<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
<p>Sit down with your parents and all of your acceptances and aid packages, and run the numbers.</p>
<p>Your family’s financial situation is tight. Coming up with $5k more for #2 may be tougher than they want to admit. As a general rule, when in doubt, believe the person who says there is less to go around. Chances are that that one is the person who is actually writing the checks each month for all of the bills.</p>
<p>Work out estimates of your expenses for all four years. Remember that the cost of attendance will probably increase about 5% to 7% each year you are in college. Check to see what the policies are about that merit aid. Do you need a specific GPA to keep it? Will it increase along with the COA, or is it a fixed dollar amount that won’t increase?</p>
<p>Lastly, remain skeptical about your ability to make a lot of money during the summers or during the school year. You may have un-paid or under-paid positions that you’d like to take on instead.</p>