<p>I’m already on that and I thank calmom and thumper for all their help. It is appreciated greatly.</p>
<p>Calmom summarized it…but there is still that unpredictability at schools that do NOT guarantee to meet full need. How do YOU know if you are a student who will receive “preferential packaging”? Well…you really don’t. BUT things that help…being at the top of the admitted student group…they are going to package your aid better if they REALLY want you to accept their admittance offer. At this point…you just need to do your best to meet all the deadlines. If there is anything that will add to your desirability as an applicant (increased SAT scores or some award or honor) send it to the schools. Then…just wait and compare the admissions and financial aid offers.</p>
<p>I have been following your threads too and I (like patsmom) know you selectively pick out what you like from threads and ignore what you NEED to do. Please for once LISTEN and REREAD what thumper1 recommends. She has answered your questions and given you excellent advice. DO WHAT THUMPER1 SAYS!! Please don’t come back here in a couple of months with your tired old excuses and justifications.</p>
<p>My father said he will have no idea about how much he will have made for 2011 in the beginning of Jan. He said he’ll do it by Feb 1st, but you have to nag him to get anything accomplished. It’s frustrating, there is little I can do if he doesn’t comply.</p>
<p>Comply? Interesting choice of words when speaking about requesting something from your parents. That said, even if he won’t have final numbers in by early January (thats in a week or so) there is still a lot he can be doing NOW to get his figures in order. I am self-employed, so have experience with this. Much of what is needed for filing taxes can be pulled together from information he should already have.</p>
<p>Hopefully you have had a mature, respectful, polite conversation with your parents, explaining the importance of getting these figures together as soon as possible. Your situation differs from your brothers. If they are not willing/able to make this a priority right now, then its a good idea for you to focus on what you can do, what you have control over. Do all the research on all the colleges websites and make yourself a spreadsheet so everything will be easy and ready to GO when you have the numbers. In the meantime, look into scholarship applications. You have nothing to lose but some time and energy writing essays. And it sounds like anything you get may be critical to your attendance. My older s applied to several of these. He was able to identify ones that had less competition that he was a better “fit” for. He didnt apply in volume, he applied smart. He wasted his time on some, but he was able to reuse several essays on multiple applications. And he got $6,000 across the several he won. Unfortunately, the one that would have been 4 years renewable, he made it to the final round of 40 applicants but didnt make the top 10 
He was also able to get some additional departmental scholarships once he got to college, so there are other ways of getting funding/scholarships.</p>
<p>These scholarships alone are not likely to fund your college experience, but if you get a few, they may bridge the gap. Be forewarned though, some schools will apply outside scholarship money to their assessment of need (ie your need goes down) so your award from them goes down. This does NOT mean you should’t apply for scholarships. Do NOT focus on what you have no control over. Focus on what you do.
I knew Thumper would be a phenomenal resource for you and thats why I asked her to look at your questions. So please be respectful of her time and energy and FOLLOW HER INSTRUCTIONS.</p>
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The clue from Clark was the offer of merit aid. Unless Clark is one of those schools that offers fake “merit” aid to all comers (some do), the merit award is an indication that they view him favorably as an applicant. The fact that Clark also has announced it will go SAT-optional in the future is also a really, really good clue as to exactly how much importance they place on the test scores. </p>
<p>To EC: Call the Clark financial aid office in early January. Look at the list of names at [Financial</a> Assistance | Clark University](<a href=“http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/financialaid/contact.cfm]Financial”>http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/financialaid/contact.cfm) and figure out which admission counselor is assigned to you. (You’ll see that they assign them by last name). Tell that person your status (admitted, offered merit money) and also tell her that you filled out the on-line calculator – and simply ask whether a student in your position can usually expect to get full need or close to full need met. Be polite and appreciative. The worst that can happen is the person will tell you that she can’t make any representations until after all financial materials have been submitted. But she may be very willing to talk to you, and if so you will get better information than you will get from the people on this board who wrote you off as a lost cause ages ago. </p>
<p>And as to FAFSA submission – submit as early as possible, with the “will file” marked. At some colleges being early in line for the money can be a significant advantage. It’s not that hard to resubmit later on. What you do is you fill out the estimated FAFSA with colleges 1-10 as early as possible (let’s say, January 2). That will be saved for you online with a specific number assigned to it it. Let’s say that is number #1. As soon as you get the SAR, you just go in and change the colleges and the resubmit. So that is your FAFSA #2. Down the line when your parents have done their taxes, you pull up FAFSA #1 (with colleges 1-10 listed), make whatever corrections are needed, and resubmit. So that’s FAFSA #3. Then as soon as you get the SAR on that, you can pull up FAFSA #2 (with colleges 11-16), make the same corrections, and resubmit again. That’s all there is to it – although I’d point out that you already have determined that some of the colleges on your list are not viable – so it may well be that by the time the taxes are done your list will be narrowed down to about 8 colleges still in the running.</p>
<p>Re post #504 – if your dad can’t tell you a rough estimate of what he has earned in 2011 – fill out the FAFSA with the numbers from his 2010 return, unless he tells you specifically that there was a significant difference (more or less) from one year to the next.</p>
