Category: Financial Fit

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All, Financial Fit

Understanding College Financial Aid Awards

Lisa Rielage

If you submitted financial aid applications (FAFSA and possibly the CSS Profile) along with college applications, then acceptances may come with financial aid awards. Sometimes colleges mail an actual letter, but they might also be in a section of the student’s application portal for each college. Financial aid includes grants (gift aid that doesn’t have to be paid back), work study (money paid to a student because they work in a campus job associated with a work study program), and loans (that have to be paid back with interest after leaving college).

Understanding financial aid award letters can be tricky. Formats vary wildly from one college to another. In particular, loans which might not be clearly labeled. You might see terms like “Fed Sub,” “Unsub,” or “Parent Plus” instead.

It’s easy to get excited about a college that awards a $20,000 tuition discount, while ignoring that they are $30,000 more expensive than other colleges on your list. Compare the final net cost, not the discount amount. Here are a few resources that can help you determine if a college is a good financial fit.

Compare Financial Aid Awards

Financial Aid Shopping Sheet This fillable form allows you to input data from each financial aid offers into a standard format. This one is from the state of New Jersey. I like it because it helps you total up both direct and indirect costs that could be very different depending on the colleges you’re comparing. For example, transportation might include public transportation, a car (plus gas, insurance, and parking), or plane fare. You should fill out a sheet like this for each college you’re comparing. Remember that these are annual costs, if students at one college take 5-6 years to graduate, include that in your comparison too.

Financial Path to Graduation This government site walks families through a series of questions to determine the cost of attendance vs different types of aid offered. A couple helpful features of this tool are that it asks about other resources for paying for college, like 529 plans or state grants. It also clearly includes the cost of loans (both interest and fees) and helps you visualize student debt at graduation and the estimated total cost of student loans. It even pulls in graduation rate, average income, and loan default info to help you decide if each college is a good option.

Appealing Financial Aid Offers

Financial aid awards are not written in stone. It’s possible to appeal financial aid offers, especially if you think the FAFSA missed nuances in your family’s financial situation. Families may struggle with writing an appeal letter that is clear and compelling. Some colleges have their own appeal application or form. If yours doesn’t the Swift Student online tool has a series of prompts to help you put the facts together in way that financial aid offices will understand and consider acting on. Swift Student has many templates to cover specific situations, like a changed financial situation, unusual expenses, or emergency costs.

College financial aid offices can override financial aid awards through “professional judgement.” But what situations would be worth appealing and what documentation would be compelling. This set of Professional Judgement Tip Sheets helps college financial aid officers weigh appeal requests. They include case studies that can help you understand what might form the basis of an appeal and what information may be asked for.

Financial Fit Matters

For most families, cost is just as important for college fit as size, location, and academic programs. Make sure you understand the financial aid award and what it would actually cost to attend each college. It’s OK to decide that a school isn’t a viable choice based on the total cost (even if it’s a popular or selective college).

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All, College Fit, College Planning, Financial Fit

What College Costs

Lisa Rielage

Let’s be real. For most families, affordability is a significant factor when deciding which college to attend. Wise families realize that being able to pay college costs is just as important as being admitted. And they realize that building affordability into the college list is better than blindly hoping they can “make it work” by stringing together small outside scholarships and big parent loans. When you consider college affordability, think about your family budget, financial aid practices, and where your student is likely to receive substantial financial aid.

College Costs: What to Count

When weighing the cost of attending a college, it’s important to consider both direct costs, what you pay directly to the college, and indirect costs, other expenses that come from being a college student. Tuition and fees, housing, food, and books are examples of direct costs. Transportation, bedding and other dorm supplies, entertainment, clothing, toiletries, computers, laundry, club & activity costs, and fraternity/sorority expenses are examples of indirect costs. Housing and food may be direct or indirect costs, depending on whether the student chooses to live and eat on or off campus. When you add up direct and indirect costs, you get a total price for attending that school.

Total Cost of Attendance = Direct Costs + Indirect Costs

Some colleges make a reasonable effort to estimate the overall cost of attendance, but it pays to look at the assumptions. James Madison University, for example, includes transportation, personal costs, and even loan fees in their cost of attendance estimate. But students who live far from Virginia might find the estimated travel costs too low, and students with more expensive entertainment and recreation habits may find they have to boost their personal expenses costs at most of their colleges.

College Costs: In State vs Out of State Tuition

You might notice a difference in the tuition costs based on the student’s state residency. This tuition difference recognizes the fact that public colleges receive some financial support from state governments. In essence, residents of the state are already supporting the college through their tax dollars. Some colleges list two separate tuition rates. Other colleges list one tuition rate, but charge an additional non-resident supplement or surcharge. According to the College Board, the 2022-23 average price of tuition and fees for a public four-year college in-state was $10,940, while the average cost for a public college out-of-state was $28,240.

Residency for College Tuition

States set their own policies about what qualifies a student as a resident for the purpose of tuition. Requirements vary, but typical considerations include where the student lives or graduated from high school, what state of residence the parents claim, and administrative evidence of residency such as paying income tax or registering to vote. Military families, expat families, and students who split their time between divorced parents may need to provide additional information in support of state residency claims.

It can be difficult to establish residency after starting as a student at the college (most states don’t count a move for educational purposes as grounds to change residency classifications for tuition). I recommend finding the college or state guidelines for residency and reading them carefully. What worked for your neighbor a decade ago or your cousin in another state might not prove useful for your family’s situation. Don’t be afraid of asking questions of the college or requesting an appeal based on additional information. Usually the registrar or bursar’s office handles this type of question, but military families may also want to reach out to the veterans’ service office on campus. (These can have different names, but are the office where the School Certifying Official for VA educational benefits like GI Bill works.)

In State Tuition for Military Families

Military families may have residency in one state, but live somewhere else because of military orders. This can create challenges in qualifying for in state tuition, but they may also find that their kids are eligible for in state tuition rates both where they live on military orders and in the state where the parents maintain residency. But a college may require annual verification of status and revert to out of state tuition rates if the military parent takes orders to another location.

Federal law requires colleges to charge no more than in state tuition to students using VA educational benefits such as Post 9/11 GI Bill, Fry Scholarship, or Chapter 35. But colleges are also allowed to require additional documentation of an intent to establish residency in the state where the college is located. This might include a state driver’s license, proof of address in the state, or other documents. Federal law addresses what happens when the student is using VA educational benefits, but does not require the college to continue charging in state rates if the student stops using GI Bill or other VA funding. Some colleges keep the student at in state rates, and others will immediately revert back to the higher out of state tuition rate. I’ve found the veterans’ service office is the best first stop for these questions.

