<p>Hello. I'm a senior applying to Va Tech, VCU, and ODU in VA. My parents make around $35k a year so I am hoping to receive enough financial aid to attend one of these schools if I am accepted. I have a 3.74 GPA unweighted but low SAT scores since I have only been in the US for 3.5 years (I am a citizen though). I have been taking advanced and AP classes and will most likely have around 24-27 credits for college.</p>
<p>Is anyone familiar with any of these schools' financial aid that can tell me if I will be able to afford the school if I receive the full amount of loans and grants? If not, I am unsure of how I will attend college. My parents are moving to an area about 50 miles away from Northern VA after I graduate because of my dad's work, so my back up plan to commute to ODU kind of gets messed up. Any advice on what I can do if I can't get enough financial aid? Thank you for your time.</p>
<p>Have you tried the net price calculators for each school? That would give you a pretty good estimate of what aid you would receive. (Do an internet search for “net price calculator” and the name of each school.) Also, is there a 4-year school to which you could commute? I know GMU has several campuses and University of Mary Washington is in Fredericksburg. They’re both public 4-year colleges that might be close enough to commute. </p>
<p>If you can’t get enough financial aid, you could attend a community college because it would be less expensive. If you get a high enough gpa in the right courses there, you could transfer to UVA which guarantees to meet full need of instate students but you need to double-check to see if that includes transfer students.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply, I will look into the net price calculators more and try to compare what is given to me. </p>
<p>I am unsure about commuting - I don’t have a license since I don’t have anyone to teach me… only my dad drives but he works when I am not in school. That could probably be worked around though, I just don’t know if it’s in time for college. I was planning on taking public transportation or using friends to get to ODU if I had to commute there, so I feel somewhat unprepared for this sudden change in plans.</p>
<p>We will be moving somewhere around Winchester VA. GMU’s closest campus is in Loudoun - about 45 minutes away. Is driving the only way to get to GMU from Winchester, meaning my parents would have to figure out how to get another car? As far as community college goes, I will have credit for Biology, Chemistry, Government, US History, European History, English, Spanish, Calc AB and BC, Physics, and Computer Science all taken care of. So I never really planned on going there because of all the AP exams I am taking or already have taken (and gotten 4 or 5 on). What would a community college be like with all of these classes already taken care of?</p>
<p>Also my intended major is Computer Engineering or Computer Science, so Va Tech is my top choice.</p>
<p>^^^
You really need to plan on working this summer and earning as much as you can. That may be hard if you’ll be moving this summer. You’re going to have to figure out how to cover the gaps. Your parents won’t likely be able to pay any gaps.</p>
<p>I think Loudon may have a very limited number of undergraduate courses. You need to check with them. </p>
<p>The commute may be really hard. I think you would need to take the VRE to get to Northern Virginia and then you get a George Mason shuttle from Burke to the Fairfax County campus. </p>
<p>It looks like there may be a bus called the Cross-County Connector (and another one with a slightly different route called the OmniBus) from Woodbridge. It looks like you can take the Cross-County Connector to the Manassas Mall and catch a GMU shuttle to the Prince William campus. I’m giving you the links but you need to call the school shuttle office. </p>
<p>I’ve been to all these places but not on public transportation and it may be a really long commute and the VRE might end up being rather expensive. Is there any way your father can drop you off in the morning and pick you up in the evening? You can spend your ‘down’ time studying and doing a work-study. </p>
<p>Frankly, I think your best option is to work and save some money. Hopefully, you will be admitted with enough aid to VaTech. Also, check your guidance office for local scholarships and apply to every single one you can find. That might help your first year.</p>
<p>Depending in which side of Winchester, you may want to apply to JMU, as well. Not sure of public transportation options, but you may find other students commuting. </p>
<p>Also, with the grant and merit aid from universities varying widely, maximizing your opportunities for aid by applying to a greater # of schools could be a good option.</p>
<p>If you will be in Winchester, check out [Shenandoah</a> University - Curiosity Required](<a href=“http://www.su.edu/]Shenandoah”>http://www.su.edu/) I don’t know about the aid situation there, but it might be easier to commute to.</p>
<p>I’ve been applying to seasonal jobs casually over the past few weeks, and will try to secure one somehow to save money during my last months in this area.</p>
<p>KatMT, thank you. I’m starting to look into more schools in VA. Definitely going to add at least one school between JMU and GMU (or both if I can get app fees waived) and hopefully I can find some commuting options there too if that becomes an issue.</p>
<p>2collegwego, not sure if you meant to post another link but I couldn’t find any info about the VRE near Winchester or Loudoun.</p>
<p>happmomof1, thank you for the link to Shenandoah. I am applying for Computer Engineering or Comp Sci, and don’t see any Engineering info on their site. But this made me realize I haven’t looked into smaller colleges in the area at all, so thank you for pointing me in that direction.</p>