@peachActuary73 I was just planning on filing out FAFSA in early Oct. I didn’t know anything about getting an ID in advance either.
As for parent choice, my husband has added a school that S19 and I think makes sense even though it’s very different than the other schools on his list. It’s another reach so not likely to be the place he ends up. All of the other schools on S19’s list were MY parents choice. LOL. We visited most of them and S19 liked them, so they stayed on the list.
When it comes to distance from home, we would love for him to be close to home, but I don’t think any schools within a three hour drive are the best fit for him. Grinnell is a four hour drive. It’s the closest. Then, he’s got three schools that are six hour drives. That’s not bad either. After that, the rest involve flights but none longer than 2.5 hours.
I really wish that Northwestern or U of Chicago were good fits for him, but they just are not. Too stressful, very little mentoring for undergrads, big classes freshman year. Could he make them work? I suppose. If a student really likes a LAC, though, those schools are pretty much the complete opposite.
From the FAFSA website.
When should I get an FSA ID?
You, and your parent if you’re a dependent student, should get an FSA ID as soon as possible. You can apply for an FSA ID at any time, but in some cases, you’ll need to wait up to three days before you’re able to use your FSA ID, so we recommend registering early. If you don’t have one by the time you fill out your FAFSA form, you will be prompted to apply for one. However, if you think the Social Security Administration (SSA) might have the wrong name or date of birth for you in its records, go to ssa.gov now to find out how to correct any errors. Your information must be correct with the SSA before your FAFSA form or FSA ID can be processed.
Ugh I just tried to do the FSA ID thing and the website froze, just like the College Board website froze while trying to send test scores. What the heck?? Doesn’t the universe understand my need to check off boxes?? Apparently not.
Parents’ choice…hmm. Honestly if I didn’t provide insights, suggestions, tours, etc of schools, I do not know what D19’s list would even look like at this point. I guess maybe her high reach, and…my alma mater, which is also a high reach. DH would have her choosing between the top few public schools. I’ve definitely educated both of them on options. I did recently remove a school from her list when discussion of full pay options looked discouraging thanks to DH’s input, and then put it back on after I recently re-joined the paid workforce so we have a bit more flexibility. I also discovered this school is very financial aid generous, which impacts us when we have two in college for two years. Of course it’s a reach too. Ha. I also added a match school that’s a no-fee, no-supplement school just to see what happens. She’s soured a bit on her two likely-admits, which is probably normal as more daydreaming about other schools takes precedence. So I’m always on the lookout for LAC matches.
Sometimes this all still feels absolutely bizarre to me, that my tiny baby toddler itty bitty girl is at this stage of her life. Many of my friends are not at this stage yet with their kids so I’m feeling a little lonely in that regard. Wishing I too had 5 more years to go. I just spent the evening yesterday with a college friend who’s my age whose son just started kindergarten. Sigh.
I filled out a FAFSA for my D16’s first year so I guess the two of us have IDs. I have no idea what they are. I guess with two in school in fall 2019, I really should fill it out. I"m not sure that any of the public schools on his S19’s require it for merit aid, but the one private school might. There’s a slim chance we would qualify for a very tiny amount of need based with two in school for one year.
The only true “mom-selected” school on S19’s list is the local public U, which might be the closest thing to a match or safety as far as the music audition goes. He doesn’t really want to go there and I don’t blame him, but when it comes down to it, he would probably attend if it’s the only school that accepts him for his desired major. He would live on campus instead of commuting 20 minutes, but still. He’s definitely not daydreaming about any specific schools though. I don’t think he cares that much where he ends up, at least not yet.
He’s quickly running out of time to get his applications done in time to qualify for merit consideration at some of his schools. (some have Nov. 1 deadlines, but the school application has to be submitted and accepted before the music school application and it all has to be done by Nov. 1). I hate to see him limit his options, but I can’t write his essays for him! Most of the schools on his list are not happening without merit. I am not going to pay $45K for a school that would have been $30K with an early application. Ugh.
@SDCounty3Mom I’m sorry that D is feeling her safeties less. S19 has recently started saying that no one likes their safeties. None of his friends intend to go to them. Ugh. I worked so hard to find safeties he would like and, while he likes them well enough, these schools take kids from our high school with way lower stats. Kids who don’t take any honors classes. He just cannot fathom that he’s worked his tail off and he would go to school with those kids. I can talk until I’m blue in the face about making the most of wherever he goes but he’s not buying it lately. We’ve got four matches on the list and I think those may be more important than his safeties. Fingers crossed that he gets into at least one of those.