College Costs at Private Institutions

What about private colleges? The average cost of tuition and fees at a private non-profit college was $39,400 for the 2022-23 school year. But this figure is too general to mean much for most families. There can be huge differences between actual net costs at individual private colleges, depending on how they award financial aid. So don’t assume that a private college would always be more expensive than a public college (especially a public college where the student would be a non-resident). In other words, try to compare estimated costs rather than lumping all private colleges and all public colleges into the same baskets.

Types of Financial Aid

There are two main categories of financial aid and several ways that aid can be provided. How a college determines eligibility for financial aid and how they package it depends on a combination of the college’s resources and institutional priorities and the family’s financial resources.

Assistance can be in the form of grants (money that does not have to be paid back), work study (money earned through specific campus jobs), and loans (money that will have to be paid back — with interest). This aid might come from the Federal government (ex, Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, or Federal Student Loans) or from the college itself.

Need-Based Aid

Need-Based Aid is financial aid that is offered because the college has determined the student and their family have fewer financial resources that could be used to pay for college costs. This determination is made through a review of financial aid applications, specifically the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and/or the CSS Profile (a separate financial aid application used by about 300 colleges).

The FAFSA is required if students wish to use Federal Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Work Study, or Pell Grants. There is no cost to submit the FAFSA, which opens the October before the school year in which financial aid would be used and considers income from the “prior-prior” tax year. In other words, students who are seeking federal aid for the 2024-25 school year would submit the FAFSA that opens in October 2023 and would use income data from the 2022 tax year.

Related: Learn About FAFSA

The CSS Profile is used by a smaller number of colleges, that are usually private or highly selective, and that often give large amounts of need based aid to help pay for heftier costs of attendance. This form is administered by College Board, and there is a charge to submit each application (there is no charge to families earning up to $100,000). The CSS Profile asks more questions in order to create a picture of family financial resources that goes beyond income and savings. The colleges that are most generous with need-based aid, tend to require the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA. [List of CSS Profile colleges and programs.]

Merit Aid and Scholarships

Non-Need Based Aid, sometimes called Merit Aid is financial aid that is not tied to the student’s family financial status. This aid might be labeled as scholarships and could be automatic, based on grades and test scores, or be competitive, with additional application requirements. Sometimes colleges will discount tuition for students in order to encourage them to enroll. These colleges might find that families think better of a college that offers a $20,000 discount labeled a “scholarship” than another college that simply prices its tuition $20,000 lower.

Both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile produce a number that represents how much each formula thinks a family should contribute EACH YEAR towards the cost of attendance. This is labeled the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC isn’t all that a college might expect a family to pay annually. Very few colleges meet 100% of demonstrated need. Instead, students may find that after federal and institutional aid is subtracted from the cost of attendance, there is a difference between the EFC and what the family has to pay. This is often called gapping.

The EFC will be renamed the Student Aid Index (SAI) in 2023 along with other changes to the FAFSA. More about these changes will be coming out in 2023, but for now, Jeff Levy has a good overview.

Paying for College with Outside Scholarships

Another factor to be aware of is Scholarship Displacement. This is when colleges reduce financial aid offers in response to outside scholarships. Students may find that there is no real reduction in what they have to pay to a college even though they earned outside scholarships, from local organizations or support groups.

There are a few states where legislation banned scholarship displacement at public colleges. But it’s still widely practiced, so students should ask colleges about their policy for “stacking” outside scholarships and institutional aid.

3 Ways to Estimate College Costs

So, how do you come up with an estimate of how much your family would have to pay?

Net Price Calculators Estimate College Costs for Individual Students

Net Price Calculators (NPC) are available on most college websites*. They ask for some of the same information required by the FAFSA or CSS Profile and usually produce an estimate that includes federal aid (including Federal Student Loans!), applicable state grants, and typical discounts from the college. The more detail an NPC asks for, the more accurate its results are likely to be. However, they are only an estimate and are not binding on future offers from the financial aid office.

Colleges usually update their NPCs shortly before the new application cycle begins in August. The easiest way to find them is to do an internet search for the name of the college and “Net Price Calculator”.

*Federal law requires colleges that accept federal aid to have a Net Price Calculator. Some colleges that do not accept federal aid will not have this tool on their website. If that is the case with a school you are considering, contact the college financial aid office for more information about expected costs and institutional aid.

Common Data Set Records Need Based and Non-Need Based Aid

The Common Data Set (CDS) is a set of questions and responses that use a common format across all participating colleges. This provides information about admissions, costs, class size, number of degrees in each major, and financial aid.

Section H reports Financial Aid data. It lists how many students requested need-based aid; how many were determined to have need; how many received need-based grants, self-help (work study), or other grants; and what percentage of need was met. Another set of responses shows how much non-need based aid was awarded the same year. Pay attention to both the percentage of students awarded aid and the size of the award.

Question H5 shows how many students took out loans and the average size of the loans. Be aware that this may not include all loans taken out by parents, such as home equity loans used to pay for college costs. You can find a CDS by searching for the college name and Common Data Set, then selecting the most recent year available.

Need Based and Merit Aid Spreadsheet

Another valuable resource is an annual Need Based and Merit Aid spreadsheet compiled by Jeff Levy and Jenny Kent of Big J Consulting. They pull data on need-based aid and non-need based aid from several hundred colleges and put it into a spreadsheet that you can sorted by field. If your family has high need, look for colleges that has a high number in “Average Percent of Need Met.” If your family has a high EFC but wants to control college costs, look for colleges that have a high number in “Percentage of Non-Need Undergraduates Receiving Merit Aid.” But keep a close eye on the amount of “Average Merit Aid Award” and remember that it might discount a higher cost of attendance, leaving a total cost of attendance that is still higher than you might want to pay.

College Fit Includes Affordability

I know this can feel both confusing and overwhelming. It might seem like a lot of alphabet soup and looking at the costs can trigger strong emotions. But denial isn’t a great coping strategy. Some families ignore the cost of attendance. Others tell their children “just get into the best college and we’ll make it work.” Spring of senior year comes around and they realize that only a few of the colleges that offered admissions are actually affordable. One of the best resources on college affordability is The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber, a financial columnist for the New York Times. I recommend this book to the families I work with.

