<p>Thanks for all the replies!</p>
<p>My mom makes about $10,000 and below, so I don’t think colleges will be asking her for money.</p>
<p>Luckily, I still have some time to think about it. I’ll definitely consider state schools where I could get merit aid (I’m in VA, so those would be JMU and VT, for me) and there are other more selective schools that would be cheaper in state, but it would be harder for me to get merit scholarships there (UVA and William and Mary). I’m definitely considering William and Mary, because it is extremely cheap for a school of its caliber, and it’s in state, so win-win.</p>
<p>I always have outside scholarships, but I don’t like the way some schools handle them. The fact that they take away from the grants and financial aid instead of the EFC kind of screws me over unless I get an astronomical amount. For VT, W&M, and JMU, I guess it would be possible for me to get enough for the full COA, but I would need to spend A LOT of time looking for scholarships, which I would be willing to do if it meant graduating debt free.</p>
<p>I definitely won’t apply ED, when the time comes. Financial aid is a HUGE factor, and inevitably, I’ll probably go to the school that gives me the most, no matter its prestige. That kind of depresses me, because for a long time, I’ve dreamt of attending Amherst or Swarthmore, or somewhere where everyone was as smart and hard working as I was. Unfortunately though, I know I have to do what’s best for me financially, and that probably doesn’t include those schools. -_-</p>
<p>Oh well, life goes on after college anyway. It’s only four years, after all.</p>