<p>I agree with this, EC:</p>
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<p>This too:</p>
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<p>This too:</p>
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<p>Thanks calmom like usual! I have usually been very close with each admission officer thus far because of the interviews I’ve been on. Clark is one college where I’ve had zero contact with the admission officer. I did email my regional rep once, but he never responded. I will def contact him in Jan. Clark offered a Clark Conversation in Atlanta in October, but it is non evaluative and I had a one act competition the same exact time as the interview. They only offered one of these, I asked if there were any others but no response from the general admissions people.</p>
<p>My father has said it shouldn’t be that different from 2010, so I may just do what you said and do the estimate with 2010 numbers. He said he just isn’t sure about any estimates because he hasn’t calculated anything yet and various other things. Should I wait for him to do the calculations or just submit it with 2010 data? I probably won’t be able to do the CSS Profile without his estimations though.</p>
<p>BTW, Again I appreciate all of thumper’s help. It has helped me a ton!</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d submit with the 2010 data. If the school requires the CSS profile -and your dad says that it’s about the same – then go ahead and project income based on what it was before. No one is going to fault you if it turns out that you are off somewhat – the end reward is going to be based on final numbers, and colleges are well aware that sometimes predictions are off. </p>
<p>Also, I just want to comment that I find it really, really odd that people are posting here in a way that suggests that you would be in any way less than diligent about applying for financial aid. You can’t submit the FAFSA until January, and there’s not much you can do besides gathering some basic information before then. I guess that some of the families on CC have so many investments that they think it must take weeks for everyone to figure out what number to write in the form where it says “total amount of money in bank accounts.” Assuming your parents are cooperative, I think that it should take no more than 45 minutes to get all the info you need about assets. </p>
<p>I also want to tell you that in my experience, it is extremely rare for kids to be doing the FAFSA/Profile on their own. Most of the time --and I think especially on CC-- the parents are keeping track of the deadlines and filling out the forms for the kids. Again, there’s not much to do in December except write down deadlines – but when you have managed to handle 16 college applications with little support from your parents and an uncooperative high school guidance counselor, and you took responsibility for following up to make sure that transcripts and LOR’s were properly submitted… why would anyone think they had to berate you about financial aid deadlines? Obviously you’ve managed things pretty well thus far, and I think it is the ultimate hypocrisy for any parent who took on the job of filling out the financial aid stuff for their kid to start treating you as if you are some sort of slackard when you are the one asking questions about the process weeks ahead of time. </p>
<p>Obviously, you are well aware of the financial issues and have been thinking about that for some time. It’s helpful for a parent to mention that it’s a good idea to be aware of all deadlines and to get materials in early… but a helpful suggestion repeated 10 time over is a nag. And I don’t think you are the type of kid who needs nagging or prodding.</p>
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<p>I think that EC will be extremely diligent, but as with other students, parents are not always able or willing to help in completing the FA forms, especially soon on or after Jan. 1. I think that it will be very helpful if EC could do what is within his control with regard to trying to instruct/show his parents as to what needs to get done, and doing as jym suggests with regard to a spreadsheet and applying for scholarships.</p>
<p>Thanks again calmom. I understand the process of resubmitting the FAFSA once my family has done their taxes. However, I was told I need to contact each individual school about resubmitting the Profile once we have our taxes. What do most schools have you do once you resubmit the Profile? Do they charge you another $16 per college to fill it out? I looked at Wooster’s website and I can fill out a different form (a specialized Wooster form) instead of paying for the Profile for them. It is going to cost me $128 for all the schools that require the Profile (not including OWU). I never realized it would cost so much money. I wish I would know if I was accepted to Hobart/Holy Cross before I spent another $16 each on the Profile.</p>
<p>I will find a way to get this all done in a timely matter. And yes I have been very alone in this whole process. My parents just do not know anything about it. My mother who is very like me, has a very hard work ethic. She went to high school in Long Island, NY to get a regents diploma, but moved to Miami right before her senior year. It messed her credits up, but she ended up just going to community college the first two years because it was cheaper and she was/is very smart. However, she isn’t like my younger brother and is naturally gifted, she is like me in that we both have studied very hard for our grades. She transferred to the University of South Florida and became a teacher. My father went to three different colleges and never graduated. He was in it more for the parties. He was never in it for the academics. His father was a lawyer, so he could afford it. My mothers family didn’t have much money. My parents met at Adventure Island at a USF day. My mom graduated in the early 90’s and she is 41, dad is 44. I have an older brother who goes to a local technical college for culinary. I have a brother who is a freshman and high school and is very smart, but does not try as hard as me. He got a 3.5 his first semester of high school with not much effort and he took the same course-load as me and I received a 3.1. He’s at a different school though. I also have a little sister who will be two tomorrow.</p>
