<p>I have a big problem and I need to find a solution fast!!!!</p>
<p>I am currently enrolled at UC Berkeley, but when I looked at my financial aid offer, I misread the part about loans. My student loan is $5000 while my parents' is $20000. My parents are separating, my dad lost his job of one year and is living on social security disability, and my mom cannot be responsible for this expense. When we updated the financial aid office of our situation, (all of the numbers SHOULD have decreased our EFC but instead it increased it) our loans actually went down which is ridiculous. </p>
<p>I am responsible for my education, but there is no way I can afford it. I am thinking about going to community college and then transferring after a year. I am wondering is that possible? I have a great high school record (I was the valedictorian, multiple ecs, and was waitlisted to Harvard, Stanford, Princetown, and Georgetown), but I was wondering, since UC Berkeley doesn't allow students to defer their admission, would I even have a good chance of getting back into UC Berkeley or applying for admission to another school such as Brown or Georgetown? I just don't know what to do about the money situation, because even at those schools, they are less generous with financial aid to transfers, not to mention that the admission rates for transfers are so low!!!!!</p>
<p>I am very confused about how to pursue my education. If anyone has any ideas, that would be greatly appreciated : ]</p>