@Themommymommy thank you:)
@themommymommy This is so true! I found out that some colleges have some interesting interpretations for AP credit too. At OU a 5 on AP Statistics equates to a Psychology class!
Thanks for mentioning Yellow Ribbon benefits, folks. I met a dad, retired military post-9/11, yesterday and turned him on to the benefit for his kid who had just wrapped up two years at junior college and was wondering how to pay for senior college. Angel wings to you!
@3scoutsmom Perhaps because Stats is a pre-req in a lot of Psych majors? Maybe not for a big state school, but I bet a student could appeal to a dean to use Stats as a math or science. It all depends, but it might be possible.
Definitely tell your DC to triple-check not only how the HS transcript has been interpreted by Admissions, but how any transfer credits such as AP, IB, DE, or CLEP have been interpreted and applied. Sometimes a student must officially request any transfer credit, once transferred in, be considered as a course-equivalent to a requred course in the major.
So much endless minutae to take care of, eh?
The FAFSA asks if you are registered for Selective Service. My son is 17 and wonāt be eligible to register until he leaves for college. Will that be a problem? The FAFSA says you need to be registered to be considered for financial aid. We donāt qualify for need based aid.
At DDās school, it is extremely hard to take AP course at early year. Students are allowed to take 5 courses during junior year and most of the classes are already pre-designed. Most of the students are allowed to take one AP course during junior year and few students can take 2 AP courses during junior year with special circumstance. Every student finishes their high school requirements at the end of 11th grade and they are free to take any classes at senior year. Some students take math/science only and some students take only humanity/social science only. There are several AP courses students can take but no AP is provided from English department. Because DD is heavily English/Literature oriented, sheās taking only AP Calc BC this year.
I plan to fill FAFSA when W2 arrives.
Another one in the āI havenāt even looked at the FAFSAā camp. Iām gathering info, but Iāll wind up having to estimate anyway - a key form for us to file our taxes wonāt be provided until April 1. I think Iām very happy that TurboTax can fill so much of this in for meā¦
@Justathought1, S12 was also 17 when we filled out the FAFSA and I donāt remember that it was a problem. He just registered as soon as he could (his birthday is in August).
I just investigated a bit more and it looks like if youāre not yet 18, you should go ahead and check the yes box or your application will be held up. Apparently, you will automatically be registered once you turn 18. I donāt remember that from when we filled out the FAFSA, but maybe things have changed.
Just curiosity b/c I have all boys, but do girls register now for Selective Service since the new law equalizing military service by gender?
@Themommymommy , that is excellent input, thank you! The computer science thing was eye-opening for me. I have to think that it is not commonly known, but so important.
@fretfulmother , what an adorable note!!
Girls do not register for selective service, though I suspect that is coming.
@GoodGrief16 Thank you!! And since itās his writing teacher, I can relax about how it looked aestheticallyā¦ 
For all of you filing FAFSAādo not wait until the last minute. When I did it with DD several years ago, I filled it out partially and saved. When I went in to finish it at the last minute, the system told me I didnāt have an account. I tried to re-register, and the system told me I couldnāt register because I already had an account. I called the FAFSA people, and they told me that happens sometimes but it would sort out in a week or so!
We missed the deadline, but I sent an email explaining to the schools, and they were sympathetic and accommodating. Apparently Iām not the only one it happened to.
One more app submitted, one more to go!
Just read this article on whether or not to complete the FAFSA ā¦ http://time.com/money/4162476/3-reasons-to-fill-out-the-fafsa-no-matter-how-rich-you-are/
Just found out DS made it to semi-finals of Intel. So excited for him! <:-P
Wow, thatās so amazing, @bookmom7!
@GoodGrief16 Looking back on my kids entire school experience - I should have homeschooled them as you have and others on this thread. I was overwhelmed with some of the spectrum issues early on to have the presence of mind or even a moment to research alternatives. Knowing what I do now and having the benefit of so many of you guys on this thread, I truly believe that both my kids would have benefitted greatly from a homeschooled environment. This is the time when the āwould have, should have and could havesā really get to me. I applaud you all for going above and beyond to help you child/children achieve their best in the best environment. Unfortunately in our area there is not much in the way of homeschooling support or advocacy. I have tried to advocate through our school district for more leeway in terms of the rigid pathways that are set up that students cannot divert from. This seems similar to what @NYDad513 said in an earlier post. For my continued āpushingā I have only received very minimal leeway (and I am probably known within the administration as a witch with a ābā because our district absolutely hates any deviation from the gennie pop norm). Thanks again all for showing me alternatives and new ideas to use going forward. I learn so much from you all!
@fretfulmother what an adorable story thanks for sharing!
@bookmom7 Super Congrats to your S for making the Intel semi-finals! What an amazing accomplishment!
Congrats @bookmom7!
Not sure if this has been posted before but, very helpful information on setting up a FAFSA account:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid#fsaid-intro
For those of us still not started yet.