Look at housing options off campus. It may be worth keeping the car and commuting a bit. If it is a college town you may have little option, but going to school in the big city I found it far better/cheaper to rent a house with roommates a good 10 miles from campus. Apartments close to campus were pricey, and dorms were astronomical. Instead I lived in a HOUSE in a nice neighborhood for much less. I paid less than most people I know sharing a room in an apartment.
I also had my own conundrum in college where my parents would not help me with much more than community college when I started (they were probably wise - didn't see the point of going to a more expensive school and looking back was probably best). However, since they made good money I seemed to qualified for no aid whatsoever right out of high school, even with my perfect grades and all that. It was very frustrating (though maybe I could have looked harder). Then my last 2 years of college were practically paid by scholarships I hadn't even applied for. I think I had just given up. If you find a wall when it comes to need-based scholarships, just know that as you progress through college a lot of non-need-based scholarships are available. Definitely take advantage.
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