Your younger cousin Mary is a rising senior in high school this year and has been researching the cost of attendance at several colleges. She emails you because she knows that you have just learned about paying for college and she has some serious concerns. Here are some excerpts from her email: -“I’ve been looking at the published costs of attendance on college websites, and they’re insanely high! There’s no way my family and I can afford such prices.”

-“I know financial aid is available for students, but I don’t know what types there are, let alone how to apply for financial aid. Even if I knew how to apply, should I apply? I don’t think I’ll qualify and I don’t want to put in all that work for nothing.”

You recognize that Mary has a few misconceptions and gaps in knowledge about how to pay for college and want to make sure that she makes a decision based on the right information. In 1-2 paragraphs, respond to Mary about each of her concerns.