It’s better to have an awareness of cost and affordability earlier in the process. When I am supporting client families through this process, I ask them to make an honest assessment of their college budget and estimated need. Then when we create a student’s college list, we work hard to include colleges that are affordable and likely to admit the student. If this is an area where you’d like help, use the Contact page to schedule an appointment.

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Financial Fit, Military

ROTC Scholarship Board Dates 2022-23

Lisa Rielage

The ROTC scholarship boards for the 2022-223 have concluded. Most students should know by now if they were selected for a scholarship. I’ll update this page when dates for the ROTC scholarship boards for 2023-24 are available. Students who are applying in 2023-24 who would like help with their applications may be interested in working with me. You can read about how I support students with their military college program applications on the Services page or you can reach out to schedule an initial meeting.

Students often ask when they should submit their ROTC scholarship applications.  The short answer is to submit a strong and application early enough to be competitive when there are still many scholarships available. For many students, that means they need to be ready to submit complete packages by the beginning of October senior year. For some students, it may be better to wait to improve standardized test or fitness test scores or have first semester grades in hand, even if that means waiting until a later board. But be diligent about making the deadlines, because late applications are not considered.

In the sections below, I’ve listed most of the ROTC high school scholarship board dates for the 2022-23 academic year. These are the scholarships for high school seniors in the Class of 2023 (or students who have graduated from high school, but not enrolled in college).

Current juniors in the Class of 2024 should expect ROTC scholarship applications to open in spring/summer before year. (I’ll update this post as soon as the information for the new application cycle is available.) College students interested in ROTC scholarships should contact the staff of the ROTC units at their college or nearby colleges that have a crosstown agreement with their school.

How Do ROTC Scholarship Boards and Deadlines Work?

You definitely don’t want to miss the application deadlines. Usually, applications that are not complete when the application closes do not go before a review board at all. Some services allow interviews to occur after the scholarship deadline, as long as the interview is completed before the final board of review. Because ROTC scholarship applications are more complicated than the average college application, you should start early and work diligently through the process. Keep reading for info on deadlines and when you should submit your application.

Some services score each package submitted by the document deadline. Others, like Navy ROTC, review a set number of packages at each board. Usually, students who are offered scholarships will hear results 2-3 weeks after the end of a board. Applications for Space Force scholarships have a two part review process, so those notifications occur around 40 days after the review board. Notifications can be made by email, through the scholarship portal, or from the student’s recruiter. However, final turn down notification may not occur until after the final board for the selection cycle.

Army ROTC 4-Year Scholarship Board Dates

The application portal for the Army ROTC scholarship for high school students opened on June 12, 2022.

Army ROTC Scholarship Information

Scholarship Application OpensJune 12, 2022
Deadline to Submit Documents for First BoardOctober 10, 2022
First Selection BoardOctober 12, 2022
Deadline to Submit Documents for Second BoardJanuary 16, 2023
Second Selection BoardJanuary 23, 2023
Deadline to create an online application for a High School Scholarship February 4, 2023
Deadline to Submit Documents for Final Board (Missing Items)March 6, 2023
Final (Third) Selection BoardMarch 13, 2023
FY23 Army ROTC Scholarship Board Dates

Students who are not selected for a scholarship on one board may be considered at subsequent boards, but aren’t completely reevaluated. The candidate score from their board review carries over to later boards. Students can update their SAT or ACT test scores, which may improve their overall chance of being selected for a scholarship.

Air Force ROTC & Space Force ROTC High School Scholarship Program Board Dates

The application for the Air Force and Space Force FY23 scholarship for high school students opened on July 1, 2022. The Initial Online Application was due no later than December 31, 2022 and Completed Applications (including fitness tests) were due no later than January 12, 2023.

The application for the next High School Scholarship Program for students starting college in Fall 2024 opens July 1, 2023.

Air Force ROTC Scholarship Information (Includes Space Force)

High School Scholarship Application OpensJuly 1, 2022
Deadline to Submit Documents for First BoardOctober 14, 2022
First Selection Board (23HS01)October 17-21, 2022
Deadline to Submit Documents for Second Board (Interviews)November 30, 2022
Last Day to Submit Initial Online ApplicationDecember 31, 2022
Last Day to Submit Completed ApplicationJanuary 12, 2023
Second Selection Board (23HS02)January 3 – February 3, 2023
Deadline to Submit Documents for Third Board (Interviews)March 10, 2023
Third Selection Board (23HS03) [Only convened if needed]March 13-17, 2023
FY23 Air Force ROTC HSSP Board Dates

Marine Option boards are coordinated by each Marine Corps Recruiting District. Typically there is a board in in November and February. Board results are usually announced a month after the end of the board.

Navy and Marine Corps ROTC Scholarship Information

First Selection BoardNovember 2022
Deadline to Submit Completed ApplicationJanuary 31, 2023
Second Selection BoardFebruary 2023
FY23 NROTC-Marine Option Scholarship Board Dates

The Navy holds frequent review boards for Navy Option and Navy Nursing applicants from September through April. One issue with the Navy ROTC scholarship board schedule is that results from later boards may come out after May 1, the date most colleges use as an enrollment deadline. This can leave students in the position of choosing which college to attend without knowing if they would have a scholarship. This is a good reason not to wait for the last minute to submit a scholarship package.

Navy and Marine Corps ROTC Scholarship Information

Four Year Scholarship Application OpensApril 1, 2022
Last Day to Submit Completed ApplicationJanuary 31, 2023
FY23 Navy ROTC Scholarship Board Dates

When to Submit ROTC Scholarship Applications

If the application opens in July and the first board is in October, submitting an application in August that was rushed and has a weak score on the fitness test doesn’t present a strong case. The board isn’t going to give a pass on a slow run time just because the student submitted their package early. On the other hand, don’t wait until the last minute. If the board receives strong applications on earlier boards, they may select fewer scholarships on the later boards or cancel them altogether. Note for example that the third Air Force board will only convene if needed.  

Too often later applications reflect procrastination, not time spent working hard improving the application. My general suggestion is to work on your application over the summer, so you are ready to submit in the fall, but consider if another test sitting or targeted fitness training would improve your package. You may also want to skip the first board if your application would not stand out in a highly competitive group (see notes in the Army ROTC section).

