<p>Yes, sometimes, you can cut costs and go for lower than the COA numbers, but usually not freshman year if you are living in the dorms and often have a mandatory minimum food plan. Also, you don’t know the ropes and how things work at any given college, so you are not going to get the best deals. Upper classmen tend to be savvier, and yes, many of them can really cut the cost down low, being stuck only for the tuition payments. </p>
<p>How much do you need to contribute to go t Hampden Sydney? It’s always what you have to pay, and that includes loans and work study–don’t subtract those numbers from the cost, that is bottom line.</p>