<p>I am a single mom and my daughter and I live in NYC. She was accepted at one of the Specialized High Schools starting in September 09. She is very motivated and confident she will get into a top college. When I see the cost of these institutions it freaks me out. although she knows I do not have the money to pay for college, (I really don't) I must keep encouraging her to keep working hard. So to all the single moms or parents who just cannot afford college, let's not give up hope. There is a wealth of information and resources out there. I am actually doing a lot on research on financial aid and colleges. What surprised me the most is that my daughter is actually at an advantage if she plays her cards right. I am in the low-income bracket, african american and she is very bright. Many Colleges are actively recruiting students with these back grounds. It is worth looking at Questbridge website!! and upwardbound. My daughter was invited to attend a leadership forum this year in Washington D.C (got a scholarship) and this summer she is attending a summer enrichment program at Penn State. Hopefully the next four years will be fun for her; but I know the hard work has just begun for me and all the other parents who simply cannot afford paying for college. So lets start now, share ideas and get as much information as we can. One more thing! Sometimes it may end up being much cheaper to send your child to a Private College than a Public State University. We just have to find the right package in terms of financial aid (many colleges have eliminated the loans portion of financial aid)and of couse our students must make the grade! Good luck to all.</p>
<p>I’m with you.
Sorry no ideas, just in the same boat!!
Trying to learn everything I can to make things easier.</p>
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<p>This was true in our case; it does happen. </p>
<p>You’re wise to be thinking about this so early. Some schools are terrific about merit scholarships, some are awful. You have time to ferret out which is which (there are threads about this in the Financial Aid forum). I used to half-tease my daughter that we were going to sell her to the highest bidder, and that’s pretty much what happened. I have a feeling that there will be schools that really want your daughter, and will do much to entice her to enroll.</p>
<p>One really great resource: a book called “How to Pay for College Without Going Broke.” There’s a new edition every year, but buy your first one now so you can start familiarizing yourself with the process.</p>
<p>My bad: The book is called “Paying for College Without Going Broke” by Kalman Chany; it’s put out by The Princeton Review.</p>
<p>Thank you for your responses</p>