<p>But this seems so hard to figure out in advance. We can <em>say</em> we think we can contribute 5K but circumstances can arise to alter that. We got hit this year with some unexpected medical and home costs that took away everything and left us a bit in debt. Each year is different. Also, my son is a highly motivated worker and he can earn a lot of money during the summer if he needs to, so I don’t want to rule out certain schools. The schools that seemed impossible (like CMU, which has poor f. aid) are off the list. The schools that are close-though they might be out of reach in the end-stay on the list.</p>