This, of course, is often the biggest make-or-break. Which schools can you afford?
For the many, many high school seniors who have not earned academic or athletic scholarships and whose families can’t afford full tuition, financial aid packages are a big deal. Fill out the FAFSA and wait patiently until March, when the majority of schools send out their offers. In the meantime, find out how much aid you need, discuss with your parents how much they can contribute, and look into student loans.
Plan ahead: Is a private school over a public one worth the extra 10 years of loan payments? How much do your favorite universities give on average, and to what percent of the student population? Do you need a certain test score or grade point average to qualify for academic grants?
Look into work-study options on campus. If you don’t qualify for that, are there other job opportunities for students? Don’t forget that tuition, room, and other academic extras (read: hundreds of dollars in textbooks each semester) aren’t the only costs of college. You’ll want to do other things: participate in Greek life perhaps, study abroad, or play intramural sports.
