@riverpack17 Congratulations! <:-P
Thank you
@hafamama - with regard to outside scholarships. I was at admitted student days this weekend. The FA Director discussed this specifically. Any outside aid first goes to reduce your “self-help” requirements. So, your assumption is absolutely correct, loans and work study get reduced first. If your outside scholarships exceed the self-help, they will reduce your need based first.
In my example, my DS received a $1000 outside scholarship. So, for his freshman year, he can reduce his loan amount by that much or not have to work as many hours.
As a side note, work study is an option, not mandatory. The estimate is based on working 15 hours per week. The money goes to the student for them to spend as needed.