If you’re the parent of a potentially college-bound child, chances are that you have spent more than a few minutes thinking about the best way to finance that dream. While I have written previously about how to understand how much college really costs, I have never written specifically about the best way to save for…
Two weeks ago, which now seems like a year ago, I wrote about the preliminary anticipated impact of Covid-19 on college admissions. Since then, there have been daily developments and the picture has become much clearer. So I thought it was time to check back in here and attempt a round-up of what we now…
It’s nothing new for college students to study abroad. But, usually, American students only go for short terms, ranging from several weeks to a full semester. In fact, the number of students studying abroad for a year or less has been increasing rapidly – the number went up over 6%, to 341,751, in just two…
When your oldest child begins high school, you may never have heard of the acronym, “EFC” before. But by November of their senior year, most families of college-bound teens are not only familiar with the term, they likely know what their EFC number IS. In general, most families feel that it’s too high. But what…
I often write about factors that colleges consider as they make admissions decisions. There is one factor that gets very little attention – financial need. Did you know that there are “need-blind” colleges, as well as “need-aware” colleges? Unfortunately, this is an aspect of the college admissions process that students have very little control over….
The acceptance letters arriving in the mail or inbox are cause for celebration! But often, those acceptances bring some stress for students. Sometimes, students have sent in their applications six months (or more!) before receiving that acceptance. It may have been a year or more since they set foot on that campus. And in that…
If you have been reading about college admissions for a while, you may already know some of the financial aid basics like what an EFC is. And if you’ve been following me for a while, you likely know what an NPC is too. However, the list below also includes financial aid questions you may not…
As a college consultant, I am frequently asked for my best advice for families undertaking the college search and admissions process. I find it nearly impossible to narrow it down to just one piece of advice. And generally, my advice is tailored to my specific audience. But, if I had to only give one piece…
An academic scholarship. If you have a good student, you may have always assumed that this will be their free ticket to college. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The good news is that there IS merit aid available to academically-talented students. The bad news is that the most highly selective schools in the country…
The FAFSA and CSS Profile open up on October 1st. If you have a student planning to attend college next year, now is the time to get familiar with these financial aid forms. Before completing the forms, you will need to compile some of your financial information (okay, just about all of it!), as well…