ROTC scholarships can pay for tuition, fees, books, and a monthly stipend at civilian colleges that have a ROTC unit on campus or a crosstown agreement with another college. Also, some services allow scholarship selectees to use the scholarship to pay for food and housing instead of tuition. Graduates become officers in the military and have a 4-10 year military service obligation as “payback” for the scholarship.

If you have questions about the details of a ROTC scholarship, reach out to the staff of the ROTC units at colleges you’re applying to. If you’d like personalized assistance, this is one of my specialty areas at Admissions Decrypted. The best time to connect with me is junior year or earlier, so don’t wait until crunch time to ask for help. If you’d like help with your military college program applications contact me to set up an initial meeting.

Air Force major show Air Force cadets around a T-6 Texan II training aircraft parked on the flight line with air control tower in the background.
Financial Fit, Military

Changes to Air Force ROTC Scholarships (2022-23)

Lisa Rielage

There have been several big changes to the Air Force ROTC scholarship program that affect who will be offered scholarships and how much money they will receive. These changes affect:

  • Current high school students applying for Air Force ROTC scholarships in 2022-23 (for scholarships that start in Fall 2023) and future applicants to the HSSP.
  • Rising 200 and 300 level cadets (sophomores and juniors) currently enrolled in college Air Force ROTC programs

TL;DR More scholarships will be awarded to current cadets through the In College Scholarship Program (ICSP) who have demonstrated sustained interest and strong performance in Air Force ROTC. Fewer scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors, but those scholarships will all be Type 1 (full tuition) scholarships.

More Current Air Force ROTC Cadets Will Get Scholarships

The details are still coming out, but multiple Air Force college ROTC recruiting officers (unit staff members responsible to communicating with students interested in the program) have confirmed that Air Force is changing its scholarship program to award more scholarships to students who are already enrolled in ROTC units. These are cadets who have demonstrated readiness for college academics and performed well at the military requirements ROTC put in front of them, including fitness tests, air science courses, and military training. This applies to students interested in both Air Force and Space Force commissions (which are both administered through Air Force ROTC).

These changes to how Air Force ROTC scholarships are distributed will be a boost for Air Force and Space Force cadets who were not offered scholarships directly out of high school. It also allows the Air Force to base its scholarship decisions (and the decisions about who becomes an Air Force or Space Force officer) on observations by ROTC staff over the course of months or years rather than best guesses based on test scores, high school grades, and a relatively short interview. This change in the scholarship program is also based on the observation that cadets awarded ICSP scholarships tend to have higher retention than cadets awarded scholarships out of high school, probably because those cadets have had their own opportunity to see what ROTC and the Air Force or Space Force is like and not base their continued service on a best guess based on recruiting videos and a brief unit tour.

Fewer Air Force ROTC Scholarships for High School Students

However, since the scholarship budget didn’t get bigger, the increase in scholarships for current college cadets has to be offset by a reduction elsewhere. Specifically, there will be fewer scholarships awarded to students applying through the High School Scholarship Program (HSSP). This includes students applying as high school seniors and high school graduates who have not attended college yet. In the past, around 1,000 scholarships (of varying award levels) were awarded through HSSP. The expectation is that this will drop to around 500 scholarships (but it could be fewer).

Fewer Types of AFROTC Scholarships

Another change to Air Force ROTC scholarships is that there is now only one type of high school scholarship award level, the Type 1 scholarship, which pays full tuition and fees at any public or private institution with an Air Force ROTC detachment. The Type 2 ($18,000/year at public or private institutions) and the Type 7 (full tuition capped at in-state tuition rate where the cadet qualifies for in-state rate) are no longer available.

In past years, the Type 1 scholarships were only offered to about 5% of AFROTC scholarship awardees and were almost exclusively reserved for cadets doing critical majors (being technical majors (with the exception of biology) and high need language majors). Now all high school students offered an Air Force ROTC scholarship will get the higher value Type 1 scholarship, but there will be fewer scholarships offered to high school students overall.

What Should Students Do Now?

What do these changes in the Air Force ROTC scholarship mean for high school students interested in becoming Air Force or Space Force officers? The selection rate for Air Force ROTC scholarships will be much lower for high school seniors this cycle (and probably for several years). They will likely go to the most outstanding applicants – with high test scores AND strong grades in rigorous classes AND outstanding fitness test scores AND a demonstrated history of leadership. The AFROTC interview will continue to be a key part of the scholarship application, and students walk in ready to clearly communicate why they want to be part of the Air Force or Space Force for the next 10 years (or longer).

It also means that students who are not offered a scholarship straight out of high school should go ahead and join the ROTC unit and demonstrate their potential as future officers – with great college grades (particularly in critical majors) AND outstanding performance in unit military training and fitness AND high grades in air science classes AND taking initiative to find ways to make a difference in the unit (aka show leadership). But it also means that they need to look closely at college affordability when they build their college list, since they will be paying for at least a year of tuition.

Some aspects of the changes in the Air Force ROTC scholarships are still unclear, like exactly how many high school scholarships will be awarded and what percentage of current cadets will be offered scholarships. In addition, some colleges offer institutional scholarships to defray the cost of food and housing. If a college has typically offered this scholarship only to incoming freshmen, will they change their eligibility policy to reflect the shift in Air Force priorities?

Air Force ROTC Recruiting Officers will likely have more clarity later in the cycle. If you read through the HSSP Applicant Guide and still have questions, don’t be afraid to reach out to a Recruiting Officer to ask them. But remember you are creating an impression; so be professional and show that you’ve done your homework first. I’d recommend starting with an email, since that gives you a chance to think through what you’re asking before hitting send.

At Admissions Decrypted, I work to guide students through the college application process. This includes ROTC Scholarship applications. If you want help with your application (including essays and practice interviews) please reach out.

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Learn about FAFSA and how it can help pay for college
All, College Fit, College Planning, Financial Fit

Learn About FAFSA

Lisa Rielage

If you have a high school student, you might see articles each fall about FAFSA. Maybe you’re wondering if you need to be worried about it. Maybe you are just wondering, “What is FAFSA?” Read on to learn about FAFSA, why it matters, and where to get help completing it.

What Is the FAFSA?

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The new application opens each fall on October 1 for financial aid that students would use the following college academic year. It is a form that collects information on student status and their family financial situation in order to determine eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and federally supported work study programs. In addition, most colleges rely on the FAFSA as a basis for awarding need-based grants from the college.

