That brings back memories. I don’t remember the CSS profile being so terrible with DS2, but with DS1, it was terrible. I swore it felt like they were asking me for the same thing 3 different ways to try to catch me in a lie. I was trying to be truthful! But it was just so confusing. Ugh. I think I didn’t care so much with DS2 because it was for an in-state public school and with our EFC right at the COA, I knew we wouldn’t be getting anything anyway. We didn’t with DS1.
Fortunately, neither of them actually went to a CSS school, so we were a one and done for each. FASFA was a breeze… IF I could actually remember our logins and passwords for each account, lol…
My husband filled out all the CSS stuff with S25 and I asked him how it was and he actually said “not too bad”! I was surprised based on all the stories I’ve heard. But I think that our situation is more straightforward than some. We haven’t done the IDOC documents yet, so hopefully there is no hassle there.
S25 has only one application to go (Rice, so not EA). He has been stuck on one essay for that application for a while, but today he just showed me a draft and he came up with a good concept, so I’m happy for him on that.
Friday night, but I would double check each school’s policy on time zone just to be careful. I’m not sure every school takes your time zone into account.
The only reason I filled out the CSS was because S22 was being recruited to row at a school. They asked to do an academic pre read and a financial aid pre read. I told them
I knew we wouldn’t qualify for need based aid, but they suggested I do it anyway - just in case.
As soon as I saw the section that asked for the tax assessed value of my home versus how much I owe on the mortgage, I knew it was all over. (We have lived in the house 20ish years and the value has gone up, a lot, since we bought it - doesn’t mean I want to take money out of it to pay for college…)
Anyway, point being, I don’t think you have to fill it out unless you are trying for need based aid or some scholarship application says you have to.
I’d just double check that it isn’t required for any scholarships. If there is a general pot of scholarships at any of the schools your kid applies for, and some of those are potentially need based, then they may require the FAFSA even if the result is your kid won’t qualify for any of the need based ones. I feel like some of the ones my D22 has applied for at her university are worded as “preference for those who are in need.” So they require the FAFSA, but then have the opportunity to award the scholarship to someone not in need of aid if no students in need of aid are the best match for XYZ very specific scholarship in her area of study.
I’ll add that requiring the FAFSA and/or CSS for merit aid is in the fiscal self-interest of colleges—the FAFSA allows them to offset some institutional aid with federal (and, often, state) dollars, and both the FAFSA and the CSS allow them to allocate institutional aid such that more comes from funds dedicated to need-based aid (which are both more plentiful and easier to fundraise for at many if not most colleges)
I always go back and forth over whether it’s better to submit the CSS and FAFSA. We’re unlikely to qualify for any aid but with one child in college already, I thought the CSS was worth doing and schools that require the CSS also require the FAFSA, so I figured might as well just submit them.
I’ll do FAFSA since some schools require it for merit, and our high school told students it was mandatory for graduation. However, I don’t plan to do a CSS. We don’t qualify for need-aid therefore there’s no reason to share the intimate details with colleges. Any scholarships with a need component aren’t targeting my kid.
Still waiting on a teacher to submit her rec letter. She told C25 on Friday that it was done but she was having someone proofread it. I’m not really succeeding at being patient since Friday is the deadline.
If schools say 1 required LOR and 1 optional, how important is the ‘optional’ LOR? One LOR was done immediately, still waiting on the second. It has been a month. Should D25 ask the teacher again, or let it go?
I’ve read that additional LORs are really not important. No idea if that’s the case everywhere but I would think if they don’t ask for it, then it isn’t required.
Alright, I need opinions. D25 submitted her app to a flagship. Her SAT is above the 75% for the school, but is right at the 25% for the honors college (which is what she wants if she’s going to attend the school). Do you submit the score or go TO?
ETA: she’s allowed to change from one to the other for the next few days.
. I think I’ll reach out to the schools individually. Thank you!