<p>@thumper1, thank you for your prompt and honest reply. Let me give you some background as to what my plans are. I am an international student – that is, I completed high school in a foreign country. However, I am now a Permanent Resident in the US. I am going to major in Computer Science; I’m a self-taught computer programmer, and it’s one of my biggest passions in life, so this is the route I want to go career-wise. With that in mind, I have put a considerable amount of effort into researching what the best schools and areas in the US are for my major, and California is quite undoubtedly the place for me to be at.</p>
<p>This is where me attending Santa Monica College comes into play – this CC happens to be a fantastic transfer school to four-year universities in the UC system and other privates schools such as USC, schools that have long-standing relationships with some of the biggest companies in the software industry. Not only that, but living in this area is also a big selling point for me – it allows me to attend developer conferences and other workshops that happen on a weekly basis, which translates to me meeting like-minded individuals and building ties with people whom I could potentially work with later down the road. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to put into words just how much of an advantage it would be for me just being in the area. The cost of attendance for the first year as an out-of-state student at SMC, including housing and other living expenses, would be around $20K. </p>
<p>Now, I have also considered my local options, both CC and four-year schools, and the COA would be around $10K or less per year, and I would still live with my parents. In my case, living with my parents is not necessarily a good thing – sure, it’s great to have the family support close to one, and so is not having to pay for rent, but there are other things that I consider more important to me, such as not feeling like I’m being held back and not having my attention constantly shift towards things that aren’t going to help me reach my educational and professional goals. But back to the main point, staying at a local school for a couple of years and then transfer to my school of choice in California is certainly an option, and if I went that way, I would still be on my own as far as paying for college goes. Like many in the [Loan</a> Reality](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1637435-the-loan-reality-p1.html"]Loan”>The Loan Reality - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums) topic, I’m one of those for who loans, grants, and any other type of financial aid is the only option, unfortunately. </p>
<p>Ideally, I would like to maximise my chances of getting into either of my school(s) of choice in California, and focus on my career while simultaneously cutting down on costs. I can cut down on costs by staying local, but I believe going to SMC provides me with many more advantages even if that means paying for out-of-state tuition for the first year (second year I’d be a California Resident), and housing as well. And you know, at the end of the day, a solid educational performance should theoretically get me into any school I want regardless of what CC I go to, but I genuinely feel that if I can maximise my chances of getting into my school of choice, then that is something I am prepared to do as long as it’s in my reach.</p>
<p>Now, let me ask you, why would I only qualify for a Direct Loan? How about other loans? And grants? I submitted the FAFSA about a week ago and was notified later that it had been processed successfully and sent to the schools I had listed. Thanks again one more time, and I’ll appreciate any other thoughts I can get on this matter.</p>