Yes, get the application into QB. It is a rare opportunity and offers advice along the way.
I would also send a note to his GC very specifically listing his challenges at home so that this GC does not get writers block when writing the LOR
Very important is getting all of the financial information, the relevant tax returns and running them through the NPCs of colleges considered so everyone can see where things stand at the various schools
DO NOT wait until March 2 to complete the FAFSA. If you miss the date in California you cannot cure it with a late filing. File it as close to Oct 1 as you can.
California schools do not allow deferral, so if he’s really going to take that gap year, talk to the GC about timing of applications.
He’ll probably qualify for fee waivers at all the private schools and for the CSS.
The advantage of applying this year is that most selective schools are test optional, so if his SAT scores don’t shine, it won’t matter so much.
Agree with the comments given his family’s economic situation, working is a great EC.
A lot of this looks daunting right now, but if you break down the process into pieces with timelines, it is achievable.
Start with a list (doesn’t need to be set in stone right away) with 2-3 reaches, 3-5 matches, 2-3 safeties. Within the UC’s you can fill many of the reach and match spots. The safeties can be filled by perhaps some CSU’s or community colleges. As you and your grandson research the schools for your grandson’s list, start noting the components (Common App or school app; tests required/optional, letters of recommendation, financial aid, merit aid) and their deadlines for each application. Run the net price calculator found on the financial aid page to get an idea of affordability. Keep this all organized on a spreadsheet.
Time sensitive items he needs to do now: 1) prepare a “resume” of accomplishments and interests. This will help him fill in a bunch of stuff on the app’s, but more importantly, this is something that he should give his letter of recommendation writers. It is important to get your LoR writers on board sooner rather than later. Some popular teachers may limit the number of letters they do, and being human, they probably spend more time and effort on ones that they do earlier and 2) if he is going for Questbridge, he needs to get started asap. I think this could be a great program for him but that is up to him. Filling in that app will get him well started on the Common App and school apps in terms of information required. I suggest running a master sheet of certain facts in Word (perhaps in the Resume), so that it can be cut and pasted into the other online apps.
As your grandson looks into each app, he should note the prompts and word limits of each essay on his master spreadsheet. This will help him have 1 place to see how many essays of what length he will need to prepare. He can also see if there are common themed essays where he can recycle an essay, usually with some modification, for multiple applications. I had my kids note internal timelines for drafting, revising and finalizing each essay. Spreading essays out and allowing for review time is important IMO.
Financial aid runs on its own timeline. Here, maybe the better division of labor is for you to take control. Getting a handle earlier rather than later is important and you will need the cooperation of the parents. For some schools, aid is first come first served. Also for merit aid, there is often earlier deadlines.
FWIW, your grandson sounds like he is a very independent kid. Maybe letting him go to school far away will be a liberating thing rather than a struggle. You all are the best judge of that, but frankly, once you are an airplane fight away, it doesn’t matter.
Best of luck and don’t be afraid to come back with specific questions on a school or part of the process.
My D20 wrote one of her UC essays about being the DM for her D and D group and she ended up at UCB…
Working and helping the family are both important. The essay or supplemental essay can be used as well as the guidance counselor’s note.
I thought you had to apply Questbridge as hs sr. I guess I should call them. Too late to apply this year with all the docs needed. It could be a very good choice. Problem is the gap year and A is set on that. In fact, I, myself, thinker’s a very good idea. We’ll see.
Being in this role is a bit of a roller coaster. I can’t do the FA myself as I don’t have the numbers. A and his friends seem to think it’s cool to act unconcerned about it all. So, I am playing a game of offering info (which A likes as long as it’s not too overwhelming) and sitting back and seeing where to go next. I think, for now, and in light of him taking 3 AP classes and a dual credit course at the CC, it might be time to back off a bit. His decision is to take a gap. He’s struggling a bit with his AP literature class because he doesn’t ‘get’ poetry. (Interesting in light of his rather lyrical bent in writing). Likely he will say no to REA at Stanford for which the app deadline is Nov. 1. And I think that is probably the best choice. Better to take the time to write a very good app for RD. A’s hs counselor will be giving a class on the whole application process starting mid October. This will be when the real work will begin for him. First up will be UC/CSU applications (deadline Nov 30) I know he will put good effort into it as he does for all his classes.
Questions:
FA will have to be redone after gap year, right? Interesting choices about applying after or before the gap. At first I thought it would be a big disadvantage to apply after but from what I’ve read this may not be the case. If you get a deferral for gap what happens if you choose not to attend after the gap year? Can extend? Do the colleges black list you? What ??
Lastly, I must get it through this thick skull of mine, that my grandson is going to do this his own way. I will offer what I can, but he’s the one that has to do it.
