<p>Currently, the only schools I'm applying to are Eastern Washington U, UW-Seattle, and Portland State because they're all pretty cheap because they're in-state/WUE schools. I feel like I'm cheating myself by not applying to schools in places like Boston and New York, or even California, where there are many, many more schools to choose from than there are here. Of course, I can't afford most of the schools over there, but some must have some decent financial aid or something. I was looking at Endicott College and a couple other schools.</p>
<p>The question is, if I find a school I can kind of afford to go because I find out I got a decent aid package, would it still be too hard to go all the way across the country or anywhere that require flying for school? </p>
<p>My family is incredibly broke (to the point of where we have debt collectors constantly knocking on our door threatening us and my dad is filing for bankruptcy) so paying for my education basically isn't going to happen without great aid. But, if I somehow found a decently priced school with good aid on the east coast or somewhere, would it be a bad option to go there anyway? Plane tickets get really pricey, so I almost think that it wouldn't be worth it, but I hate the limitations of having to settle for a school.</p>
<p>Or, would the best option to just go to one of the in-state schools (if I can get into UW, I may be able to get my tuition basically paid for through Husky Promise) for two years, and if I feel like another school that happens to be further away would better suit what I want to do, try to transfer?</p>
<p>It’s hard to predict how much need-based aid without doing a FAFSA forecaster on the gov site, so that’s the first thing you need to do (know your EFC). If your family is struggling financially, then yes, in my opinion it may be better to head to a Washington State school. However, your GPA is fairly high and you can choose some schools to apply to known for merit aid to give yourself some more options. You will need to aim a bit lower than your stats though, so keep that in mind:</p>
<p>When you calculate your complete Cost of Attendance (COA) for each school, include travel costs as well. That way you can determine whether a school is do-able. Scholarships almost never include transportation. You would have to come up with that on your own - for example with money earned in a summer job.</p>
<p>It IS expensive to fly to/from school, especially since you’ll always be traveling at peak times. Definitely something to consider if you’re looking at schools. We just flew my son from Montana to Colorado for Thanksgiving - we used mileage (double miles, yikes) because the price of the ticket was $700 !! Add the price of coming home over Christmas and spring break, and it becomes a significant amount of money.</p>
<p>If you have a tight budget and go clear across the country for college, do not expect to go home for every school break. Many students in that situation only return for semester/quarter breaks and for summer vacation. Some don’t even go home then! Plan to spend your shorter holidays (fall break, Thanksgiving, spring break) closer to campus to save on travel. If you have any family friends, relatives, friends of relatives, or relatives of friends in the same part of the country as your college, chances are you can scare up an invitation for short breaks like Thanksgiving. Longer breaks require a bit more creativity, but many colleges and universities offer job-shadowing or mini-internships with alumni during spring break. Also, if you prove to be a polite guest, the parents of your college friends who live closer to campus may be more than willing to have you as a houseguest for at least part of that time.</p>
<p>-you have the stats for schools that meet need AND</p>
<p>-your family is deemed to have need and can afford their EFC.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that most debt is not considered in determining aid. Your parents can be in debt and file for bankruptcy, but if they have a good income colleges will want their piece of it.</p>
<p>But if you have good stats, let’s say a 3.7 plus GPA with an SAT score over 2000, it could make sense to apply to some private colleges that meet need. Run your parents’ financials through a calculator and see if meeting the EFC is doable.</p>
<p>After you calculate COA, as other parents suggested, then do consider going to another part of the country. It is a great way to experience life in another place in a protected way. My daughter wanted the away expeience and went from Calif to Providence. Her coa was supposed to support 2 trips home and a laptop, buit she found ways to save expenses and make everything count to living expenses. So not too many trips home equaled lots of Winter sessions (met international boybriend) and Summer Research. Thanksgiving and Spring were out of the question. </p>
<p>I’d say go for it, but you have great opportunities at home too.</p>