<p>My top choice for colleges is elon. If i went to that school, it would cost around $35,000 a year, including room and board. I only have a 3.2 gpa, so i doubt i will be able to get a lot of outside scholarships. My parents are lower middle class, so they arent going to be giving me any money for college. I filled out the fafsa forecaster, and it didnt predict that i would get much money. I know elon is a relatively competitive school, and im worried that if i dont apply for early decision i wont get in. However, im also worried that if i apply for early decison and get in, i wont have enough money to pay for school- even with loans. from what ive seen so far, loans will only cover $4,000-5,000. </p>
<p>so, what should i do? do i apply to my dream school, and risk the financial situation? do i just apply under regular decision and risk not getting in?</p>
<p>oh, and i forgot to mention, i cant get a job because monday thru thursday i take classes after school at a community college. and saturday and sunday i volunteer at the hospital.</p>
<p>If you really are lower middle class then you should be getting some aid to attend a school with such a high tuition. Maybe you did something wrong when you were filling out the FAFSA forecaster. How is it you were able to fill that out anyway? My daughter couldn’t have done it because she didn’t have the information that she would have needed.</p>
<p>You won’t be able to apply anywhere early decision if you have to consider financial aid packages. What if you are accepted at Elon but the aid you get isn’t very good? Maybe one of the other schools you apply to that will really give you a good package. That scenario happens all the time. You need to money so there is no choice here.</p>
<p>We can’t always do what we really want. As I’ve read here before, I’d love to take a grand vacation every year but if I don’t have the money for it, I simply can’t do it.</p>
<p>I don’t know the intricacies of applying Early Decision; I have read on these boards, though, that you really do need to consider the financial implications of that choice. You should search for some of those threads and read up.</p>
<p>I’d also give some serious consideration to finding good match schools that you CAN afford to attend.</p>
<p>Someone has to pay for your college education. There is no “college fairy” out there. If you really can’t afford Elon, do NOT apply ED. In fact, if you REALLY can’t afford Elon, you might want to apply to a bunch of schools you CAN afford and apply to Elon as a financial reach. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but if you can’t afford to buy something, you can’t afford it…period.</p>
<p>Elon requires PROFILE and FAFSA. Give them a try to see how much you may get. As another poster mentions, your family is NOT lower middle class if you are the calculators are giving you a high EFC. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, Elon does not guarantee, nor does meet 100% of need. If you have financial need, you should have a few schools on your list that do meet need and do not give out a lot in loans. You need to cast a wide net when you are looking for money. Not an problem to put Elon on your list; but you should have some alternatives including some financial safeties. That may mean commuting, in state schools, schools that Momfromtexas suggests on her thread on full ride scholarships.</p>
<p>Like msmayor said…I always see students come on here who really, really want to go to colleges that their families cannot afford. College is like anything else in life – a home, a vacation, a car. Some people can afford 2010 BMWs and other people can only afford a 2005 Honda. The similarity, though, is that a Honda is a really good car and will do the exact same thing as a BMW – get you from point A to point B. So it is with college degrees – some of them are flashier than others, and if you are applying to the top 5% of jobs in the nation I guess it makes a difference. But you don’t have to go to an expensive college to get a good job and live a happy life.</p>
<p>Look at some public in-state universities and universities/college at which you are in the top 25% of applicants. The general rule is, if you are at the top of the applicant pool, you are much more likely to be offered merit scholarships than if you are in the middle or the bottom. External scholarships are even harder because everyone, nationally, can apply for them, and with a 3.2 you’re likely to be somewhere in the middle.</p>
<p>What is tough for people to understand is that there are colleges that will meet 100% of need, there are scholarships that will pay COA, there are schools that are free or nearly so. The problem is that you have to qualify for those spots and they are not guaranteed at all. If you can’t find one of those categories, you have to come up with something else.</p>
<p>Krissy, I would first lose the “dream school” mentality. It’s a good school, but it may be turn into a nightmare if the finances don’t work! Apply if you wish, but also consider your affordable choices for the first two years. If Elon offers transfer scholarships and you keep your GPA up, there’s a much better chance you’ll be able to afford to graduate there if you start small. I don’t think there’s anything worse than starting at a school where you accumulate so much debt you’re unable to finish any degree.</p>
<p>Also, you have to be practical and prioritize. If you need to be working to earn money for college, do you have to take classes after school and volunteer every weekend? How about online classes, and letting go of some other things in order to make your college dream a reality? By the time you’re a senior, things will be getting pretty expensive and a job is an important EC as well.</p>