Financial Aid: Am I in a middle class rut?

<p>There are MANY merit scholarships out there.<br>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Why don’t you ask your mom where that $40K would come from? Maybe she has some money put away in a college savings fund you don’t know about – or maybe she is planning to borrow against home equity. Knowing what her situation is will help with planning. </p>

<p>Your post #38 paints a very different picture than your post #6. Why don’t you sit down with your mom & fill out the CSS Profile and a FAFSA together --that will give you both a clear idea of what type of income and assets are considered, and will also be a good opportunity for you to have the financial conversation with your mom.</p>

<p>If your mom can contribute $40K/year to college, you are in great shape – there are plenty of colleges you could attend for that or less. So once you have a sense of what your FAFSA EFC might be, as well as a clearer financial picture re. the CSS Profile, you can basically spread the risk somewhat in your application strategy. Include some financial safeties in the mix, but don’t be afraid to include a private college that would only be affordable with generous financial aid. You never know.</p>