<p>“I’m still not sure how important cost is as a factor.”</p>
<p>Cider -</p>
<p>You have got to sit your parent(s) down and have a serious talk about the money. Have they run any of the FAFSA or CSS-Profile calculators? (they can start with the ones at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) ) Do they have a giant college fund stashed away for you somewhere that has not been affected by the current world-wide economic melt-down? Do they have absolutely rock-solid recession-proof jobs with high incomes? How much debt can they take on? How much debt can you take on? How many siblings do you have, how soon will they be attending college, and how willing are you to limit their choices as a result of the choices that you make?</p>
<p>Your statistics are in a range that you should be able to scrape up some merit money if you are willing to look at lower tier schools. You might want to start with reading this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas</a></p>