<p>OK , so a friend suggested this site to me and I feel as though this section is the right one to post this on. I'm going into my junior year in high school and am really starting to wake up and realizing what is in store for me. I am really worried as to how I'm going to cover for college because my family isn't exactly the rich kind. I'm not a genius but I am hoping to get something at the very least to help me continue my journey towards being a computer programmer in the future. I am really trying to figure out where do I go and how do I deal with the giant cash amount floating over my head. I already have a job but the money is going to funding my contacts and things for school. Where do I go?</p>
<p>Give us some information: your state of residence, gpa, test scores, how much are your parents able to pay, what kind of school are you interested in (eg. large public, region of country, etc.).</p>
<p>Also, have you run any of the Net Price Calculators?</p>
<p>[Net</a> Price Calculator | College Board - Net Price Calculator for Students](<a href=“Net Price Calculator (NPC) Participating Schools | Education Professionals – College Board”>http://studentnpc.collegeboard.org/)</p>
<p>Since you have some time, it would be good to get your parents involved and educated about how need based FA and merit scholarships work. There are many good books and I like the finaid.org website for general information.</p>
<p>I live in New Jersey. I have an unweighted GPA of 3.419. As for a area, I would very much prefer it be somewhere near me so that I don’t have a long distance to travel. As for how much my parents can cover, its hard to say as right now they are in a bit of a gamble as to whether theu are forced into buying a new car, or investing more money into the current one to keep it running. I am currently studying now over the summer C++ to get a head start. I am enrolled in an IB computer science class for this year. I haven’t used a net calculator although I think tonight I will definitely sit down with my parents on the matter.</p>
<p>Definitely use a net price calculator to figure out your expected family contribution (EFC) as soon as possible. You need to realize that you’re probably going to get the largest amount of money from the school you attend and private schools will offer more money. There are plenty of private schools out there that will offer scholarships to students with less than 3.5 gpa. Chances are that you will also qualify for need based aid. What’s important is start looking at schools that are the most likely to provide you with the best financial aid while providing your major and good chance at graduation. </p>
<p>Like entomom says, there are a lot of resources available. Start by reading the FAQ for this forum. I also the think if you’re only going to get one book, get The College Solution. It gives a good explanation of the entire process.</p>
<p>Absolutely the most important thing for you at this point is standardized test scores, PSAT, ACT, & SAT. These will be a big determiner of merit aid possibilities and admission possibilities for the most generous colleges. Take these tests seriously and prepare for them.</p>