What is the best way to pay for college?

Try to take a campus job and look for paid internships during the summers. Internships look good on your resume and would facilitate the transition between college/university to the work place.

Commute and stay with your parents, rather than having to have the dorm experience.
Go to a junior college and then transfer to a university.
Join the military.
Get a job with a company that has a good tuition assistance program, even if it means you are the custodian. Go to school part-time.
Look for alternatives to buying books: renting, on-line, etc.