<p>“I will look into the cost after I have narrowed down the universities; I do not really have a budget, but of course I will want the best deal.”</p>
<p>Please, please, please do not approach your college search this way!</p>
<p>Sit your parents (or whoever it is who will be helping you pay for your education) down and ask them how much they can afford. Can they pay $60,000 each year? Can they pay $30,000? Can they pay $5,000? Can they not afford to help you at all?</p>
<p>How do they feel about you working during your vacations and during the school year? How do they feel about student loans?</p>
<p>You need this number. It will determine how deep you will have to dig to come up with your financial safeties. Don’t be the author of one of the “I found a perfect school that I can’t afford” threads next spring.</p>