<p>I understand your desire to have more certainty now and to avoid applying to colleges that you will probably not attend.</p>
<p>Please realize, however, that you can learn a lot about what you want through the process of visiting and applying to various colleges and evaluating the offers.</p>
<p>The complication of a small business makes it difficult to be able to estimate any neef-based financial aid in advance. Except for colleges that offer guaranteed merit aid for stats, it is always difficult to predict merit aid. (For example, the U. of Richmond was recommended as one that is generous with merit aid, but it offered nothing to my D, with a 35 ACT, National Merit Finalist, 4.0 (5.1 weighted), three sports a year, president of three clubs, lots of service hours, visited campus). </p>
<p>Going through the process is probably necessary in order for you to be able to make the best decision from both financial and educational standpoints.</p>