<p>the Ivy Leagues only offer need-based aid; not merit at all. so if your efc is low, then you’ll get a lot of aid. considering that your mom is willing to pay for a top school (which is quite expensive to attend), you might not get a lot of aid. but your mom may just want you to go to a top school so badly that she will somehow find a way to send you there. to get a clear picture of how much aid you’ll get, calulate you efc. there are some efc calculators available online: look on collegeboard.com of <a href=“http://finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml[/url]”>http://finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml</a>. look at both the fed methology and institutional. most private colleges use the institutional, so you might want to pay close attention to that.
if you really have a school you want to go to and money is an issue, try applying for some outside scholarships.<br>
there are some good private colleges that offer merit aid. just research. i don’t know them off the top of my head.</p>