<p>My family is going through some rough things both medically, and financially. My parents don't have the time to spend money and time on my education based on whats going on, I need some advice what to do. Ive posted around but gotten no replies and this forum seems active so I will give it a shot.</p>
<p>Here are my stats:</p>
<p>2400 SAT
36 ACT
3.3 GPA - Honestly I really dont have the time to study b/c of personal issues.
I have taken 6 AP's so far thanks to my grandparents paying for the tests and got a 5 on all of them. I am taking 3 more senior year.
Ecs: Varsity Tennis (4) Soccer Varsity (4) Key club (4) Interact club (4) Chess Club (4). My grandparents help out alot with the expenses but they cannot afford me to put me through college. I also have over 500 volunteer hours and also am Indian.</p>
<p>Im going to be a senior next year, (Added a year to ECs), and have no clue how to get financial aid. My guidance counselor is honestly a lazy waste of a human who has been no help. Can someone just give me some pointers on how to pay and what colleges to apply to?</p>
<p>If you are going to be a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, there are more places that will offer money for that. Scroll down through the Financial Aid and Parents forums and you should find some threads specifically about that.</p>
<p>You will need to file the FAFSA in order to receive federally-determined financial aid, including student loans. You may need to file the CSS Profile depending on the specific colleges/universities that you apply to. For both of those, you will need your parents cooperation with the paperwork. Most often colleges and universities expect a family to pay much more money than the family feels it can afford. Be warned about that. If your family will appear much more able on paper than it truly is, you need to apply where you are likely to get merit-based aid. For estimates of your FAFSA EFC, and of what the CSS Profile might calculate your family to be able to pay, use the calculators at [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator - Finaid) and at [EFC</a> Calculator: How Much Money for College Will You Be Expected to Contribute?](<a href=“http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp]EFC”>http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp) Both of those websites also have useful information for you about financial aid.</p>
<p>As for what colleges to apply to, you need to decide that based on your potential major, where you want to live, do you want a small school or a large school, etc. You can probably get into anything but the top several-20-n-whatever schools. They won’t approve of your GPA. If there’s one that you absolutely love, you could try to explain your grades, but as a whole, don’t bet on it. </p>
<p>But that’s fine, because there are way more schools worth having than the top several-20-n-whatever. And the ones just below it would be delighted to have you, possibly so delighted that they’d offer you buckets of money [enough to scrape by if you get a job, not enough to buy a car with!].</p>
<p>If you have such financial hardship that you need to ask your grandparents for a few hundred dollars for AP tests, I’m surprised you have the leisure to have so many volunteer hours.</p>
<p>First, check into your state university. Your GPA could be higher but given those test scores (are they for real?) you may qualify for significant scholarships. If your family has a low EFC (expected family contribution, based on income and assets) you could also look into smaller private schools that will reward you with merit $$ and financial aid. Don’t overlook schools in the mid-west or the south - many are less known and don’t get as many applications. </p>
<p>I racked those hours up during my fresh/soph year in the summer with the help of my neighbor to whoever questioned that. Thanks for the advice I’m going to look into these suggestions.</p>
<p>You should apply to USC by no later than DEC 1st. If you are a NMF and accepted you are guaranteed a 1/2 tuition scholarship. They also have a very generous financial aid program. But you had better come up with a better reason for your grades than your current one,[ not doing homework in my life if thats’ true] which is just an excuse.</p>
<p>^^ he’s just reporting his EC’s as they will be stated on his college applications .College applicants dont wait until they have graduated to report how many years they will have participated in sports or EC’s.</p>
<p>Pratik 94, quite a few knowledgeable parents do follow the financial aid forum. If you have questions about how to get started determining whether or not you are going to be eligible for need-based financial aid, try posting specific questions there. </p>
<p>However, I have to agree with some of the posters above that your grades might make it difficult for you to qualify for many merit awards (that is, those that are not based on financial need). Your best bet might be to look carefully at the schools that give very generous scholarships to students who are NMSF or NMF. (You don’t mention it, but I hope you took the PSAT.)</p>
<p>Pay close attention to application deadlines. Some scholarships are reserved for early applicants.</p>
<p>I suggest you ignore the suggestions that you are a “■■■■■”. There seems to be an epidemic of cynicism among the posters lately.</p>
<p>So honestly–do you not do homework because of family issues or do you not do homework or study because it’s your weak point? If it’s the former, then your counselor make some explanations that could help take the stink off of that GPA. If it’s the latter, well…you should find a school that would overlook your GPA because of your high test scores.</p>
<p>Either way, you’ll need to go down a layer or two or three in “prestige” to get lots of merit aid.</p>