If he still has parents legally, is it impossible to get their financial information? If they are low income, the assets section of the FAFSA can be skipped and it is just a matter of linking taxes electronically to the FAFSA. If this is not possible, you could try to get guardianship or he could try to get emancipated (very difficult) https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-emancipation.htm#:~:text=There%20are%203%20ways%20to%20get%20emancipated%3A%201,You%20are%20at%20least%2014%20years%20old.%20
Otherwise he will have to wait until age 24 to get financial aid based on his own income.
He may change his mind about a gap year. If COVID continues, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for that year. I would make sure he applies just in case.
I would not put financial aid on his shoulders at all. Most of us handle that for our kids and the financial aid offices actually talk to parents, unlike other college depts.
For the UC’s and CSU’s, they are FASFA only schools so the FA forms would have to filed again if he takes a Gap year.
Regarding deferrals:
The UC’s and CSU’s normally do not allow deferrals but due to Covid this year, some campuses have allowed students to defer.
Each school has their own policies about applying to other schools after the student defers, so that would have be investigated upon receiving an acceptance. In general, if the school does not allow a student to apply to other colleges after the deferral/Gap year, then the student must withdraw their acceptance to pursue other schools.
Can definitely apply to QB during Gap year (but can’t have committed to another college the year prior). @hkimpossible, whose journey is CC legend, applied to QB the fall after his senior year.
It has to be redone every year, not matter what, even after he starts college. It’s based on income from the tax year two years prior to the fall semester of each year. Exception is for QuestBridge Scholars (and other, similar programs), who get a full four-year scholarship from the start.
Agreed. I have to let it go. His HS counselor is not starting the college app class until Oct. 15.
He really needs a gap year for a break from school intensity and just to grow and stretch a bit. Pushing him would only backfire.
I’m not the best person to talk about financial aid, but I didn’t see anyone else mention it. You said in post 13 that you have a bit of money saved up for him. It’s my understanding that if you give A or his parents money, or if you pay part of his schooling, this is considered income on their financial aid application, so A could get less FA due to your contribution. This is only true for Freshman and Sophmore year, since FA looks back 2 years. I think you can get around the issue by co-signing a loan for those 2 years, and then in the second 2 years you could pay off that loan and you could also help pay for Junior and Senior year if you want. Hopefully someone more in the know can address this, but I did want to point out the issue to you as it could be relevant when looking at colleges EFCs and how your family is going to pay that.
He does sound as if Pitzer could be a good fit. The Environmental Analysis program does a lot of work with cross-disciplinary ecological restoration + art + social justice + etc. On the Pomona end of the program, the director of EA is one of the most oft-quoted experts on fire issues. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/911847159/how-climate-change-affects-wildfires (Students cross-register freely, although major requirements differ a bit by school.) It’s a very supportive and vibrant department; and the lab sciences are excellent at the 5C’s too, for those who want to emphasize that aspect.
Whitman has a Semester In The West program that is a full semester of field work. You’d have to see if their financial aid would stack up for him.
Reed, Pomona, and Pitzer all have EDII, so if a clear favorite emerges by the end of the year and the NPC looks favorable, that would be an option. At Pomona, the ED acceptance rate is almost double the overall rate (although that’s inflated by recruited athletes and doesn’t necessarily mean that a particular applicant’s odds are doubled)… and they have great no-loan aid, so that might be worth a shot.
He sounds like a great kid! Will he let you read his essays and give feedback? It sounds like he could really stand out and show his creative spark, but a little guidance at fine-tuning how it all comes across could go a long way.
Definitely consider the UCs…I would recommend the State U to anyone who has taken many Dual Enrollment courses as Public Us and Colleges will give you the most credit for them.
Look into CCS at UCB, too 
For the self directed, passionate kid.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, aquapt and all.
Yes, I should be able to read his essays. His mom is a Phd candidate (which is part of the reason she is broke). She can do the fine tune editing. But he will make it his own, I am sure. I got the part about making the whole application a part of his picture, his story. I can suggest and tell him about the ‘story’ part when it comes time.
As for timeline, for him, I expect it will start for real the last half of October. He’ll be taking a class in the application process. Good that he will be applying to UCs and get his feet wet (if not soaked!) as the app process must be completed by Nov. 30. More time to apply RD (or EDII) because those apps are due in Jan or so.
Right now he has 3AP classes and a class at CC. Just took the only SAT he will take. Scores should come out in 2-3 wks.
One other thing: he did a great term paper entitled Generational Trauma for a CC psychology class in which he discussed his father’s PTSD. Prof liked it so much he asked A if he could share it (anonymously) with other classes. Would this be a good way for him to get the story of family situation into his app?
I see a few things that could work on the essay ‘story’. But he will, of course, end up doing it his own way.
Has his guidance counselor seen the term paper? Discussing both the family context that the paper provides, and the recognition he got for the paper itself, could be excellent content for the counselor recommendation. For the rare schools that accept writing samples, submitting the paper itself could be great, but those are the exception. For most, I think asking the counselor to read the paper and use it to inform their recommendation would be the best way to infuse the most benefit from that term paper into the application.