In-State Tuition Status

The 411

I've been living in FL for not quite two years now. I think its about time for me to apply for in-state status. That means I go from paying $513.23 a credit hour when I could be paying $96.35...assuming that I can get it. Its going to be a real pain and I'm already buried in paperwork. Basically, I have to prove to FSU and I'm not living in FL just for tuition. And I'm not...I love old people, sunshine, and oranges.

The Checklist

Here is a list of the items that I need in an attempt to prove that I'm a FL resident.

First, here's the application that I have to fill out (in Adobe 5.0 PDF).

Now, here are the items that I need:

Document	Check
Declaration of Domicile	P
Driver's License	P
Voter's Registration	P
Vehicle Registration	P
Proof of Dependency	N/A
- Parents 2003 Tax Return	P
- My 2003 Tax Return	P
- A Notarized letter saying my parents won't claim me in 2004	P
Permanent Job Offer	N/A
Employment	P
- 2003 W2	P
- Last paycheck	P
- Letter saying that I have a permanent, well paying job.	P
Member of Organization	N/A
Professional/Occupation License	N/A
Residence during periods of non-enrollment	N/A
Own Home	N/A
Own Real Property	N/A
Incorporation	N/A
Exceptional Category Documentation	N/A
Other relevant documents	P
- Eagles Landing Lease	P
- Sweet Bay Lease	P
- Harbin Terrace Lease	P

The Results

Ok, funny story here. So I pimp my way over to the University Center to finish up my In-State application stuff. The person that I need to talk to is this little old grandmother type lady. We sit down and I give her all my paperwork. She flips through all the papers and then begins to go down the list of everything that I need.

About half way through she stops and says, "Your paperwork is in wonderful order and you've gotten me everything that I need. As a matter of fact, this is the first application I've gone this semester and I can only hope everyone does as good of job as you have. And you've got a really nice job and you are very handsome...did I mention that I have a granddaughter that's 21?"

At this point I'm seriously considering taking one for the team if that's what it took. Heck, I would have probably taken the grandmother out if it came down to it...but thankfully I didn't have to do either. But in the end...I got it!!!!!!!!!!!!! So starting in Spring 2005, I'm an official In-State Florida student...assuming that we still have a state left. Anyways, thanks for everyone that prayed for me and always asked me how it was coming. I couldn't not done it with your support.