A recent study showed that seven out of ten high school students say that the economy has affected which colleges they’ve applied to. While economic concerns are certainly valid, you shouldn’t sacrifice applying to your dream school simply because you might not be able to afford it. Financial aid is still available, you’ll just have to work harder to find it.

Aim for the Stars
When I started applying to schools, my parents made sure that I knew about our money situation. Fortunately for me, my parents had started saving for my education shortly after I was born. Most are not this lucky. While the money they’d saved wouldn’t cover my entire education, it was certainly a good start and made it easy for me to take finances off my list of worries, in favor of fretting over whether or not I’d be accepted.

The advice I was given was simple: aim for the stars, but have a back-up plan. I applied to my dream schools first, followed by my second choices and safety schools (these were just-in-case options). I found that several of the schools I’d been accepted to were offering some aid up front, while others came with student loan information.

Loans can be tricky, and I definitely don’t recommend getting into massive amounts of debt. A few friends of mine are firmly established in their lives and careers, but still have loans hanging over their heads from decades before.

Apply Early and Often
The unfortunate truth of the matter that even in this economy, lots of financial aid goes unclaimed. By applying for scholarships often, you can stay abreast of newly offered aid and find niche scholarships. Dedicate some time every month to applying for aid; you might be surprised at you find.