<p>i’m not sure about merit-base at cal (besides regents) but definitely fill out the fafsa and go to fastweb.com there’s thousands of scholarships out there that just require a 500 word essay for $500…they all add up. my mom knows a woman who made her kids fill out one scholarship app every day after school (they’re middle class, two parents so probably make >70k) and all of it totaled to a full tuition room and board for them. so don’t get yourself down about it and certainly apply–you never know what kind of luck may come your way!</p>