I do feel like kids all hope for their reaches at the beginning of the process. Why wouldn’t they? One just has to hope that they accept their fate at the end of the process and make the most of it.
Well, Mr. InfiniteWaves and I gently approached the subject of how we thought it would be a good idea for S19 to apply to the former favorite even though it doesn’t have ROTC. The response?
“Sure, okay.”
Ten minutes later, he had the Common App submitted, test scores sent, and the transcript request form ready for drop off to the GC tomorrow. NOW, he is done with apps.
@InfiniteWaves Congrats on your S getting all that done. Must be nice to be able to check that off. Over here, D is now in a frenzy over EA along with the rest of her classmates. Keeps adding EA schools to the list, so she can have results and positive news early. But not sure she is really interested in these EA schools and think she may load up on EAs and by the time RD gets added on, it will be way too many schools
@homerdog I think all kids really do hope for their reaches beause those are the schools they love best. My D is definately hoping for her reach although I think chances are highly unlikely. On the other hand, she really does love her safeties and doesn’t care at all that kids with far lower stats attend. I think she is likeing the idea of big fish, small pond. Also the safeties offer some incredible opportunities that the others don’t. Maybe your D could look at it like that?
@wisteria100 I can’t tell you how many times I have pulled up that EA list. S19 has one school EA but it’s very unlikely he would go to that school. I think it looks like a good school for him on paper but it’s not easy to get there and we haven’t visited. I keep thinking that another one will jump out at us but that’s just not going to happen. Makes me crazy when people say - just apply to your schools EA and be done early! There aren’t that many schools that have EA.
So, instead of S19 adding a bunch of EA schools, he’s adding more reaches. Lol. He’s almost done with the apps for all of the schools that have been on the list so he’s decided to add a few wild cards and see what happens. Good thing he’s got a handful of matches on his list.
@gallentjill I don’t know. Hard to say that Denison has more opportunities than Dartmouth. He really wants to be pushed by his classmates. He hasn’t been in a non-honors class since fifth grade and these are the kids he expects to go to college with. Of course he would find students like him anywhere. That’s what he needs to understand.
@SDCounty3Mom, I hear you on wishing there was more time . . . I want to go back and do the “honeymoon” time again, when our kids were about 6-12. And try not to feel lonely–all of us on this board have launched kids or are definitely on the brink!
@homerdog, I’m just a fellow parent, but I think your son is going to get terrific results and have too many choices. Even if the process doesn’t go smoothly, he sounds like the kind of kid who would thrive at any of his schools, including ones like Denison. There may not be as many amazing opportunities, but whenever there is a chance to work on cool research, go on a special trip, exhibit art, etc., your son would be at the top of the list.
@3SailAway thx. I have days where I think he’s going to get shut out and then days when I think he will be accepted to just a few and it will be easy to choose. I also have days where I worry that he will have too many choices and six weeks will not be enough time to decide. I’m apparently on this roller coaster alone though. He doesn’t seem to be thinking about how the outcomes might pan out at all. I just have more time to think about it I guess!
And I want more time too! How can we all be such a giant part of each other’s daily life and then have one of the four of us absent? Ugh. Not ready.
Luckily every school on D19’s list is either rolling admissions or has EA. She wants to be done with the process so her last deadline will be 12/1, with most being done by 11/1. She is not interested in any LAC’s, which appear not to offer EA options but only ED. Kind of a bummer that some of the schools despite the EA deadline still don’t release results until February.
I worry that all the scrutiny of Common Data Sets and Naviance and acceptance rates, all goes up in smoke if this year applications rise by double digits. You look at past results but you really don’t know what the pool will be this year and that makes me nervous. Or will a particular school have a strategy shift and want more Internstionals or pell kids or some other subset that is not my D? It’s like investing in a mutual fund - past performance is not predictive of future results.
@wisteria100 I feel the same way! That is why we have safeties (plural) on the list. I don’t think a school that admits 70% is going to suddenly admit 20%, although one of the schools on D’s list went from 70 to 50 in about a year, so you really never know.
@wisteria100 right there with you. I swear that only big state schools are real safeties because they don’t care about demonstrated interest. The XC coach from one of S19’s safeties actually wrote him an email asking if he was serious about the school and, if he was, then they would talk to him more about the team. I almost felt guilty having James reply that of course he’s serious. Obviously, this coach saw his recruit form with his scores, etc. I’m sure it was obvious that the school was one of his safeties.
