<p>In the letter, it states the estimated cost of attendance is $53,768. Total financial aid is $39,594. Our EFC is $14,174.</p>
<p>You know, I really believe in not expecting a handout like you deserve it, so in the end it is fine. It’s not meant to be. I believe that in God and that he does have a plan for us, and knows where my daughter should be. It was just hard getting the package and having our expectations be so high. In retrospect, I should have just been more careful–but then again, it’s hard not to get your hopes up–maybe that is just part of the process.</p>
<p>There is a happy ending though. I had her go back and look at all her offers one more time. She had been offered a Regent’s from UCSB, but never logged in to see the full offer. Other UC schools had given her the Regents but the rest were loans–so she assumed it would be the same story at UCSB. But lo and behold, it was a full-ride offer! And without work study or any loans–except a $5000 loan to over our EFC. Ha! And it even included money for cell phone expenses! We couldn’t believe it.</p>