<p>My stats aren't that great as in my SATs are like 1660 and my GPA is 92 out of 95 (roughly around 3.8). Since my parents make under 10,000 a year and i live in NY, what are some suggestions to my college choices. Is it worth applying to private schools? I would like to dorm as well so if that's too expensive, i'm open to any suggestions. Any schools here that gives good need based aid?</p>
<p>See my reply at
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-buffalo/1387361-pharmacy-premed-chemical-engineering-what-do.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/suny-buffalo/1387361-pharmacy-premed-chemical-engineering-what-do.html</a></p>
<p>Your low SAT CR is hurting your chance of admission & merit scholarships.</p>
<p>See the example of RIT merit scholarships
[RIT</a> - Office of Financial Aid - Scholarship & Grants](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/emcs/financialaid/table_merit.html]RIT”>http://www.rit.edu/emcs/financialaid/table_merit.html)</p>
<p>Most private schools will gap you on the FA. You may want to try HEOP
See
[About</a> | Higher Education Opportunity Program | RIT](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/heop/about.php?play=1]About”>http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/heop/about.php?play=1)</p>
<p>[Educational</a> Opportunity Program at UB](<a href=“http://wings.buffalo.edu/misc/eop/overview.php]Educational”>http://wings.buffalo.edu/misc/eop/overview.php)</p>
<p>Yeah i’m trying to retake my SAT again and hope my reading goes up.</p>
<p>Your most affordable schools may be SUNYs/CUNYs because of state and federal aid.</p>
<p>Thanks^ I’m looking at that too but i hope i don’t have to take out much loans.</p>
<p>I agree with m2ck. However, if you planning to live on campus of any SUNY, you may have a 35% gap.</p>
<p>For example, SUNY at Buffalo
COA (incl. health ins)…$24,598
Pell…$5,550
TAP…$5,000
Direct Loans…$5,500
GAP…$8,548</p>
<p>Your gap could less if you getting Perkins loan and SEOG</p>
<p>Yeah, I don’t understand any of these loans options… How do they work and which ones collect on interest? What do people usually do with these large amount of gaps and loans?</p>
<p>Tuition and fees $7,989<br>
Room and board $11,310
Books and supplies --<br>
Estimated personal expenses --<br>
Transportation expenses --<br>
Estimated Total $19,299 </p>
<p>For some reason, Collegeboard doesn’t show estimates for books, personal expenses, transportation, etc. You can estimate that those costs would be about $4-5k, but you should be able to economize here as well. </p>
<p>You should plan on working full time next summer to put towards that gap. You can’t borrow more without parent cosigners (Exception: Perkins).</p>
<p>Okay (:. Thanks for your help again. uhmm, but if i apply for EOP, wouldn’t that give additional amount of money too to cover the rest?</p>
<p>No. The EOP program never provides much more than $2500 a year in aid, and poking around on Google indicates to me that $500-600 is a more reasonable expectation. It’ll help a little, but it won’t come close to covering the rest.</p>
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<p>Your parents combined make less than $10k a year? How is that even possible to live?</p>
<p>Do you qualify for Questbridge?</p>
<p>@amarkov: Oh okay. I guess i need to work towards the rest.
@music222: Well to be exact, my dad works only like he makes 9700 yearly and well my mom is disabled so she gets other government support…
@jym626: Yes i think i do qualify for Questbridge and i got the application but i don’t think my grades are high enough for it though.</p>
<p>What about the Posse Foundation? [The</a> Posse Foundation](<a href=“http://www.possefoundation.org/]The”>http://www.possefoundation.org/)</p>
<p>Your mom’s gov’t support is considered “income” and will get included on your FAFSA.</p>
<p>While you will qualify for some gov’t aid, you can’t RELY on that to pay for all of college. THERE IS an expectation that students need to WORK and pay for some things THEMSELVES. </p>
<p>Again, you will get some aid, but you have to expect that you’ll have to cover any gaps yourself with earnings from a part time job.</p>
<p>Your FA pkg will already include FULL LOANS so you won’t be able to borrow more to cover any gaps. You’ll need to earn that money since it sounds like your family can’t help out.</p>
<p>So, try to get a part-time job during your senior year, then work full time during next summer. </p>
<p>When you submit FAFSA, indicate that you want work-study, and hopefully you’ll get that.</p>
<p>
Disability income is not counted on FAFSA. This student is likely an auto-0.</p>
<p>@jym626: how does the posse foundation work?
@ mom2collegekids: Yeah i’m going to find myself a job this coming year. Thanks for the info!</p>
<p>Candidates for the Posse foundation scholarship are nominated spring of Junior year interviews start fall senior year and are over by november</p>
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<p>Sorry guys, but you’re both sort of right…
For Social Security disability – if one spouse is working and one is disabled, some of the SS disability money <em>may</em> be included as taxable income on the couple’s tax forms. It depends on how much the healthy spouse earns. The part that is taxable is also declared on your FAFSA form (it’s part of your AGI (adjusted gross income)).</p>
<p>Here’s the IRS worksheet so you can determine what, if anything is taxable.
[Publication</a> 17 (2011), Your Federal Income Tax](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch11.html]Publication”>http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch11.html)</p>
<p>I suspect, since the OP’s dad only earns $9700 then the SS disability income won’t be taxed.</p>
<p>Edit to add: the above information is only for Social Security disability. Some people have private disability insurance, which may be treated differently.</p>
<p>Either way, my EFC is 0…</p>