to handle the consequences of said decisions. Thus, no help if you default. It's unfair to categorize those who were born into a family of parents who worked very hard to achieve the level of financial success that they enjoy as students who are immune to loan debts. My parents, having come from nothing before reaching the point that they have reached today, believe that hard work and dedication are the keys to success (certainly a stretch there (sarcasm)) and this cannot be given through inheritance.
I certainly understand the advantages inherent in a middle class upraising, don't get me wrong. I am thankful for the opportunities afforded to me simply by luck of being born into the situation I was. But I also think it's naive to think that simply having wealthy parents means you are immune to dealing with any financial setbacks as a result of student loans.
[Off of soapbox]
Nobody gives a shit what you think is fair. The FAFSA is hardly a normative force, anyway. Kinda silly to appeal to what they require as an indication of what you should be allowed to do.
Unless you meet the requirements by the law school, you will need to supply them with parental info, whether on the FAFSA or the needaccess. Just fucking do it.