Paying for college

Slytherclaw12
Sun, 15 Jun 2014 23:19:32 +0000

Forgive me if I’m posting this in the wrong place, but I haven’t been to this section of CC.

So I’ve seen on a lot of people’s posts, some parents responding saying “have you talked to your parents about what they can afford?” And I just wanted to say I have, numerous times. I tried to get my parents to fill out NPCs to find out what our EFC is, and I could figure out how much financial aid I could get, but they simply won’t do it. (I am a rising junior if that matters.) Now I am only asking them these questions so I can figure out where I should apply. My parents want me to apply wherever I feel like I would most fit in and we would worry about the money later. Normally, I would feel good about this but I can’t help worry. What if I get into my dream school and we find out we can’t pay? I’d rather just not apply at all. So I guess what I’m really asking is, do you think it’s crucial to know what I can afford and apply to colleges based on that, or should I apply to colleges because I like them, and worry about the money later? Of course I will probably be doing that anyway, but I just wanted to see what others thought. Also, I don’t really know how much financial aid we will be receiving, but I have two younger brothers (they’re twins) in private school, and we’re receiving financial aid for them. I think my parents’ combined income is ~110K but they’ve never told me so I don’t actually know. My mom also says “we can hope that you’ll get scholarships, but you never know.” I’m African American if that matters…I just don’t know what to do! Should I even be remotely interested in pricier colleges? Thanks in advance for all your help!