Huge congrats @Sophmore1 .
@2filles Haha, the tone my D uses when she calls me stalker should send a chill down my spine, but I just give her a goofy grin and share the latest tidbit I found out. I do have a limit to my researching/stalking ā Yik Yak ā I learned thatās TMI even for nosy me!
Thanks @NYDad513
Congrats @Sophmore1, that is awesome news!!
D16 is very much like me in being a research junkie, so this has been an incredibly fun, and sometimes bumpy as expected, time for us. She is home sick today, but we are texting back and forth about one of her favorite schools where she just received a scholarship, nothing remotely enough to make it affordable, but it is the highest initial offering they make OOS and the bigger scholarships are only offered after a āscholarshipā weekend. She has two of the criteria, largest base scholarship offer and Honors College offer, that usually precede an invite to compete for the larger ones, so she is sick (I think the great plague is going around here), but still stoked, yet nervous in a good way. She is also a CC poster and reader, though we tend not to stalk each otherās posts on CC unless invited to by the other.
My DW was the one who claimed we were both nuts and way overdoing things when the process first started, with college search engines, spreadsheets, visits to so many schools, constant research online, college guide books (to read to each other on long college visit road trips, lol). W was convinced early on that other than costs going up that little had changed since she was coming out of HS and applying to colleges. We have finally won her over to the dark side as she calls it, and though she just waits to hear what we learn from all of our time on this process rather than researching it herself, she realizes how dramatically the landscape and āgameā have changed, especially when looking for merit and other opportunities.
DW is already asking all kinds of questions and doing a bit of early research for S21 whose search will be even more complicated with ASD/ADHD and executive function and anxiety issues, to go along with being very bright and frighteningly inventive.
Doesnāt California have the Blue and gold Promise, not sure what the income limit is for that.
About GI Bill, my H opted to have his cashed out back when we were buying a house, is that still possible?
@Sophmore1 - congratulations!!
@palm715 - count me in as another research junkie 
BTW, D went to Case Western and just graduated this May - she loved her time there. If you have any questions, do let me know.
@dyiu13 funny about your hubby and the EFC. Last year when I filled out our FASFA for the first time and showed hubby the EFC, his comment was āHey, thatās really not bad for 4 yearsā. He actually got pale and had to sit down when I told him that was just that year. I guess he ignored every NPC report I sent him. LOL This year heās much more prepared. I have even found him filling out the NPC himself.
re: research junkie / stalker. My kids are the best stalkers. At least I thought so until some people I met online āstalkedā me. Freaky how people can find totally unrelated info and piece together who you are.
@OspreyCV22 You earlier said āMy son turned 18 very recently and registered to vote and for the draft. Thereās a window to register; if they donāt register by age 26 they canāt register and can never get government backed loans or jobs.ā
Does it mean that if my S doesnāt file FAFSA he is NOT opting for draft ? He will certainly register to vote when he turns 18, but outside this college application process by going to his local DMV.
One more Q : Why a US citizen can never get government backed loans or jobs ?
Iām a research junkie, but as a librarian I get paid to do it and also create new RJās.
@insfolax It is a requirement that most men living in the United States (whether they are citizens or not) and male citizens register for Selective Service between the ages of 18 and 26. https://www.sss.gov/About/Agency-Mission If they donāt, the penalty is not being eligible for gov loans or jobs. I assume the reasoning is that this is the easiest way to incentivize men to follow the law. I donāt know if they otherwise track people down and penalize those who are supposed to but donāt register. Thereās also an option to register as a conscientious objector. Iām guessing (but I havenāt researched it) that if you register as a conscientious objector you are still eligible for gov loans or jobs. Iām not a lawyer but I donāt think you can legally opt out of the selective service unless you register as a conscientious objector. FAFSA is just a convenient point to remind people but you are supposed to do it anyway.
