<p>This fall, thousands of local students will be heading to college.</p>
<p>In addition to studying math, English and science, part of their college preparation has been figuring out how to pay for their education.</p>
<p>Parents have been saving money for years to help finance their child’s college education.</p>
<p>Others have encouraged their children to apply for every scholarship available.</p>
<p>Students have changed college decisions based on how much a school costs and their financial assistance offers. Others have saved for years to try to pay for the cost of college, without student loans.</p>
<p>Here are the stories of four local families and how they are planning to pay for college.</p>
