<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I applied for the fall 2010 semester at SUNY Stony Brook as an out-of-state resident and received full tuition. However, this left me with the burden of $15,000 to match the cost of attendance, and from my understanding $15k/year is a ridiculous amount of debt to place oneself in for a bachelor's degree.</p>
<p>The counselors at my high school told me that my 34 on my ACT would get me full ride to Utah State, so I figured that they would be my back-up school. However, I discovered that the amount was only guaranteed if I applied by priority, and thus I only ended up with about $3k in Stafford loans as aid, with an expected cost of attendance of $25k.</p>
<p>My EFC is $11k.</p>
<p>So, sadly, I feel as though my mistakes in understanding the process will force me to delay my college attendance. I was wondering if you had any pointers as to whether I should start college in spring 2011 or fall 2011. Is there as much financial aid available in the spring? Will I have to really tweak my schedule around to be on the same page as other students? </p>
<p>Thank you for your time.</p>