I’m in high school, 9th grade, and I need money for college. I plan to go to UC Berkeley and live off campus with a relative. I need enough money for all 4 years, which is about $96,360 according to their website. I know scholarships and financial aid is only for high school seniors, but what can I do as a freshman for college money?
Have a realistic talk with your family, who are first in line to pay for college. Find out how much they are willing to pay/borrow for college
If you are not from California the California public colleges have no aid for OOS students
Do your best in school grades 10/111 so that you are a viable candidate for admissions
Make sure that you and your family plan some affordable options
It will be more money by 4 years from now. If you end up having the stats to get into Berkeley, and your family can’t afford much, Berkeley only makes sense if you live in California. You could have other excellent, maybe more affordable choices, too.
I commend you for starting to think of college finances early, as it is the biggest stumbling block for most students. But know that by far the most money in aid (need based and merit aid) comes from the colleges themselves. Focus your attention on very good grades in rigorous classes, good test scores, and accomplishments in ECs you enjoy. Don’t focus on one school. Do those things, and you will have a range of good choices.
Let’s start with the basics.
1.are you from CA?
- What is your parent income? How much can they pay for college each year?
What do,you need to do NOW as a ninth grader? You need to get tippy top grades. And a strong SAT or ACT score when the time comes.
And you need to broaden your thinking…even for very strong CA residents, Berkeley is a very competitive schools for admission.
Especially if you need significant aid, you need to open your mind to other options…so…start looking. Now. You will need too cast a broad and wide net!
Are you a calif resident? Living with a relative will not give you residency. You have health issues, presumably you’re on your parents insurance, is that correct
It is way too early to think about specific colleges (especially the hyper-competitive ones). You don’t even have one full year’s GPA and you have no standardized testing. On top of that you have a major health issue that needs to be handled and how far away you want to go from your doctors may be an important consideration in your choice of a college.
When the time comes you will need to asses your health along with your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. If you are out of state then CA public schools will likely not be a feasible fiscal option. You need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.