I already discussed the fact that I never wanted to stay in Texas for college. Whenever I tell anyone this they always ask how I was going to afford that. College tuition prices have gotten out of control lately. My college tuition alone is around $70,000 and adding all the cost of living to it, my total would be around $100,000. That is before aid. Had I stayed in Texas and chose UT Austin, my total cost of attendance would have been about $30,000 a year, but I would get no aid at all. 

After aid, the cost to attend Wellesley is only $29,000. That is a better education for a better price. I’ve always wanted a liberal arts education so this is truly a blessing and dream come true. So how did I do it? 

There’s really no secret to it. I just qualified for enough aid. My college does not do merit scholarships, so there wasn’t much I could do. When I got the letter of financial aid back I saw that I was offered a good amount of money, but it wasn’t enough to warrant me choosing Wellesley over UT Austin. But, I knew myself enough to know I would be miserable at such a large university and decided to see if I could get any more financial aid. 

My family situation has changed dramatically since the last fiscal year, which is the year colleges use to determine financial aid. I told the office as much. I explained, in detail, all the financial hardships and potential hardships we would be facing. And…voila. I am going to one of the most expensive colleges in America for the cost of my state school. 

I have more plans to help alleviate the costs, though. I have plans to become a Resident Assistant or RA to help with the housing fees. RA’s typically don’t have to pay for housing, get meals covered, and even get a stipend. The stipend doesn’t get factored into the next year’s financial aid either. 

It’s obviously a huge blessing to be able to go to Boston and study there, so I have to play my part in affording my education. I am so incredibly beyond excited about this and cannot wait for the next four years, Go Blue!