Sorry @JoshV523, I’m going to address the cost issue that may not affect you. @Gumbymom and @mom2collegekids know this issue all too well for the UCs.
@Molisha, the COA for students always seems to be surprising come March/April when people get admitted and can’t attend because they can’t pay. They are lined up at the counseling/advising office trying to apply, late, for non-existent scholarships.
“Focusing on how to get it” wont work, after the fact, because the best aid comes from the university itself, then the parents’ loans. Most university monies are reserved for athletes, high merit, and URM candidates. Then, the money is gone. Private scholarships give you maybe a couple thousand, once. How will that cover the rest, for four years?
We often had students, in tears, because they got into their schools but were surprised that their parents couldn’t pay. The parents are often shocked at how much the costs of college have risen. Most haven’t planned nor saved any money for their children (assuming wrongly, that their kids can work their way through college like they did.)
If the uni’s can’t offer you a dime, what good does it do to get in? Californians don’t mind; we know we have GREAT schools. We’ll take your quarter of a million to attend school out here. Our state needs the money, but dont say you didn’t know what it costs.