College Admissions with Calm, Clarity & Confidence

the blog

Copper dome of the Naval Academy Chapel against a blue sky Military Academy Summer Programs

read post

What most high school students know about military life tends to come from movies or books. Even those who grew up in military families may wonder what it would be like to personally serve under military restrictions and responsibilities. Military academy summer programs offer students a taste of life as a cadet or midshipman. This […]

Military Academy Summer Programs

read the latest

Read More

The Department of Education announced on November 14, 2024 that the FAFSA 2025-26 is available to all students through the Beta test version. This means any students can apply for federal financial aid for the 2025-26 college academic year through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students and their “contributors” (aka parents submitting […]

FAFSA 2025-26 Available to All Students

College Affordability
Graduation cap on a pile of $100 bills. FAFSA 2025-26 Now Open

Read More

Many colleges require supplemental essays in addition to a long personal statement about the student. These additional essays are intended to give admissions more information about the student and what is important to them. One type of supplemental essay that frequently stumps students is the Why Us? college essay. Let’s consider what these prompts are […]

Supplemental Essays: How to Write a “Why Us” College Essay

College Admissions
Tips for Why Us? Essays Background image of a laptop computer, writing journal, a pen, and a cup of coffee.

Read More

When students apply to colleges, they may have to choose between Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision. Other options include Rolling Decision and Restrictive Early Action? What is Early Decision and how is it different from other options? Is Early Decision a good choice for you? Let me explain what these options mean and […]

Read More

College affordability matters. Understanding college costs and financial aid works should be one of your first steps in making a college list. This is a long article, but I want to give you a strong overview of college costs and financial aid, so you are prepared to consider your options. Think about your family budget, college […]

College Costs and Financial Aid

College Affordability
Graduation cap on a pile of US money. Text reads: College Costs and Financial Aid. Logo of Admissions Decrypted

Read More

Upcoming changes to military academy nominations rules mean that students applying to Department of Defense military service academies will have more chances of receiving a nomination. Starting with the classes entering in the 2025-26 academic year, each member of Congress will be authorized to nominate 15 candidates at a time, instead of 10. This was […]

Changes to Military Academy Nominations

Military
Image of the US Capitol and the words Changes to Nominations

Read More

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a program to educate and train future US military officers at civilian colleges and universities. Students are both full-time college students and ROTC cadets or midshipmen. They take courses in military, air, or naval science in addition to their other college classes. They do regular military training during […]

ROTC Scholarships for College Image of mannequin wearing US Navy Summer White uniform with a nametag labeled "You" in front of a banner an historic photos of Vanderbilt University Navy ROTC

Read More

What Are Military Academy Nominations? When students apply to military service academies, the nomination requirement often causes confusion. This guide will help you better understand which military academy nominations you are eligible for and how to get started with the nomination request process. Nominations are required for appointment to the three Department of Defense Service […]

Guide to Military Academy Nominations

Military
Graphic explaining military academy nomination requirements

Read More

If you have a high school student, maybe you’ve noticed articles about FAFSA. Maybe you’re worried about completing it so you can get a financial aid offer. Maybe you are just wondering, “What is FAFSA?” This guide explains what FAFSA is, why it matters, and where to get help completing it. As of January 2024, […]

Guide to FAFSA

College Affordability
Admissions Decrypted Guide to FAFSA

Read More

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA 2024-25 (for the college academic year that starts in Fall 2024) opened December 31, 2023 in a soft launch. This revised form reflects changes to the format and the formula used to calculate eligibility for need-based financial aid. These FAFSA tips will help you finish […]

If parents are married to each other financial information from both is required. If they did not file taxes jointly, then both are contributors and both will need to provide information and sign the FAFSA. If they filed taxes jointly, only one parent is required as a contributor. If parents are not married to each other, but live together, both are considered contributors and must complete FAFSA individually. If parents are not married and don't live together, the parent who provide more financial support than the other will be the contributor and must complete the FAFSA. If the parent providing the most support has remarried, the stepparent will also be considered a contributor.