<p>Before you get all tied up in knots…what sort of income do your mom and stepmom have? It is possible that you don’t have a favorable need based aid possibility even without your dad…or even with your dad with a lower income.</p>
<p>Most I oortant thing you need to know…how much will your family pay for you to attend college? How much? For,get the forms for a moment. Get that number…because that is your bottom line budget.</p>
<p>P.S. You mention CMU and Caltech in some other posts…I believe. Your chances of financial,aid,are the same at those schools…perhaps less so…than at MIT. These are Profile schools too.</p>