<p>I'm a senior applying to colleges this year, and I'm confused about the FAFSA. My mom (who is admittedly not very tech-savvy) said she did something preliminary that said that, through the FAFSA, we wouldn't get any financial aid, which is believable. However, I will be applying for merit aid at some schools, and I wonder if I should just send in the FAFSA to see if I get any need aid? It seems like some colleges require that you send it in, but my mom said that five years ago, for my sister, they didn't send the FAFSA anywhere (although she could be misremembering).</p>
<p>So, even if it may vary based on college, can anyone help me out? I'm pretty confused about this...</p>