<p>I agree with Thumper. I might suggest that you take a week or so to actually do some research on colleges like sk8rmom suggests and put together a short list of colleges that are financially reasonable, likely to accept someone like you, where you might qualify for some automatic merit based aid and take that to your conversation as a starting point. I find it interesting that you claim that your parents won’t assist with the finances of colleges but also tell you that you can’t go to a community college for two years…there is a disconnect between your perception of your position and your parents. You need to get to the root cause.</p>
<p>Man this is soooo frustrating!</p>
<p>I already looked onto colleges and made sort of a list already…I even visted a couple already!</p>
<p>See my parents have no clue how any of this works…but darn, I had a few colleges in mind…I guess I’ll have to start looking again.</p>
<p>That’s fine (that you’ve done some research already). Just take those colleges and go spend some time on the financial aid pages of the website, look them up on the suggested finaid websites and search these forums to get an idea of how that particular college stacks up against your finaid needs. Make sure that your parents understand that you won’t be able to get federal loans unless they fill out the FAFSA and try to have a very open and adult conversation where they communicate what they are thinking you will be doing post high school and you communicate what you think you will be doing…somewhere in the middle of all that is your answer which will help you shape your list, but make sure you’ve done your “financial homework” before you start the conversation. You may be correct and maybe they do not understand how the system is set up and how it works…start with your own state schools and go from there.</p>
<p>Sorry Mr CA, but with your attitude (your parents OWE you this money) I wouldn’t be giving you a dime if you were my son either. Come to me with an understanding and appreciation of how hard I worked for the $50,000/year you want, and regret for not trying harder to qualify for merit scholarships when I had the chance, and we might be able to talk about funding a state college- perhaps with money I loan you, with loans forgiven if you work your tail off.</p>
<p>Whats the deal of going to a 40k school. Sorry dude but your stats arent USC material. Apply for a small CSU . CSU San Marcos, CSUCI, CSUMB,CSU SAC, CSUN. You still be getting a great educations for a quarter the price</p>
<p>If you really care about continuing your education, and your parents won’t help financially, perhaps you should consider attending CC and performing extremely well. Many students with limited budgets do this intentionally, then transfer to excellent undergraduate and eventually graduate schools. </p>
<p>CCs are coordinating programs with universities that realize this is a viable applicant pool. They know students attend CC for a variety of reasons. When you’re successful, nobody knows or cares where you spent your first two years of college.</p>
<p>I don’t think the OP is in California. Regardless the OP needs to do some research on costs and aid, then have a heart to heart with his parents to better understand his situation and his parents opinions on the situation.</p>
<p>OP, what state are you in and what do you want to study, if you know? Perhaps people could give you more targeted suggestions with a bit more info.</p>
<p>Alright, so I got this thing from Babson today and this is what it said.</p>
<p>“In 2008-2009, a typical needbased, financial aid package awarded to first-year students totaled $30,700. This typical package includes the following average components: $23,000 in Babson grants and scholarships, $2,000 in federal and state grants, $3,500 in federal and state loans, and $2,200 in federal work study.”</p>
<p>Okay so let me see if I can get this straight. </p>
<p>The 23k is the merit everyone is talking about, is that right? 23k seems a lot though for just a high SAT and GPA.</p>
<p>I think the 2k grant means that you don’t have to pay back, but where does one get that?</p>
<p>The 3.5k loans is the one I’m talking about right?</p>
<p>And the work-study…I thought it was through the school not federal…</p>
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<p>No. The quote you posted refers to need based aid. Need based aid is based on financial need - it is not the same as merit aid at all.</p>
<p>
Grants do not have to be paid back. The quote refers to students averaging $2k in federal or state grants. Your FAFSA EFC is how the school determines your eligibility for federal grants. If you are eligible for federal grants the school awards them to you as part of your financial aid award. Federal grants (such as the main grant, the Pell grant) are need based and go to the students with the lowest EFC (ie lowest parent incomes). An average of $2k does not mean *you *will be eligible for that. You may be eligible for less or more based on your EFC. You could be eligible for $0 Pell grant (for an EFC was over 4619 in the 2009-2010 school year) anywhere up to $5350 (the maximum Pell for the 2009-2010 school year requiring an EFC of 0 - requires a very low income). Most other federal grants require pell eligibility so if you are not Pell eligible you will not get other federal grants. </p>
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Work study is a federal need based aid program. You can only get it is you have financial need as determined by your FAFSA efc and the cost of your school. It is awarded and operated through the school but largely funded by federal funds. (something like 66-70% of the WS wage is paid by federal funding).</p>
<p>You have to realize that the ‘average need based aid’ is just that - an average. You must have financial need to be awarded need based aid. some people will get none, others will get more. Your financial aid is based on your (your parents) financial information.</p>
<p>Ahh this is sooo confusing.</p>
<p>So that 30.7k is the average of how much money a student with financial need got.</p>