FAFSA an instrument of the US Department of Education, and the official Federal Student Aid website is robust and worth your time. It includes sections on how financial aid works, types of aid, and how federal aid is calculated. The section on completing the FAFSA form has lots of information on required documents, factors that determine dependency status, and providing financial information. Rather than quoting each of these sections here, I encourage you to go directly to the Federal Student Aid website. Not only is the information there up to date and official, but you are likely to find explanations you didn’t even realize you should be asking about.

That said, I will address a few frequently asked questions that I get each year.

Who Needs to Complete a FAFSA?

The student submits the FAFSA, but in most cases will require information about parent income and assets. The best practice is for the student to start the process by creating a FAFSA ID and then invite a parent to create a supporting account. Any student who is interested in using federal student loans, or who seeks need-based aid from colleges should submit a FAFSA. In addition, many state grant programs require students to submit the FAFSA to establish eligibility.

Some colleges require submission of a FAFSA for specific scholarships from the college. For example, the Virginia Tech Emerging Leader Scholarship for members of the Corps of Cadets requires annual completion of the FAFSA. You should read the financial aid pages for each college you apply to in order to learn about FAFSA requirements and deadlines.

Does Submitting the FAFSA Hurt My Chance of Admission?

Let me turn this question around. Are you in a good position if you are admitted to a college you can’t afford to attend?

A student might choose not to submit a FAFSA if: they can pay the entire cost of attendance for all four years, and they are confident that their financial situation will not change. Colleges are not generous when they suspect families of playing games by claiming no financial need when applying but then trying to negotiate a tuition. Some colleges will not award additional financial aid until the following year, if the student did not initially submit a FAFSA, even if the family’s financial situation changed.

If you aren’t sure how much each of your colleges is likely to cost, you want to use their Net Price Calculator and other resources to estimate annual cost of attendance and the total cost of a degree.

Only a handful of colleges are need blind for admissions. Many colleges consider how much financial aid each student would “cost” their financial aid budget when they build their incoming class. Students who know that they want to be considered for need-based aid not only should submit the FAFSA and do so in a timely way (I suggest by the end of October), but also need to ensure that their college list includes schools that are good financial fits for their family budget.

Related: What College Costs

When Do I Have to Submit the FAFSA?

You don’t have to submit on October 1, but be aware of deadlines at individual colleges. Schools often have a fall deadline for priority financial consideration that would require not only financial aid paperwork, but also a completed college application. I recommend that families try to submit the FAFSA before the end of October. (Note that you will also see dates that are state deadlines for submitting the FAFSA. This represents the last date to submit FAFSA for that school year in order to be eligible for state grants, but may be long past when colleges have allotted their need-based financial aid for the year.)

Note: If you know that you will not be eligible for need-based aid, but want to use federal student loans, you have the option of waiting to submit the FAFSA after colleges give admissions decisions and letting the college financial aid office know that you are only submitting for the purpose of federal loan eligibility. (But do read the previous section on who should submit a FAFSA.)

What Information Do I Need to Complete the FAFSA?

Questions will ask about current assets and income from the “prior-prior” year. A student applying for aid for the Fall 2023 college semester would use income information from the 2021 tax year. More information on required documents and instructions are available on the Federal Student Aid website.

Does It Matter What Order I List Colleges on the FAFSA?

It depends. Colleges can no longer see the other schools you send FAFSA information to or what order you list colleges on the form. This was a change around 2016 after some colleges started using the college list to infer how interested the student was. This tea leaf approach was unfair, since students didn’t necessarily put intentional thought into completing that section. So the order doesn’t matter for college admissions.

But FAFSA is also sent to state agencies responsible for awarding state aid for college. Some states require schools to be listed in a specific order. Currently, if you are a resident of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, or West Virginia, state aid is dependent on where you list an eligible state college. In addition, there are 33 states, districts, and territories that require students to list an eligible in-state college to be considered for state grant aid. You can check your state on the Student Aid website.

Where Can I Get Help on the FAFSA?

In addition to the Help section on the Federal Student Aid website, there are blue question marks within the FAFSA itself that open up help boxes for specific topics. Federal Student Aid even has a YouTube channel.  Each year there are institutions that create line-by-line walk through videos. I suggest you stick with videos from state education organizations or non-profit colleges. Remember that FAFSA is the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid. You should not pay anyone to submit this for you.

Is FAFSA the Only Form I Need for Financial Aid?

About 300 colleges, universities, and scholarships use an additional financial aid form called the CSS Profile. This asks more detailed questions about family assets to determine what a family’s financial resources are.  The calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for the FAFSA and CSS Profile are often different because they use different formulas.  The CSS Profile is now free for families that make up to $100,000. For other students it is $25 for the first submission and $16 per additional report. But remember students only need to complete the CSS Profile if they apply to a college or scholarship that require it.

Um, How Do You Say FAFSA?

Great question. Say it like one word, FAF-sah.

Ohio State University ROTC building entrance with signs for Military Science, Air Science, & Naval Science
Financial Fit, Military

What Are ROTC Scholarships?

Lisa Rielage

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC, often pronounced ROT-see) is a program to educate and train future US military officers at civilian colleges and universities. Students are simultaneously full-time college students and ROTC cadets or midshipmen. They take courses in military, air, or naval science alongside their other college classes. They also have regular military training during the school year and over the summer to prepare them for their role as future military officers. ROTC scholarships pay for tuition and more at many colleges around the US.

Three ROTC Programs, Five Military Branches

There are three different ROTC programs. Army ROTC trains future Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard officers. Navy ROTC trains future Navy and Marine Corps officers, and has a special track for Navy Nursing. Air Force ROTC trains future Air Force officers and now offers some cadets the option of commissioning into the Space Force.

Host Units and Cross Town Agreements

Students can only participate in ROTC at colleges that host a ROTC unit for that program, or that are a cross town affiliate with the unit at another college. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Navy ROTC unit includes cross town students from Harvard and Tufts. Meanwhile, Air Force ROTC Det 60 at University of Southern California includes students from USC as well as students from two dozen nearby colleges including Embry-Riddle, Occidental, Cal State Polytechnic Pomona, and Chapman.

Make sure that there is a ROTC unit or cross-town agreement for the specific program you want to join. Students at Occidental for example could affiliate with the Army ROTC unit at UCLA or the Air Force ROTC unit at USC, but would not have a Navy ROTC option available.