The history of this is fascinating. The requirement to register outside of immediate need for a draft dates to 1980. I remember this and though Iām female and didnāt need to do it, I remember it impacting my friends. I made sure my S14 was registered and will help my S16 when heās old enough (unless he wants to be a conscientious objector!). Given that we havenāt had a draft since Vietnam (which I believe my father volunteered for) Iām not too worried they will be called up. I agree with a previous poster who wondered whether things should change now that women are increasingly important in our military and also as we have moved away from ground forces that used to rely on young men. There are a LOT of issues here.
In my state , males have to sign before they get their driverās license that they will be completing the selective service forms at 18. Iāll refrain from discussing my views any further for fear of getting too political. My son comes from a long line of military, and does not want to join the military , but registered because it is the law and will serve if called upon .
My son somehow got registered for Selected Service too? I didnāt even remember him doing it but I think he may have checked a box when he got his learnerās permit.
Congratulations @Sophmore1 !
Research junkie, data hound, stalker: itās all in how positive you view the process. 
Congrats to @bookmom7 and @Sophmore1 !
We will be filling out FAFSA because at least one school requires it for merit, and D has a full tuition scholarship waiting for her if she goes there, plus weāre not in that fortunate demographic where we make ātoo muchā to get FA. Also, there are several NPCās out there and so far, none of them have given the same numbers as the schools own NPCās do. The variations are stunning, and in addition, supposedly include merit in the award, without actually having the kidās state plugged in, as well as not counting the fact that some colleges award merit without counting income. Itās all so confusing. In any case, itās not an option for us, but even if we were full-pay, Iād send it in just in case there was some award that required the FAFSA. Iām all about saving a few dollars if I can.
My son saved us the hassle of registering for Selective Service āor elseā by enlisting when he was 17. He had never once mentioned the idea of doing so-you could have knocked my ex and I over with a feather. He got some good training in mechanics, then followed up after he left the service with welding and now works in a construction-related field. It was the right thing for him at the time.
This discussion brings up something we have just started to think aboutā¦is anyoneās student considering ROTC? It would be too late for my kid to apply for the four year scholarship, but it is something he is interested in exploring, perhaps for the three year program. Does anyone have an older student that completed ROTC training? Looks like the scholarship application process is far more competitive and complicated than I would have guessed.
Weāve talked about ROTC- D was in NJROTC as an elective because she felt she needed the discipline (she was right). Sheās not in it this year and isnāt really interested in continuing in college, though sheās taking the ASVAB this month as a āmaybe it will help me decide what I want to doā sort of tool.
@sseabold My S13 also enlisted at 17. We had to sign as well, but we knew he was going to do it either way, and as you probably remember there were some benefits to enlisting early like that. I know the training he went to during senior year was a good thing. Heās about to re-enlist any day now and then after that he says he wants to get out and go to school.
@CAMidwestMom - you tagged the wrong person, but I know you meant meā¦Iām glad it worked out for your son. Mine was so out of sync with his school-if he hadnāt ended up at an alternative HS I donāt think heād have even finished. He had an instructor there who was ex-Navy and that was the route D chose. I think it really saved him.
@GoldenWest and @petrichor11 D has a friend from an earlier graduating class at her school who is doing ROTC at college. I canāt tell you much, but he comes back and visits the HS every break and at the beginning of school this year was talking to the HS kids about how much ROTC is saving him and his family in costs, and how the discipline and structure keep him on track. Heās at an engineering school in NY state-I always get them mixed up. He credits ROTC for keeping him focused so that he does well.
ROTC is definitely an excellent way to pay for college. The scholarship covers either tuition or room and board (studentās choice) and gives a nice monthly stipend.
You also have a guaranteed job when you graduate (assuming you assess on active duty).
Plus, you can get an educational delay to do grad school (eg medical school) after you graduate.
Commitment for a 4-year scholarship is 4 years of active duty. Not a bad way to pay back a scholarship that could cover the annual $47k tuition at a Northwestern or Notre Dame type of school.
I think before people take an ROTC scholarship, they need to realize the commitment they are making. They are obligated to serve . Anything can happen in the next 8 years. Be aware before making that commitment.