College Watch

It might be a waiting game but some things just can't wait!

By CAROLINE KELLY

There's so very much on the minds of our seniors (and their counselors and parents) right now! Whether it's keeping up with priority financial aid deadlines, making sure students know if the colleges & universities to which they've applied require the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, staying on top of institutional requirements for scholarships and accompanying deadlines, or, helping seniors stay on top of their grades to finish strong and not be too stressed -- it's a juggling act and one with competing priorities! The hardest part for students, parents and even counselors is the waiting game. It's just no fun especially when we live in a world that promotes immediate gratification (Tweet that!). But waiting is a part of the college-bound game. We have to wait for acceptance letters (or, yes, sometimes rejection letters), offer letters, award letters, requests for additional information and the list goes on. BUT, some things just can't wait so, with that in mind, here's a rundown of all the things seniors and their parents should know to ensure the wait is a productive one:

• The FAFSA -- you MUST complete this even if you feel you won't qualify for federal aid (it's the only way to be considered for institutional aid and many external scholarships require it as well) & don't wait to complete your taxes to submit this; you can (& should) estimate based on 2010, in order to get it in right away BUT don't think that means you can wait to file your taxes in April either because you will need to file corrections to your FAFSA sooner than that.
• TRICK! If you're applying to more than 10 colleges (yay!), the FAFSA only allows you to submit your information to a maximum of 10 colleges. So, here is a handy little trick: once your FAFSA is being processed, go back into the form and click on "Make corrections to FAFSA", replace the colleges you originally submitted with the additional schools to which you've applied then resubmit with your pin and you'll be good to go (NOTE: a parent will have only one pin # so if you have a sibling or parent in college at the same time, you'll use the same parent pin (where students each have their own pin).
• Even if you're planning on living at home, mark on the form that you are going to live on campus so you will receive the most money possible (ie grants for living on campus) because it's easier to take away money if you decide to live off campus vs asking to add free money later which won't happen (the same is true for "work study" --mark yes that you're interested as otherwise you won't be considered for this.
• Complete the CSS Profile if your school requires it; most selective colleges do (more than 350 colleges & universities require it & the deadline is generally before the priority financial aid deadline). You are charged an application fee of $9, plus $16 for EACH college or scholarship program to which you want information sent (yes, it adds up especially for those students who are applying to many colleges; keep in mind, a limited number of fee waivers are granted automatically to first-year, first-time citizen — or eligible non-citizen applicants — from low-income families, based on the financial information provided on the PROFILE but you won't know if you are eligible until you submit the profile).
• If you're applying for any institutional scholarships for music or diversity, leadership, etc, an on-campus interview is usually required; usually the college has 2-3 days the student can choose from to participate in these so plan ahead now for making these important trips (& plan the most economical way to get there).
• Be sure to check your email! It seems silly to have to say this especially in the age of smart phones and iPads but more and more students are relying on texting (and even tweeting now) as their primary means of communication. Many colleges are sending acceptances via email now and scheduling on-campus interviews for scholarships via email. You don't want to miss a deadline that could cost you free money.
• If you're sending in your second ACT score or your 7th semester grades, be sure to have your scores sent directly to the schools to which you have applied (there are extra fees involved but this will ensure they receive your score as soon as it's available which will help you when being considered for institutional scholarships which generally have early deadlines ie March 1st). And, tell the college you're retaking the ACT/SAT in case you are doing so to be in contention for specific scholarships that require a certain minimum ACT score.
• Some institutional scholarships require additional essay questions, an interview, recommendation or minimum ACT/SAT score; be sure to check out each college's online financial aid/ascholarship information and click on undergrad/incoming freshman to see their list of institutional scholarships and specific application requirements.

Waiting is never fun but there's a lot to do to fill the time so make the most of it! It will be worth the wait!

 With the holidays right around the corner, the biggest challenge I'm facing now is how to get students to stay focused on the college application process. After all, many of them, with the arrival of AN acceptance letter, feel like they're set. We want them to be excited about their acceptance(s) yet we don't want that feeling of relief ("I was accepted to one of my college choices, whew!") to give them a false sense that they can now slack off on future applications. I've actually had some students say, "I got into a school so I'm done". They have "visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads" (or better yet holiday break and time away from school, studying, test-taking, writing and all the other "necessary evils" of their senior year).

These are the students it's most difficult to help motivate to keep applying and, in some cases, retake their ACT to help ensure they have additional acceptances and therefore more options to choose between for college attendance. It's one of the most difficult aspects of the college application process to help a teenager think about the true value of having more than one option, especially when it means more work in the short term. As a college counselor, I don't want them to simply get into college; I want them to graduate! I spent my day trying to explain (for the millionth time?!) why it is important to apply to "reach" schools yet, when I think back to how I was at 17 years old, I doubt that I was really thinking about college graduation rates...but that just makes it even more important for me to get them to!

What We're Gobbling About This Week

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching (hello, calendar? where did October go?) and while most are thinking about  what side dish to make, what football games to watch or what family members to (try to) avoid, college counselors like myself are thinking were all the ED applications sent?  Do the students have enough schools on their app list? Are the schools on their list places they can make their home and graduate from in four years?  Thanksgiving break for us is two days to catch our breath before regular decision paperwork needs to go out. And then the real fun begins...