<p>I have a lot of support from my parents, but things have changed a lot since they went to college and they left the researching up to me. My mom has looked at my essays and helped a little with that though. But I’m their first child going through this. My brother was just planning on going to the tech school, so it was much easier. My mother honestly rather me go to a local community college and transfer because it’s cheaper. She doesn’t see anything wrong with it, I don’t either, but it’s not the route I want to take. My father is very disorganized and you have to nag at him for him to accomplish anything. So, I have to be on top of him with this whole financial aid process. If I’m not on top of him, he would never do the FASFA and I’d be screwed to put it bluntly. I’m not going to do the FAFSA alone, but he did have problems when he did for my older brother this summer. He didn’t know anything about it before doing it. I find that this whole process is completely easier for all of my friends. They are applying to a couple instate schools with applications that do not even require essays, and that’s that. I know a lot of people who only applied to UGA and got in. But I went a different route and that’s fine with me.</p>
<p>And just so anyone knows, I’ve been researching college since the EIGHTH GRADE. I’ve had a CC account since FRESHMAN YEAR. I don’t know anyone who cares about this process as much as I do. The valedictorian just wants to go to Tech and that’s fine, but I’ve been waiting 5 years. And I WILL go somewhere I love, I just know it. I do not think all the time and energy I’ve spent researching colleges will go to waste. I can’t wait to start helping my younger brother with his search. He isn’t quite interested yet, but that’s quite <em>normal</em> for a freshman, but I’m by no means normal ;)</p>
<p>Spending a lot of time on outside scholarships is a waste of time! </p>
<p>If she gets a $2,000 Scholarship from some organization that college will just reduce the amount of their institutional grant by $2,000. The outside scholarship benefits the college, not the student!</p>
<p>^That is often true, but what about if he gets into his instate school? I guess it depends upon whether fin aid will be offered from an instate public or not. </p>
<p>SLUMOM, wasn’t one of your children able to apply a small outside scholarship toward textbooks?</p>
<p>SLUMOM, that really varies based on each college’s policies. If the college isn’t meeting full demonstrated need anyhow, they don’t necessarily reduce their award if the student wins outside scholarships. Also many schools who do reduce their award reduce the “self-help” portion first (i.e. the loans and work study). It never hurts to earn outside scholarships, although it sometimes doesn’t help as much as you’d like. </p>
<p>(That said, my DS didn’t find many he was eligible for, and did not end up winning any. It helps to be a minority or “distinctive” in some other way, IME.)</p>
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<p>Could be, but I can tell you that a professional that I know, who is not a minority, has a son who won a $5,000 scholarship by writing an essay. He found this scholarship by searching online. It was an outside scholarship. He was not a stand out student, but a solid student.</p>
<p>northeastmom, they are definitely out there, and my S did apply for several like that, but they tend to be longshots with hundreds or thousands of submissions for a handful of awards. The local awards in our area were mostly restricted by area of study or minority status or other qualifications my S does not have. Our state puts out a booklet listing a bunch of private scholarships available in the state, and the ONLY one my S was eligible for was the Byrd scholarship, which ended up not being funded. He applied for a few that he found through his HS but weren’t really a great fit but he was technically eligible to apply, and several national ones he found online. But really the sweet spot is finding the awards where there is a relatively small pool of applicants but that are a good fit that you have a decent shot at, and I don’t think he really found any candidates that fit that description.</p>
<p>I really keep coming back to the money and logistics of all of this. EC has just said he is concerned about the cost of Profile. If money is this tight, how is this going to play out with transportation costs to some of these far away (some not easy to get to) colleges that are under consideration. Most kids go to schools fairly near their homes(unless they are well off) for a reason-the extra expense,time involved with getting to a college that is far away . With 3 other siblings in this family, I can only imagine how stressful this must be. I hope it works out for you but just make sure you are considering all the angles (finances,logistics,etc).Good luck.</p>
<p>EC. honestly you are getting a lot of good information for yourself here. As Calmom said, all you need to do is get the numbers from your parents and you should be fine to complete these forms with their help. I agree that most kids don’t do it alone (probably mostly because they don’t have access to their parents’ financials). You can certainly get all of this done and good that you are getting your answers now.</p>
<p>The hardest part will be making sure that you have completed everything for EACH college…as the requirements will vary. So make sure you make yourself some kind of checklist for each school.</p>
<p>Good luck, and keep us posted. It’s not as horrible as it sounds…while you have a lot of schools, much of this is just duplications for each school…not “new” information.</p>
<p>mathmomvt, I agree with you. If money is tight and one has the time though, one might just find a scholarship worth applying to. That said, my kids never landed any outside scholarships either. The only scholarships for my kids came from the schools.</p>
<p>I will admit I haven’t researched extensively for private scholarships for exactly the reasons SLUMOM stated. I also found the same problems mathmomvt son faced.</p>
<p>Money is tight and we have already spent over $500 easily on this whole process, so another $128 is a lot of money when we’ve already spent so much. We’ve probably spent much more with the SAT prep class, prep books, SAT/ACT registrations, etc. My father is planning on taking me to the northeast/midwest during spring break. It will just be us two. We will only visit the schools which gives us a good financial aid package. We have been planning on waiting until I’ve been accepted everywhere and seeing each FA package then visit schools during spring break.</p>