It’s also important to remember that the high school scholarship applications are just that, an application for a ROTC program scholarship. Students still need to apply to – and be admitted to colleges where they’d like to use the scholarship.

ROTC Scholarships

ROTC Scholarships for High School Students

Each ROTC program has a scholarship competition for high school students. The application typically opens in spring of junior year, with scholarship review boards over the fall and winter. Because students might not hear the results of their scholarship application until spring of senior year, it’s essential to complete college applications without waiting for ROTC scholarship results.

The application typically requires an academic record, SAT/ACT test scores, teacher recommendations, activities list, essay responses, an interview, and a fitness assessment. Students must also go through a medical review board that determines medical qualification. Students are evaluated on their academic ability and potential as future military leaders.

Participation in high school Junior ROTC is not required, but is one of many ways a student might develop leadership skills. Other common venues of growing as a leader include team sports, scouts, Civil Air Patrol, Sea Cadets, student government, academic teams and clubs, and work.

ROTC Scholarships for College Students

College students can join a ROTC unit whether or not they have been awarded a 4-year scholarship. They would take the same ROTC courses and do the same school year training events, but usually don’t do summer training. Non-scholarship students may be considered for 3- or 2-year scholarships or a contract that results in a commission after graduation. Usually, success in earning a scholarship as a college student depends on college grades and performance as a ROTC cadet or midshipman.

ROTC Scholarship Benefits

ROTC scholarships pay for part or all of college tuition and required fees, depending on the program and scholarship category. Scholarships usually also include a book allowance, uniforms, and a monthly tax-free stipend.

Basic Eligibility

  • Be a US citizen
  • Be within age requirements
  • Have a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Meet fitness standards
  • Meet physical (medical) standards
  • Agree to accept a commission and serve in the respective branch of the military after graduation

How to Apply for ROTC Scholarships

The specific eligibility, application, and service requirements vary according to which ROTC program the student joins and what career path they are assigned after graduation. See each Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program page for current information.

Navy ROTC (Navy and Marine Corps) scholarship opens April 1, 2022 and closes January 31, 2023.

Air Force ROTC (Air Force and Space Force) scholarship application opens July 1, 2022 and closes January 12, 2023.

Army ROTC (Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard) scholarship usually opens in June.

Ohio State University Buckeye statute in a green flight suit.
Ohio State University Buckeye Statue
College Admissions, College Applications, Essay Writing, Financial Fit, Summer

Summer College Applications Tips for Seniors

Lisa Rielage

It might feel like vacation just ended. Maybe the notes from finals and AP study guides are still on your desk. But summer is the right time to for seniors to work on college applications. Most colleges open their new application cycle on August 1.  Senior year starts just a few weeks later, with many class assignments, events, and activities competing for scarce time.  Early deadlines might feel like they are far in the future, but they will loom up faster than you anticipate. These college application tips will help you get started on your applications and take some of the pressure off of senior year. 

Make an Activities Master List

Most applications ask students about how they spent their time outside the classroom.  Activities don’t have to be an official school club or team.  They could include jobs, family responsibilities, volunteer efforts, participation in faith-based groups, and important hobbies.  This isn’t just to pad your resume. Colleges are giving increasing attention to the fact that some students spend many hours a week working or caring for siblings or that a student may not be in a school club but devote their free time to beach cleanups or creating film productions.

Create a list of that includes what you did, what your responsibilities and impact were, how much time you spent each week, and what years you were involved. Go into details about projects, what you did and how you felt about completing them. If there is a teacher, coach, or adult mentor who might write a letter of recommendation, make a note of their name and contact info. Your list should lead with the activities that are most important to you, rather than strict chronological order. 

Be expansive when writing this master list. The purpose isn’t to create something that is ready to attach to an application, but to create a detailed document that you can draw from when working on your applications. It’s ok to include bullet points, paragraphs describing an event or a responsibility, or a list of awards or performance pieces. When you are done with this activities master list, it will be easier to pull out the most significant activities and what you did in them to fill out the activities sections of applications, make a brag sheet for recommenders, or create a resume.

Pro Tip: It can be a good idea to ask your parents or a close friend if they remember any activities you’ve forgotten. Short term activities like a cyber camp or film conference might slip your mind, but might be combined with other activities in your application to demonstrate a thread of a deep and enduring interest area. When my own kids applied to college, looking back at old calendars brought up several items that we had forgotten about.

Create a Common Application Account

The Common Application is a portal used by hundreds of different colleges, from Aberystwyth University (Wales) to York College of Pennsylvania to process student applications.  Students enter their personal information, school info, and activities on one main page, that is then sent to any participating college.  The advantage for students is that they don’t have to enter basic information on a multitude of different applications. The advantage for colleges is that students are more likely to apply, if it’s a relatively easy add on rather than a totally separate application portal.

The Common App does an annual rollover to the new application cycle.  The good news is that much of a student’s data is preserved in the rollover, so a rising senior can input this data during the summer and be a step ahead when the new application cycle starts.  Student accounts are frozen for about a week during the system refresh, usually around the last week of July. 

Data entered in the Common App tab will rollover.  This includes the subsections for Profile, Family, Education, Testing, and Activities.  Sections that do not roll over include answers in the My Colleges tab (which includes college-specific questions) and invitations to recommenders (or recommendations that might have been uploaded). So you should wait to enter responses to these sections until after the rollover has occurred.  This Application Guide for First Time Students can help you create your account and start filling out the application. This year there will also be a set of free Common App walk through videos called the AXS Companion. These videos are a joint project of IECA and Oregon State University and feature a bunch of fabulous Independent Educational Consultants showing step by step how to complete the application.

Pro Tip: If you are primarily applying to colleges in California or colleges that have their own application, you might not use the Common App portal for your applications. In that case, take the time to research the applications you will be using so you have a better understanding of what you will need to submit.

Start Working on Your Essays

A strong essay should be primarily about you. It’s your opportunity to tell the admissions readers the rest of the story that they don’t get from reading your transcript, activities list, and test scores. Don’t procrastinate work on pre-writing exercises that helps you define and share what values, experiences, and goals make up your story.

Many colleges use similar essay prompts from year to year.  The Common Application has announced the Personal Statement prompts for 2021-22, which includes one new prompt to replace one that wasn’t used often. This means that you don’t have to wait until applications officially open in late summer to start thinking and writing about who you are and what strengths and attributes you will bring to the college community. If this is an area you want help on, maybe an Admissions Decrypted Essay Coaching Package is something to consider.

