@intparent I guess I felt a little comfortable in that respect because I know a lot of the schools I decided on gave a generous amount of need-based merit. I didn’t really think about it (I don’t really know what I’m doing in general). I’ll do so with my list now, thanks for the advice.
The problem is often that the farther you go down your list (easier schools to get into, safeties and low matches), the less likely they are to meet need. Plus, their definition of what your need is, and your parent’s ability to actually pay may be different. The calculators are on the financial aid pages of each college website. Quite a few of them go to a common calculator on College Board that remembers what you put in previously, so once you get going it can go pretty quickly after the first couple.
In general, as soon as you are done with your applications, start reading up on the financial aid requirements for each school. Make up a spreadsheet of all the forms and dates so you don’t miss any, as every school has different requirements.
I can’t believe I found another student similar to myself! I think the only difference may be that I’m international. My Korean parents are completely unaware of US application systems so I’m doing everything on my own, which is a huge stress, as you’d understand. I also started my essays only recently and feel so discouraged when so many students in CC have been preparing since August I don’t know what to tell you, really, but I just want to let you know that there are probably students like us who end up submitting an amazing application I’m actually telling this to myself cause I’m super super nervous and anxious haha I hope we both succeed!