<prompt> Human: Hi rpersonalfinance,Ive posted here before about having a job and controlling my spending and all of that pizzazz and the information that I received was very useful. I started an emergency fund which is only 200 now because I helped my mom pay for some of my dads medical bills when he needed to get lung surgery and paid for some car repairs as well. Ive browsed the subreddit looking for general decisions a student should make before going into college and most of it has been advice for out of the ordinary circumstances such as pregnancy and wanting to self support yourself through college and I was wondering if I could get any advice for just an average guy whos planning on going to college.I can edit this post with more information if needed for my particular circumstance, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Assistant: Pick a good college thats affordable, and major in something that can make money. While in school, work a part-time job to lessen the burden that your parents have to pay. Even if if covers food and spending money, that can help. Find grants and scholarships that you can apply for, and fill out FAFSA to see if you qualify for that aid. Are your parents paying for school as you go? If you have to take out loans, take out the bare minimum and get the one that doesnt accrue interest while youre in school. Lastly, get creative and live simply. You dont need a lot to make it through college. Always look for better deals on things like text books or school supplies. Walk whenever you can. Find cheap housing dorms are expensive!, meal plan to save on food costs, etc. Good luck! Human: Thank you for the response!Im planning on finding a job when I get there so I can make as much as possible. However this scares me because at that point Ill be over 18 and I dont know how taxes in California or anywhere work and I dont know if itll affect my FAFSACal Grant money.I also have no idea how school loans work and my parents dont either. Theyre going to be helping me go through college, though and I know that with their financial situation right now that they can probably do it without taking out a loan. However, I would really appreciate any information when it comes to loans because I dont know for certain if theyll be able to support me through college on their own or not.Ive thought about your last point as well and Im thinking of buying some kitchen appliances so I can cook for myself when Im in college - probably a rice cooker and a foreman grill among other things. Ive also wanted to get an iPad and Mac so that I can look up pdf files of textbooks and do work on those. I dont think Ill be spending much on going out and all of that but I still want to enjoy my time away from home so thatll definitely be a factor in how much I have to cut back once Im there. Would these be wise decisions? How applicable would all of this actually be in college? I know it sounds good in a perfect world but I dont have any real knowledge on if all of that is worth it or not. Sorry about all the questions! I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out; it really means a lot. Assistant: If your high school has a collegecareer center go talk to a counselor there. They really helped me with figuring out the FAFSA and what scholarships were available.Human: The college counselors at my school are really really bad. Ive talked to them before and it seems like they dont have any more knowledge on the subject than I do. Thats why it was so frustrating having to do this because the only resources I really had were college confidential and this subreddit.  <response>: Skip those counselors and arrange a meeting with a financial adviser at the college youd like to attend.Their goal is to get you to attend and keep attending their college. Theyll be happy to help you before youre even one of their students. 