Question about after filing FAFSA??

Paying for College
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<p>Saint Mary’s is co-ed, not all women. Perhaps you have it confused with Mills College in Oakland. Saint Mary’s is nice, but it does not meet full need. It will also require you to live in the dorms freshman year, which is very expensive. Saint Mary’s does not accept financial hardship as an excuse not to live in the dorms. I know a very low income girl (0 EFC) who was excited about going to Saint Mary’s until she realized that they would require her to live in the dorms her freshman year. All of a sudden she was looking at having to borrow over $20k for her first year of college. She turned them down and went to SF State.</p>

<p>If you want to stay in the area and you do not get in to Cal Poly SLO, consider applying to Sonoma State. It’s a beautiful campus, and much smaller than your usual CSU. Another local option is CSU Monterey Bay. You could also look at San Jose State and San Francisco State, but they are huge. It is, of course, too late to apply for fall, but you could apply later.</p>

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<p>Unless you have incredible stats and qualify for full tuition (maybe 1/2 tuition) scholarships - I would think private schools would be very difficult for someone with an EFC of zero without taking large loans and even with taking them. There are always more expenses than what is listed. (Class fees, fraternity fees, etc)</p>

<p>State schools/ federal and state grants - can almost get you there depending on where you live.</p>

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<p>“Incredible stats” aren’t necessary to get significant merit aid at private schools. You just have to have stats that are high for that particular school. There are lots of schools out there, and they’re not all Ivies. It’s just a question of matching the right kid to the right school.</p>