<p>I enrolled in Hofstra University but I have yet to register for classes or pay for my dorms. </p>
<p>The problem is, my FAFSA information is going to be received later than I expected because of problems with the social security codes. </p>
<p>So let's say I finally receive need-based awards, but there's no way I'll get a good deal because the whole situation will be cleared out half-way through summer right? </p>
<p>And that's bad for me, because my EFC is 0. </p>
<p>The option I'm currently considering is enrolling for 1 semester of community college, the problem is, will that make my University experience more difficult? </p>
<p>Suppose I get perfect grades in community college and at Hofstra, will I still be considered for Valedictorian statues or will someone else be chosen because they were a full time student?</p>
<p>These things are difficult to consider, and now I regret not applying to state school.</p>
<p>Bottom line, Hofstra University tuition is around $30,000 per year with $13,000 for dorms and I only received a $4,000 academic scholarship. </p>
<p>What can I expect when my FAFSA situation is cleared up and how strongly should I consider community college?</p>
<p>I don’t think one semester of CC will have a tragic effect on your “university experience”, but it may cause you to lose your merit scholarship (which seems low for someone who was a valedictorian…or is Hofstra stingy with merit aid?). Either way, it doesn’t seem like Hofstra is affordable to you. A 0 EFC means you’re entitled to a full Pell grant ($5550/year), a Stafford loan ($5500 first year), and possibly some Perkins loans or SEOG and work-study grants, but those funds are limited and have likely been used up for next year by now. If you’re a NYS resident and applied for TAP, that would give you another $5K or so.</p>
<p>So, unless Hofstra comes through with a lot of need-based aid, you’re probably looking at $20-25K which is not enough to cover tuition, much less fees, books, housing, meals, transportation, etc. If you are a NY resident, I would suggest you either apply pronto to Buffalo State or Brockport as they are both still accepting apps, and say they have FA and limited housing space left. Both also give merit scholarships. At around $17K total COA, a SUNY/CUNY is likely to be affordable to you in any case.</p>
<p>Your other options would be to attend CC and transfer next year…but probably without merit aid, so again a SUNY school would be your best bet for affordability. Or take a gap year to work and rethink your application strategy to target schools that would be more likely to give you big merit awards or need-based aid.</p>