<p>So the 30.7k does not pertain to students who did not meet the financial aid requirement or whatever right?</p>
<p>And also everyone is saying do your homework, do your research. By that do they mean like researching your EFC? What else should I be looking at right now?</p>
<p>mr. california…I don’t know what state you are from…but you should look at YOUR instate public universities also. The costs of attending these can be significantly less than attending many private schools (exception being schools that meet full need…but even then the SCHOOL computes your need…not you). </p>
<p>I asked this question before and you didn’t answer. What DO your parents anticipate you will be doing when you graduate from high school? Perhaps this is a discussion you should be having with them. Surely they don’t want you sitting around their house doing nothing.</p>
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<p>You posted this on another thread. I would suggest that you discuss finances at each of these schools. Will your parents be accompanying you to these college visits. This was posted on July 23…how did that first visit go?</p>
<p>Whether you are eligible for NEED based anything is totally dependant on your parents income and reources. Their willingness to pay does not enter into the equation (otherwise everyone would have 0 EFC).</p>
<p>Merit aid generally requires excellent grades and test scores. A school that gives you a small partial merit grant but still requires big loans is a diploma mill.</p>
<p>Do your parents expect to have you attend a top school without paying anything? That is not a realistic expectaton with your stats unless they are poor.</p>
<p>You and your parents will need to fill out one of the financial aid estimators (tons of links on threads) which will give you an idea of what your expected family contrituion will be. One problem you absolutely need to understand is that if your parents will not fill out the FAFSA then you will not be eligible for Federal Aid and on top of that many colleges also require it for scholarships, etc. Some schools also require an additional form called the Profile. Whether or not your parents ultimately help fund your college or not, filling out this form or these forms will be integral to your situation. Figuring out what your expected family contribution will be in a very good first step to really understanding what colleges or universities you will be competitive for. So, with your EFC, your GPA and your ACT or SAT scores you can start to figure out which colleges will fit you best financially.</p>
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<p>It is the average for the entire student body. Some students will get more if they have higher need. Some will get less if they have less need. Some will get nothing if they have no need at all.</p>
<p>It is all based on your EFC. You can get a rough estimate of your FAFSA EFC by using the FAFSA forecaster here
[FAFSA4caster</a> - Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/F4CApp/index/index.jsf]FAFSA4caster”>http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/F4CApp/index/index.jsf)
This requires you parent financial information and your own.</p>
<p>Some schools (especially those that give generous aid from their own funds) also require CSSprofile which requires even more information. Babson does require css.</p>
<p>To the OP,
What year are you?</p>
<p>His Chance Me thread says he is a senior in Rhode Island.</p>
<p>Going into 12th.</p>
<p>And for the people asking where I live, I’ve spit out a couple different states in my posts cause I want to keep my identity a secret…but my state schools aren’t that great…</p>
<p>I think I saw a website with a list of major schools and their like financial aid cut off or something, is it out there or am I just crazy?</p>
<p>Honestly, nearly all schools aren’t going to give you enough money to let you go there without some parental help in paying unless you have some truly extraordinary life story.</p>
<p>You could do the ROTC option though. In exchange for 6-8 years of military service after you graduate, your college costs are pretty much completely covered. It’s definitely not for everyone, and certainly not a walk in the park, but it is a viable option for going to college, not to mention having a “job” right after you graduate.</p>
<p>mr. california…your college bills will need to be paid somehow. Families hold a responsibility…including yourself. You may qualify for merit aid if your stats are over the 75%ile of admitted students at a particular school. Merit aid is based on the STRENGTH of your school performance in high school AND your standardized test scores. You may be eligible for some need based aid…your parents WILL need to complete the financial aid application forms in order for you to be considered for this.</p>
<p>In any event…unless your family has a very low income, you will likely not get enough need based aid to fund a year’s costs at a four year residential college.</p>
<p>You, yourself, say you will likely not qualify for merit aid as you say your stats aren’t that strong.</p>
<p>You also say your instate public university isn’t all that terrific. Perhaps that is the case, but it may be the most economical choice if you want to attend a four year residential school.</p>
<p>If you will be paying for your education in total, I would suggest you go to a community college, live at home and work part time. Do this for two years and SAVE ANY MONEY YOU CAN SAVE. Take all of your general education requirements. Check to see which four year schools your community college has articulation agreements with (that means that you and your coursework will transfer to these schools with no difficulty). After you finish your general ed courses, transfer to the four year school and finish your bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>BUT first…TALK TO YOUR PARENTS…and discuss life after high school…what your goals are and how or if they are able to help you financially to attain those goals.</p>