<prompt> Human: Hello, world. Im a senior in high school and its time for me to put on the big pants. So my question, and surely the question of many young people in my position, is, How do I not end up drowning in a pool of debt? Everyone always says Get some scholarships! but its not as easy as going up and just getting scholarships. I filed my FAFSA and everything, but its just not enough to cover. My parents blew through all of the savings they had for me. I need as much help as I can get. Care to aid a fellow redditor?EDIT: Im also the first in my family to go to any sort of college, so this is all fairly new to my family and me.  <response>: Go to a cheaper college. Stay in-state. Consider living at home and commuting.Community college for a year or two before going to a full university.Its not so much your debt at graduation that you need to be concerned with, but the ratio of debt to income. Taking loans for a good, marketable, high paying degree isnt going to be a problem. 120k for art school is going to screw you for a long time. 