<p>Yes, sorry, UAlabama wants 1400 CR+M for the full tuition scholarship. (Note that you can also compete for more goodies, but the competitive scholarships are very hard to get and your GPA will hurt you a little.)
You have to explain that in the US, it’s not possible to “make end meets” for college, or for a student to auto-finance college. Some colleges cost upward of $60,000 PER YEAR! Students, even if they work a lot, can only earn about $4,000; they get $5,500 in loans. Then, it depends on the college. Colleges that meet 100% need will cover what your parents can’t pay, but if they decide not to pay no one can “make them” and you’re stuck, you can’t go or have to go to community college - which isn’t bad in CA but is far from optimal with your stats.
If you worry your parents won’t pay their EFC, go to the financial forum and apply to automatic full ride scholarships; you can also compete for the competitive awards but many of them are very difficult to get. Finally, some colleges have deep discounts (like Truman State or UMN-Morris or South Dakota School of Mines which produces highly recruited engineers) and others have OOS fee waivers.</p>
<p>Essentially, explain to your parents that they’ll have to contribute their EFC, you’ll have to contribute “student contribution”, and if someone doesn’t do their part, then they’ll have to accept you attend a "college they’re ashamed of. "</p>
<p>the #1 source of aid is the colleges themselves; the government will contribute loans (and grants if you’re lower income); if you stay in CA, the state of california has a very good system called CalGrants, plus a new one called Middle Class Grant.</p>
<p>yes occidental is pretty selective (as is Pitzer) but if you can get a 2000 on your SAT + 3.5 +GPA in a rigorous schedules, you may have a shot. Both are reaches. Go visit (make sure to register with admissions to indicate interest.)</p>
<p>Note that in CA and in some states, you’re an “'over-represented minority”, but if you apply to other states (esp. in the Midwest but in some areas of the East Coast and South, too) you would be an under-represented minority, meaning that colleges with holistics processes would actively seek you out so that you can bring socio-economic and cultural diversity to the campus. Just being from California and applying to the Midwest and South helps them establish Geographic Diversity (you know how they like to claim “students from all 50 states and 26 different countries”, which looks better than “students from 4 states and 3 foreign countries”… obviously in the latter situation it means that college isn’t very well-known 
Unfortunately, CA students are many near both coasts but that still leaves a lot of states and regions.</p>
<p>Yes you can PM me about your schedule.</p>