<p>H and I are about to wade into, for us, uncharted financial aid application waters. We didn't think we'd qualify when D1 applied, but with D2 a h.s. senior also looking at $$$ LACs and D1 now a sophomore in college, we want to give it a shot. And, as D2 is considering ED, we need to get cranking.</p>
<p>Dumb fundamental question #1: for the CSS Profile on-line app process, do we set up separate accounts for each child in the College Board "Student" section? If so, do you use your own adult email address as the contact point to keep track? Am sure both kids have or had college board identities/passwords, etc., but I don't know what they are. I wanted to access the worksheets, but got stymied at the registration stage. Not good. (I thought I was under the "Parents" section and tried to log in as myself, but it seems to think I'm a student..." This does not bode well.)</p>
<p>Similarly, when it comes time for the FAFSA, do we proceed down a single "family" track or have to somehow generate two sets of information?</p>
<p>I don't know about Profile but with FAFSA , you do get a different PIN for high school senior - even if you have older siblings in college with their own PIN . I think you use the same Parent PIn for both children on their forms.</p>
<p>You have to generate two sets of information for both Profile and FAFSA. We used the same email address (adult) so that all financial information was sure to get read. And yes, you do use the same Parent PIN for FAFSA.</p>
<p>Thank you, easydoesitmom and twinmom, for the speedy and clear responses! If nothing else, going through the finaid process will give us new empathy as D2 navigates the application process...</p>
<p>I have empathy for anyone going through the Financial Aid process! We filled out somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty Profile supplements at one time between two kids.</p>
<p>Well, then, as a certified professional at this, twinmom, can you advise whether we should list only the ED school when we file initially, or go full-bore? The conservative part of me says we'll liable to forget to add to the list in the "excitement" of wading through this process...</p>
<p>For the CSS profile, you will pay an added administrative fee for every school you add later on. So if you are reasonably sure where your chld will be applying, then it saves money to list all those schools initially. And, as noted, you don't have to worry about slipping up on deadlines later on.... it does happen. </p>
<p>On the other hand, with an ED application, it is very likely that there will be no need for future apps -- so then that's money down the drain. So I think you have to strike a balance: is the ED school a super-reach, long shot? are there just a handful of other schools to worry about, or does your kid play to apply to 15 colleges or more if deferred or rejected at the ED school? </p>
<p>So basically you need to do the math, write down the total cost on paper... and then make a choice. The College Board gets richer no matter what choice that is. ;)</p>