Pro Tip: You should always write essays and other supplemental writing responses in a document and paste them into applications. This allows you to use spell check and word count tools and protects you from losing hours of work if there is a system glitch in the application.

Start Working on Applications Now; Have More Calm Later

Each of these tasks takes time, usually more time than expected.  Getting a head start on completing college applications can relieve pressure from looming fall deadlines and allow headspace for putting together a high-quality application.  Don’t panic when you can’t access your Common App account during the system refresh.  Use this time to work on other tasks (like essays) so you are ready to go when rollover is complete. I hope these college application tips are useful. If you’d like help with your college applications or college planning, get in touch.

All, College Fit, College Planning, Financial Fit

Tips for Finding College Fit

Lisa Rielage

Building a college list shouldn’t just be picking names off a rankings list or applying where your best friend wants to go. Your time at college is likely to be an important period of personal and professional development as well as one of the most significant financial decisions your family makes. It’s worth your time to investigate if the colleges you are considering are places that will allow you to grow as an individual.

I wrote these tips to help you start thinking about what you are hoping to do in college and what factors might make a college a good fit for you.

Decide what you want from college

  • A broad curriculum that allows for exploration
  • Support for a focused academic goal
  • Mentoring and training related to a future career
  • An interdisciplinary program that draws from many departments
  • Advising for professional programs (like medical or law school)?
  • Maximum transfer credit for work you’ve already done

If you know why, figuring out where will be easier

Decide what factors are important to you

Colleges can be categorized by many qualities such as:

  • Location: state, urban/suburban/rural, distance from family
  • Size: small <3k, medium 3-10k, large 10-20k, very large >20k
  • Academic programs: Majors, minors, interdisciplinary programs
  • Student body makeup: Diversity, student veterans, older students, students with families
  • Available housing: Campus housing, local apartments, living with family
  • Campus atmosphere: Competitive/collaborative, politically active, ties to community
  • Other personal factors: Disability support, sports, internships & coops

As you make lists of factors that matter to you, try to categorize them by which are essential vs those that would be nice to have.

What are dealbreakers and where are you flexible?

Clarify your budget

Tuition varies by college. Fees, books, housing, food and transportation add to the Cost of Attendance. Use tools like Net Price Calculators (on each college website) to estimate what you are likely to pay at different schools. Understand the difference between scholarships, grants, and loans. Some colleges offer the majority of students some tuition grants; others reserve financial aid to students with demonstrated financial need. You can get an idea of their past actions by looking at the Net Price Calculator or Section H of the college’s Common Data Set.

If you are eligible for special education benefits, such as the WUE tuition discounts, GI Bill and other veterans’ benefits, or state scholarship programs like the Hope Scholarship (Georgia) or Bright Futures Scholarship (Florida), take the time to read and understand the requirements and limitations of the program. There is nothing worse than being on the edge of enrolling at a favorite school then realizing you’d missed a deadline or some other requirement and would not receive that financial support.

Know what you can afford and what aid colleges are likely to offer; don’t rely on consecutive miracles.

Look beyond labels

Read descriptions of majors in both the college catalog and departmental websites. Look at degree requirements and sample course plans. Some degrees have options for concentrations within a major.

You may find significant differences in programs at different colleges. The sample course plans can help you see the difference in experience between a Mechanical Engineering degree with an Aerospace Engineering concentration and a stand-alone Aerospace Engineering degree. You may also find similar programs with different names like Film Production, Film Studies, or Cinematic Arts.

[Check out this post for more detailed tips about Researching College Majors.]

Investigate the minors available at each college. You may find these offer another opportunity to specialize or to broaden your academic experience. Often within a minor, you would take classes with students from a variety of different majors, which can give you exposure to how other academic disciplines approach similar topics. A few minors that have caught my eye recently include: University of Colorado – Boulder Minor in Energy Engineering, James Madison University Minor in Chronic Illness, and University of Cincinnati Materials Engineering Minor.

Honors Colleges and Honors Programs at some colleges create a smaller cohort of students working at an advanced level. Benefits can include priority registration, smaller honors sections of required courses, faculty mentoring, and perhaps even a research budget. Honors programs can be a way to get a more individualized experience at a larger college.

Do the research, so you have a better basis for comparison.

Keep an open mind

There are over 3,000 colleges in the US that offer 4-year degrees. There’s a good chance that excellent programs that meet your goals and needs exist at colleges you aren’t familiar with. Consider the possibilities at Small Liberal Arts Colleges, large public universities, and schools with honors programs, not just a list of famous colleges. Don’t rely on rankings, which are based on what is easily measured, not what is meaningful. The information used as a basis for rankings may not align with your personal goals.

College is an investment of time and resources; do the work to find several strong options.

Your goal should be a list of 4-8 colleges that meet your needs and that have a range of admissions likelihood. I usually suggest that at least half the list should be high chance of admission or medium chance of admissions schools. Don’t overload you list with low chance of admission or “highly rejective” colleges. That’s a recipe for disappointment.

You may find that your best friend looks at your list and asks about some of your schools. If you’ve done your thinking and research, you’ll be able to explain what is exciting about each of them.

All, College Admissions, College Applications, Covid-19, Financial Fit, Homeschooling, Updates

Update for March 2021

Lisa Rielage

News

Common Application Adds More Colleges: The Common Application (or Common App) is an application portal that allows students to apply to multiple colleges via one login system. It simplifies the application for the student by eliminating the need for separate applications for every single college. Common App announced that over 30 new colleges were joining the platform, including University of Alabama, James Madison University, Colorado School of Mines, Portland State University, and all of the public colleges in Illinois. Over 900 colleges use Common App for undergraduate admissions. Significant colleges that do NOT use Common App include the University of California and California State University systems, Texas public colleges using Apply Texas, University of Washington, and all US service academies. Those colleges use an independent proprietary application or are part of the Coalition Application (University of Washington).

Note: In February Common App announced Personal Statement Essay Prompts for the 2021-22 application cycle.

