Some “need aware” schools: Union, Cornell, Scripps, Wesleyan, Tufts, Smith, Haverford, Macalester, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Brandeis, Carleton, Colby, Reed, WashU.
CSS Profile: “Enter the amount your parents think they will be able to pay.”
Thoughts on this?
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@Kayak24 We were advised to enter close to what the average NPC has come up with on your schools of choice (assuming accurate EFC), if that is what you can indeed pay.
Here, son has submitted apps and FAFSA, still need to finish CSS Profile and some supplemental essays. Son is a procrastinator on essays. Many kids in our area are just starting apps, think that is more typical at our public school.
I am so glad I found CC a few months ago! I am definitely in the group with other type A parents. Nice to see I am not the only one confused by the FAFSA stuff. I will send it everywhere just to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.
Question: On the common app, if my D says she is going to take a certain AP test, and then she decides not to take it after all, would she then need to write to each school and say she needs to update the app with that info? Or since the test is not until May, just let the one school she ends up attending know?
She really wants to take this test, I think it’s pointless. I’m suggesting that not listing it on the app leaves more options open. She could still take it.
@daffodilpetunia, I don’t think it matters much either way. D marked the “will take” box, but I don’t think it matters one way or another if she does. In her case, she likely will take the AP Test because it gets her out of the final exam in that class, so that’s her driver, for good or ill.
I’ve looked at some private scholarship applications, both local and national, and they require your EFC from the FAFSA.
We called every school S18 is applying to and only one said the FAFSA could possibly be used for some merit scholarships. It was University of Wisconsin and they said that if there is a case of two families, both with high incomes that don’t really have “need”, but each have a student in the running for a departmental scholarship that takes need into consideration,the one that had filled out the FAFSA could have an edge and be chosen because they “demonstrated need” by filling out the FAFSA.
We still aren’t sure if we want to file.
Plus there was the whole issue that all the colleges you file with can see the other colleges on your list and where you ranked them. UWisc was also clear that several of their scholarships take into account (and some require) that you list them at the top. I just don’t want the list of other colleges to make his application not seem worthwhile to admissions reps.
Like if they are trying to decide between him and someone else (and he is out of state at all but one college) and they see the other schools on his list, it might make them think he wouldn’t go to their school if admitted because he would choose another one and they would just reject him to keep that space for a more “likely” yield.
Probably just paranoia, but it’s something we thought about.
This might be more a question for veterans, but … did anyone call your schools to make sure they got the FAFSA?
I keep seeing advice to make sure the schools got the FAFSA. If they are on your FAFSA school list, isn’t this automatic? Is there a reason I would want to contact the financial aid offices to make sure? At this point there are only two schools (potentially three) that really matter so it’s not a big deal for me, but I was wondering if there was any reason to think they would NOT get this sent to them.
We put the colleges alphabetical on the FAFSA that is what I read to do on the net so college can’t determine what your favorite is or not. Don’t know if it will work or not but worth a shot I guess.
I’ve read very conflicting things about the importance of the order in which you list schools on your FAFSA - everything from “state schools must be first or you may not be eligible for aid,” to “you may be rejected if you don’t list School X in the top three” (70% of kids choose their school listed first), to “schools may reject you if they see certain other schools listed in an attempt to protect their yield.”
Then I read that schools can no longer see the other schools listed on your FAFSA but state schools still can. One source recommended listing in alphabetical order, but another said this won’t help.
How are you handling this?
I do not believe that colleges see what other schools are on the FAFSA anymore. From the FAFSA website: “The information you report on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is sent to each school you list. (Note: Schools will not be able to see which other schools you listed on your FAFSA.)” https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/school-list
I put the instate school that they will most likely attend at the top of FAFSA. Ours only apply instate (PA).
You can check the FAFSA website, some states require the school to be listed in a certain order.
Otherwise it shouldn’t matter, the schools are not supposed to be able to see the order anymore.
From what I understand, the schools get the FAFSA once it processes, but they might not do anything with that information right away.
I think one school might be coming off the list.
It is an LAC not too far from home with good sciences, but in order for D to get the scholarship we would need, the app has to be in by 11/1. I think the app is ready but D is homebound and can’t request the transcript to be sent. And I also don’t think all the LORs are uploaded yet.
It’s not the end of the world and D’s developing interests are leading her in a different direction, but I just have to process it and remind myself that D was narrowing her choices anyway and this cut fits in with her goals, so it’s okay.
@MACmiracle does just the app have to be in by 11/1 or everything?
I put the colleges geographically on the FAFSA. West to East so I wouldn’t forget any of them!
@MACmiracle if your D wants to apply to this school, can’t you call the GC and have the GC coordinate the transcript and LOR for you? This is certainly an unusual situation and you’d think the school would work with you on this. My only thought for you is that her interests might change again in the next six months, and it might be nice to have this choice. If it’s all too much, though, you’ve got to go with that.
@MACmiracle , I agree with the others. Moreover, at a College Guidance night our GCs told the audience that even with a Nov 1st deadline, it’s the student’s end that needs to be there. The colleges give extra room (a week or two) for the transcript and LOR, etc., to arrive bc of all of the different methods of sending and variations in school policies, etc.
They said it in the context of “get your stuff in to us ASAP but don’t panic.”
My D pushed submit on the first application! I made a video of it.
She took the AP test off, so that she can decide whether to take the test or not independent of whether she’d have to inform the schools about her decision.
There are 3 more apps due before January, but all have few-to-no extra questions. So they should be pretty much ready to go, but she wants to work more on her essay before submitting more.