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<p>OP, lots of GCs are not very savvy about financial aid. They know something about getting kids into college, but many do not get into the financial side at all. The one thing you might ask your GC for is a list of what local scholarships students from your high school have gotten for the last few years. There might be some ideas to scare up a few thousand dollars there. But likely they will be one year and not very large scholarships. But it can help.</p>
<p>You will not find anyplace else with better knowledge of college financial aid than the collective wisdom out here. And if you have a REALLY tough question (nuances the like of which you have not expressed so far), we would pull out the big guns and refer you to @kelsmom. 
I know you WANT there to be a way to either get someone else to pay your EFC or you to be able to borrow the full amount without involving your parents. You want a silver bullet, but one does not exist. You have heard the suggestions out here of what kinds of things people do (CC, getting high test scores to go to places with guaranteed full scholarships, attending in-state and taking gap years/semesters to pay if necessary are a few choices).</p>