[internetwarfare]

Ok, Imma try making as much sense of this as possible...so please bare with me and dun be afraid to ask questions if ur confused.

If u dun wanna know the back story just skip to the bottom where my question is...
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Ok, So I guess I'm a lower class mexican kid, my dad is on disability so my mom basically supports 4 kids. 2 are under the age of 18. I did REALLY..and I mean REALLY bad freshman and sophmore years but did better junior year. This upcomming senior year I intend on getting nothing lower than 3.8 gpa and continuing with Mock Trial and the Red Cross club in my school. I also wanna join atleast 3 more clubs this year.

I told my counsler that I wanted to go to a CSU or UC and he told me that the only way I can do it is if I go to community college for 2 years and excel there then transfer to finish off my remaining 2 years of school. He told me that because of my situation and old grades, my doing good this year will open the doors to lots of scholorships that would pay for tuition.

I really wanna move down to San Diego to pursue either Law, cooking, or something else. After HS, I will most likely end up staying here a year saving up the money to move down and support myself until I find a steady job.

And now my question....

I know theres financial aid that pays for school, but is there aid that pays living costs like housing, food, etc.?
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Sorry if the answer is really obvious, its hard making the question short enough for google. If yes, Can you please post links to where I can get more info?

[MONICA]

my financial aid covers more than the tuition, so the rest is basically for housing and dining. my parents still have to pay for some of it, but it's only a couple thousand compared to the estimated cost of attendnce of 49,000. oh yeah and there's always work study and loans that you can get.

[internetwarfare]

Another Question.

How much is the typical ammount for Finacial Aid given? I know it varies with each person, but how much would be considered the norm?

[joogrlpekaun]

Well, it sounds like you'd be eligible for more than average based on need, anyway. There really isn't a straightforward average amount, especially since there're various forms aid can take and the combinations are pretty diverse--not to mention the amount of demonstrated need can vary a hell of a lot. Oh, and then some schools guarantee to meet all demonstrated need while others do not.

For more specific financial aid info, you should check out the websites of the places you want to apply to if you are planning to apply senior year.

[litoxshortaii]

you should also check out fastweb.com, if you havent alrdy hrd abt it.. you can find a lot of scholarships available there in addition to the financial aid.

[MONICA]

Another Question.

How much is the typical ammount for Finacial Aid given? I know it varies with each person, but how much would be considered the norm?

i don't really think there is a norm for financial aid. it depends on the school, income, area that you live in, etc.

[Vienne]

The estimated costs that colleges give out (privates around 40,000+, instate like 16,000 for me at least) include the cost of tuition and books and living expenses. If you get fin aid it should be to help you cover all of those expenses.

And the avg fin aid really does vary a lot. Call whatever schools you are interested in and ask about it.