Before you ask which colleges to apply to, please consider

College Search & Selection
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<p>Sticky request. Those who read it will improve the quality of their suggestions. Another suggestion, get a FAFSA EFC estimate, takes very little time at FAFSA 4CASTER, and warms you up for the feel of filling out the real FAFSA. Doing it first makes filling out net price calculators easier.</p>

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<p>I like the suggestion by @BeanTownGirl. A template with the relevant data would go a long way to solving the problem. Respondents could then just point out the location of this template, instead of asking for all of the data that @ucbalumnus suggests, each and every time. Maybe after a couple of years the template could become so common that posters wouldnā€™t even respond without seeing it. Step in the right direction.</p>

<p>You can always count on ucbalumnus (and others) to ask these questions, especially in point #1. Someone has to do it! There is nothing more important than a familyā€™s financial situation when searching for colleges, and as @mom2collegekids suggests, itā€™s amazing how many students treat this process like a wish list, instead of one that is absolutely rooted in affordability. Have a look at how many of these college search threads go on for two or more pages with suggestions, without any consideration for finances. Itā€™s not even uncommon for students to apply to schools without understanding affordability, after spending countless hours on school research and writing supplements, only to have their dreams crushed when the price tag arrives. </p>

<p>What bugs me is that even when ucb or others ask for this data, many students just ignore it and carry on with building their fantasy world. The financial illiteracy that exists out there is astounding. A template, that is reasonably enforced, might help students and parents realize that the college search process really canā€™t begin without first attending to a list like ucbā€™s.</p>

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<p>well said.</p>

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<p>Thread has been stickied.</p>

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<p>thanks, @skieurope.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the sticky! </p>

<p>I actually think it should be posted atop the forums of every popular state flagship on CC (Penn State, hello???) and every pricey private that doesnā€™t offer legitimate merit money (NYU, Iā€™m talking to you!).</p>

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My school uses unweighted and weighted GPAs on a 100 point scale. Does any one know how to accurately convert this scale to the 4.0 GPA scale? Iā€™ve received Aā€™s on all the classes on my transcript but Iā€™m not sure if this entitles me to an immediate 4.0 like my counselors have told meā€¦

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Thank you very much! What do I do if my stats are not that good? Should I still send them?

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Problem is even with this stickied people will bypass it. We just need to keep linking people to it I guess. I see this on forums like Michiganā€™s and we tell them to use a certain format for accepted etc etc and many never read it. Hopefully this works better.

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Iā€™m working on a project that would link interested high schoolers to current students at their target schools for insightful conversations about student life. Itā€™ll give high schoolers a transparent view into their dream schools from college students with similar experiences and interests. What do you think?

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Thankyou for sharing this informative thread.

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Great thread! I feel that for most good students they should be looking closely , and early on, at their in-state flagship and other publicā€™s. This is likely the case already in many states, but here in Mass even UMass Amherst seems to still get snubbed way more than Iā€™d expect, despite it being an amazing place to attend for most. Top students who get scholarships to bring COA below the in-state options (or money no object) notwithstanding.

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Thanks for great article.

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Great article.

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Thank you for this information.