WILL STUDY FOR FOOD!

        One of the most distressing topics that comes up in the discussion of what I will do next year, is the discussion of financial aid for university.  Sadly, a person like me will have much trouble paying for a top university, because they are so expensive.  My top choice for university is
the University of California, Los Angeles, and in general, the cost for food, tuition, books (and lab supplies), and housing totals around $32,563, which I will need to get most of outside of the home, because of my two younger siblings, medical bills and teacher wages.  So, I will probably need to raise $32,000, through scholarships, government aid, jobs, and (wince) student loans.  Sadly, I will not be able to work until summer, at least, due to the massive work load that I have through school and the plethora of activities that I take part in on and off campus.  I could back off on these for work, but that might jeopardize my chances of getting into university, and it would be throwing away chances for me to take the classes in high school which help me learn, which would not be advantageous, as I would be going to school and making money so that I could learn, even though I am squandering my current set of resources.  The FAFSA should get me a small amount of government aid, but it will not be an abundance of it, because I am a middle class citizen.  This leaves me two options: scholarships, and student loans.  Student loans will be my last resort choice for paying for college, as they just leave you with a life long burden to bear, and they will just grow if you decide to go to graduate school to better equip you to pay them off.  So, I will need to pay for college largely through scholarships.  Some scholarships that I have been looking at are the Elks Scholarship, the local Chamber of Commerce scholarship, and, because my parents teach at a public school, the CTA scholarship.  I think I have a good chance with these, but I will need to get much more money in order to go to college.