<p>amcantu, using the IB mantra of my rank is low because the AP kids don’t work won’t get you anywhere. You posted a rank of 49 at one point. Was that from after your Soph year? Wasn’t that before you started the IB diplomae program or were you in an IB program in 9th and 10th grade? If you weren’t in IB 9th and 10th, you were taking the same classes as the AP kids at your school, No? And you ranked 49. Looks to me like IB only helped you pull up your rank, not lower it. </p>
<p>Like many posters said, you do need to have a heart to heart talk with your parents. They don’t owe it to you to tell you their income or their expenses. That’s their information to share or not as they see fit. What you do need to try to get from them is 1) how much do you think you can contribute yearly to my total cost of education including plane fares, tuition, books, etc. 2) Would you consider taking out any loans to help finance college and if so how much total? 3) Would you cosign any loans for me. Remember, even if you want to, you can’t take out much per year as an 18 year old with no cosigner and this could negatively impact the credit rating of whoever cosigns for you.</p>
<p>Have your parents go to finaid.org. There are two financial aid calculators. One is for FAFSA (govt method used more frequently by state schools) and one is for PROFILE (instituional method used more frequently by private schools). They don’t need to tell you their income. They can use these themselves and just tell you the EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Given your URM status, IB diploma, geography, and level of ECs, some need only schools may be willing to “tweak” things to give you more money (costs more to fly from your area so we’ll count $1500 per trip, etc.). However, that will only give you a small boost of a few thousand so if they are able to up it $4000 and your EFC is $22,000 that may get you in a range you and your parents can come up wtih. If your EFC is $40,000, the little bit of tweaking they do may not help. </p>
<p>And then, back to drawing board for you. Don’t necessarily give up on all your dream schools, just cut back because your dream schools are mostly need based only. You mentioned Tufts in some previous posts so keep it and one or two other need based on the list. Must be something you would be more than willing to go into debt for. You say you love your safety so that is great. George Washington gives merit aid and you say you are applying there. You may or may not be in line for a scholarship there but go for it anyway. Can you come up with a smaller school closer to home you wouldn’t mind going to if you could get it in the right price range? What about Austin College in Sherman or St. Mary’s in San Antonio? Some outside scholarships only allow you to use the money instate so having a second Texas school would be a good idea just so you have some choices come April. And look at LACS in the midwest. They tend to have merit aid more frequently and your geography could give you a boost. Don’t give up. Just readjust your mind. Your situation is what it is. Take the hand you have been given and play it as aggresively as you can. Fortunately, you do have a safety that could produce a great education, in a fun city, with lots of name cache for after college connections if you choose to stay in Texas. While disappointing, that is not a bad position to be in.</p>