Florida Bright Futures: Late in February, state legislation in Florida proposed significant changes to the Florida Bright Futures scholarship. The changes would have reduced the degrees eligible for scholarships by creating a list of degrees that lead to direct employment. It would also have reduced the number of college credits funded under the scholarship if the student had earned college credit in high school (such as through Advanced Placement or dual enrollment/dual credit courses). It also would have allowed the legislature to set an annual award amount for National Merit Scholars through the state budget process, rather than tying it to tuition costs. There was significant pushback from Florida residents and legislators and there have been major changes to the bill (including removing the section that would penalize students for early college credits), but it signals efforts by state governments to control over state grants for higher education through the annual budget process. (Article on original proposal.)

College May Require Covid Vaccines: Rutgers University announced they would require students in Fall 2021 to have a Covid-19 vaccine (with exceptions for medical and religious reasons and for students in fully remote or online-only programs). Rutgers is located in New Jersey, a state that experienced a heavy death toll in the early months of the pandemic.

Featured Long Article Episode

This month I suggest listening to This American Life Episode 734: The Campus Tour Has Been Cancelled. This episode looks at the ways that test optional admissions policies have opened the door for more applications to some highly sought colleges, at the same time that other student groups have seen applications drop precipitously. The second part of the episode looks specifically at The University of Texas, which admits the majority of its students based on class rank at Texas high schools.  In the absence of test scores, class rank may rise in importance for other colleges.

Meanwhile, Back at the Office

As Co-Chair of the Homeschool Affinity Group of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), I was excited to help launch a college admissions panel series focused on admissions for homeschool students. Our first panel included admissions representatives from Stetson University, Vanderbilt University, Whittier College, and University of California.

The conversation was encouraging. Each was excited about having homeschoolers apply to and enroll at their school, and none of the colleges on the panel had extra requirements for homeschoolers. Homeschoolers are admitted at rates that reflect their proportion in the respective applicant pools. Most of the schools read homeschool applications alongside other applications, while one school had an admissions rep who read all homeschool applications.

Each of the representatives mentioned that outside academic experiences, such as dual enrollment/dual credit courses or Advanced Placement coursework, are useful in determining student ability. Whittier, Stetson, and Vanderbilt all found detailed course descriptions and a school profile document helpful to put the student transcript into context.

On the other hand, University of California relies on the student-generated course and grade information that is internal to their application. They don’t review transcripts at all until after admissions offers have been made, so students need to clearly self-advocate in other parts of the application, such as Additional Comments and Other Academic History sections.

The rep from Stetson noted that the majority of their homeschool applications were from in-state students. This isn’t surprising, given that Florida has a large homeschool community and Stetson University is a small college (3,000 students) that is better known regionally.

Homeschool applicants need to understand their audience. The application expectations for a very large university that has to review 100,000 applications will be different than the expectations at a small college that hand reviews every application. It also underscores the need for patience when communicating with admissions reps, who may not be familiar with what homeschooling looks like outside their typical recruiting areas.

I’m looking forward to the next Homeschool Affinity Group college admissions panel in May. It will be interesting to see if there are new insights as we go into the 2021-22 application cycle.

All, College Planning, Financial Fit, Testing

Update for January 2021

Lisa Rielage

Excited to ring in 2021 and delighted to celebrate it with virtual confetti for my seniors who have been receiving admissions decisions.

News

SAT Subject Tests and SAT Essay Section: One of the biggest news items this month was the announcement that College Board is eliminating the essay section on the SAT exam as well as all SAT Subject Tests. This was presented as a simplification for students, but presents complications for two groups of students. Students applying to colleges in other countries often used Subject Tests to provide a recognizable data point to colleges unfamiliar with their national curriculum. Similarly, homeschoolers often took Subject Tests, either because a college required them from homeschoolers or in order to quantify what they had achieved through home-based coursework. College Board seems hopeful that more students will turn to Advanced Placement tests, which are longer, tied to AP course guidelines, and more expensive. They can also be difficult for homeschool students to register for, since registration is administered by individual high schools who may not welcome outside students.

The elimination of the essay tests will be less noticed, since few schools used them in admissions.  University of California had been a notable holdout, and many students took the SAT with Essay only because UCs required it. With UC going test blind for the foreseeable future, College Board probably looked at the Essay section as an unwanted albatross that was costly to administer and score. Additional analysis of the changes from Compass Prep

Federal Legislation Changes FAFSA and Federal Student Aid: It’s been twelve years since the Higher Education Act was reauthorized, and Senator Lamar Alexander was focused on this issue for his last term before retirement. Two major changes are the simplification of the FAFSA questionnaire itself, reducing the number of total questions asked and changing the thresholds for qualifying for Pell Grants so that more students will be eligible. The FAFSA will also change for students with divorced parents, who will now report the income from the parent who provides the most financial support rather than the parent with whom they live the most days in the year.

A change that has gotten a lot of mention in the press is eliminating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) in favor of a Student Aid Index (SAI). On one hand this is a positive change, in that there was frequent misunderstanding around the EFC, which many families were stunned to find did not represent the total amount college might expect them to pay. On the other hand, it’s critical to realize this is mostly a name change, not a revision in the expectation that families provide financial support for college students up to age 24.   Deep Dive Changes to Federal Methodology Other Student Aid Changes From Spending Bill National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)

Featured Long Article

Shopping for a major? Detailed salary info shows which majors pay off The Hechinger Report

Bonus article if you want to dig deeper into the difficulty in deciphering the financial benefits of specific colleges and majors. It’s a few years old, but the stumbling blocks to assembling useful information remain. Placement rates, other data colleges provide consumers are often alternative facts   

Meanwhile, Back at the Office

January brought some time to review and reflect on what we accomplished in 2020 at Admissions Decrypted. A major milestone was completing the University of California Irvine Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting. This certificate required seven courses and over a year of study.

The pandemic cancelled several planned college tour road trips, but not my continued engagement with colleges or other college admissions professionals.

  • Became an Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)
  • Attended Summer Institutes from both the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) and Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling (SACAC)
  • Attended the Spring into Summer 2020 IECA Conference
  • Attended the Fall 2020 IECA Conference and was also a panelist and moderator for a session on college admissions for homeschoolers
  • Attended 50+ virtual college tours, info sessions, and meetings with college admissions professionals

This represents over 100 hours of professional development, but more importantly, deeper relationships with other people who spend their days focused on college admissions, fit, and affordability.

The turning of the year coincided with admissions decisions for my students in the class of 2021. I’m proud of each of them for the hard work they put into school, activities, and applications in what was not the senior year they had looked forward to. I’m excited as each admissions result comes in and cannot wait to see what they become in the coming years.