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The simple answer is, only if you are asked to.

Topics: College Financial Aid, Financial Aid Award Letters, College Planning, Applying for Aid, FAFSA

 

Topics: College Financial Aid, College Planning, Applying for Aid, FAFSA

 

Topics: Scholarships, College Financial Aid, College Planning, Parents and College Planning

 

Topics: College Financial Aid, College Planning, Parents and College Planning, FAFSA

 

Topics: College Financial Aid, College Planning, Parents and College Planning, FAFSA

FAFSA season is here, and getting an early start is the best plan of action.

Topics: College Financial Aid, College Planning, Parents and College Planning, FAFSA

Don’t let the thought of completing your college applications stress you out. Think about it as an opportunity to write about what you know best, better than anyone, YOU! You’re the expert on you and this should be easy right? Right, but it must be noted that time and effort are required for the best outcome.

College is a huge next step in your young life and if you are like most students, you are probably putting a tremendous amount of weight on your college applications to get you accepted to your top choices of schools. 

Ideally, students should apply to 4-8 schools. One or two of these may be considered "reach" schools - that is schools which are difficult for you to get into. A few should also be schools that you are pretty sure you will be admitted. The remainder fall somewhere in between.  However, all schools on your list should be schools you will be happy at. 

If you are in the midst of applying to colleges, this isn't likely the first time you have heard about the Common Application. The Common App is widely accepted at over 900 schools. However, one important thing to keep in mind is that you should not tailor your college list to schools that only accept the Common Application, just to make the process easier on yourself. Attending a college that is not the right fit for you in lieu of filling out a few extra forms will be more stressful in the end!

Topics: College Planning

The answer is, it hasn't really changed much at all. Except that since the pandemic, the trend of schools making SAT and ACT test scores optional has increased.  However important to note, if you have the opportunity to take these tests and you believe your scores will help in the decision process, by all means send them along as part of your application process. After all anything that reflects on your academic achievements is worth highlighting to the schools you are interested in.

Topics: College Planning

If you’re headed back to school in the fall or are already enrolled at a college or university, it’s time to start thinking about how you might pay for the upcoming semester. Do scholarships and grants alone cover your tuition? Or do you need to borrow money for college to fill in the financial gap? One option that is almost always available is a payment plan. This could be a good option for you and your family.

 

Topics: College Planning, Borrowing for College, Parents and College Planning

Remember to limit the amount you borrow! For every dollar you borrow, you will have to pay back more than that dollar with interest.

Topics: College Planning, Borrowing for College, Parents and College Planning