<p>my family makes about $33,000 a year. we're pretty poor and have no savings or assets or anything. most of the colleges i'm looking at however cost like $50,000 or more. if i were to get into one of these schools do u guys think i would get enough financial aid to afford it? plz help me, i'm freaking our about how i'm going to afford college</p>
<p>Just spend several hours reading here. You will learn that you likely will qualify for $0 expected family contribution, but that doesn’t mean that you pay nothing. Look for schools that meet full need, and then brace yourself for thing to figure it all out. There is a wealth of information here but first you need to read read read… It will most likely work out but it’s a process…</p>
<p>Don’t freak out… no need to, your just at the beginning…</p>
<p>The aid you’ll get will depend on the schools you’re applying to. Some schools can meet need without loans (top elite schools). Some meet need with small loans. **Most **cannot meet need at all, so your financial aid package will have a big ol’ gap and/or big loans.</p>
<p>You need to apply to a couple of financial safety schools just in case your financial aid packages are not affordable. </p>
<p>Are you applying to any of your in-state publics? Those don’t cost anywhere near $50k.</p>
<p>Which schools are you applying to? </p>
<p>What are your stats? (GPA, SAT, ACT)</p>
<p>From your other posts, you’re only a junior and haven’t taken the SAT, and haven’t posted your gpa. Without such info, we don’t know what kind of school you’d qualify for, and consequently can’t estimate what you’d receive from colleges. It’s the most competitive colleges --places HY, Amherst, Stanford, that have the best financial aid. Most colleges lack the funds to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need. With all colleges, students’ demonstrated financial need may be far less than their family believes they’ll need.</p>
<p>Once you get scores, gpa info, check the web sites of colleges to find out about their financial aid policies. Unless they promise to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need, you’re probably better off applying elsewhere.</p>
<p>When finances are an issue --as they are even for many middle class students with good stats-- many students start college by living at home and commuting to their local community college. After getting their associates, they transfer to an in-state public. For many, this is the most economical way to attend college.</p>
<p>thanks for all of your advice guys!</p>
<p>If you go to FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid (not fafsa.com) you’ll find a tool on the left side called FAFSA4Caster. It allows you to plug in information about your family’s income and get some idea, just an estimate, of what your financial aid might look like. Check it out!</p>
<p>While that might tell you what your EFC is, it won’t tell you how much you’ll get in FA for any and all schools. That is a misconception. Most schools cannot meet need.</p>
<p>as far as my stats go, i had a 3.5 gpa freshman year(reasons will be explained in my rec from guidance counselor) and sophomore year i had a 3.9. i have taken the most challengin courseload available to me and this year i have maintained a 4.0 so far this year(i am taking 4 ap classes). i havent taken the sat’s yet but my psats were around 200. i have good extra carriculars (lots of leadership and volunteer hours) and amazing recs lined up from fantastic teacher. i also speak 4 languages fluently and have studied 3 languages in addition to this. the schools i am looking at include Bard, Vassar, Middlebury, Bates, UCONN, Amherst, Trinity, and Smith.</p>
<p>You have an upward trend with your grades…that is good.</p>
<p>Take both the SAT and the ACT. Some kids do better on one than the other and colleges will accept whichever is higher. Since you’ll need to get into a top school for the best aid, your scores/stats need to be high. :)</p>